My Neighbor, Deku

Chapter 8: Anger and Fear

I was the first one to get on the yellow, squeaky bus. The bus driver's gaze dropped to me and he grunted, unlike to the other children behind me, who he smiled at. 

I took an isolated seat in the middle of the bus.  Gum stuck to the back of the brown seats. Of course, I sat alone, but it wasn't all bad. It felt...comforting. I could be in my own world and nobody would bother me.

I watched multiple buildings go by as the sun made the sky go pink and orange. I leaned on one elbow and jolted as the bus made frequent stops. The chatter of children started to run together as my eyelids started to drop. I longed for some decent sleep.

~

"Hey! Kid! Hey get your head up! You're gonna be late and I ain't waiting for you any longer than I have to!"

I fell off my seat and hit my head on the floor. The the bus driver's words hit me like a slap to the face. I didn't want to get into anymore trouble, especially with him. He always "tattled" on me and complained to Hayle. I groaned in pain and clutched my head, rubbing my eyes and snapping back to reality.

The bus driver sighed dramatically and handed me my backpack. I grabbed it with shaky hands and quickly ran out the double doors of the bus. My footsteps pounded on the ground as I ran to the front gate of the elementary school and went to the black top to sit on my number. 

At school, all the kids had numbers to stand on for their class. I ran to my number, thirteen. Of course, unlucky number thirteen. I sat crisscrossed on the pavement and waited patiently for the teacher to come, sighing and placing a hand on my chin in boredom.

"Hey! Deku!" said a boy with spiky blond hair.

An explosion echoed nearby. That peaked my interest.

Some of the students stopped to turn around to the direction of the sound.

I turned around to see what was going on as well, curiosity tugging at my strings.

"Oh, hi Kacchan!" replied a boy with emerald green hair.

Wait.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I was frozen for a second.

Izuku?

"Did you see that video of All Might?" Kacchan asked, a devilish smirk on his face. 

Izuku's eyes lit up, "Yeah! It was so cool! When I grow up, I wanna be a hero just like him!"

"Well, that's too bad cuz I'm always gonna be better than you." Kacchan said boastingly as he narrowed his eyes. A few kids next to him snickered.

Izuku's smile wavered and I could sense that it kinda hurt.

"Still quirkless?" He taunted, making a fist and causing another explosion to burst. Black smoke rose into the air in clouds.

Izuku looked at the ground and muttered, "Yeah."

A crackling laugh escaped Kacchan's mouth just as the bell rang.

He walked away just as the other kids scrambled to their numbers.

I looked over to Izuku to see him go to a different line about two rows down. Just at that moment the teacher came, Mrs. Akari.

"Hello everyone." She said with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. Akari." Everyone said in complete and utter unison.

"Ready to start the day? We have a lot of activities to do!"

All my classmates cheered, except for me. Mrs. Akari clapped her hands and we all followed her towards the classroom.

~

Crafts. Lots and lots of crafts.

I glued a few pieces of hard macaroni onto a blank piece of paper and splattered gold glitter on it.

"Look! I'm gonna give this to my mommy when I get home!" Said a little girl in a pink dress nearby. She had made a smiley face out of noodles.

"That's pretty!" Commented her friend as she held up her own artwork. "I made this for my little brother!"

I scrunched up my face in unsatisfaction. My art looked like trash. Not decent enough to hang on the project wall at the orphanage, not like it would get put up there anyway.

A boy nearby looked over my shoulder and laughed. "What's that?!" He asked.

I looked over at him and said, "My craft."

"It looks weird. Like if a fairy sneezed all over your paper and then threw up." He snickered as he walked away.

Did he just?!

"At least this looks better than your face." I retorted, huffing.

He stopped suddenly and turned around.

I shrugged as he screamed, "Hey! That's not nice!"

"Well at least I'm telling you the truth."

"Well I'm telling the teacher what you said to me!"

"Fine, I don't care."

He stomped away as the other kids stared at me.

"What?" I snapped at them.

They all looked away as the teacher came by to talk to me.

"Now, (Y/N) that was not very nice. I'm going to have to ask you to go in the time out chair." Mrs. Akari said.

"What? But he started it!" I said as I pointed a finger at the boy.

He stuck out his tongue as she sighed and guided me to the time out chair.

"Stupid guy." I spat as I looked out the window. I froze in terror. In my reflection, I could see my eyes turn black and the rim of my mouth turn purple.

I looked at my shaking hands and my nails had black goo dripping from the tips.

Oh no. Is this... my quirk?