Petit Lapin

Chapter 15

Matthew went to school every weekday like usual. Arthur also left every weekday for work. The timing for both of them was perfect for Arthur to be able to bring Matthew to school, so Francis had arranged for Arthur to bring Matthew and Alfrd to school every morning. Alfred did not start school until one week later, so he stayed home with Francis.

The next Monday, Arthur was putting on his dress shoes, getting ready for work, while Francis was putting on Matthew's maple leaf scarf and backpack on.

As Arthur opened the front door and beckoned for Matthew to follow him, Francis put his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Take good care of him, mon ami. Do you remember the school address and which bus to take? It's the-"

"Yes, froggie, I remember. You've told me this information a thousand times. When have I ever let you down?" Arthur reassured.

Francis sighed. "Okay. Have a good day at work." The Frenchman then knelt down to be face to face with his son. "Et toi, have an amazing day at school." He smiled as he kissed Matthew's cheek.

Matthew smiled back at his father as he and Arthur said their goodbyes and left for the bus stop. Matthew felt uneasy being out without Francis. He never left the house without his father.

"So, Matthew. How's school going?" Arthur asked.

Matthew looked up at the Brit. "It's okay." He answered honestly.

The bullies were still around and said nasty things to him everyday, but Matthew never told on them, as he felt too bad to make others feel bad. Not only that, but telling on other students was a taboo in Matthew's class. He still remembered the day Abel told on one of Matthew's bullies, which caused the bully to get sent home. The whole class turned against Abel and shunned him the entire day. Matthew felt terrible for being the reason Abel was disliked in the class, but was reassured by his Dutch friend that he didn't mind the class shunning him. That seeing the bad person go away was worth it.

Unfortunately, Matthew was seen as an easy target, and was bullied by students in different classes. Especially in the English speaking classes, since they were able to call Matthew whatever they wanted and he wouldn't be able to understand them. The Canadian kept this a secret from Abel, since he didn't want his only friend to be shunned again for protecting him. He also kept this a secret from Francis, since he didn't want his father to worry.

Other than that, he liked school. Sitting next to Abel made his day a whole lot better, as the Dutch boy was talented in many things and always kept Matthew entertained. Mrs. Vargas was also an amazing teacher and made every class fun and exciting, while also very educational.

"Mhm. I see. Alfred's going to be enrolled in class AC blue. I'm not sure how the class system works, but I'm pretty sure A stands for 'anglais'." Arthur commented.

"Oui, I think that's how it works. I'm in class FA green, so the F must stand for 'français'." Matthew replied.

Arthur and Matthew reached the bus station, where they sat down and waited for the bus to come. Matthew stayed quiet the whole time, as Arthur didn't attempt to make anymore conversation. The Canadian decided to look around at his surroundings while he waited for the bus. The black streetlights across the street were still on, despite the sun having risen an hour ago. The autumn leaves fell from the trees that lined the street and were scattered on the road and the pavement.

Suddenly, a couple who looked like they were tourists came up to Arthur and Matthew.

"Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais?" The man with a heavy American accent asked.