Spooky Month Highschool AU

CHAPTER TEN

    On the day of the dance, Streber woke up bright and early. The same excitement that woke him the day prior woke him again today. After changing, Streber headed down the stairs to the kitchen. He popped some bread into the toaster while also trying to situate other things. He ran back upstairs to grab his bag from where he had left it in the room, but as he went to grab his bag, his gaze landed on Kevin's jacket that was draped over the back of Streber's chair. Streber walked over and slipped it on, the feeling of warmth feeding his excitement more. He then grabbed the bag and sprinted back down the stairs. As he was stepping off the bottom step, he heard the toast spring up from the toaster. Streber took a breath and set the bag down on the floor next to the door, taking the toast and putting it on a plate. He sat standing in front of the counter, zoning out and letting his mind go blank. Haru's bowls were empty, so after he finished eating, Streber filled both up and checked the time. He was still on time, if not earlier than normal. He pet Haru for a few minutes after she was done eating, allowing time to pass and him to focus on little things. He didn't have to worry. Everything was going to be okay. Still, a tiny bit of that excitement remained and motivated Streber to get out the door on time. He walked in silence for a while, just breathing in the crisp, fresh air. Had it always been that clear? If it had, Streber hadn't noticed. For once, he focused on the birds chirping, the sounds his footsteps made, the sky, and soon enough he was walking up the sidewalk to the school. Walking into school, Streber weaved his way to his locker and twisted the combo to the lock. He swung the door open and unloaded anything he didn't need. The backpack without all of the unnecessary items was a lot less heavy, which made weaving back through the crowd to get to his classroom a lot easier. He slumped down into his seat and slid his backpack to the floor. As students started feeding into the room, Streber got a lot of weird looks. Sure, these looks were normal, but the amount of them and the intensity of them were significantly higher than what would happen on a normal day. Streber could understand where they were coming from. He was wearing Kevin's jacket after all. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but it was a cold day, and Streber couldn't be asked to find a different jacket, so he just wore it. Though that was only half of the reason, and Streber knew it.

"Morning," Nathan leaned on Streber's desk.

"Hey? You want something?"

"What, am I not allowed to say good morning to my closest friend?"

"Past few days you haven't been," Streber grinned, "Anyway, you should probably get back to your seat."

"What? Why? You don't want me here or something?" Nathan asked, still in a joking tone.

"No, you just know how the teachers can get when you're not back in your seat by-" The bell interrupted their conversation, also finishing Streber's sentence for him. Nathan hurried back to his seat. Streber still thought it was slightly funny that Nathan and Lily took the time out of their morning to come over to his desk and say hello, but he appreciated it now. It meant they were doing their part to check on him. The rest of his first few classes lasted on, and Streber found himself simultaneously paying attention and zoning out at the same time, though the teachers mostly let it slide because he was able to answer their questions when asked. As the lunch bell rang, Streber headed out to their normal lunch spot. He got there before the others, so he set all of his things down and sighed, running his fingers over the wooden picnic bench that they commonly sat at. Moments later, Nathan and Lily walked out side by side, just chatting with each other. They sat down at the table and turned their attention, and the conversation, towards Streber.

"So, you going to tell us yet?" Lily set her elbows on the table, leaning forward on them.

"No, I'm not telling you yet. You only have to wait, what, 6 or 7 hours?" Streber glanced at one of the outdoor clocks. It was currently noon, and the dance would start somewhere around 6 or 7.