serendipity

04: "well it looks like i'm not completely screwed"

(seraphina's pov)

today is monday, the first day of school for max and i.

since meeting the guys friday night, max and i have been getting everything ready for school; supplies and clothes shopping.

school starts at 7:30, so i has to get up around 5:30 so i could have enough time to get dressed, make breakfast, get max up, and then have time to spare so we could meet the guys at the front of the school around 7:10.

a lot, i know.

i make my way to the kitchen to get breakfast ready after i got dressed. i want to do something simple so i just make some eggs and pancakes.

halfway through making breakfast, i got max up. he was stubborn at first but once i told him about the pancakes, he shot up so fast i wouldn't be surprised if he got whiplash. he ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then got dressed.

we eat, get our bags, then head to the car.

before i turn on the car, i turn around to face max and say, "you're gonna be alright, love bug, okay?"

he just nods and i can tell he's anxious.

i don't blame him. this is his first time being in a different place with people he doesn't know. i just don't know how to help him know that everything will be okay.

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max and i pull up to school at 7:10 on the dot and we meet the guys at the front.

there aren't many people here, probably because school didn't start for another 20 minutes, but i do notice people starting to pull into the parking lot.

"we can take y'all to the k - 5 first and drop max off then take you to the high school part if that works," leo says with a questioning gaze.

"yeah, that sounds great," i say with a grateful smile sent their ways.

we start walking to the kindergarten area; max was talking excitingly about how good the pancakes i made this morning were, to keaton and leo while they played along, matching his excited energy.

i was walking next to ezra in a comfortable silence, listening to max when i broke it by saying, "thank you for doing this for max and i. and for friday. i really appreciate it and i know max does too," quietly, making sure not to disturb the three who were now on the topic of sponge bob, with a sincere smile that showcased my dimples. a smile i rarely ever throw out.

he looks over at me and says, "we're happy to do it. and for friday, i can tell you that was the highlight of the week for all three of us. we loved talking to you and max and getting to know y'all better. but seriously, if you need any help at all, just call one of us and we'll come," with so much sincerity, i had to swallow back tears.

i have never had someone talk to me with so much sincerity in my life. we met them 4 four days ago and they have already done more for max and i than some of the people i've known for years. just by them listening and talking to max, he's been smiling more than i've ever seen.

its been max and i for so long that we both forgot what it was like to have other people really, truly care for us. i just don't get why they do, especially with just barely knowing us.

"why do you and the other two want to help so much? why do you three care so much?" i ask with genuine confusion etched on my face.

"everyone deserves to have people care and look after them. from what we can tell, you and max haven't had that in a long time, we want to give that to the both of you." the way he talked, i knew that some of this was personal but now didn't seem like the right time to bring it up.

"if there is anything max and i can do for y'all, just call."

"thank you."

i just give him a nod in return because we have arrived at the office of the elementary section.

we get the classroom max is assigned too and when we arrive, i become incredibly nervous.

ezra, leo, and keaton stand behind me as i bend down to max's height. "tesoro, this is going to be hard at first so if you ever need me, at all, don't hesitate to have your teacher give me a call and i'll come down. you're gonna do amazing, amore mio," i say with a reassuring smile and then i pull him into a hug.

"i love you sissy." he hugs me back.

"i love you too, tesoro," before pulling away and i watch as he walks into the classroom and i stand back up.

i turn to ezra, leo, and keaton and they gave me small smiles before showing me the way back to the high school section.

"what exactly are these kids like?" i ask no one in particular.

"there's only a couple kids to look out for but everyone else is pretty chill," leo explains.

"great," i mutter under my breathe.

"don't worry, we'll make sure no one messes with you," ezra says turning to look at me.

"thank you," i say, crossing my fingers that everything is smooth sailing.

"if anyone does, just come to us and we'll deal with it," keaton says seriously. the other two nod in agreement as we walk into the front office.

i nod gratefully towards them before turning to the office lady. she looks up at me and i say, "hello! my name is seraphina ariti. can i please have my schedule, i'm new."

she smiles at me and holds up a finger, "of course, give me one second."

she prints it out and hands it to me.

i say, "thank you," and then we leave.

seraphina ariti - senior

period one: ap calculus

period two: chemistry

period three: ancient history

period four: ap literature

lunch

period five: free period

period six: art

period seven: music

they all take their turns looking at it once i'm done.

i have ap calc and ap literature with leo, chemistry and ancient history with keaton, and chemistry, art, and music with ezra. all four of us had lunch and free period together.

this was good. i had at least one of them in each of my classes.

"well it looks like i'm not completely screwed," i mutter thinking no one heard me but when i look at ezra, i can tell he's trying to suppress a laugh.

"go ahead laugh at my suffering," i say sarcastically. i really hated being the new kid.

he let a smile break through and it almost knocks me off my feet.

holy hell.

the other two stare at us confused but i just shake my head. with that, the first bell rings and leo and i make our way to calculus.