The Tracks Lead Back to You [klance]

Chapter 3: Different

"Mr. Shirogane totally threw off my mood this morning," Pidge complains at lunch. "I wasn't ready to come in and hear his life story. I mean, it's fine that he shared or whatever, but that was intense."

"I didn't like it," Lance pouts. He sits in my chair with me instead of in the seat next to mine.

"Well, he did inform us that he's a convicted arsonist, so I think some discomfort is justified," Pidge agrees. "I'm more unsettled by the things he didn't say, though."

"D'you say you remember him, Hunk?" I ask. "Do you know what he was talking about?"

Hunk isn't paying attention to us. He looks up, and I repeat my question. "I'd rather not talk about it," he says darkly. "It was really traumatizing. I- I don't even want to think about it."

Pidge puts a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Hunk. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

"Okay," Hunk nods.

The rest of lunch is weird after that. The rest of the day is weird, actually. I'm relieved when it's over.

Dad reminds me it's Friday when I get in the car. "First week down... How are we feeling?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. "It's fine," I say. "I mean, I think it's better than other places, but it's kinda too early to tell."

"That's okay," Dad nods. "It takes time to feel comfortable in a new place. Speaking of, your mother wants you to bring your new friends around for brunch, but I thought you might want to hold off on something like that."

"They're probably pretty busy with their own families anyway," Lance points out.

"Yeah," I agree. "Maybe."

Dad taps the wheel subconsciously. "Is something wrong, Keith?"

"What?"

"Something seems off."

I turn to him and open my mouth. Then I close it. If I say something is wrong, then he and Mom will freak out. Nothing is wrong; just weird. "I'm kinda tired," I say. "I'm not used to waking up for school yet."

Dad smiles. "Alright then. Make sure you go to sleep at a reasonable time this weekend. That should help."

"Mhm."

Lance and I spend Saturday personalizing the settings on our school tablets. He keeps trying to get a picture of me for his background, but I manage to hide my face every time. When I try to take a picture of him, he escapes the frame with equal parts agility and luck. It's a game after that. In the end, Lance has two pictures of me, and I have none of him.

"Ha!" he exclaims. "I win!"

"Whatever," I say, rolling my eyes. "Everybody's good at something."

"Tch, I'm good at everything," he crosses his arms.

"Oh, yeah?" I tease. "And I'm just better?"

He tackles me playfully onto our bed, trying to pin me down.

"Lance!" I laugh. "Our tablets!"

He doesn't stop, so I swing his legs out from under him and sit on them just in time for the door to open.

It's Mom.

"What are you up to, kiddo?" she asks.

I guess this looks pretty weird. Lance and I let go of each other and sit right.

"Nothing," we say.

Mom blushes. Then I blush. "Not that! I wasn't-"

"It's okay, Keith," she calms. "It's perfectly normal for a boy your age to-"