#Schooled

Chapter 3

Jack had barely made it out of the portal when Tooth pounced, demanding to know how his day went and what it was like and if he made any friends. However, he was upset, tired, and his brain felt like it was going to explode. He didn't want to deal with all of her questions right now.

"What was it like? Did you talk to anyone? What about your teachers?" She asked, her wings fluttering excitedly.

"Well, it was boring, I talked to a few kids at lunch who probably won't remember who I am tomorrow, teachers are dumb, and football players are douches. Does that answer your questions?" Jack snapped. "Also, I've got homework that I won't be doing, so that's that."

He tossed his backpack to the floor, and left the room, suddenly pissed that he couldn't just fly there like normal.

"Wait- " Tooth started to say, but Jack pretended he couldn't hear her.

Sure, he was able to be seen, but was it worth it now that he had to go to that damned school? He wasn't going to learn anything there, so what was the point of going? If all of his time there was going to be spent trying to please teachers and avoid football players, there was going to be a serious problem.

Jack kicked off his shoes and walked to his room, slamming the door. He wanted to fly, make snow, wear his normal clothes, and have fun. Did school install this feeling of exhaustion in everyone?

"Screw you, Manny." Jack said, even though the Moon wasn't out. He had a feeling Manny could hear him anyways. "You ignored me for three hundred years, and now you're suddenly interested because I can't do algebra? Buzz off."

A knock sounded on his door, and Bunny stepped inside the room, a look on his face that suggested he was ready for whatever argument Jack had. "You know- "

"I never said come in." Jack interrupted. "What if I was getting dressed."

"For what, homecoming?" Bunny sneered.

The Winter Spirit- human teenage boy, groaned. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to tell you to take it easy on Tooth. She wants what's best for you, so don't be an ass because you had a bad day." He answered.

"Easy for you to say!"

"Oh, yeah? How?"

Jack was about to retort, but then hesitated. Did he really want to tell Bunny of all people what had happened to him that day? He didn't necessarily consider himself the kind of person to come running to other people to protect him, especially when he had only been pushed down in gym.

"Just go away, Bunny." He snapped, "I don't feel like talking to the people who took away my powers, thanks."

Bunny huffed. "Figures." The door shut loudly behind him.

Jack stayed in his room for the rest of the day.

***

Waking up the next morning was somewhat easier than it had been the previous day. Tooth shook him awake, and Jack blinked, sitting up, scratching his head. A yawn bubbled out of his mouth.

"I won't be around to wake you up every morning, you know." Tooth said on her way out, "I've got a job that keeps me busy in the mornings."

"Great. That means I'll just stay in bed."

She laughed. "No, it means you get an alarm clock."

Jack sighed when she left and got dressed. Most of his clothes were all shades of blue, black, and white, so he dressed similarly to yesterday, only he was in blue skinny jeans and a black shirt. The damned shoes came next.

He didn't eat breakfast. He didn't say goodbye, either. Jack didn't even look at the Guardians. He simply picked up the snow globe, opened a portal, and jumped. He hoped they knew that he was still angry with them.

Jack landed in the alleyway, falling as he did so. His knee cracked against the pavement. Ouch. More than, anything, he wished for his staff.

Jack walked onto campus, searching for Hiccup. Was it clingy that he was instantly trying to find comfort in a familiar face? As his eyes scanned the area, he hoped not. Voices and faces blurred in a ball of confusion and noise.

"Hey, there he is -- get over here, Frost!" Hiccup's voice echoed across the courtyard.

Jack turned, relief washing over him. Hiccup gestured for him to join where he, Kristoff, Merida, and Elsa were standing. Elsa was wearing a white slip dress with a blue and purple infinity scarf wrapped around her neck, and was deeply conversed with Anna. Her silver hair was piled into a knot on her head.

"Put your eyes back in, mate." Merida jabbed him with her elbow. "She's a girl, not a doll for you to oggle at."

"I wasn't 'oggling' at her." Jack muttered, doing air quotes. "Am I not allowed to look at people?"

"Not like that," she smirked.

Hiccup hit him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"Kristoff, Eugene, and I are walking to the gas station after school. We're gonna by chips and all that, and then we're going to my house to play video games for a couple hours or so. Wanna come?" Hiccup asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Gees, the kid was hyperactive.

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He was three hundred years old, after all, and terrible with technology. He had never really played a video game.

Hiccup sensed his hesitation, and added, "It's kind of like a 'Oh, No, School's Started Again, Let's Try To Have Some Fun Before We Go Braindead!' thing. C'mon, say you'll come."

"Why me?" Jack laughed.

"Are you kidding? You're serious popular kid material. We'd like to say we knew you before you became a celebrity." Hiccup said, his voice sounding serious, but there was a humorous glint in his eyes.

"I'd have to ask... " Jack said, then his voice trailed off. He had almost said parents. The Guardians weren't his parents.

"Mom and dad?" His friend prompted.

Jack shook his head. "Don't have any. Yeah -- I'll come."

Hiccup seemed to sense that Jack didn't want to talk about the whole orphan thing, so he only grinned and held his hand up for a high-five. "Nice. Hear that, Kristoff? Jack's coming."

"Nice. By the way, I fully plan on kicking your ass at Call of Duty." Kristoff said.

"You probably will." Jack said honestly.

"Play nice," Anna chided Kristoff, "He's new."

"New kid or not, I am the champion."

Elsa and Anna made disapproving looks, but Merida, Kristoff, Hiccup, and Jack started laughing.

Despite the fact that these people had accepted him, Jack felt awkward. Talking so casually with them, as if they were friends, was a feeling he had forgotten. The last time he had talked with friends, his own friends, ones he had made himself, had been three hundred years ago. Jack struggled to even remember their names.

Peter? Robert? Crispin?

No. Jack couldn't even remember their names. But maybe that was okay. Because when the bell rang, it wasn't Peter, Robert, or Crispin he walked into school with. It was Hiccup, Kristoff, Merida, Anna, and Elsa.

Now he just had to get through today.

***

Dear teachers,

Please stop teaching us about your political views and start actually teaching us facts about politics.

Sincerely,

The students who don't want to be brainwashed and are actually interested in learning to help their country.