Staring at the older brick halls, Aurian was amazed at how much smaller the school was to her old one. It had a good amount of classrooms, but only a single floor. It was kind of cute that way. It was unfortunate that it was school and not some old library or something. Did they have a library at all here…? Aurian walked a few steps forward, suddenly feeling more eyes on her. She wasn't usually timid, but it was a bit nerve wracking to know everyone was watching. The girl gave a small wave, hoping that would do something to help how awkward she must seem.
Lucas was definitely timid, but he knew what it was like to feel ignored and different. Once most of the others were gone, he hung back to help Aurian. "Uh… h-hi. Welcome to Tazmily. My… my name's Lucas Mulbright. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He held out his hand to shake Aurian's, seeming rather nervous.
Aurian's eyes widened a bit at the formal words Lucas chose. It was surprising that someone who seemed so shy was the first to speak with her as well. Her lips formed a light smile, taking the boy's hand with a strong grip. "Aurian Cole. Nice to meet you too," she replied. The teen brushed a stray curl of hair out of her face with her opposite hand, letting go of Lucas' with the other.
Normal conversation… uh… "What's your first class?" He asked, trying his best to even out his voice. Yeah, that's good, right?
Aurian had a piece of paper in her hands. Unfolding it, she noticed she had math in room 4 first period. It felt strange to not see a number in the hundreds. Even though the city schools likely only had 200 classes in total, the building had them numbered from the 100 to 400 range. Schools were odd in general.
"Um, math in room four?"
"I have that class! Um… I'll… I'll show you where it is." Lucas started walking off slowly, glancing back to make sure Aurian was following him. He didn't want her to get lost. He seemed to have an almost protective nature, despite not knowing Aurian. She hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't deserve to be lost and abandoned. So, he decided the best course of action was to help her.
Aurian smiled at Lucas' sudden exclamation only to let it fall. His tone had seemed happier only to fall back into timidity. The girl thought to herself as she walked beside her fellow classmate. She had made up her mind. She would befriend him and try and make him happy like that again.
Even Lucas's gait seemed anxious. He was just about average height, maybe a bit shorter, but he would seem quite a bit taller if he would just stand up straight. He always looked like he was on guard for some reason, and he flinched slightly at sudden movements caught out of the corner of his eye.
This confused Aurian, not having any idea of Lucas' background. She turned to him, raising a brow. "Are you okay? If it's because of me, please don't be nervous! I promise I'm not going to do anything mean," she said, hoping to ease the tension in the air. "Especially not on my first day here…" she added, looking at the other doors in the hallway they were passing through.
"Oh, no! It's not you, I promise!" Lucas assured her, laughing weakly. "I'm just a nervous nellie, you know? Sometimes I just get anxious for no reason, or get startled by nothing. It's… it's normal by now." He smiled softly to try to reassure her, but something about both his laugh and smile seemed fake and forced.
Focusing back on Lucas, she frowned softly at him. Everything he said seemed to be from memory, not mattering if it was true or not. Deciding not to question him at this point, she replied with a simple, "Alright."
It was fairly obvious that Aurian had her doubts. And it was her mission to make him feel more relaxed.
Lucas was glad she didn't push it, at least, and was especially glad when they reached their class a few seconds later. "Here it is…" He said as he tentatively pushed open the door.
Aurian thanked him, walking inside. She felt so odd entering a place where people had already made their friend groups and had started lessons a few weeks ago.
Everyone looked up at Aurian, intrigued. They didn't get new people often. No one seemed to notice Lucas, though, and he just quietly sat down.
Aurian gave a small wave before finding an empty desk close to where Lucas was sitting. She hoped to make a few other friends in the room as well, not wanting to be attached to a single person. The girl was used to being extroverted afterall. After setting her things down, she stayed seated though, as class was probably going to start soon.
Lucas just silently took his notes when class started, doodling when there was a pause. Doodling helped him to destress, and god knows he needed to destress right now. He was still wearing a hat to cover the new wounds on his head.
Taking a green notebook, Aurian began to take the notes for the lesson carefully. She fiddled with her pencil, already not enjoying math first thing in the morning. As she wrote, the girl somehow still felt eyes glancing at her. It felt so odd to be the center of attention. Groups were one thing, but being the sole focus? That was a bit new. But not a bad new, she supposed.
After the lecture, Aurian stretched, rolling her wrists. Putting away her notebook, she had a small smile playing on her lips. No homework for the day. Good start so far. Kind of. Math still sucked.
Looking around, she noticed Lucas scribbling something in his notebook, seeming very focused on it. Curious, she took a few steps closer only to get interrupted by other students. They asked her many questions like where did she come from and how did she like it here and did she want to be friends. Suddenly the teacher at the front of the room rang a hand bell instead of one sounding over an intercom in the ceiling. "Class is dismissed!"
Lucas jumped at the bell and closed his sketchbook. He made sure his hat was firmly on his head when he got up, tentatively considering the crowd. Many of those students weren't friendly; at least not to him. They were just curious about Aurian, which he supposed was fair. He stood about a foot from the outskirts of the cluster to wait for them to disperse so he could help Aurian find her next class without having to deal with a bunch of people.
Aurian smiled and answered their questions as quick as she could before noticing Lucas standing at the back. "Um, I really should figure out where my next class is so I'm not late!" she attempted, taking a few steps backwards.
"I could help you!" and "What class do you have?" was asked by a few others. The girl sighed, taking out her schedule from a pocket in her jeans. "I promise I'll see you around, but I already have a guide for today," she said with a small grin, walking through the group to Lucas. A few students behind her gave disgusted looks or wore expressions of annoyance. Lucas? Why him? He was just a nobody who was super timid!
"So!" she started, looking Lucas in the eyes. "Where do I find… uh, history, room 7?" she finished, smiling.
"That's just down the hall." Lucas smiled weakly, although even his fake smile faltered when he caught the looks of the other students. He tugged his hat down and tried to ignore them, heading out the door with Aurian. "Sorry if they're bothering you… they can be a bit much sometimes, and it's been a while since we've had a new person here."
"Oh! No, it's not a problem really. I appreciate you worrying about me though," Aurian replied, still at Lucas' side. The girl flashed the other another smile before noticing the pattern in the room numbering. Her next class really was quite close.
Lucas nodded. "I don't have this class next, but I'll come back to help you when the bell rings." He waved a bit and walked away to a class that was just a few doors away.
Aurian nodded, entering the classroom. It went similarly as the last class, though a bit more enjoyable. After learning about the tragic death of Julius Caesar for nearly an hour, the bell was rung, and she was off to wait in the hall for Lucas. She was offered by others to show her around, but she wasn't about to let her new friend down. She grinned at the thought. A friend.
Lucas was there on time, as expected. "How was History?" He asked, knowing which class her room was for. There were so few of them that everyone knew every room. He started leading her to her next class while awaiting her answer. He got a few more looks in the hall and ignored them. His twin brother, Claus, had always been the popular one. Lucas was very shy and nervous and often looked to Claus for protection. But Claus was dead now, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Aurian blew some of her bangs out of her face. "It was alright. Definitely not my favorite," the girl replied. She was swinging her arms lightly as she walked. "What about you? Do you enjoy any of your classes?"
