The First Day
Winona
No, I don't have too many characters.
Mason stared into the cracked mirror in front of him. He looked at his reflection -- at the dark eyes, the dark hair, the flannel that he had freshly washed and dried for this very day. The day that he sold his soul to the devil, so to speak. The day that he crossed the river to the other side. Because someone -- and certainly obviously not him, nope no way -- had managed to catch the fucking school on fire. Had him and his classmates spoken about it on a nearly daily basis, especially around exam time? Of course! Had Mason been serious at all during that time? Obviously of fucking course not.
He was a strong guy. Emotionally unyielding. However, every guy had their breaking point, and Mason's breaking point was having to share the same school as some people that he considered to be lower than the dirt on the bottom of his Converse. People like fucking Chelsea and his little minions like that Dexter fuck and... okay, to be fair, Mason couldn't think of anyone else off the top of his head.
But he was already done and Mason hadn't even stepped out the door yet.
"I'm not going. I'm quitting. Dropping out." Mason announced to no one in particular. Maybe just to himself, to give himself this sense of determination, so to speak. Maybe if he announced it aloud, he'd actually follow through on something for once.
"WHAT?!"
Oh right. The paper thin walls of the apartment didn't keep noise contained to any one room. His voice had probably sounded as clear as day in the shared bedroom between himself and his little fuck up of a brother, Drake. As was (occasionally) per usual for his brother, he'd been up way too fucking early to go for a run and had already been in the shower before Mason had a chance to see him.
Now, his brother slammed into the bathroom door and it banged open with a large crash. Mason glared over at him and started to open his mouth to berate his brother, but that was before he noticed his getup. Well, for the most part he looked like a normal sophomore boy -- jeans, no shirt because he had yet to find one apparently, but it was what was on his head that had Mason reeling.
"You can't drop out your senior year!" Drake was yelling.
"Is that a shower cap on your head?" Mason asked, gesturing to the pink plastic wrap on his brother's head.
"I didn't want to get my hair wet before school," he whined. "I need to look good, you know? For the singles, Mason. This is a new chance for us. I'm going to find myself a hot person and marry rich so I never have to work again."
"But no one's gonna wanna hang around you. Your hair smells like weed and cigarettes."
"You smell like weed and cigarettes."
"Well no duh." Mason rolled his eyes and turned back towards the mirror. "Get dressed. We're leaving in five minutes. I gotta drop Ari off at Lydia's." And then, they'd make the trip across the bridge and straight into the lion's den.
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Another thing that would always leave Mason reeling in anger was public transportation. When Ambridge was still up, Drake and him were able to walk to their school and avoid having to ride the school buses. The morning walk had been a godsend of sorts -- it had given Mason a chance to smoke a cigarette and occasionally, Raven would join them on the way. It was nice.
Instead, today, Mason and Drake had to make their way to the bus stop. He felt like an idiot standing by the side of the road, waiting for their bus to come, and why the fuck was he nervous? These were just... Auburn Springs fucks. Mason knew how to deal with those fuckers. But he knew it was less about himself -- it was people like his little brother who stood next to him at the bus stop with those ridiculous fucking pink sunglasses resting on his face. Those were the ones he was worried about. Mason could roll with the punches, the teasing, and be fine -- he'd done it for years, what was one more? -- but Drake didn't know what it was like on the other side of the river. Down here, everyone loved him. He was like the community's little brother. But up there?
Up there he was just another fucking street rat with nothing going for him.
"Starting the morning off with a smoke instead of breakfast?" Drake asked.
Mason rolled his eyes as he inhaled on the cigarette and then pulled it from his lips, exhaling slowly. "Breakfast of champions right here, Drake." He said and held the cigarette out towards Drake with a smirk. Drake recoiled from it, nose wrinkled up, and Mason laughed as he took another drag on it. Drake hated cigarettes -- hated the smell, hated the feel, whereas Mason always kept a box in his pocket, and it was vice versa for Drake with weed -- Mason wouldn't touch the shit because he hated the feeling of being unaware, but he knew Drake had a joint in his backpack ready to go.
The bus's rumbling sounded from down the street and Mason looked over his shoulder to watch as it came rolling down their street. He dropped his cigarette and ground it in with his Converse before looking back right as it came to a screeching halt beside the brothers. The doors creaked their way open and Mason, sucking in a deep breath before he started up the stairs.
His bulky frame made the whole bus riding thing even worse than it should have been as he headed down the middle until he got to the back, where he swung himself into a seat and sank down as low as he could against the window. Drake had gotten distracted by someone near the front of the bus, and that was fine. Mason needed a break from his brother. A time to just sit and stew in his own thoughts.
He looked out the window as the bus finished its route until the only empty seat was the one beside him -- none of the other students dared try to sit with him, even if a few of the seats were packed with three. The city of Ambridge soon disappeared from view and they were on the bridge and Mason's stomach started to twist. It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with Auburn Springs -- they crossed the bridge during the football games, for example -- but this felt different. For the games, he was still surrounded by his fellow Ambridgers. But here? He'd be surrounded by them.
The bus came to a grinding halt outside of the school and Mason was one of the last off the bus. The moment his shoes touched Auburn Springs soil, he was on edge. There were teachers all over the place directing them towards the auditorium for... wait did they fucking say buddies? They were doing a fucking buddy system like the Ambridgers were fucking five year olds? What in the actual fuck?
He couldn't get distracted by that, though. That was probably what the Auburn Springs fucks wanted. Instead, Mason looked through the crowd until he caught sight of Drake in his hot pink sunglasses walking away from him.
Mason shoved his way through the students, not even caring who he knocked out of his fucking way, until he caught up with his brother and grabbed his backpack and pulled Drake to a quick halt. With one hand still on the backpack, he yanked Drake back towards him and glared down at him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He snapped.
Drake looked at him, bewilderment in his eyes. "I was going to the auditorium like they said."
"No, no you're not. Not yet." Mason snapped and finally released his hold on Drake's backpack. "You're staying with me." He stated, glaring down at his little brother.
"But--"
"No."
Drake huffed and as far as Mason was concerned, his little brother could throw the biggest hissy fit he wanted. He was not getting away from Mason. End of story. And his brother obviously knew that because his shoulders slumped in defeat. "What are we doing, then?" Drake grumbled. "Just standing here?"
"Waiting for the others." He stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Seriously?" Drake asked. "You don't think Raven, Dani, Sly, Ry-- Okay, maybe Ryan can't handle himself. But the rest of them? They'll be fine. This is stupid. Let's just go to the auditorium and wait for them there. You aren't even going to see them in this crowd, Mason!" He gestured around at the crowd surrounding them.
Mason hated it when Drake was right.
"Fine," he grumbled.
Reluctantly, Mason allowed Drake to lead the way as they followed the rest of the crowd to the auditorium which was thrumming with activity. The brothers picked an area near the middle that was widely unpopulated and took their seats. Drake leaned back in his, backpack on his lap, and pushed his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. It pushed his hair back so that it stuck out at all kinds of crazy angles -- which just made Mason roll his eyes.
Mason, on the other hand, remained on the edge of his seat. His foot tapped against the ground rapidly while his elbows rested on his knees and his hands clasped together. He watched as people came in, his jaw clenched tight. He was on edge and ready to snap at even the smallest of inconveniences.
He was a strong guy. Emotionally unyielding. However, every guy had their breaking point, and Mason's breaking point was having to share the same school as some people that he considered to be lower than the dirt on the bottom of his Converse. People like fucking Chelsea and his little minions like that Dexter fuck and... okay, to be fair, Mason couldn't think of anyone else off the top of his head.
But he was already done and Mason hadn't even stepped out the door yet.
"I'm not going. I'm quitting. Dropping out." Mason announced to no one in particular. Maybe just to himself, to give himself this sense of determination, so to speak. Maybe if he announced it aloud, he'd actually follow through on something for once.
"WHAT?!"
Oh right. The paper thin walls of the apartment didn't keep noise contained to any one room. His voice had probably sounded as clear as day in the shared bedroom between himself and his little fuck up of a brother, Drake. As was (occasionally) per usual for his brother, he'd been up way too fucking early to go for a run and had already been in the shower before Mason had a chance to see him.
Now, his brother slammed into the bathroom door and it banged open with a large crash. Mason glared over at him and started to open his mouth to berate his brother, but that was before he noticed his getup. Well, for the most part he looked like a normal sophomore boy -- jeans, no shirt because he had yet to find one apparently, but it was what was on his head that had Mason reeling.
"You can't drop out your senior year!" Drake was yelling.
"Is that a shower cap on your head?" Mason asked, gesturing to the pink plastic wrap on his brother's head.
"I didn't want to get my hair wet before school," he whined. "I need to look good, you know? For the singles, Mason. This is a new chance for us. I'm going to find myself a hot person and marry rich so I never have to work again."
"But no one's gonna wanna hang around you. Your hair smells like weed and cigarettes."
"You smell like weed and cigarettes."
"Well no duh." Mason rolled his eyes and turned back towards the mirror. "Get dressed. We're leaving in five minutes. I gotta drop Ari off at Lydia's." And then, they'd make the trip across the bridge and straight into the lion's den.
-----------------------------------------------------
Another thing that would always leave Mason reeling in anger was public transportation. When Ambridge was still up, Drake and him were able to walk to their school and avoid having to ride the school buses. The morning walk had been a godsend of sorts -- it had given Mason a chance to smoke a cigarette and occasionally, Raven would join them on the way. It was nice.
Instead, today, Mason and Drake had to make their way to the bus stop. He felt like an idiot standing by the side of the road, waiting for their bus to come, and why the fuck was he nervous? These were just... Auburn Springs fucks. Mason knew how to deal with those fuckers. But he knew it was less about himself -- it was people like his little brother who stood next to him at the bus stop with those ridiculous fucking pink sunglasses resting on his face. Those were the ones he was worried about. Mason could roll with the punches, the teasing, and be fine -- he'd done it for years, what was one more? -- but Drake didn't know what it was like on the other side of the river. Down here, everyone loved him. He was like the community's little brother. But up there?
Up there he was just another fucking street rat with nothing going for him.
"Starting the morning off with a smoke instead of breakfast?" Drake asked.
Mason rolled his eyes as he inhaled on the cigarette and then pulled it from his lips, exhaling slowly. "Breakfast of champions right here, Drake." He said and held the cigarette out towards Drake with a smirk. Drake recoiled from it, nose wrinkled up, and Mason laughed as he took another drag on it. Drake hated cigarettes -- hated the smell, hated the feel, whereas Mason always kept a box in his pocket, and it was vice versa for Drake with weed -- Mason wouldn't touch the shit because he hated the feeling of being unaware, but he knew Drake had a joint in his backpack ready to go.
The bus's rumbling sounded from down the street and Mason looked over his shoulder to watch as it came rolling down their street. He dropped his cigarette and ground it in with his Converse before looking back right as it came to a screeching halt beside the brothers. The doors creaked their way open and Mason, sucking in a deep breath before he started up the stairs.
His bulky frame made the whole bus riding thing even worse than it should have been as he headed down the middle until he got to the back, where he swung himself into a seat and sank down as low as he could against the window. Drake had gotten distracted by someone near the front of the bus, and that was fine. Mason needed a break from his brother. A time to just sit and stew in his own thoughts.
He looked out the window as the bus finished its route until the only empty seat was the one beside him -- none of the other students dared try to sit with him, even if a few of the seats were packed with three. The city of Ambridge soon disappeared from view and they were on the bridge and Mason's stomach started to twist. It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with Auburn Springs -- they crossed the bridge during the football games, for example -- but this felt different. For the games, he was still surrounded by his fellow Ambridgers. But here? He'd be surrounded by them.
The bus came to a grinding halt outside of the school and Mason was one of the last off the bus. The moment his shoes touched Auburn Springs soil, he was on edge. There were teachers all over the place directing them towards the auditorium for... wait did they fucking say buddies? They were doing a fucking buddy system like the Ambridgers were fucking five year olds? What in the actual fuck?
He couldn't get distracted by that, though. That was probably what the Auburn Springs fucks wanted. Instead, Mason looked through the crowd until he caught sight of Drake in his hot pink sunglasses walking away from him.
Mason shoved his way through the students, not even caring who he knocked out of his fucking way, until he caught up with his brother and grabbed his backpack and pulled Drake to a quick halt. With one hand still on the backpack, he yanked Drake back towards him and glared down at him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He snapped.
Drake looked at him, bewilderment in his eyes. "I was going to the auditorium like they said."
"No, no you're not. Not yet." Mason snapped and finally released his hold on Drake's backpack. "You're staying with me." He stated, glaring down at his little brother.
"But--"
"No."
Drake huffed and as far as Mason was concerned, his little brother could throw the biggest hissy fit he wanted. He was not getting away from Mason. End of story. And his brother obviously knew that because his shoulders slumped in defeat. "What are we doing, then?" Drake grumbled. "Just standing here?"
"Waiting for the others." He stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Seriously?" Drake asked. "You don't think Raven, Dani, Sly, Ry-- Okay, maybe Ryan can't handle himself. But the rest of them? They'll be fine. This is stupid. Let's just go to the auditorium and wait for them there. You aren't even going to see them in this crowd, Mason!" He gestured around at the crowd surrounding them.
Mason hated it when Drake was right.
"Fine," he grumbled.
Reluctantly, Mason allowed Drake to lead the way as they followed the rest of the crowd to the auditorium which was thrumming with activity. The brothers picked an area near the middle that was widely unpopulated and took their seats. Drake leaned back in his, backpack on his lap, and pushed his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. It pushed his hair back so that it stuck out at all kinds of crazy angles -- which just made Mason roll his eyes.
Mason, on the other hand, remained on the edge of his seat. His foot tapped against the ground rapidly while his elbows rested on his knees and his hands clasped together. He watched as people came in, his jaw clenched tight. He was on edge and ready to snap at even the smallest of inconveniences.
Mason & Drake
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