You dislike running late. College demands you to focus on your academics that you've become the punctual student you are now, finishing projects earlier than most and arriving campus thirty minutes to an hour early before first period starts, so when Bertholdt insisted you to drink the love potion he stupidly bought (which, by the way, was not even his intention) half an hour before attendance checking, you gave into him and bolted out of your house to catch the train.
You make it to the auditorium just in time for attendance, catching your breath and cursing in your head for getting out of bed late. As you sneakily descend the rows of seats while trying to make as little noise as possible, you spot the back of Bertholdt's head next to Reiner's blond one who seems to be sound asleep. You sigh in relief. Thank god your friends are tall.
"Hey, scoot over," you instruct as soon as you make it to where they are seated. Bertholdt is surprised and wakes up a sleeping Reiner beside him, then moves a seat to the left once Reiner stirs awake. You plop on your seat and groan.
"Good morning," Bertholdt greets.
"Good morning to you, too," you greet back with a hint of hostility. He laughs. "I'm just kidding. Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Nope."
"Actually, yes," Reiner interrupts. He rubs his eyes and stretches his limbs, letting out a long yawn in the process. "Zeke has the potion now, so you won't be able to steal it and drain it in the toilet."
Damn it.
"Hey! I don't think it would be that bad," Bertholdt argues and innocently looks at you. "I can take a sip if you want me to."
"I'm just hoping it isn't swamp water, or toilet water dyed neon green." You scrunch your nose at the thought of drinking either of the two, but like Bertholdt said, it couldn't be that bad, right? You've checked the product's website on your commute to school, and just like any other small business, they're legit. Trustworthy would be another word, from what you got in the numerous reviews. "It's like Shrek's skin color so I don't know what to expect."
Reiner snorts. "Expect the unexpected. It isn't everyday that you get to drink swamp wa—"
"It is not swamp water!" Bertholdt growls.
"Whatever!"
Attendance is checked after a short while. Afterward, everyone is dismissed and tasked to go to their own departments. Reiner and Bertholdt bid you goodbye before meeting up with their committees, leaving you alone in your seat where you have to deal with memorizing your lines for the rest of the day.
You grab your backpack and zip it open to get your copy of the script, but you're met with disappointment once you don't find the red folder you always have with you. The panic and desperation in your eyes make you empty your bag until all of its contents are out in the open. Minutes pass yet the folder is still nowhere to be seen.
This is the result of getting out of bed late. Recalling this morning's events, you guess you forgot to pack the folder in your bag after skimming through it last night. A frown etches on your face and you decide to ask Colt for his copy instead.
You know you're going to be scolded for this, but it's better than doing nothing.
As you approach the stage where the play directors sit, a specific blond boy stares at you from afar. Porco sits at the rightmost cluster of seats in the middle section of the auditorium, holding his copy of the script unlike you. He watches as you timidly ask Colt for his with your fingers crossed behind your back, clearly trying to avoid Professor Magath who stands a few feet away, and sneers.
His emotions are mixed; he doesn't know what to feel towards you that well yet. On one hand he's apologetic, but on the other, he isn't. The sight of you still makes Porco's stomach churn with hatred because no one has ever messed with him the way you did. No one has ever talked to him like that before.
And even now that he has won over the lead role in the class play, he's still bubbling with jealousy. So ultimately, his emotions are complicated.
But he shrugs the thought off and leans back on his seat, slouching then stifling a yawn. He figures it would be better to stop thinking about you and this whole rivalry thing because if anything, it's draining his energy and making him hungry. He looks at the script resting atop his stomach and groans.
Unfortunately for him, break isn't until 10 AM, so he will have to wait for two and a half hours before he can dash to the cafeteria and get some good food to eat.
Oh well. At least he brought an assortment of snacks—the miniature size of the candies and junk food he brings always helps him eat in class. Surely no one will notice those.
»»——¤——««
Two hours pass and practice is finally over. The publicity department is the first to exit the auditorium followed by the props, where Reiner and Bertholdt were assigned.
They go to where you're seated and excitedly drag you out of the place. You whine, but exhaustion refuses to let you when you feel the heavy weight of the backpack on your back. It doesn't help that you just memorized most of your lines in a span of two hours. Your brain is fried, and there is nothing more that you want right now but food.
You enter the cafeteria and search the place for Zeke. Reiner eventually spots him in one of the tables by the restroom where he busies himself with his phone. When you approach him, he looks up and puts the device away.
"Scoot over monkey boy! We're drinking some potions," Reiner exclaims as he sits beside the man. You and Bertholdt take the seats across.
"You mean (Y/N) is drinking a potion," Zeke corrects. His hand dives deep into the pocket of his topcoat and he holds out a small Mountain Dew bottle right after. He gives it to you. "Here's the potion, but you should wait for more students to arrive the cafeteria before you drink it. It adds to the thrill."
"But . . . that's a Mountain Dew bottle." You look at Reiner and point at the soda. "Am I seeing this right?"
He shrugs. "You are. Bertholdt just transferred it into that thing."
You glare at the boy next to you.
"What?"
"It's for decontamination," Bertholdt reasons. "And it's cute. That way, you can stop imagining it as swamp water. How long has it been since you had Mountain Dew? Forever."
Reiner and Zeke burst into a fit of laughter while you bury your face into your palms, smiling.
"You guys are the worst."
"We know," says Zeke, checking his watch for the time. He stands up from his seat and takes his wallet out. "We still have some time to spare, so I'm going to buy food. I'll be right back."
You nod and excuse yourself to do the same thing, immediately ditching your friends and waiting in line for your turn with the lunch ladies. As you hungrily eye the trays and coolers over the counter, you hum a tune to yourself to drown out the growing noise in the cafeteria.
The place is already bustling with students once you reach the cashier. You place your order and take your wallet out to pay.
"Oops," you blurt when you realize that you've been holding the love potion the entire time. You place the soda bottle on the counter and take six euros out of your wallet.
"Thank you very much," the cashier says as she takes the money. The lunch lady comes with a tray of bread rolls and a cup of hot cocoa and slides it toward you, but you notice the absence of another thing you ordered.
"Ah, excuse me? I think you forgot about my yogurt."
"Oh!" she exclaims. "I'm sorry darling. Here"—she grabs a pack of berry mix yogurt and gives it to you—"it just arrived. Come to us if you need anything else."
"It's alright. Thanks!" You smile at her and pick up the tray. Afterward, you pocket your wallet and go back to your table.
The line moves forward and a blond boy steps in. The woman behind the cash register greets him cheerfully. It's one of her regulars, and even the lunch lady behind her can't help but to grin.
"Good morning, dear. What can I get for you today?"
"Good morning!" He reciprocates the grin and gestures toward the bread. "I'll take the Nutella bread rolls and three slices of garlic bread, please. Oh, and this, too."
The cashier nods. She then punches the barcodes and grabs the money from the boy's awaiting hand. They make small talk until the lunch lady slides a tray toward him and wish him a good day. He returns the greeting, grabs the tray full of food, and walks over to his friends' table where he sits and starts to eat.