ᴍᴏᴄʜᴀ | ᴛʏʟᴇʀ ɢᴀʟᴘɪɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ✔︎ [ON HOLD]

I

There were people that came from families with absent parents. Divorced. Deaths.

And there were others with helicopter parents, too overprotective, overall dooming their child to be helpless in the world.

I was lucky enough to have both. Or one, basically.

By the time I was supposed to enrol in Nevermore, I knew Mother's parenting methods weren't exactly good. She seemed to switch between 2 moods— either ridiculously overprotective, hovering over whatever I did, or option 2, scolding me for whatever I did as 'character grooming'.

I should have been excited to go to Nevermore; but would you want your parent to be there, watching your every move? I think the hell not.

I straightened out my Nevermore tie in the mirror, smoothing down imaginary creases in the navy blue and black uniform, straightening up at Mother's eyes in the mirror.

"You look up to the Nevermore standard," Mother assured after scanning over my presentation. "I think it's about time to join your peers in the Quad."

I looked out of the large window behind the desk and nodded. Time to fulfil all the hopes and dreams Mother rested on me. 

Grabbing my bag from the chair, I backed out of the office. "Y/n?" I sighed internally and plastered the smile again on my face. "Chin up, back straight, shoulders out. First impressions—"

"First impressions last, yes, I know, Mother," I finished. At her raised eyebrow, I mumbled an apology for interrupting her and hurried out of the room.

Treading down the already familiar stairs, I entered the Quad, blending in with the rest of the new students. The older students, already separated into their cliques, watched on from the wooden benches.

I wasn't a werewolf, fang or gorgon— and unlike Mother, I wasn't a shapeshifter. I had no psychic abilities, so according to her I might as well have been a normie.

Soon, Mother stepped onstage, standing tall in her gray pantsuit and perfectly done makeup. If only everyone knew how she screamed at me beforehand to help redo her concealer. I didn't know if I was her daughter or servant sometimes.

"Welcome to all our new students, and welcome back to our seniors," as she started speaking, the chatter and movement began to die down, and I found myself between a girl with white-blonde hair and a certain casket hiding boy.

As Mother rattled on with the formalities, I nudged Xavier in the arm with my elbow. "Hi there alligator."

Xavier looked down at me, grinning softly and whispering back, "Been a while, crocodile," since the last time I saw him, he had grown about a foot taller. Damn growth spurts. "Things didn't go well with mom?"

I glanced down at my nails, inspecting how they had been trimmed to perfection. "How did you know?"

He placed a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Do our years of friendship mean nothing? I would be appalled, appalled, Y/n, if I was wrong," he dropped his hand and lowered his head. "But highkey, lowkey, are you okay?"

I shrugged. "Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't know. I'm used to it, like how you're used to always eating pizza without pineapple, which the internet has bamboozled you into believing, I say justice for the pineapples—"

"Okay, first off I know I'm not the smartest, but I did notice the attempted topic change," Xavier scowled at me. "But the attempt was completely successful, pineapple on pizza is like dipping fries in ice cream, they just don't mix!"

"How dare you. You know that's my second favorite combination after salted watermelon."

Xavier scrunched his nose in disgust, but before he could retort, people around us began moving around. "What are we supposed to be doing?"