Hope In The Face Of Fear!

Chapter 1: Normal

Author's Note:
Hi Rebels!
I hope you enjoy the first chapter. Just letting you know that comments would be greatly appreciated, so that I can improve my story.
Anyway, enough chit chat.

Ezra's POV:

"Pay attention!" Shouts the maths teacher as she slams her hand down on my desk and I am snapped out of a daydream.

"Sorry miss. I just don't see the point in learning this" I say, quite annoyed. "I mean... when will I ever need to know what X times Y is?".

Some sniggering is heard behind me until the teacher shoots them one of her "looks", and they shut up almost immediately.

She sighs for what feels like the millionth time since I joined her class.

"Young Bridger, you are here to learn. I am here to teach. I don't ask why, and neither should you. Now answer the question!" She yells.

I silently sigh and get back to work. This was going to be another long day.

I survived on the streets for almost eight years, and never, not even once did I have to use algebra. Heck, I didn't even know what that was!

................. time skip .....................

The bell, for school to end, finally rang and all the students met up with their friends. Well... all except for me.

I wandered out of the gates. "Look, that's the street boy I was telling you about. Why anyone would adopt him I will never know. He doesn't even have any friends" I heard one of the kids whisper as I leaned against a wall.

looking out at the bustling streets and across the sidewalk, tears burned my eyes. Their right. No one wants a street rat, I can't even make any true friends that aren't street rats.

"Hey Ez. Whatcha doing" Sabine chirped as she hurried over to me.

I quickly wiped away my tears, so Sabine didn't see me, and put on a fake smile, "oh, you know. Thinking, I guess".

"About?" She quizzed.

I sighed, "Stuff".

"Someone's chatty", she rolled her eyes. "What's up?".

"I don't know... it's been almost a year since Hera and Kanan adopted me, but it's also been almost a year since I last saw my friends. I mean... look around you" Sabine did just that.

There where kids of all age ranges playing in the park beside their school, and even some walking down the street. But none of them where alone. They all had at least one friend.

Sabine sighed, "why don't you go and make some new friends?".

"I don't need new friends, Sabine. I just want to see my old ones" I tell her.

"You know Kanan won't allow that, and besides, your risking yours and your friends safety" she informs me sadly.

"I know. I guess I just miss them" I tell her before standing up straight and putting on a fake smile. "Well, there are some things we can't change. Come on, we should probably get home before Hera wonders were we are" I smile as I drag her down the street.

.............. time skip to dinner ..............

The conversation seemed to go right over my head for the majority of dinner, 'I wonder what the other Rebels are doing?' I think.

All of a sudden I was elbowed, quite hard, by Zeb. "What was that for?!" I ask, rubbing my arm.

Zeb rolled his eyes, "Kanan was asking ya a question, kid".

I looked over to Kanan who eyed me suspiciously. "So, Ez, how was your day?" he asked again as he eyed me across the table.

"It was boring. Although truth be told, that maths teacher really hates me, so that makes maths more interesting at times" I told him.

Kanan sighed and shook his head. "You really need to pay more attention in maths, Ezra. It's beneficial for your learning. Plus, you can't get through school by using the maths teachers hate for you as your only form of amusement".

"I can and I will. The principle banned all other forms of fun" I crossed my arms in protest.

Kanan sighed again, "headmaster Yoda only banns your, so called, "fun" when it is likely to get you killed" he says with finger quotes.

"Parkour wasn't that bad!" I protested.

"You took a running leap off of the three story science block onto a drain pipe" he clarified with a look that read, 'you've lost this battle, kid'.

I sighed, "well... we where in sports. Besides... I've jumped off higher when I was seven, and at tops have only ended up with broken leg or a bump to the head" I twiddle my thumbs as a form of distraction.

"That explains things" Zeb snorted, and I glared at him.

Kanan continued, "or how about the time when you tackled Wedge to the ground after he patted you on the shoulder during a movie you were watching in English?"

"Technically, that was a form of defence. You don't just come up behind a street kid and touch them when you don't know they're there" I explained.

"It was a movie!" Kanan shouted.

"A worrying scary one!" I defended.

Kanan sighed. Again. "Look Ezra. You're not a street kid anymore. You're with us, so you have to adapt to ways beyond the streets. Like school. Just be normal" he finishes sternly.

Suddenly I snap. "What if I don't know how to be normal?!" I shout as I stand from the table and storm out of the kitchen and towards my room.

I flopped onto my bed and sighed. They think I can be normal?! I didn't have a normal childhood, and suddenly they think that I will suddenly know how to be "normal"?!

I took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. Nothing will get solved if I am in a flap over being someone I'm not.

I am who I am, and that won't change.

Hope you all liked the first chapter. Sorry about the whole bunch of time skips. Starting story's isn't really my thing. I'm better at it once I'm a few chapters into it usually.

I'll update you soon 😉