an: this story was originally written in first person, but i've decided to switch it up to third, since i like it way better that way, so if there's anything like "i" or "me" or anything you'd see in a first person story in the first three chapters of this fic, it's because i accidentally skipped over it :^)
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Tyler runs his fingers through his hair as he checks his appearance in the mirror. There's usually nothing really interesting or exciting about his outfits, since he usually just wears a dark gray hoodie that's a bit big on him, any pair of skinny jeans, and his dirty black converse, but he's satisfied with what he sees. The outfit, at least— there's no hope for everything else.
But it's too damn early to be thinking this way and putting himself in a bad mood, so he grabs his stuff before heading downstairs to the kitchen where his older brother, Zack, is eating breakfast. Tyler doesn't have to leave the house for another few minutes, so he sits at the table next to Zack, who shoves a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.
"Morning, T-bro," Zack greets after swallowing his food. "I was too lazy to cook, sorry."
"Morning, Z-bro, and it's fine," the younger of the two returns as he pulls his phone out of his pocket to scroll through Tumblr until it's time to leave.
"Want me to give you a ride?" Zack offers as Tyler gets up from the table. Tyler politely declines; The older man's car reeks badly of cigarette smoke and whatever horrible air freshener he uses in it to mask the smell, but both of those just blend together and makes Tyler sick to his stomach.
"Suit yourself," Zack shrugs nonchalantly as he finishes his cereal, disposing of his dirty dishes in the sink as the younger leave the house. He plugs his earbuds into his iPod and shuffles his music as he start the five minute walk to his bus stop.
When he arrives at the bus stop, he's surprised to see that two other high schoolers are in a heated one-sided argument. The angry one—Pete, one of the more popular kids at school—is threatening to beat the other boy's ass, from what Tyler can tell. He's never seen this kid before, so maybe he's new? That kid seems unfazed by Pete's behavior— in fact, Tyler's pretty sure he can see a fucking smirk pulling at his lips now. The new guy says something that Tyler isn't able to make out due to the fact that his music's up too loud and he can't read lips for shit, but whatever was said must've sent Pete over the edge, because next thing you know, Pete's face is red and contorted from anger as his fist is colliding with his jaw, making the new kid stumble back a bit. Pete launches himself at the new kid with another raised fist, but the new kid recovers quickly and lands a good punch to his nose.
Of course, teenagers whoop and holler when there's a fight, and of course all that noise is gonna attract attention from the residents of these homes, and now there are a couple of oh-so brave adults trying to break up the fight.
The fight is successfully broken up, and Pete is walking away to get his bloody and crooked nose fixed up while the new kid just stands there as if nothing even happened.
And honestly, Tyler would be lying if he said he wasn't intimidated by this new kid; his first day of school hasn't even really started yet and he already managed to get in a fight with fucking Pete Wentz of all people, and he didn't even seem bothered in the slightest when Pete was screaming in his face. It should probably be in Tyler's best interest to stay clear of this guy, because he's too weak and wimpy, physically and emotionally, to defend himself if he just so happened to get on his bad side. But, he can't stop the brewing desire to be known by him.