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𝐋 𝐄 𝐓 𝐃 𝐎 𝐖 𝐍
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"Why does it have to be enchanted?" Dax complained as he grabbed the locket that hung around his neck, "Aunt Freya and Aunt Davina cloaked me."
"It's a precaution, Dax. You don't use your magic unless it's life or death," Bash sighed as he handed Dax his bag.
"We're in a small town in California, not New Orleans. I doubt anything ever happens here," Dax complained.
"So you shouldn't be using your magic at all," Dax glared at Bash who was smiling, "You take your meds?"
"Yes."
"Okay, then you're good to go. Let me know if you like the school!"
"I will!" Dax shut the door behind him and walked to his black chevy Camaro. It was brand new, and his mother's way of apologizing. She felt horrible about him and Hope going to opposite ends of the country, but it was because tensions in New Orleans had risen too much.
Hope and Dax went to the Salvatore School for a few years, but after Dax's dad died, he didn't want to go back. By high school, he ended up at Benjamin Franklin High School. His time there went really well until crazy vampire purists decided it was time to attack the MIkaelsons again.
After Dax activated his vampire gene, tensions rose even further. He was sent to California so that his family could calm everything down.
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Dax almost got lost on his way into the school. His meds were still in the process of kicking in, and he had gotten distracted by something shiny. He managed to get to the office though.
"Hi, I'm Dax, I'm supposed to go on a tour of the school or something?"
"Oh, yes, Mr. Hunt is waiting for you in his office," The man at the desk gestured to an open door...
Dax shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked past the desk and into the room.
"Ah, Mr. Johnson," Hunt smiled as he looked up at Dax, "This is Brett. He will be showing you around, and then a faculty member will join you both once your uncle gets here."
"Cool," Dax nodded. He thought the boy was cute, but he was not going to say anything. He didn't want to assume the boy's sexuality or make him uncomfortable.
"You have a piece to pitch, or am I taking him to the library?" Brett asked as he raised an eyebrow at Hunt.
"I'll save my piece for later," He nodded at the two students to go ahead.
Brett smirked before he stood up. He was a good few inches taller than Dax, and now that he was standing up, Dax could see that he definitely had some muscles, and Dax would have been willing to bet money on the fact that the boy had abs.
"You gonna keep staring or walk with me?" Brett asked quietly as he walked by Dax.
"Oh, I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression. I was thinking how ridiculous that sweater vest is," Dax smirked as they walked. He really wasn't a fan of uniforms, but the boy next to him seemed to make it work.
Brett hummed unconvinced as he looked Dax up and down, "You actually going to come here?"
"Depends on how many rich snobs I see."
"I hate to break it to you, but that's a large chunk of the population here. The rest of us are here on athletic scholarships."
"You guys good at any of your sports?"
"Hell yes. Lacrosse is a big one here. Football is the only thing that even begins to compete with it."
"You the best player or something?" Dax raised an eyebrow.
"Wouldn't be anywhere without the coach and my teammates," Brett shrugged.
"Wow, he's modest, and he's an athlete. Dually noted," Dax nodded to himself.
Brett chuckled. He began to point out classrooms and name what they were as they talked. Dax really enjoyed Brett's company while it lasted. Brett convinced him to sign up for lacrosse once he officially joined the school, but sadly that is not how things went.
On the bright side, Dax gave Brett his number and was given three other guys' numbers.
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"I'm sorry about Devenford Prep, Dax," Bash apologized for probably the third time as he handed Dax a plate stacked with pancakes.
"Nah, I'm more bummed about going through the ninth grade for a second time. Granted it's half the year," Dax mumbled before raising his voice slightly, "I am going to be seventeen and still be a freshman in high school! That is just embarrassing."
"I bet you could retake that test, and then you could go straight into your junior or senior year."
"Doesn't change the fact that I am going to be seventeen in one month, and I'd have to wait until next year," Dax sighed, "Speaking of, don't forget to mail that card for Hope."
"I won't."
"You already lost it. Didn't you?"
"No, it's in the mailbox."
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"Whoever stood you up is an ass," Dax looked up from his phone to see Brett Talbot sitting in front of him, "I heard you were skipping out on Devenford Prep for the public high school. That true?"
"Sadly, my credits did not transfer right. Now I'm stuck in the ninth grade again," Dax said with an unenthusiastic smile, "Ninth graders fucking suck."
"You include yourself in that group, or...?" Brett smirked at him with a quirked eyebrow.
"No, by ninth graders, I mean fourteen-year-olds that think they are all grown up just because they are in high school."
"Fair enough... You on a date?"
"If you count my uncle as a date."
"Your uncle stood you up? Ouch. That has got to sting," Brett and Dax began laughing, "The bright side of going to Beacon Hills is that they need some athletes."
"Who said I was athletic?"
"You did."
"When?"
"Last night. We were texting and you started to talk about how you used to play basketball and soccer, and how you ran track."
"Alright, I played a few sports. That doesn't mean I am athletic. I could be a snail and you wouldn't know it."
"I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure your body says otherwise," Dax blushed at Brett's comment.
"You teach me about lacrosse and I'll play it."
"Why would I help out another team?"
"Because..." Dax had to think for a moment, "As you said, I have a rocking body."
"Not what I said, but I'll help you learn to play lacrosse if you go out on a date with me."
"Deal. When and where?"
Dax cursed himself when he realized what he had just agreed to. He was trying not to get attached to people and there he was agreeing to go out with a very attractive guy.
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Dax waltzed into the biology classroom. He was fifteen minutes late, but that was because he could not figure out where the class was to save his life. After finding his locker, he went into three different wrong classrooms before finding the one he was supposed to be in. Dax was about to walk to a seat but the teacher cleared his throat.
"Yes?" Dax asked with a smile.
"Who are you?" The teacher asked.
"Dax Johnson, I'm new," Dax nodded.
"Do you usually show up this late?"
"No."
"Do you have a reason?"
"There is more than one biology classroom."
"Didn't you get a guide or something?"
"No. Can I have my seat now?"
The teacher didn't respond and began typing on his computer. After a moment, he responded, "Go ahead, but next time I'm sending you to the office."
"I'm Liam," The boy he sat down next to whispered. Dax would have preferred to sit on his own, but there were no empty desks.
"Dax."
"I'm new too. Are you trying out for lacrosse?"
Dax smirked, "It is a possibility."
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Dax walked out onto the field just in time to hear Garrett complimenting Liam, "You may be our very first freshman captain."
Dax rolled his eyes. Something was off about Garrett, and he just couldn't place it. He seemed like a cool guy, but something about him just sent Dax the wrong vibe.
"Hey, I thought you weren't going to try out?" Liam pointed at Dax with his stick as he walked up.
"I said it was a possibility. I never said I wouldn't," Dax shrugged.
"You ever played lacrosse?" Garrett asked.
"Nope, but I'll figure it out."
"See, we'll be okay... after we warm up," Dax heard someone mutter, but he wasn't sure who it was as he did not know anyone's voice and it came from behind him.
"I bet I could get one past you, Liam," Dax smirked.
"Five bucks on Liam," Garrett said.
"Ten on Dax."
Dax scooped the ball into the stick before throwing it. He managed to have it whiz right past Liam.
"Thought you never played lacrosse before," Liam commented as he walked up to Dax.
"I haven't, but I got a crash course last night."
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Dax tugged on a new shirt when he heard someone come up behind him. He turned around to see two Juniors walk up to him and Liam.
"Liam, Dax," The one on the left said harshly. He was the one who seemed so sure of himself and his friend on the field, "Wanna tell us what that was out there?"
"What do you mean?" Liam asked as he looked between the two of them, obviously confused. Dax just looked the two boys up and down. He was unimpressed.
"That little display, your little circus act," The one on the left clarified.
"What circus act?" Liam crossed his arms.
"You caught every shot, except for his," He pointed to Dax as his arms waved around.
"I was in goal," Liam seemed to be getting more confused.
"Yeah, but only one shot got past you," The boy waved his finger up.
"That's the point of being in goal, isn't it?" Dax crossed his arms. He was by no means friends with Liam, but he was not a fan of the way the Juniors were talking to either of them, especially Liam.
"Even the kid who hasn't played lacrosse before knows that. You guys sure you have played before?" Liam asked
The one on the left waved his arms around and looked like he was going to say something else before pinching the bridge of his nose and giving up. The one on the right spoke up this time, "You guys are freshmen right?"
"Yeah," Liam shrugged. Dax looked at him skeptically
"Only by title."
"And neither of you were here last semester?" Stiles asked.
"I decided to make a last-minute move across the country. I am so sorry if that inconveniences you and your plans to be on the lacrosse team," Dax crossed his arms.
"I transferred," Liam said.
The one on the right looked like a confused puppy for a moment before repeating Liam,
"Transferred?"
"Yeah."
"No, you got kicked out didn't you?" The one on the right questioned.
Liam looked slightly freaked out, and Dax was tired of their alpha male approach, "Look, who gives a shit how he got here? He's here now, and he's going to help you win some games. Isn't that the point of sports?"
"You guys could use a few players right?" Liam said slightly defensively.
"No, no, we don't need any more good players," The one on the left threw his arms around and scratched his head.
"Did we just see the same people on the field?" Dax asked.
"He's right, we could sorta use a couple," The one on the right agreed.
"Alright, how'd you get this good? Have you always been this good, or did it just suddenly happen to you just once overnight?" He began to ramble, "Have you ever been out in the middle of the woods during the night of a full-"
"Stiles," The one on the right cut him off.
"Look, I learned from my stepfather, alright? He made team captain as a Sophomore. Like you," Liam looked at Stiles' friend, "And yeah... guess I'm just that good," Liam pulled on his bag before walking out.
Dax was about to do the same when Stiles stopped him, "And you?"
"I'm athletic. What do you want me to say? I'm on steroids?" Dax asked as he looked at him as if he were crazy. He then walked away.
"Thanks for that in there," Liam mumbled as they left.
"No problem."
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Dax and Liam came in first and second when they were running laps. Liam was next to Dax doing pushups, "You know, you don't have to do those."
"Beats having Juniors gang up on us," Liam said as continued to do his pushups.
Dax looked over at Stiles and his friend, "Eh, I think we could take them."
"I am staying out of fights."
"Alright," Dax raised his hands in surrender.
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"Congrats, Liam," Dax couldn't help but smile at how excited the kid was over how well he was doing. Liam gave him a high-five and the coach blew the whistle.
Everyone jogged over to him, "Hustle!" he urged, "McCall... and Stilinski grab the launch sticks. You're covering goal for two on ones."
"I used to love these drills," Dax muttered to Liam.
Everyone jogged back to the goal and lined up. Of course, Liam was first up.
Dax watched as Scott knocked the stick out of Liam's hand, and after that, no one seemed like they could get past the two boys. Dax didn't try because he figured it was better to blend in at least a little bit.
Before he knew what was happening, Liam was up again and running at the two best friends. He managed to make it past them and make his shot. Dax cheered. He really did like Liam, and he was glad that the two juniors were being put in their place even if he wasn't the one to put them there.
"That was luck!" A girl yelled from the stands, "Do-over!"
"Sweetie, there's no do-overs, this is practice," Coach responded.
"Ten bucks on Scott and Stiles," She yelled.
"I'll take that action," Coach said before turning back to the team and yelling, "Hey get back in there Liam!"
The four players got ready. Dax watched as Liam made a good move, dodging Stiles, but then he went over Scott's back. Dax heard the crack loud and clear from where he was standing. He ran over.
"Don't move! Don't touch him!" Coach yelled as he ran over.
"I'm okay, coach. I'm alright," Liam assured them. Scott and Stiles went to help him up, but Dax got to him first.
"I think you two have done enough," Dax said as Liam's arm wrapped around his neck, "I think he needs to go to the nurse."
Finstock pointed for them to go as another player helped Dax. Liam was basically lifted off of the ground while the two players took him over.
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