"Morning Alex!"
"Oh, hey Bree."
Bree walked up to Alex. "What's so interesting about the notice board?"
"Oh, umm..." Alex was suddenly flustered that Bree had caught her staring. She wordlessly gestured at the board as if it could explain everything.
"Ahh, I see." Bree's shrewd brown eyes scanned the notices. "Well, this does seem interesting..."
-
It was a free period, which meant the class should be studying, except who really did that? None of them were allowed to speak but obviously teenagers had their other methods of communication. Notes were secretly passed and someone was tapping their pen in a desperate attempt at Morse code. Danielle tuned them all out and blankly stared at her textbook. She wasn't in the mood for studying, but oh well, she didn't have much else to do. Considering it was the first period of the day, she could probably sleep for a bit.
And then she felt an intense glare.
Danielle glanced to the side. Eugene was sitting on the opposite end of the classroom and giving her a significant look. Danielle reached for her phone inside her drawer.
-
You have a new message from Eugene Lee [School].
"yo"
Sent: 9:00am
Received: 9:05am
-
September 28. 9:05am.
Danielle: yo
Danielle: didnt see u b4 school
Eugene is typing...
Eugene: yeah bball team meeting
Eugene: Also known as: me trying not to feel short for 15 mins
Danielle: ha
-
There was a noise up front. Both Danielle and Eugene instantly looked up in unison like a pair of startled birds, scared of being caught. Fortunately, it was just someone's chair that had creaked too loudly. They returned to their phones.
-
Eugene: So anyways
Eugene: I'm not joining the annual production this year
-
Danielle stared at her phone. Her fingers didn't move.
What?
It felt like someone had yanked the rug from underneath her feet. It felt like her favourite comfort blanket had been stolen from her.
In her haste, she glanced at Eugene's direction, but he was still staring at his phone.
-
Eugene: I'm sorry
Danielle: oh
Eugene: I want to but
Eugene is typing...
Eugene: got into a fight about it with my parents
Eugene: it Did Not End Well
Danielle: i can tell lol
-
"lol"... Danielle typed that to mask her shock and upset, but it just sounded really sarcastic.
-
Eugene: I feel bad bc annual production is like, our thing
Danielle: damn yeah we've literally joined every single one since we met ;-;
Eugene: I know
Danielle: ill miss you >.>
Eugene is typing...
Eugene is typing...
Eugene: T-T
-
Eugene using emoticons? Well, that was new.
(He probably picked it up from her.)
(Or: he was mirroring her way of texting to communicate with her better.)
-
Danielle: man your parents really suck
Eugene: urghhhhh
Eugene: Guess what tehyre making me study in uni
Danielle: failure management?
Danielle: how to give your son depression?
Eugene: Hah
Eugene: BUSINESS
Danielle: ??????
Eugene: like
Eugene: ONLY STRAIGHT PEOPLE STUDY BUSINESS
Danielle: I WANNA ARGUE AGAINST THAT BUT I CANNOT LOLOLL
Eugene is typing...
Eugene: like it's fiNE if they don't let me study criminology sociology literature theatre performing arts or whatever
Eugene: Don't want humanities? I can do food science! Nutrition!
Eugene: But they forced me to study business.
Danielle: what do you even learn from business lol... the effects of late-stage capitalism?
Eugene: Like we don't experience that every day?
Danielle: touché
Eugene: (So you don't use proper capitalisation but you use accents. I get it, miss dani)
Danielle: >.>
Eugene: I can see you laughing keep it down b4 we both get caught
-
Danielle lifted her chin and glanced in Eugene's direction. He was giving her one of his pointed looks, which only made her want to laugh even more. She bit her lip to hide her grin.
-
Danielle: ok sorrryy >.<
Eugene: Anyways the fun part is that they let me continue to be in the basketball team
Eugene: Even tho everybody knows Im like the historically shortest member
Danielle: but you jump high
Danielle: and you run fast
Danielle: and you can catch the ball
Danielle: (<- doesn't know anything about basketball)
Eugene: ah yes I can catch the ball
Eugene: they just think being on a sports team looks better than being in the annual production
Eugene: Like on a CV
Danielle: we're sophomores we're not even halfway through highschool???
Eugene: exactly
Eugene: My parents are theatre-phobic
Danielle: btw i smell food someones eating in class
Eugene: Uhh I don't smell anything so it's prob just near you
Danielle: man im hungry now >.>
Eugene: shhh you're gonna make me hungry too
-
Footsteps. Danielle jolted and shoved her phone back on her drawer. She pretended to be engrossed in her textbook. She hurriedly picked up a highlighter. Their teacher walked past them, carefully inspecting every student, and Danielle gulped. A wave of silence followed the teacher's footsteps.
Even breaking the smallest rule was nerve wracking to Danielle. She had no idea how Bree had the audacity to sneak out of her house multiple times (even after she'd been caught) or how Eugene constantly fought with his parents. But maybe that was why she liked those two.
Danielle seriously needed to grow a backbone.
-
Danielle: coast's clear?
Eugene: looks like it
Danielle: so.
Danielle: i guess ill need to find someone else who'll belt out dear evan hansen songs after practice while finding the musical mildly problematic but choosing to ignore it bc the music's good
Eugene: Haha
Eugene: remember that time we did a duet of if I could tell her
Danielle: YEAH
Eugene: And the senior was like "you know that song's kinda weirdly incesty right"
Danielle: HELPPPP
Eugene: oh I'm sure you'll find lots of cool ppl (even if im not here)
Danielle: yeah so many of our frineds from last year are joining
Danielle: the chat group is always exploding
Eugene: (feels kinda bad to say it but I actually muted the group)
Danielle: wOw
Danielle: jk i completely understand, phone always pinging with notifs
Eugene: Yknow maybe you can adopt some of the freshman this year
Eugene: like how we were adopted last year
Eugene: To pass it on and all that
Danielle: ha ha
Danielle: hope this year's frehsers are normal
Eugene: let's be real none of the theatre kids are normal
Danielle: and like none of them are cishet—
Eugene: Good grief we're gonna get cancelled for the stereotypes
Danielle: lol did you just use good grief
Danielle: like a grandpa XD
Eugene: >.>
Danielle: YOU REALLY ARE PICKING UP ON MY EMOTICONS LOL
Eugene: Is it weird? I can stop if you want
Danielle: noooo
Danielle: its cute :D
-
There was a slight pause. Then—
-
Eugene: ah
-
Danielle quickly typed something to fill up the empty space.
-
Danielle: hmm what texting style can i borrow from you
Danielle: so we can "steal" each other's styles
Eugene: Equivalent exchange
Danielle: yes
Danielle: man you dont have an obvious typing style this is haaaaard
Eugene: Oh?
Eugene: it's simple actually
Danielle: mm?
Eugene is typing...
Eugene: Just don't type in all love case the entire time
Eugene: *lower case
Danielle: heyyyyy you know all lowercase is my brand >:)
-
Danielle sighed and rested her chin on her hand. Eugene always made her laugh... wait, why was he comforting her when he was the one with awful parents who didn't let him peruse his passions? Suddenly Danielle felt immensely selfish. She hadn't even comforted him much, only kept him company (which probably didn't mean much).
(Probably.)
-
Danielle: oh and
Danielle: is that why you were looking down for some weeks? :O
Eugene: Yes it's related
Danielle: i feel bad bc. i couldn't really tell until last week lol
Eugene: hm
Eugene is typing...
Eugene is typing...
-
Hmm. Eugene appeared to be typing a long message. Either that or he was typing and deleting a lot. Danielle watched with interest.
-
Eugene: I guess I am less stressed around you
Danielle: :D?
Eugene: but I could tell you were nicer to me
Eugene: buying me food
Danielle: aaaaaaaaaa
Danielle: honestly idk if you wanna speak out it so im just trying to show i care
Danielle: uh ok that sounded really insensitive
Eugene: no no it's fine
Eugene: Thanks for respecting my boundaries:)
Danielle: yeah no youre the type of guy who doesn't talk when you don't wanna talk
Eugene: it's nothin personal I just. Don't like sharing a lot of stuff no matter who im with actually
Danielle: that's alright
Eugene: But im 200% sure Fred noticed
-
Now Danielle remembered the "favour" Fred had asked of her last week. Fred really did care about his team members, huh.
-
Danielle: oho?
Danielle: thats the basketball team leader for you
Eugene: I felt bad for running away from him lol
Eugene: he's super nice but... I really just don't like speaking about personal stuff
Danielle: yet we spent the entire period texting
Eugene: Yup
Eugene: But ig Fred has nothing to worry about bc
Eugene: bball is the only extra circular I have rn (unwillingly) so I'm putting all my effort there bc I want to at least enjoy SOMETHING
Danielle: mmhmm
Eugene: Come and watch us lol
Eugene: *watch me
Eugene: at least
Eugene: if you don't like the other guys
Danielle: pfft
Danielle: is this a reference to—
Eugene: Jk you don't have to watch me, just come and ogle at your middle school crush LOL
Danielle: HEY!!!
Danielle: >:(((
-
The bell abruptly rang and Danielle dropped her phone in surprise. Thankfully, it landed on her lap so it didn't make a noise. As everybody yawned and collected their notes, Danielle sent Eugene a reproachful glare. He just grinned in return, so nonchalant and easy going.
There was a vibration from her phone.
-
Eugene: your face is red:)
-
Danielle walked up to Eugene and playfully punched his shoulder. "Hey, you jerk," she mumbled, not really meaning it.
Eugene just smiled. "It's not my fault you get flustered sooo easily."
Danielle huffed, grumpy. They walked out of the classroom together. They'd spent the entire period texting and surprisingly, now they didn't know what to say face-to-face.
"... You can talk to me whenever you feel stressed. I'm free anytime."
"I know, but thanks."
Danielle still felt bad. It was like their friendship was unequal, and it was always Eugene comforting her and not the other way round. Granted, Eugene was way more guarded than she was and she still didn't know the details of his struggles (even though she was sure she was one of his closest friends at school), but still, Danielle didn't like how the balance had tipped in her favour.
What she didn't know was that, for someone like Eugene who securely kept all his worries to himself—
Just her presence was enough to make him feel okay again.
Even if just for a little while.
-
You have a new message from Alex :D.
"Freddie I need advice! you free rn?"
Sent: 8:57pm
Received: 9:03pm
-
You have 2 new messages from Freddie.
"yeah im free"
"what's up?"
Sent: 9:03pm
Received: 9:04pm
-
September 28. 9:04pm.
Alex: Soo there's an opportunity to sign up for a trip in like mid nov
Alex: which I saw like two weeks ago but didn't really do anything about it but now I'm interested?
Fred: Ooooh :D
Alex: but it's crazy expensive
Alex: BUT theres a grant if you apply for it (and there's an interview)
Fred: Go for it Alex!! You can do it!!
Alex: It's like a leadership training camp with other schools and ughhh Im so scared but it sounds so useful for future experience >.<
Fred: Ohh where is it?
Alex: To answer your question:
Alex: Where did the myth of King Arthur come from?
-
A/N: Apologies for Eugene's "business majors are straight people" comment. But for real, every person I know who studies business is straight lmao. And everyone's a huge nerd here (oddly reflective of my own high school years).
By the way, the entire main cast is bi. Yes, including the canon characters. I don't make the rules— (well technically this is my story so I guess I do make the rules?)
I wrote most of this chapter while eating a quarter of a tub of ice cream because I want to finish the ice cream before I move out of my dorm (yes I'm writing this in June. This is genuinely one of the first few chapters I completed :D). Here's hoping I don't get a stomachache.
Now a note from the present: Thanks for the 1k views!! <3 Also oooh things are picking up~