CHAPTER TWO
It had only been a few hours since Adrian had been brought to the school but he had already been called into Doctor Saltzman's office. The boy took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the chestnut-colored desk.
The door opened and the entered with a stack of books in his hands. He placed the books on the desk and sat down, "Adrian, how are you feeling today?"
┏━━━━━━┓
LIKE SHIT.
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"Like shit" The brunet answered, "...It's fine, I— i'll manage"
"Here are your school supplies and a room key. There are some clothes and uniforms already in your dorm, your tour guide will walk you there when we're done here" Alaric pushed the books the boy would need during his school year towards him along with a key that had the number fourteen engraved on it.
Adrian grabbed a book and read the summary in the back before he flipped to see what the title was. He chuckled, a mischievous grin appearing on his face, "The study of black arts?"
The principal took the book from the werewolf and put it in one of his desk drawers, "That's isn't for you"
The boy frowned, "Bummer, would've been fun"
"We don't condone the use of black arts," Doctor Saltzman told him, "We let our students study it to learn what to avoid and how to protect themselves. Black magic is strictly forbidden"
"Alright, you don't have to tell me twice" The brunet sighed, knowing that there were probably a lot more rules to come that he needed to follow, "Bad magic is bad, good magic is good. I get it"
"This" Alaric handed the boy a creme colored paper, "This is your schedule. Follow it"
Adrian sat up straight with his books and room key already in his lap as he reached for the schedule, "Can I ask you something?" Mr. Saltzman nodded, welcoming any type of question, "Who is she?"
The males turned to face the entrance where an ivory-skinned auburn-haired girl stood, she had been by the mahogany doors ever since the young wolf had been called into the office. She looked up, meeting her new classmate's gaze, her baby blue eyes locking with Adrian's chocolate ones before she turned away.
Alaric let out a sigh at the girl's non-existent excitement, "Adrian, this is Hope Mikaelson, a tribrid. She's going to not only be your tour guide but your classmate and friend" The older man looked at Hope with a look you'd give your child as if to tell them to play nice when you have important guests over, "If you have any questions, any questions at all, do not hesitate to ask her. She'll happily answer them all"
Hope's gaze fell on the boy again when she realized that he hadn't reacted to the surname Alaric had let slip. Everyone seemed to know about the Mikaelsons- well, everyone who didn't live under a rock or in Adrian's case, as far away from the supernatural community as possible.
The boy watched the glare that the girl was giving her— no, their headmaster. It was clear that she didn't want to be there. And to be fully honest neither did Adrian but this school was probably his only safe place right now. His grandfather and the police were after him and he figured that not even Alaric would want to keep him safe for long.
"You're staring"
Brought out of his train of thoughts, Adrian was faced with an empty desk. Alaric had left when the wolf zoned out and Hope had been waiting for the aliens to return the boy to earth. He looked up at the auburn-haired girl, curiously, "You can talk" He acknowledged.
"So can you, apparently. Guess you're not just a crazy naked person running through the woods"
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WHAT?!
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Adrian froze and suddenly, he didn't dare to look her in her eyes, "What uh— what do you mean? You saw me naked?"
"I mean not fully, not that I ever wanted to..." Hope trailed off, "Uh, we should get going. You need a shower and a change of clothes before we go to class"
"So we have classes together?" The boy asked as he rose from his chair with
"A few" Hope answered as she opened the door to leave the office.
Adrian sent her a cheeky grin as he grabbed the door handle, "Ladies first"
✶
Hope silently gave her fellow wolf a quick tour of the school and the different communal spaces before she led him towards his dorm. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she passed a group of whispering witches in the hallway, the eye roll was specifically meant for the blue-eyed pale blonde half of the Saltzman twins— Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Saltzman.
The male wolf kept his head up, watching the students that passed him whilst making spells or casually sipping a blood bag as he followed the auburn-haired girl to the second floor where the dorms were.
The two wolves walked down the southern hall on the second floor until they came to a stop in front of a door with a gold-plated fourteen on it, "This is your dorm. Get a change of clothes and go shower. You can find one of those downstairs in the boys' locker rooms. Just walk down the stairs we came up and take a left. I'll be waiting in the Grand room to take you to your first class"
Adrian nodded and Hope immediately left his side. Shrugging the boy slowly unlocking the door. In all honesty, he had been fine with the transitional cellar Alaric had set him up with to sleep in the night before when he first got to the school. All he wanted— needed was a mattress to sleep on instead of the cold concrete.
He stepped into the room and was faced with the decor of his dorm: two beds, with a good amount of space between them, in the middle of the room each with a nightstand. Two sets of closets, one on the left side of the room and another one on the right side. A dresser each on both sides of the dorm.
The left side of the room seemed clean, not much decor except for the standard dorm decor— bed, closet, dresser, chair, and desk. It looked as if no one lived there but then if you'd turn to the right side— it was a mess. Clothes on the bed, open closet with clothes spilling out of it, red cups on top of the dresser and on the floor, yet none of this seemed to even touch the left side.
"I said no three times already. I don't want to join your fucking drama club!"
Adrian looked up and noticed a pale-skinned, jade-eyed, blond-haired male that seemed to be around his age walking around the room and he couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't noticed him when he opened the door, "Great" The brunet in the doorway spoke, announcing his presence, "Neither do I"
The blond cocked a brow, walking across the dorm to search for something "Are you my new roommate?"
"Depends" The newcomer replied, closing the dorm door, "Are you a sociopath?"
"Depends on who's asking"
The Aquilo boy smiled, "I like you already"
"Good 'cause if you didn't, I'd have to stab you in your sleep" The blond boy chuckled when Adrian stayed silent, "Sorry, dark humor. I'm Owen Whitaker, your fellow wolf and roommate who forgot you were moving in today and didn't clean up"
"Adrian Aquilo, the guy who just joined a cult" The curly-haired boy smiled.
"Not a cult, more like prison camp" Owen chuckled, "But the parties are something to look forward to"
Adrian hummed in response as he set his books down on what would become his bed. He crossed the room to get to his closet and smell like he had slept in piss.
"What's your schedule like? When's your first class?"
The olive-skinned boy looked around in search for the schedule but didn't find it and then it hit him, "Hope has it "
"'Hope?" Owen repeated, "As in New Orleans own Wednesday Addams? Hope Mikaelson? About yee short? Cute as a button from far way but could actually be a bitch and kill you?"
Adrian shrugged, he didn't really know anything about Hope except for her name. And sure, she didn't seem to be the happiest girl alive but calling her a bitch was a bit harsh wasn't it?
"What the hell were you doing with her?" The jade-eyed wolf questioned.
"She's sort of my tour guide but I think Doctor Saltzman told her to keep an eye on me" The brunet answered.
Owen burst of laughing, "Holy shit! I love that! Little bitter Hope Mikaelson is going to be your babysitter?" He laughed, "You gotta bring me along, I gotta see this. It's gonna be priceless"
"We'll see about that" Adrian replied as he stepped out of the dorm with clean clothes and a towel in his arms.
✶
The new Salvatore student had followed Hope's directions and found his way downstairs to the boys' locker room after meeting his roommate. He stepped into the empty room and left the clean clothes that he had brought from his dorm on a bench before he began to shrug off his jacket— his father's jacket that he had gifted him on his thirteenth birthday, he had worn that jacket for as long as he could remember.
Removing his shirt, Adrian stared at his shirtless self in a mirror, taking in his appearance. He looked a mess. His hair was tousled like he hadn't combed it in days which he hadn't. Multiple scars covered his torso from under his collarbone down to his waist, most of them were recent but none of them looked like they were gonna fade anytime soon. The truth behind these scars and the scar that went past his right eye was something Adrian had sworn to never bring up. No one except him and the people who caused them knew how they showed up and the wolf intended to keep it that way.
Turning the handle to warm and getting in under the showerhead, the Latino boy immediately felt the soothing flowing hot water sweep across his skin, relieving his tense muscles. A few of his wounds hadn't closed properly which made him wince when the water enveloped all the cuts. Despite the stinging sensation, taking a shower had never felt this good.
Once he was done and felt clean, the wolf stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Grabbing the clean pair of underwear that he brought, he started to dry himself before getting clothed. The boy put on a pair of dress pants and a white button-down dress shirt before securing a black belt around him. He wrapped a tie around his neck and successfully tied a Windsor knot, it was the only knot he knew how to tie. He remembered asking his father to help him the first time he put a tie on and he had told his son that the world would respect a man that knew how to tie any kind of tie more than one who didn't.
The official uniforms provided the male students with suits and dress pants as well as a belt and ties but as the school grew and the rules changed, more clothing articles were added. Now, able to choose more than just suits— the students were free to express themselves as long as they wore the school colors and the SBS' insignia.
The Aquilo boy chuckled to himself when he saw himself in the mirror. He appreciated everything Alaric and the school had done for him in the last twenty-four hours. They had set him up with a room, a closet full of clothes, food— they had given him a home.
✶
Once the new wolf had showered and gotten dressed, he left to reunite with Hope who had been waiting for him in the Great Room. The auburn-haired girl led the boy through the school halls as she escorted him to his first class.
Judging by the looks Adrian was given as he passed the students in the hallway, he had a feeling he was going to have both a good time and a bad time at the Salvatore school. He could see the looks some of the students were giving Hope, the same kind of looks she had been given this morning when she gave the male a tour.
"So you're not exactly well-liked or popular here, are you?"
The brunet's question made Hope stop for a moment, "Depends on who you ask. If you're a tall bitter blonde, I've ruined your life. And if you're not, well, then continue with your life until I ruin it"
Ignoring the self-critical comment the blue-eyed girl made, the Aquilo boy tried to learn something else about the girl, "You know everything about me but I don't know anything about you"
"Because you don't need to," The auburnette told him.
Adrian glanced down at the girl, she was an inch or so away from being a head shorter than him, "You saw me naked. So, I'm gonna need more than just a name"
Hope scoffed, "What makes you think I wanna spill everything to a stranger I just met?"
"Well, because, as Doctor Saltzman said, you and I are not only classmates but friends" The olive-skinned wolf male barfed in his mouth at his own words. Here he was, attempting to be somewhat nice and charming but the truth was that if anyone had said the same thing to him he probably would've bluntly told them to shut up and fuck off.
"Yeah, sure. Friends" Hope paused. A sigh escaped her lips before she decided to be honest with the kid, "Look, pup, I don't do friends—"
"Well, that's a relief" The male chuckled, "Don't get me wrong but you're not the type of girl I hook up with"
His words left Hope almost speechless, "I'm not your—" The tribrid paused, processing what the wolf just said to her.
"Wait. What?... Excuse you!"