Chapter Text
August 28th, 2017
It’s the first day of Senior year!! Yay! Ready for a year of partying, and acing my classes! I’m gonna go out with a bang!
Who the fuck am I kidding? This year is probably going to be more of a train wreck than the last. I don’t have time for partying when I’m barely surviving Hell. Speaking of Hell, here comes the demon king and his loyal subjects.
Lance looked up from his writing to focus on the three males who just entered the cafeteria. Red, yellow, and green stood out among the sea of students as the trio moved in a unit, retaining their star fleet formation. The throng of teenagers parted like the Red Sea, watching with a mixture of awe and fear as the trio took their rightful place at their table. Lance rolled his eyes with a groan as he turned back to his black leather bound journal.
The Paladins. Altea High’s god-tier students. They’re never bothered. You either want to be them, or be with them. And even if you hate them, you can’t help but admire them.
There’s Hunk Manuia, captain of the football team. His dad is ridiculously rich, selling engagement rings and all. And his mom, well, probably stays home. I would, too, if my husband was loaded. Katie Holt, Altea High’s resident gremlin. Girl has a knack for tearing others down through blackmail, and has a tongue sharp as a dagger. A true little shit with a temper to boot. Her parents are professors, which makes sense with a brain like hers.
And then there’s the almighty, practically God himself. Or Satan. Depends who you ask.
Keith Park.
He is. A. Mythic. Bitch.
But, God…
Lance glanced back at the Paladins’ table. People avoided getting too close, like there was a dome around their table that kept everyone else at least five feet away. A longing sigh escaped his lips.
What I’d give to be them.
A light tap on his shoulder had Lance whipping around to face the person looming above him. A warm smile greeted him as the person waved shyly. “Shay!” Hopping to his feet, Lance gathered the slightly shorter girl up in his arms, squeezing her. He almost choked when he felt her squeeze back, but let it slide in order to bask in her familiar warmth and affection. You see, Shay Hudgens has been Lance’s best friend since the beginning of middle school. They’ve been each other’s solace since they’d entered He— high school. With a gentle, yet urgent pat on the back, Lance exhaled deeply as Shay let go of him.
“Sorry, Lance. Just excited to finally see a friendly face,” apologized Shay, rubbing a hand up and down her clothed arm nervously, yet her amber eyes still shone with joy. She wore a maroon sweater with a large white cat on the front that complimented her dark skin tone and brown, crinkly hair framed her round face. “Are we still on tonight for movies? I found some good ones on Hulu we could watch. Like… The Notebook.”
“You must like bawling since you always cry during that movie,” commented Lance with a teasing grin. “Which I’ll never understand because you know what’s going to happen!”
“It’s a really good love story, Lance! I’m a hopeless romantic,” confessed Shay as she playfully punched the taller boy, mirth dancing in her eyes.
“Well, if it isn’t Loser Lance and his dweeb of a girlfriend, Shay,” snarked an annoyingly familiar voice. A mantra of ‘go away’ echoed in Lance’s mind as his gaze landed on Altea’s top two cheerleaders—Nyma Collins and Ezor Lodge. The two were your stereotypical cheerleaders—pretty and plastic. They posed as charismatic, cheerful girls, but those on the low tier of the school hierarchy saw their true colors. Unfortunately, Lance and Shay have been occupying that tier for the last seven years.
Whoever said you’d get used to things with time was a fucking liar.
“You know what rhymes with Hudgens, Ezor?” Nyma asked, not waiting for an actual response before continuing. “Fudge. Which I think Shay here has had way too much of.” Tinkling laughter followed suit, irritating Lance to no end. He watched with gritted teeth as the girls high-fived, basking in their “genius” and glee while Shay could only bite her lip and look at the ground, offended, hurt.
“Hey!” Lance shouted, capturing the cheerleaders’ attention. Part of him waned underneath the steel blue and violet gazes, but he pushed that part aside. This was not the time to get choked up. Just by talking to them, he’s already asked for his demise. And it was apparent to the entire cafeteria that was silently staring at the group. I wish this school wasn’t so goddamned nosy. “Apologize. Right now.”
Nyma’s blue eyes narrowed as she took a step closer to Lance, who really tried to stand his ground. It’s kind of hard when he had to crane his neck in order to stare Nyma down, who towered over him just enough to intimidate. Her long blonde hair framed her pale, angular face that had the barest minimum of makeup—eye shadow and lip gloss. She was very pretty, and obviously didn’t try hard to enhance it much. Too bad her personality sucked.
“What did you say to us, twerp?” hissed Nyma.
“You heard me. Apologize to my friend. She’s done nothing wrong to you, so what gives you the right to pick on her? Because she actually has a soul , and doesn’t go terrorizing other people? Because you think you’re better than her? Well, newsflash, being cruel for shits and giggles doesn’t make you popular in the adult world. You’re just going to be viewed as childish. So, I suggest you grow the fuck up.”
Ezor joined her friend, taking up whatever personal space Lance had left, which wasn’t much. She was as tall as Nyma and did nothing to stop the way Lance’s heart slammed against his chest in fear. With a hand resting on her hip, Ezor raised a neatly arched eyebrow at Lance’s little rant. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the destruction of another Altea High student by the hands of Nyma and Ezor.
“Those are some bold words coming from a nobody,” Ezor said. “Maybe you’re right. Too bad that no one here is going to back you up.” Her voice lowered just enough for only Lance to hear as she continued. “You see, what you fail to realize is that you can preach about life after high school all you want, but you’re still in high school. And as long as you’re here, nothing you just said really applies. So, you can bitch and moan to your heart’s content, but what’s really going to change?” There was a pause as Lance set his jaw. “That’s right— nothing.” Ezor could feel the anger rolling off her victim in waves, but chose to ignore it. “Better think twice and keep your trap shut next time. Remember your place, nerd.” Her wavy, red gold ombre hair that reached her shoulders swayed as she turned her attention away from Lance and Shay, putting distance between them. Nyma followed her seconds after, and Lance finally let out the breath he was holding.
“Lance, are you crazy?! Standing up to Nyma and Ezor like that… They could destroy you,” Shay worried, finally speaking after the threats were gone. “Why would you say things like that? You basically just put yourself at the top of their hit list!”
“I wasn’t just going to stand by and let them talk about you like that. Friends take the fall for other friends. They protect them,” Lance said as he slid back into his former seat with Shay sitting across from him. “Besides they needed to be knocked down a peg or two.”
“That’s the thing, Lance. I don’t think you knocked them down at all. I think you actually raised them while simultaneously making them furious. Two things that I’m certain don’t mix well together, or promise good things in your future,” rambled Shay. It was obvious that she was more than just mildly concerned. Everyone knew how brutal Nyma and Ezor could be, and she didn’t want her friend to experience it firsthand.
“God, I just want this year to be over already,” Lance groaned, letting his forehead rest against the cool, wooden table. “I’m done with high school, and Paladins, and bitchy people . I want college. I want to have my own school schedule, a cool roommate, and for my second home to be some random cafe where I study until my brain is fried.” The words “ I want to burn this place to the ground” was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them down. Shay would definitely suggest talking to the counselor if he said that.
“You’ll have all that before you know it!” reassured Shay. “You just need to focus on getting through this last year. If you do that, time is going to fly by in the blink of an eye. June won’t seem so far anymore.” It was times like these where Shay’s cheerful voice and encouraging words were the sole reason Lance pushed himself through the school day. Her optimism was contagious to those close to her. It was a gift that she found herself using a lot when it came to Lance.
“I’ll endure this year for you, Shay,” stated Lance as he watched a pair of footballers bully a “geek”. The guy got pushed into a group of girls who immediately shoved him away, shouting vulgar things at him. The scene made Lance frown deeply, shaking his head. He couldn’t help wondering when things took a turn for the worse. When the kids who had laughed and played Cops and Robbers together turned to making each other’s lives miserable for entertainment.
“Thanks, Lance,” Shay said as the school bell rang shrilly, indicating lunch was over. Kids got to their feet and threw the remains of their lunch away before shuffling out of the cafeteria. Shay and Lance joined the massive crowd spilling out into the hallways. They began to head to class together before Shay remembered she had somewhere else to be—the office, and she was begging Lance to come with. With her best puppy eyes and a wobbling bottom lip, Shay managed to persuade Lance to tag along.
It wasn’t until after the bell rang for class to begin that the two finally exited the office. They said their goodbyes quickly before Shay was scurrying off to class. Lance was more slow on his way there. After all, he was already late, so why rush? He was going to milk his stroll for as long as he could. Whistling a random melody, he blinked owlishly as he came upon Mr. Atterberry (but he insists on everyone call him Coran) standing outside of the girls’ restroom. Questions began to spring up in his mind as neared the teacher, picking up on his words.
“....over the vomiting. Class began,” Coran checked his wristwatch, “almost two minutes ago. I would get going before you get in severe trouble.”
“But we’re helping Katie. She wasn’t feeling well after lunch,” protested Keith, not budging from where he leaned against the wall near the entrance. Hunk was on the other side of it. They looked like bodyguards… or hellhounds.
“Helping… by standing outside of the bathroom?” Coran asked, eyebrows raised.
“Well, we can’t go in there. So, we settled with moral support,” Keith rebuffed without missing a beat or batting an eyelash. “Any support is better than none.”
“Why that is kind of you, gentlemen, rules are still rules. Without a pass, you receive a week’s worth of detention. And I have to urge you to get to class before the consequences worsen.”
“Actually,” interrupted Lance with a half sheet of paper in his hand, “we’re all out on a hall pass. I just happened to be the one holding it.” He let his arm drop to his side once Coran took the paper, glancing over it. “A teacher asked us to go on an office run.”
“You are… all listed on here.” Coran folded the piece of paper before handing it back to Lance. “That settles that, then. Just make sure you all get to class soon. No lollygagging, or dillydallying.” He fixed the group with a stern stare before leaving them to their own devices, whistling as he disappeared down the hall and around the corner. Lance let himself breathe normally.
He was more than a little taken aback when Keith plucked the made up pass from between his fingers without a warning. A soft scowl marred Lance’s features as he watched Keith unfold the note to look at it himself. If Lance didn’t see it in his eyes, he never would have known that Keith was impressed in the slightest.
“This is a really good forgery,” Keith praised, eyes flickering to land on Lance with intrigue. He passed the note onto Hunk, who passed it to Katie once she appeared. “Who are you?”
Lance couldn’t help but beam at the compliment. “Lance, at your service.” He stuck out a hand after wiping it on his dark jeans, only for three pairs of eyes to regard it with a mix of disbelief, offense, and disgust. He doesn’t think he’s seen those emotions mixed together, but felt it was normal for the Paladins. Letting his hand drop awkwardly, he continued his introduction. “Right. Uh, the hall pass was nothing, really. I can do way more like report cards, absence notes, and permission slips. But I have a favor to ask.”
“What about doctor’s notes?” Katie asked.
“Shut up, Katie.”
“Sorry, Keith.”
“What’s the favor?” Keith asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“Let me sit at your table during lunch some time. Tomorrow is preferable, but I’m open to your schedules,” pleaded Lance. “You don’t even have to acknowledge that I’m there! It’s just—Everyone worships you guys, so if they see we’re cool, then they’d stop harassing me, and that’s all I want.”
Laughter followed his words, but not from Keith. Lance would have rather wanted the King of Altea to laugh in his face like some smug anime character than the way he was condescendingly smirking at him. Despite the fact that Lance was indeed taller than Keith, he’s never felt so small, so stupid for asking for something. It stoked his ever burning hatred, but also made him grit his teeth in reluctant admiration. What did it feel like to have that much power? To make almost everyone feel beneath you? Lance could only imagine.
“And why should we? It’s not our problem you’re at the bottom of the food chain,” said Keith, making a point.
Oh, I don’t know? Maybe because I saved your asses from a week’s worth of detention, Lance thought, but instead said, “It’ll only be one day! And you could, uh, use my forgery skills for your benefit afterwards as payment.” He could only hope that giving the Paladins something out of this pushed them to accepting his plea.
Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Keith raked his gaze down Lance’s appearance slowly before dragging it back up again. He held an analytical expression as he pushed off the wall to approach Lance, beginning to circle him leisurely. It was like a cat toying with a mouse right before going in for the kill. Stopping in front of the brunet, Keith reached out a hand to firmly cup Lance’s chin, squeezing his cheeks to the point that his lips pursed. He tugged Lance’s face this way and that way, tilting him here and there, as he watched the light hit different parts of him before straightening him up.
“For a lowly forger who doubles as a nobody, you have really pretty eyes. And nice skin,” Keith confessed in a contemplative tone. “Blue would look really good on you.”
“You also have an symmetrical face,” commented Hunk, startling everyone around him. “If I took a meat cleaver to it, I’d probably have matching halves. That’s an important quality.”
Lance wiggled his nose in disgust at the image. “Uh… thanks?”
“You do need a new wardrobe, though,” stated Katie as she took a gander at Lance’s current outfit—dark jeans with a dirty white hoodie and black Converse.
“Overall, this could work. We can change you into someone who belongs at our table, to someone who belongs with us .” Keith paused before regarding Lance with a raised eyebrow that dared him to refuse. “Alright?”
“Alright!”
Letting go of Lance’s face finally, Keith took a step back and held out his hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in it. You’re going to come over to my house so we can give you that makeover.”
“W-Why your house?” Lance asked as he fished out his phone from his pocket, unlocking it. He went to his Contacts before going to the New Contact page, handing it to Keith.
“Because we’ll have everything we need at my house,” answered Keith as he put his contact information into Lance’s phone. It didn’t take long before he was handing it back with a, “I didn’t put a picture, but I’m sure you can find one somewhere on social media. See you after school.”
Lance could only watch as The Paladins left him standing at the entrance of the girls’ bathroom, heading to class while chatting to one another. They matched each other’s pace as they walked in a line with Hunk on the left, Keith in the middle, and Katie on the right. They were One. A well oiled machine that’s been running for quite some time. Lance could feel the anxiety bubble in his stomach at the thought of joining them.
A shit eating grin broke out on his face as he let a few giggles slipped past his lips, but held back going into full hysterics. He couldn’t believe his luck.
He had to tell Shay.