Romeo & Juliet • ASOUE Prequel

two • meeting kit... and the other ones

Lemony was right. The Orphans Shack really wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for the hay, wallpaper, fungus and crabs. Luckily it hadn't been tipped over yet at that point. Maybe it was the other students' way of welcoming a new classmate. Or maybe it was because they didn't have the energy to go throwing small tin shacks around.

Most likely the second option.

Lemony explained he knew exactly where the fungus would drip and so he knew where they could and couldn't sit or sleep. And that he covered up the wallpaper by hanging up his uniform. And that, as long as he left a flashlight on, the crabs would be well out of the way.

So the hay turned out to be a much bigger problem than the other things. There was a nice large pile of it, and there only needed to be two "beds". Which sounds kind of nice, but in reality there was a big argument over it. Olaf was convinced that Lemony had way more hay in his pile, and vice versa. Eventually they came to a reluctant agreement that both of the hay piles had the exact same amount.

However, in the middle of the night Olaf woke up and noticed that Lemony was sleeping on his side, and that a great deal of the hay in his pile wasn't being used. And he felt that it was wrong to let it go to waste, so he put it in his pile instead.

Maybe he shouldn't have, though, because when he woke up the next morning it was all in his hair; it took him ages to get it all out, and even then he noticed a few pieces falling out on the walk to his morning lesson.

Lesson, singular. Instead of five or six lessons that are roughly an hour long each, the students at Prufrock each take one three hour long lesson in the day and another one of the same length in the afternoon. In between those two times they have ten minutes to receive and eat their lunch, which never has and never will be long enough.

Olaf's first lesson consisted only of having to write out the alphabet over and over again in a few different handwriting techniques. It was very easy, but he wasn't complaining at all. Lemony wasn't in the lesson, but it's not like he wanted to talk to him all that much so that wasn't too big of a problem either.

When the lesson finishes, Olaf walks outside the classroom, wondering what to do next. He had already been shown around, but by then he had already long forgotten every direction that was given to him. It was lunchtime, but he didn't have the faintest idea about how to get where he needed to be.

He begins to walk down the corridor, past a wave of students who all definitely know exactly where they're going. Hopefully if he follows them, he'll get to the cafeteria.

He ends up getting so focused on his plan that he doesn't realise the student coming his way, and ends up bumping into him, making the student drop the many, many books he's carrying onto the floor. Instead of helping him, he just watches him as he gathers his things back together and pulls himself back to his feet.

"Hi, I'm Larry, your classmate," the boy says as soon as he steadies himself. He has messy blond hair and wide grey eyes, and somehow looks annoying before he even talks and proves the theory.

"Who?" Olaf asks.

"I sit at the back on the far left."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"I sit right next to you."

Olaf makes a clueless expression and shrugs his shoulders.

"What's your name?"

"Olaf."

"Nice to meet you, Olaf," Larry says, shaking his hand. He would have declined like he had done with Lemony the day before, but Larry had forcibly grabbed his hand and he was unable to let go for an uncomfortable six seconds.