Camp Reunion || Maxneil, Dadvid

Neil- smart boy.

Nikki hopped off of the bus, being one of the last people to get off the clanking metal vehicle.

She's followed by a sighing Neil who reluctantly steps off of the patterned steel onto the gum-covered pavement. The school looks large from the outside, and slightly overwhelming. The rest of the overwhelming feeling comes from the bustling crowds slowly growing in front of the school.

The higher years - mostly sophomores and juniors (the seniors can't be bothered, most of them are too dead inside, courtesy of the system) torment what the pair suspects are freshmen and try to push past them to get to the front.

Neil sees the same kid from the bus fall against one of the many red brick walls that encompass the school. The guy's head the ugly, cracked stones. He winces in pain for a brief second, but he looks fine.

Meanwhile, the other boy dashes over to see for himself if the guy's okay. And to try and make a new friend. Something tells him that he's not going to make many. The boy props himself up with the support of another skinny, built-like-a-noodle teen.

"You alright?"

Neil sees the boy nod but not his face because of the height difference - all he sees is dark brown and black-ish fluffy hair, slightly long, he can't see but it might be nearly brushing the shoulders. It looks soft, like that one hamster David showed- nevermind.

Anyway, curse being 5'11, Nikki keeps using him to reach the tide pods (the had to keep them out of reach for obvious reasons, but Neil was easily bribed).

Also curse being queer (he labels himself as queer, because who even knows what the fuck anything is anymore? everything is a construct) because he can tell that this guy - or person, he shouldn't prejudge - is probably pretty attractive. He doesn't know why, he just has a feeling.

"Thanks." The hoodie kid murmurs.

"So uh- where you from?" Neil squeezes out, trying to make small talk. Maybe they can be friends. He sure as hell needs a few.

Especially because of the fact that Harrison and Nerris both have a grudge against him - the reason being their (ongoing) Science VS. Magic debate (read: argument)

The crowds in front of them had cleared up a little, still no signs of Nikki, and they could now walk side-by-side.

Neil looks at the boy next to him, who immediately pulls his hood up. The hoodie is grey, and an interestingly bland choice of colour.

Doors wide open, the halls in front of the two look like they travel so far, full of neutrally-coloured mismatched lockers along with cracked floor and ceiling tiles. Looks fabulous.

"What class are you in?"

The boy pulls a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket, unraveling it and smoothing it down in his hands. Neil leans in closer to see the sheet. "HAG. Personal space, Neil."

"Oh, me too." Neil looks at his own paper, "Looks like we go to EN3 for and then the main hall for orientation."

He does a double-take. "Did I tell you my name?"

"Uh. It's on your- handout. Sheet. Whatever." The kid huffs. "Let's just head to that classroom."

The walk was pretty quiet, but they soon enough approached the English classroom. Creaking the door open, the bell rang as soon as they got in. What they could assume was the homeroom teacher stood at the front, looking very boring.

He was a grey old man, kind of balding at the top of his head, reminding the two of someone who has been dragged through a dumpster fire of lint and dust.

However, the rest of the class looked bored too (really? already?). Neil saw many familiar faces, as well as Nikki. He was going to have to ask her where she went later. She was animatedly chatting-whispering to Nerris in the front.

"You're lucky you're on time, you two." The unnamed teacher shook his head disapprovingly.

"Sorry, Sir." They both chorused.

"Take a seat."

He looked to the two seats left, positioned right next to each other, one row from the back of the classroom.

The classroom. It was painted in a light blue colour - like his own eyes, if he wanted to be a narc about it - with english.. Stuff all over the walls.

Can't be too bad. Neil drags the chair out and plops himself into the seat, dropping his bag onto the floor.

"Okay. Now that we're all here." the teacher eyed the pair "We can take roll call."

Everyone responded to their names (many of them which sounded familiar, only a handful of new names to him) with a variation of 'Here,' or 'Here Sir'.

"Maxine Jones."

"Here, Sir." The guy (?) next to him said. So they were a girl? Maybe. The name reminds him of a certain someone regardless.

"Nikki Lowenthal?"

"Here!" his step-sister beams. It's still a bit surreal hearing his last name instead of Nikki's old last name.

Oh, we have siblings. Neil Lowenthal."

"Here Sir." he calls from his seat.

The teacher puts his paper aside, uncapping a whiteboard marker and writing something quickly on the board.

"My name," he points to the messy chicken scratch writing on the board, "Is Mr. Gordon. I will be your homeroom teacher."

His rambling about everything you needed to know slowly faded into background noise and Neil stared ahead, blankly. He doesn't take much of it in, and in fact, he is thinking about quantum physics. The bell rings as if he only zoned out for a few minutes.

-- 

zoinkz i disappeared 4 a bit