Antonio Guzman definitely wasn't the type to keep secrets, especially not from his best friend Oscar Diaz. But still, there was one thing, one person, that he'd kept separate from his life in Freeridge.
Alessia Guzman.
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- oscar diaz x fem!OC
...
First days of school had never been Alessia's strong suit, especially when they were first days of the grade she'd tried getting through multiple times. Somehow walking through the gates in the morning and entering the building she'd call her second home for the next eight to eleven months (depending on when she'd drop out) had this menacing effect to it which she'd never been able to shake. Thankfully, though, she'd never had to go through it alone.
Julez seemed to have a rather positive view, or at least she pretended she did. Her hair was done, her make up flawless and her smile bright like she was entering the cinema or an amusement park. Whatever cool people did in their free time.
Alessia held on close to her friend's arm as they made their way to find their lockers. They'd gotten descriptions of the location in the mail, but the school was huge and so far no familiar face in sight. Thankfully that changed when they found themselves in the cafeteria, where Ruby, Jamal and Monse where already sitting and discussing their schedules. Alessia wanted to turn around and go find the lockers herself, but Julez was faster.
"Hey guys", she greeted and pulled all three of them into a hug, one after the other, "do any of you know where our lockers are? The description says they're on the first floor, next to AP bio, but clearly we have no idea where that is." Her I'm-so-clumsy-but-cute-voice was astounding and a bit terrifying, but as always it worked like a charm. Ruby and Jamal immediately offered to take them there, but Monse took the lead, saying she had to get to bio anyway. Whether that was true, Alessia neither knew nor cared to know.
"Your lockers should be two of these", Monse said when they got to a hallway full of stuffed animals and taxidermy butterflies. "What numbers do you have?"
"312 and 308. Both on top! This is a great sign", Julez exclaimed and confidently opened number 312. Alessia took 308 without question. "Thank you so much for showing us."
Just like Alessia, Monse seemed to see through Julez' act of effortless confidence, but unlike Alessia, she didn't judge it. Her expression spoke of nothing but pity, if anything.
"No problem. Need help finding your first period?"
"I'm actually in AP bio, so, no", Julez said and confidently nodded towards the door of what was definitely a janitor's closet. Monse smiled and nodded, then looked at Alessia.
"I've got Spanish first, but we passed that on the tour Cesar gave us", Alessia said, not nearly as sure of herself. "I'll see you at lunch?" She meant to point the question at Julez, but both the girls nodded and maybe that wasn't so bad.
Monse started chatting to Julez about biology, which Alessia tuned out almost immediately. She took out her phone to check her messages.
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❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜
Alessia put the phone away and switched it to silent. She'd definitely have to deal with this later, but right now she chose peace.
"You okay?", Julez asked, nudging Alessia's side. She immediately forced a smile and nodded.
"What? Yes, of course. I gotta go now."
"Right", Julez mumbled, unsure, "I'm gonna find you after and walk you to your next class, alright?"
"Lovely." Alessia gave Julez a quick kiss on the cheek and then waved Monse goodbye before vanishing around the corner. She took a minute to lean against the wall and take a deep breath, but apparently not even that bit of privacy was possible in this town.
"Hey, I know you. You're friends with Ruby and Jamal, right?", a male voice asked, not touching her but definitely standing too close. Alessia looked up at the guy and failed to recognize his face for a solid ten seconds.
"Oh! Ice cream guy", she then said, as charming as usual.
"I prefer Pablo, but, you know, you're not wrong. I didn't know you were still in High School, you look too..."
"Old?"
"I was going to say mature."
"Sure you were." The silence between them was awkward but not unbearable. His friendly smile and the cute curls didn't hurt, either. Alessia grinned and pulled away from the wall. "Anyway, I've got to get to class. It was nice seeing you."
"What you got?"
"Spanish."
"You don't say." He grinned. Alessia tilted her head until she realized.
"You're lying. You just want to spend time with me because I'm such a charming person. Which is sad, on your part."
"Well, I would definitely like to see this charming side of you now. Also, my Spanish is terrible, so I really can't skip this class." He smiled and held his arm out as if offering for Alessia to take it. She just scoffed with a grin and lead the way, silently praying she remembered it right.
Eventually, they arrived at the door that had "Spanish" written on it in multiple colors. Probably done by the eight graders as an introduction to the course. The door was still un-closed, making it easier for Alessia to gather the confidence to go in. Pablo followed her like a puppy and conveniently took the seat behind her.
"Window seat, very smart choice."
"Only for those who already speak Spanish, though. You're going to be distracted all year."
"You're really overestimating the exciting things happening on school grounds."
"Not really, you just seem like someone who gets fascinated by birds and rain. Maybe basketball players?" Pablo chuckled and then leaned forward.
"You never did tell me how old you were."
Alessia thought for a second. "Tengo veinte años. Muy viejo para ti."
