How Green Becomes Wood

"Your dad?" He squinted, not understanding, "Is he a cop?" Finally he pushed himself up, fixing his jacket. He was about Xander's height, but probably would have been a little taller if he stood up straight, and lanky, looking like he was probably mostly limb, "I wasn't doing anything. I just always carry my camera with me. On my first day, some girl they hang out with saw me taking pictures in the cafeteria and got mad I wouldn't take a posed picture of her. I don't like posed pictures. And pretty much in that moment I was enlisted as their new whipping boy." He went to start collecting his things, shoving them into his bag not caring where things went or if pictures got crumbled, "That's just the high school food chain. I've always been at the bottom. Just came under here to try and escape notice."
 
"Teacher," Xander said in response to the kid's misunderstanding as he started to walk away. "Under the bleachers is the worst spot to hide because you don't have a good exit strategy, and if you f8ght back, at least they know you're not an easy target."

Alec appeared at the entrance to the bleachers and watched in confusion as Xander walked toward him. "You poofed."

"Sorry, got distracted, " Xander told him.
 
"Do I look like the kinda guy who can fight back?" He asked, picking up the camera and taking the film out, scowling at the ruined film before shoving it in the bag and looking over his camera to see how damaged it was, "If they want to kick the shit out of me, they're going to, but if they can't find me, eventually they'll pick someone new."
 
Xander snorted. "You really are fresh meat. They'll just be mad that you made them work harder. If they're kicking the shit out of you, at least then you have the opportunity to grab a leg and bite their ankles. Real hard." He grinned at the kid, but it wasn't a pleasant grin.

"Avoiding trouble sounds like a better plan to me," Alec said calmly. He smiled at the other. "Hello. I haven't seen you before. Who are you?"
 
He rolled his eyes, "I'm a sophomore and this is my sixth high school. I'll probably be gone in three months, so if I can survive until then, I'll be fine. I've done it five times already." He peered through the camera lens, and satisfied that, if nothing else, it didn't seem broken, he hung it around his neck again. Then, holding up his hand in a little wave to Alec he said, "I'm Milo."
 
"Hi, Milo. I'm sorry to hear you'll be leaving soon. I'm Alec, and that's my brother, Xander," Alec said with a bit of a bow. "It is a delight to meet you, but I'm afraid it is time to start moving toward class."

"Really? Already?" Xander frowned.

Alec handed him his backpack, and Xander swung it easily over his shoulders. "Times goes fast when you're playing the part of a gladiator. Speaking of which..."

"No, I am not going to join the drama club," Xander said shortly, turning toward the gym doors. Other kids were slowly filing along, feeling no rush as there was still time as long as no one dwadled.
 
"It's whatever. I'm used to it." He stuck his hands into his hoody pocket, "Thanks for uh... stepping in, Xander. They probably would've stepped on my camera otherwise. I'd say see you around, but you probably won't. Sixth high school, and all." He watched them walk off and lingered for a few moments for the gym to clear a bit more before heading to his own class, trying to take the most roundabout way there.

While the twins headed to class, Sloan spotted and jogged up beside them, "Hey there! My car ride seemed real quiet today without the two of you. It was weird."
 
Xander just gave a slight hand-raise to show he'd heard, feeling a bit awkward about the thanks. He just really didn't like bullies. And why let the camera suffer?

"Hi, Sloan, I missed seeing you this morning," Alec greeted her cheerfully, giving her shoulder a gentle thump of greeting. "We met someone new today! A new friend!"

"Not likely. He made it clear he wasn't hanging around," Xander said dryly.
 
"What do you mean?" She asked, walking with them. It was a rare day where her hair wasn't in a ponytail, instead it was just pushed back with a headband, "'Not hanging around.' Is he dropping out or something? Or just moving. You just made it sound like it's his choice, is all."
 
Alec told Sloan the basic of what he knew about what had happened with Milo. He hadn't seen the actual event himself, but it wasn't hard to work out. "He kept saying something about a sixth highschool, but I don't know why, exactly."
 
"Oh, weird." Sloan replied, making a face, "I wonder if he's telling the truth or is just trying to make himself seem more mysterious... Because, like, if I was knew and normally picked on, I could imagine starting a rumor to make it seem like I'm some kid who has been expelled a bunch or something."
 
Xander grunted in agreement.

"You two are very cynical," Alec remarked. "He could be in a family attached to the army, and they move a lot. It could be as simple as that."

"Or it could be he's the trouble maker," Xander pointed out.

Alec went on stubbornly. "Or perhaps he really is viciously bullied, so his parents move him."

"Seems like that would make it worse," Xander huffed.

"We have to get to class. See you at lunch, Sloan?" Alec asked.
 
"I'm not trying to be cynical! But if he really keeps bringing it up, I'm gonna wonder why that is." She huffed playfully, "The truth is we'll never know the truth unless we ask. I'll see you at lunch!" With a wave, Sloan trotted off to class.
 
"I guess you could always ask," Alec told Xander cheerfully.

Xander frowned at him. "Why would I ask? I'm not the one curious. Come on. We don't want to be late while literally standing outside the door."

Alec grinned but followed Xander to their first class.
 
In his side of the school, Dark was trudging along his day. At the best of times, his first day back was exhausting, but this was the longest break he had taken from work in... He never took three months straight off. Literally never. And he kept thinking of who was at home.

Come lunch, Sloan, unaffected, and well past the initial grumpiness she had when school began, joined them at the table, "Mrs. Reinhardt, my Chem II teacher, let me put my fruit cup in her mini fridge, so now I've got cold peaches, which are way better than when they're room temperature."
 
"Nice!" Alec grinned, toasting her with his apple slice. Since making up the lunches was his job, they tended to be simple things or leftovers. Sometimes it could get quite interesting. Today was apple slices, carrot sticks, a Colby Jack cheese stick, and a peanut butter and apricot jelly sandwich. Xander had a teriyaki meat stick for extra protein, but Alec didn't like those, so he had a hard-boiled egg should he want it.

"How'd you score the special treatment?" Xander asked, slightly impressed, as he tried to figure out how to open the cheese stick.
 
"I didn't really do anything special, I just said how I wish my locker had a mini fridge because I prefer my fruit cups cold." Sloan said, glancing up at the front of the cafeteria and smiling, "It's nice to see your dad back at his post, isn't it. Although it's cruel of his boss to put him on lunch duty his first day back."
 
"Some of the teachers like it," Alec commented. "It's a forced break from grading or planning or other work-related stuff. Man, teachers are worked to the bone! I never want to be a teacher."

"You'd never be able to find your notes if you did," Xander smirked, earning a light smack with a cheese stick.

Peter walked over with a grin. "Hello, my friends! Have I missed anything?" He had a tray of cafeteria food, and seeing the twins' quizzical look, said, "I left my lunch in the car. It's going to be quite ripe if my dad didn't get it out when he went in to work."
 
"Mr. Dark is back," Sloan said to Peter, moving down to make sure there was room for him on the bench, "and Alec and Xander met some kid Milo who always carries around a camera, and, I guess, talks a lot about how he's been to six high schools. Besides that, there's nothing new I don't think. And what could you possibly have packed that would go bad that quickly? It's January, cars are ice boxes right now."
 
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"Really? I heard some kid was taking pictures in the ladies' lockers. I wonder if they were the same kid who started some sort of drama in the cafeteria. As far as my lunch, yes, cars are ice boxes, except for in the windows where the sun sines through directly and heats things up. You know that awkward little gap between the back window and the back seat where there's usually some kind of shelf? Yes, that's where my lunch is," Peter sighed.

Alec glanced around the cafeteria but could only see more kids. "I don't see Milo."
 
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