Chapter Text
The first day of school, Ryan thinks, has sure lived up to his reputation of hell on earth. He’s fallen asleep in three out of the four classes he has before lunch, and he’s gotten caught in each one. He has Saturday detention now, for four hours. Great.
There was one thing that made it all better, though; cute giant boy was in all four classes with him. Shane, who’s name he had found out through Zach (who had texted Ashly and asked, then sent it to Kelsey, Ryan, and Jen in their group chat), had taken the seat next to him in english and calculus, prompting Ryan to go rigid and robot-like whenever he had to move or was called on. He could feel Shane staring at him for what seemed like the entire class period, and his eyes would flick over every few minutes or so to check if the boy was still staring -- and, of course, he was.
Ryan was tempted to turn around and ask Shane if there was something on his face, because why else would he be looking? But he figured that it would only scare the other boy away. Instead, he opted to keep his eyes on his paper or to the front of the classroom in a way that he hoped said, “I don’t even know you’re looking at me. This is effortless and extremely attractive.” In reality, it just looked like he was jittery and kind of paranoid, given Shane could see Ryan’s eyes flipping from his paper, the board, Shane himself, and back. It was predictable, like a pattern, in each class they were in.
The only exception was AP psych and AP bio, both of which Ryan decided to sit in the middle of the class. He turned every couple of minutes to talk to Zach and Kelsey, proceeded to flick his eyes to Shane (who sat in the back), and whipped his head back around. This caused Kelsey and Zach to look back to Shane with nasty side-eyes that basically said, Fuck you, new kid, for fucking up the whole dynamic in this class.
So, that’s where Shane was with Ryan’s friends, for the time being. He didn’t mind it much, given he wasn’t here to get close to them, but he soon realized that if Ryan’s friends hated him, Ryan wouldn’t be inclined to like him either.
Which brings us to the present, where Ryan, Kelsey, Jen, and Zach sit during lunch; at their respective table, of course. Not too close to the other groups, but not far enough that it’d outcast them.
Sara, Ashly, and Shane, on the other hand, are sitting far enough to outcast them into space, but still somehow just in the line of sight of other groups.
The food at Buzzfeed High School, Shane observes, is a mixture of terribly manufactured and delightfully homemade. Cornbread, mashed potatoes, some type of meat that tastes pretty good but no one knows exactly what’s in it; it’s like the weirdest mixture of public and private school food. He figures it’s only half good because there’s not many kids to feed.
“Okay, so, normally we just sit here and ignore everyone until lunch is over --” Sara begins, sipping on the straw that sticks out from her milk carton, “but you’re new, and you’re probably gonna need friends other than us, depending on how long you plan to stay here.” He doesn’t see it, but he knows Ashly’s just subtly kicked Sara under the table. Sara jumps, looking down timidly to the fork she’s using to play with her mashed potatoes, “Uh, sorry -- new people don’t stay here long. One of our best friends, Safiya, left after like two and a half years, and she’s one of the long ones. It’s not meant to be mean, it’s just...people aren’t going to expect you to stay more than a year. All of us have been here since we were born, and it’s rare to see new people. We’re barely even on the map, we don’t get much outside traffic as it is, and -- sorry, i’m rambling. Back to friends.”
Shane takes notice that Sara sounds kind of off, and his eyebrows knit together for a second, trying to figure out why she got timid all of a sudden when talking about newcomers, and why Ashly seems to think they shouldn’t talk about it at all. That’s a question for later, he muses, shrugging it off. Shane doesn’t want to make them more uncomfortable than they already seem to be. He kind of needs them to complete the mission, after all.
“Ah, yeah, friends -- anyone you’d suggest? Keep in mind i’m kind of an acquired taste with some people.” he reminds them, sticking a poorly steamed green bean in his mouth, elbows propped up onto the table, “Most say that I have this whole asshole look about me, but I don’t really see it. Do you?”
Both girls across from him pause for a second, a chorus of “ummmmmmmmmm” making him sigh.
Ashly’s the one that decides to talk, Sara still looking down at her food, trying to get as far out of this conversation as possible, “Well, I mean, yeah, kinda, i--it’s there.” Shane nods, and Ashly interjects before he can speak again, “I mean, the more we talk to you, the more we like you. But you kind of give off the whole ‘I’m confident in myself, I know what I need to do, and I won’t hesitate to cut someone to get there’, and though it’s not necessarily asshole-ish, it’s intimidating, kinda standoffish. Plus, you’re tall, that contributes to it.”
Shane, admittedly, isn’t surprised with the answer, appreciating how Ashly told him upfront instead of sugar coating it; it’s not like his feelings were hurt, that’s not something he’d felt since he was alive. Overall, it just kind of made him want to chuckle. He forgot how sensitive mortals could be when they saw someone who wasn’t insecure and self-deprecating. Oh well.
“We figured Ryan and his friends could work, even though they’re all pretty close already. Ashly and I talk to Zach and Jen a lot, and Ashly’s pretty close with Kelsey and Ryan. You were asking about them earlier, right? It’ll be perfect.” Sara’s suddenly herself again, bright grin on her face and all.
Shane perks up himself, suddenly grateful he has Ashly and Sara as his friends. They’re getting him that much closer to Ryan, something he needs after he realized Ryan wasn’t going to talk to him first.
After finishing up their own lunch (complete with a conversation about their favorite movies, music genres, and types of candy), his two friends guided him to a table only a short ways away. Ashly took her seat next to Ryan, and Sara next to Kelsey. Shane, on the other hand, didn’t know where to sit, so opted to just stand at the front of the table, his lanky stature making him look as awkward as ever.
He can sense Ryan’s heartbeat speed up and his eyes flick over to the boy. Ryan’s eating his food; Shane can tell he’s having a mini heart-attack by the robotic movements and abnormally straight face Ryan has.
“So, this is Shane,” Ashly gestures to the tall boy beside her, instructing him to “sit down” before grabbing his arm and pulling him down to sit next to her, “He’s new. Yeah, weird, I know, there’s been people looking at him in the halls the whole day. Anyway, he needs friends, and you guys are the only people -- besides us, of course -- we thought could kind of ease him into this whole ‘everyone here knows each other and has established groups already’ thing.” The girl explains, hands gently combing through her hair as she does. Her whole vibe, much like Jen, gives off calm, cool, and collected, something that relaxes both Shane and Ryan.
“Like we explained earlier, that’s Kelsey--” Sara points to the blonde in question, who gives Shane a look of acknowledgement, “That’s Jen --” Onto the pixie-cut, next to Ryan, who nods up at Shane with a tiny smile, “that’s Ryan --” To the boy basically shovelling food in his mouth, and Shane is painfully aware he’s avoiding eye contact when he looks up and waves, “And, that’s Zach -- he’s the cute one.” Shane smiles at the boy in question, who beams back happily. Zach’s easier to win over than Kelsey, Shane can tell.
Shane’s hand comes up to wave gracelessly, another obviously forced, no-teeth smile, “Yeah, hi, Shane. I come from the middle of nowhere Nebraska and now I’m here to live in the middle of nowhere Oregon, I’m seventeen, I like long walks on the beach, and I’m a Taurus -- and this isn’t a dating profile, so, uh, yeah -- hi.”
Shane’s description of himself pulls a small chuckle from Jen and Zach, though Ryan is simply studying him intently, and Kelsey is just looking across to him with an arched eyebrow.
“Right, Shane, we have AP Psych and Bio together, cool. Nice to meet you. Quick question -- why were you gawking at Ryan for the entirety of class?” She punctuates her question by stabbing her fork into her salad before sticking it into her mouth.
Ryan chokes on his milk, then; it took all his might not to do a spit take. Everyone but Shane turns to him, and Jen pats him on the back as the fluid fights to spill from his mouth.
Oh god, Ryan thinks, shutting his eyes tight as he looks down at his tray and shakes his head. This is not happening.
Shane’s actually dumbfounded for a second, blinking at the blonde across from him a couple of times before coming up with a semi-solid answer, “I, uh -- I was looking behind him. At the person behind him.”
Ryan relaxes, then, looking back up and shoveling more food in his mouth to get away from whatever this conversation had turned into. Zach gives him an apologetic look from across the table, and Ryan silently pledges to fucking murder Kelsey when lunch is done.
“Ryan sits next to the wall, you know,” Kelsey points out, sipping her water as if she had some gossip to spill, “Maybe you just think he’s cute.”
Before the conversation can go any further Ryan jumps in himself, abandoning any thought he had of eating lunch in peace, “Wow, okay, dude, I’m -- I’m sorry, Kelsey's just a teensy-bit--” He kicks Kelsey in the foot, prompting a yelp and a disgruntled face from his best friend, “--abrasive. She’s just annoyed that I wasn’t looking back as much as I did last year, ‘cause I actually want to learn this time.”
Shane laughs at Ryan’s attempt of keeping the peace, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, “Nah, it’s fine, really. Honestly, I was looking at your hair, it’s pretty cool. Got that whole swoosh to it, yanno?” He moves his hair up to imitate Ryan’s “swoosh”, instead making it seem like a tidal wave had styled his hair for him. “Me? Can’t do it. And I’m sorry -- Kelsey, right? Didn’t mean to take your friend’s attention away. I’ll try and control my staring next time.” He gives Kelsey a small wink; not one that indicates flirting, but instead a “I’ll try harder next time and I’m sorry” one that nobody found genuine.
Shane can sense the tension suddenly radiating from each person, and his demon powers -- or, as Shane likes to call it, demon intuition -- can tell him what everyone’s thinking and feeling.
Ryan’s embarrassed. His heart rate is abnormally fast, his face the color of a cherry, and his breathing is slightly jagged. Just slightly.
Kelsey’s both annoyed and intrigued. Facial and body expression tells Shane she’s suspicious of him, but wants to know more. She's not necessarily fond of him yet.
Sara’s more amused, Ashley’s feeling more awkward. Both are extremely uncomfortable.
Jen is slightly off-put by that wink, her cool demeanor gone, and he can tell almost for certain she likes Kelsey. She’s jealous. She’s suspicious, but for entirely different reasons.
Zach’s too focused on the table a ways away from them, full of jocks, too notice the tension; he’s got complete heart eyes. Poor kid.
Jen, suddenly interested in the conversation after seeing Shane wink at Kelsey, leans on the table, drumming her fingers on it, “Hey, guys, uh, we shouldn’t just talk the whole time, right? Let’s let new kid talk. So, Shane -- what brought you to Cedar Oak?” She’s talking to Shane now, and her voice is taking on it’s normal, chill tone. Shane can sense the edge to it, though.
His shoulders raise in a shrug, “My mom needed a change of scenery. Fresh start, I guess, after my dad left.” The table suddenly gets quiet, and Shane lets out a chuckle, “Guys, it's fine. It was a while ago, and him and my mom are still close. It just didn't work out. She decided to move up here to Cedar Oak -- no offense, but I thought it was a retirement home. Like the one from Up, you know? But yeah, I’m here now. We live in the only empty house, the one on Magnolia Street.” He’s swift with the lie, words falling from his mouth in the perfect blend of awkward, sweet, and teenager-ish. Not so much like a demon who's been dead since the 1980’s.
Ryan looks up from the food he’d gone back to, a small smile on his face, “Hey, that's the one next to mine! Welcome to town, neighbor. Try not to blast your music too loud, yeah? I like my beauty sleep.” Ryan’s suddenly this confident, whimsical, normal guy, and Shane’s taken aback by it. He didn't imagine that the bashful boy who he'd seen before school was someone so cool. Maybe it'd be easier to get along with him than he normally thought.
Shane grins back at him, nodding his head, and it was like a ball started rolling. The seven kids all started to pitch in on the conversation; it evolved from them talking about Shane’s stay, to Ryan’s house, to video games, to movies, to how much of a nerd Zach is --Shane loved it. It was the closest he'd gotten to friends in a long time.
The conversation eventually landed on the topic of Ryan’s house again, which prompted the raven-haired boy to ask Shane, “Hey, um, Kelsey, Jen, and Zach are coming over after school today. I was wondering if you three wanted to come?” He poses the question the Ashly, Sara, and Shane, but Ashly and Sara decline with an apologetic smile.
Sara shakes her head, “Sorry, Ry, but Ashly and I are going to Rosie’s on a date after school. Maybe another time?”
Ryan nods, “No problem, I hope you guys have fun tonight.” He moves to Shane, though, a small gleam of hope in his eye, “What about you?”
Kelsey, Zach, and Jen, who've already picked up on Ryan’s quick liking to Shane, all look over, point for Ryan’s sake the boy can go.
“Yeah, totally. I'll text my mom later. She’ll be thrilled i'm actually making friends instead of holing myself up in the house.” Shane agrees, a pleased look on his face. Of course there's no mom a thing his house, but did they know that? Nope. This whole thing really was easier than he thought.
Wow, he observes, Mortals trust way too easy.
“Ryan’s gonna tell us about his new ooky spooky trip on his quest to prove the paranormal. He has a blog, you know,” Zach speaks out, his voice lower than before, “he doesn't like talking about it at lunch, much, ‘cause some people can be real assholes about it, but you seem cool, so we’ll tell you anyway.”
Ryan nods, holding his laptop up for Shane to see, “Everything goes into this baby. Since you're coming after school you'll get to see allll the magic at work.”
Shane snickers, feeling this is the perfect time to start bringing Ryan down, “Right -- that's cool and all, but you do know none of that stuff is real, right?”
The table gets tense, suddenly, all the others except Ryan immediately looking down to their empty trays. Even Kelsey.
Ryan scrunches his eyes together, looking at Shane in disbelief, “What do you mean it's not real? Have you not seen and heard all the footage and eyewitness accounts? Too many people have seen and believe in the paranormal for it to not be real. Way too many.”
Shane nods in what seems like acknowledgement, but shakes his head in doubt a second later, “Nah, still not buying it. People lie when they know it'll get them money, some people are just hallucinating, and others like to hop on the bandwagon. The “evidence” is poor, grainy footage and terrible audio. It barely even counts as evidence.”
Ryan looks extremely offended at that, maybe even a little hurt, but the bell rings before he can get out anymore words. The rest of the group throws their trash away and stacks their trays silently, hoping to fade into nothingness.
Shane can feel his hazel contacts dissolving, and he knows they're about to be done for, “Uh, nice chat -- I’ll see you all later, yeah?”
He makes a beeline for the bathroom, then, ignoring Ryan’s shocked face and everyone else immediately rushing to try and figure out what the hell just happened.
Shane gets into the bathroom, finally, and pulls out another box of the colored contacts, picking them out with his finger and placing them on. He hears the door open, but pays no mind to it, figuring he’ll be done quick enough the person won't notice.
Of course that's not what happens, though. It's Ryan, who followed Shane to the bathroom, planning to ask him who the fuck he thought he was to be such an ass like that.
That doesn't happen, because Ryan sees Shane putting the contacts in. One second, his eyes are that beautiful hazel Ryan wouldn't mind looking at for hours, and the next, they're inky black and kind of terrifying. It only lasts for a moment until Shane blinks again, he throws away the contacts packet, and his eyes are hazel in the mirror.
Ryan throws himself against the wall, trying to keep as hidden from Shane as possible. The giant’s eyes were black. A black abyss with the slightest tint of red that reminded him of a fire illuminating all of his worst fears. He was horrified, his breathing suddenly ragged. He could hear Shane’s footsteps coming towards the door that Ryan was next to.
What was he going to do? This kid was like a demon.