MIDNIGHT RAIN, miles morales

the guide.

MILES MORALES WAS LATE-- and normally, Daphne would simply walk into school and forget about the loser who didn't value her time. Luckily for him, however, it's not like she had anything better to do than to wait outside in the cool Decembuary air and wait-- so there she was, waiting for Miles Morales to show his anonymous face.

Her school, Visions Academy was many things-- sophisticated, world-renowned, beautiful-- but the one thing it wasn't was easy to navigate. That was why most new students were offered a tour guide, or just a classmate who could show them ropes and help them get adjusted to the school. 

Because it was optional to become a tour guide, most of the students who signed up for it were student council types or outcasts who needed friendship just as much as the fresh meat. Daphne, on the other hand, mainly just wanted an excuse to miss first period gym class and found this to be the easiest way to avoid sweat on the first day back from winter break.

"Hey, you." Daphne turned to find a mop of dirty blond hair and sparkling green eyes settling down next to her on the concrete and smiled lightly in greeting. 

"What's up, nerd?" Daphne offered her hand, dapping him up in greeting and ruffling his shaggy hair afterwards, giggling at the way his face scrunched up in annoyance as he slapped her hand away with a barely concealed pout.

Cameron Henderson had been named the 'dreamiest' boy in her grade since elementary, when he outran every other kid during recess. To everyone else, he was the unattainable heartbreaker-- a title given to him as a result of him rejecting every girl who had every confessed to him-- but to Daphne, he was just Cam; the nice boy who offered her his lunch when she had none and who sent her homework answers without a second thought. 

"He's late," she sighed as she tapped her feet on the floor, her red and black Jordan 1s joining the  percussion of shoes created on the sidewalk as students arrived to school, all but one. She took Cameron's silence as confusion and clarified, "Miles. The new kid that I'm supposed to be showing around. Ms. Smith said she wanted me to tour him before school started but the bell rings in 10 minutes."

"Ah, well you can't exactly ditch the poor guy, huh?" Cameron quipped, mimicking Daphne's shoe tapping with his own sneakers, a fresh designer pair whose brand she couldn't even recognize. She raised an eyebrow challengingly with a smile, turning to look at him.

"Let's just say he's lucky I hate gym," she said, before the sound of a police siren caught her attention.

"You gotta say I love you back." A police officer called out to a boy, probably his son, who was carrying a large suitcase and housing the most humiliated expression his face.

"Dad are you serious?" The supposed son called out as every student who had yet to enter the building stopped and stared at what was most likely the most embarrassing moment of his life with wide eyes and mocking grins. Daphne, of course, being one of them as she covered her laugh with one hand and bumped her shoulder with Cameron, who grimaced with empathy.

"Is that the new kid? Oh my God this is hilarious," Daphne snickered, picking up her bags as the scene in front of them finished with the son begrudgingly saying 'I love you' back to his father. 

"Be nice, this has to take the cake for worst first day-- ever." Cameron frowned, pity written all over his suntanned face. Daphne rolled her eyes, shrugging with disinterest as she picked up her bags.

"Boohoo."

Before Miles could run off to escape what seemed to be a waking nightmare, she turned to Cameron and quickly waved goodbye, intending to run up to Miles before he escaped into the school traffic. Before she could take another step though, she felt a hand hold on to her wrist and found herself back at Cameron's side, looking up at him in confusion.