Solangelo One Shots

Boarding School AU

Nico's POV

I hugged my bag to my chest, hoping not to make any eye contact with any of the cliquey teenagers who were gathering in small groups, greeting each other for the first time since school ended back in June. I got some stares from some of the teens, undoubtedly wondering who this emo looking sophomore was who they had never seen before. All I wanted was to be back at home, going to my dinky little public school again. But after what happened in May, my parents decided I needed a new start. So now, instead of California, I was in the middle of New York. I knew no one, I had no idea of my surroundings and I was sure that this year would be just as bad as last year, probably worse. Because now, instead of going home to my small house near my favorite bookstore, I'd be sleeping in the same building as my enemies.

I looked at the piece of paper that the lady in the administrations office had handed me. The ripped piece of paper told me I was in room 394. I looked around me. I was near some of the classrooms, I could tell. To my left was a room with microscopes and aprons, and a girl was cheerfully talking with a teacher. I hadn't gotten a map, and I had absolutely no idea where I was. There were no teachers around. My eyes landed on a group of four boys who were pushing each other around like the other dumb jocks at my old school. I swallowed my anxiety and walked over to them.

"H- hello," I stammered. "Could one of you tell me where room 394 is?" They all stared at me. I could feel my heart beating. I felt myself start to sweat. One of the boys, whom I assumed was the leader, stepped forward. He was tall and muscular. He had brown hair that ended at the nape of his neck in waves and blue eyes that glittered with malice. He was good looking, I had to admit that. Too bad he was probably a jerk.

"Lemme see that, kid," he grunted, ripping the paper out of my hands. His glanced at the paper for one second and burst out laughing. "They put you with that gay idiot Solace? You just won the lottery of bad luck. But then again, by the looks of it, you're probably as gay as he is." This set his friends off, and they howled with laughter. "Go find him yourself." The boy shoved me out of his was and sauntered off, his posse following closely behind him. I felt tears sting the corners of my eyes. How could this be happening again, and so soon? Usually it took people at least a few days to hate me.

Everyone in the hallway was staring at me. There were a few giggles, but a few pitying glances. After the most nerve wracking moments of my life, a girl who looked a bit older that me stepped out from a group of girls who were tossing me sympathetic glances. Her dark brown skin was flawless and her shimmery black hair swept over her right shoulder like silk.

"Sorry about him," she grimaced. "Todd is an asshole, we all know it. But don't judge the students here by him. Some of us are genuinely kind people." She took one of my bags from me with ease and hefted it over one shoulder. "Come on, I'll bring you to your room." It's a short walk from here."

The girl introduced herself as Hailey, and she said she was a cheerleader, which explained how much stronger than me she was. She was a senior and next year she was hoping to go to the University of Southern Maine. She apologized repeatedly for Todd's behavior, and I told her it was fine. She wanted to become a doctor, and she volunteered at the animal shelter down the road in her spare time. She said I could tag along anytime I wanted. They were always looking for new recruits, people to walk and feed the puppies who were streaming in from the streets. She was so kind I was sad when we got to my room.

"Here we are, Nico," she told me. We had arrived at a plain black door among many, with a white 394 painted sloppily on the door. "My room is right down the hall in 401 if you need anything, although your roommate, Will, would love to help you with anything you need."

"So he's not bad or anything?" I asked tentatively. Hailey laughed.

"No, he's an amazing person. You'll love him, I promise." She gave me a quick hug and darted off to her room, leaving me alone at the door. No matter what Hailey had told me, I was still nervous. Meeting new people had never been my favorite thing, and this was the boy I'd be sharing a room with for the next year, maybe more. What if he was an awful person? Maybe he was homophobic. Todd had said he was gay, but Hailey told me not to believe anything that came out of Todd's mouth. I could feel my heart start racing again. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and gave a small knock on the door.

Part of me was hoping I wouldn't get an answer. Maybe this Will Solace wasn't here yet, and I'd have the room to myself for a while before he got to the school. So I was mildly disappointed when the words "come in" issued from inside the room. With shaking, sweaty hands, I turned the doorknob and entered the room.

There was a bunk bed to the far left of the bed and two dressers to the far right. The room was carpeted in light grey, and a large glass window looking out to the bustling streets of the city sat in the middle. The room itself was painted in a lifting light blue color, with a few small chips indicating that the color had not been changed in a long time. A boy sat in the wheely chair at the desk, reading a math textbook. I uncomfortably cleared my throat and the boy swiveled around, and I got my first proper look at his face. 

I already knew he had blonde curls, but somehow they looked even better as they framed his tan freckled face. He had light sky blue eyes that glistened with joy. He smiled widely and I caught a glimpse of perfect white teeth. He stood up and held out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Will Solace, your roommate. Sorry for the formal introduction, it's just i'm not really sure how to greet a new roommate." He laughed and gestured to the bunk bed. "Anyway, I'm not picky when it comes to sleeping, so I left the choice up to you." I hadn't heard a word he had just said. My heart was beating so loudly I couldn't hear anything. Will could probably hear, right? I knew it was a big no- no to have a crush on a roommate, but I just couldn't help myself. "Nico?" 

"Wha?" Will's voice startled me. How long had I been standing there, acting like a complete idiot? "Oh, I'll take the top bunk. Thanks."I tried to toss my heavy bag onto my bunk, but being a bit shorter than most people my age, I couldn't quite reach.

"Let me help you with that," Will said. He grabbed my bag from me and tossed it onto my bed with ease. I caught myself staring right as he turned around.

"So, you're new here, right?" He asked, trying to start a conversation. "Why'd you come here? Did something happen at your old school?"

"Just a problem with some bullies. Nothing serious." Will looked at me with pleading blue puppy dog eyes. "Fine. A group of guys had been harassing me all year, and near the end of a school year they brought me to this lake and tried to drown me." I looked away. "I don't like to talk about it much." I felt tears start to drip out of my eyes and I hurriedly wiped them away. I didn't hear anything for a few seconds, and then I was dimly aware of Will slowly turning me toward him and pulling me into his chest.

"How did you know I needed a hug?" I asked him.

"You just seemed sad. Those boys were real jackasses, you know that." I nodded slowly. 

"Don't you feel weird about hugging some boy you just met?" 

"Not really. Even though I just met you, I feel like I've known you my whole life." I nodded in agreement. 

"I think this year is going to be better." 

"Agreed." 

Hello! I hope you liked this one, and sorry if it took a little longer. So, I have a question. Should I do more of these school AUs or stick to Camp Half Blood? Let me know! 

Nina