A/N: This is one of my favorite chapter remakes yet. This will explain a lot. Maybe not a lot, but enough, I guess.
And remember when I said I introduced a character too early? Well, I decided I would introduce the character earlier. Haha.
In the original, this chapter was still played from Jake's point of view, but I decided to switch it. I mean, many of my readers would think as to why Nigel would suddenly switch attitudes from "Mocker of Jake" to "Defender of Jake."
And, there would be translations in the end so you don't need to Google them. Well, I mean, you could Google them because Google Translate sucks and isn't all that reliable when it comes to dead languages.
Meep.
Anyway, enjoy the story!
Published: June 5, 2020
Edited: June 14, 2021
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Nigel's POV
I felt so isolated in my first few days in this school. The moment I stepped through the doors, I felt all eyes on me. Normally, I wouldn't mind the attention, but something about their gazes felt suffocating. They whispered as I made my first steps into the hallways, wondering if I was a robot or a magical creature in disguise. I was so confused. Why would they think of a newcomer like that? What happened here?
No one approached me, no one came by to say hi, and no one dared to make eye contact. But they still stared. They watched my every move, judged my actions, and theorized my intentions. I felt like a circus animal trapped in a cage being ridiculed in front of a crowd. Dear stars, help me.
Half of the day had gone by and I already felt like I wanted to snap and yell at the next person who so much muttered my name. I took my bagged lunch outside, not wanting to sit in the middle of the cafeteria where I could hear their whispers. I walked down the hallway, and that was when I met her.
Someone tapped on my shoulder and I turned back, not really in the mood, and was glaring at the person who dared touch me. Blonde locks were tied in a ponytail and emerald eyes sparkled as they locked with my own. She smiled, seeming unbothered by the glare I was giving her. She extended her hand and smiled. "Hi! My name's Sun!"
We had become the best of friends ever since. Somewhere early in our friendship, she caught me practicing my magic. I was terrified of her reaction, but she only smiled and told me she knew all along. She also revealed that she too can also do magic, but to only limited spells. We bonded over this, and we were quick to be noticed by the A-lists. Sun had refused to join the A-lists but stayed friends with me. To be honest, it was quite stressful to balance both the A-list life and my friendship with Sun, but everything turned out okay. And our friendship stayed strong for a whole school year.
It was then another day of the school year, and after having an unpleasant encounter with Jake Long, I continued on with my day, meeting with Sun and walking with her towards the cafeteria. While we were walking and chatting, Sun suddenly collapsed.
I tried to shake her, to wake her up, praying this was some sort of joke, but she wouldn't respond. "Sun! Sun!" I called, but she remained still. I grabbed her wrist and tried to feel a pulse. Relief washed over me as I felt something beat.
I sighed in relief. I wrapped my arms around her body and carried her off the ground. I made my way into the office, subtly whispering spells under my breath. I lent Sun some of my energy, so the faster she'll wake up, the faster she could explain.
The nurse helped me place her on the bed and went outside for a moment to grab a few things. The moment the nurse closed the clinic door, I heard Sun gasp. I quickly ran to her side, and she looked like she had experienced a car crash without the blood and broken bones. Her green eyes were as wide as saucers and she was clutching the center of her sweater as small droplets of sweat ran drown her neck.
"What happened?" I asked, as gently as I could. She stared at me and her silence unsettled me. She opened her mouth and closed it again. She did it for a few minutes, acting like a gaping fish.
Then she asked, "that... That boy you were fighting earlier. What was his name?"
I was confused. Did Long mess something up again? I answered, "Jake Long. Why?"
"What was he?" Sun asked, disregarding my question. I frowned. Sun knew I didn't like being ignored. She waited patiently for my answer, and I sighed in defeat.
I looked around again to see if we were truly alone, and in a faint whisper, I said, "he's the American Dragon."
The door flung open and the nurse smiled when she saw Sun awake. "Hello, dear," she greeted as she approached the bed. "How are you? Does anything hurt?"
Sun and the nurse filled out a few forms and the nurse left to call Sun's mom. "I should get going," I said and turned to leave. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the bed.
The look in her eyes gave me shivers. Her regular joyous emeralds were like cold aluminum. "Don't let anything hurt him." I was confused. I asked why, but she only shook her head and refused to give me any answers. I didn't push on and left her to the nurse's care.
I went to the lunch table and joined the other A-lists at our usual table. They were messing about and talked about regular things. Dill called for my attention and I lamely responded. He had a knowing smirk on his face, like when he has a plan to prank someone. It would normally backfire, so if he was going to invite me to prank someone, I would immediately decline.
"You know that new kid? The New Yorker?" Dill asked, leaning on the table as if he was sharing a secret with the rest of the group. I frowned, not liking where this was going.
"What are you planning?" I asked. During my time here in Norrisville High, I took the time to get to know the A-lists. Most of them were decent, but there are always those like Dill who could not take a hint and just kept messing around. He drags others into trouble and the numerous warning he gets from teachers and his peers were always shrugged off.
Dill gave me his signature "bad boy" look. "I plan to... Mess with the new kid after school."
I slammed my utensil on the table, making the furniture shudder underneath the sudden force. I glared at the raven-haired boy and gave him a solid, "no."
"What?" Dill asked. I replied again with another no and even spelled it out for his stupid pea-sized brain. To Dill, "mess" means beat up until blood started to spill from his victim's mouth. Sun just told me to not let anything happen to Jake, and even though he is nothing but an annoyance, I do not hate him that much that I completely disregard Sun's request and let Dill toy with him.
Dill stared at me with disbelief but the confusion in his eyes morphed into anger. "Why not?" Dill asked. I eyed his shaking fist above the table ang hardened my glare. "That kid wronged you, Nigel. You're a fellow A-list and that New Yorker needs to learn his place."
I was about to retort, but another robot came punching its way in. I evacuated with the rest of the students, and I could faintly hear the ongoing fight behind me. I sighed as I resumed another day of Norrisville life.
On the second day, the first thing I noticed were the whispers running around the halls.
"Have you heard? Someone saw students fighting after school."
"My friend said it was Masters's group plus new kid vs. the A-lists."
"What? No fair."
"No, I think it was only Dill and his buddies."
Dill. Of course, he would have disobeyed me. I marched towards his lockers, fuming as I shoved other students out of my way. I found the dark-haired teen leaning on his lockers. Max and Ethan were also there, and my rage boiled when I saw Max sporting a faint but noticeable bruise just below his jaw.
I marched over to where they were standing and demanded answers. "You said you weren't going to join us. You didn't say anything about us not doing it," Dill answered, standing up as straight as he could.
I pushed him against the lockers, never minding the wince that escaped his lips. "Well, then let me make it clear..." I said, eyeing the raven head dangerously. And as clearly as I could, I warned, "do not touch Jake Long or any of his friends." I pressed him against the lockers harder. "Or, so help me, I will make sure you're going to lose the arm you touched him with."
I let go of him and walked away, leaving the trio to their devices.
1st period was a drag and I tiredly slumped against my seat when I finally arrived in the second period. Literature was fairly easy, so, I don't need to put much effort into listening to the teacher babble on.
A chuckled erupted beside me and I turned my tired eyes to meet Sun's emerald ones. She was smiling as always as if nothing happened yesterday. "What's got you in a bad mood?" She asked, lightly poking my forehead.
I sighed as I swatted her hand away. "Dill got his gang to fight Jake yesterday. Luckily, Masters and his two idiots got there and helped him. I hope I got through his skull with our little chat this morning."
"Pfft. He must have been an idiot if he wanted to piss off the Nigel Thrall."
"Please. You praise me too much. But please, do continue."
We shared small giggles and a few jokes, casually chatting about our week and only pausing when the teacher would shoot a glare at us.
Before the bell rang, Sun passed a book. It was brown and the title was written in Latin. I opened it and saw that the rest of it was Latin as well and none of them were translated into English. I looked at her confused and she only smiled. "Give this to Jake Long, will 'ya?"
"Why?" I asked.
"He might need it."
The bell rang and students started to exit the classroom. I sighed as I tucked the book in my bag and headed for my next class.
Lunch finally came and I went to find Jake. I spotted his familiar black and green hair and I made my move. I stalked him quietly until we were near the area I wanted. I then pulled him away from the group and pinned him against the wall.
His black orbs met mine, or at least, what was remaining of the black. His eyes were tinted with red, weaving through the usual black without mixing. It was barely visible and could only be spotted when you know what you're supposed to be looking for.
"What do you want?" Jake asked, glaring at me as he awaited answers. Knowing him, he's going to walk away as soon as he didn't get a reply.
I sighed as I handed him the book. He looked at me confused as he examined the writings. Looks like he doesn't know what it meant either. What in the world is Sun planning? He looked at me, expecting me to say more, but I don't have anything else to say. What did Sun say again? "You'll need it," I repeated and started to walk away. Amazing exit, if I do say so myself.
I watched Jake from a distance as he was approached by the blue-eyed boy from yesterday and others. It is quite amusing to see Jake move on from Spud and Trixie. From the year I have known them, those three were inseparable. And Jake's dragon heritage... Does his new group know about where he came from?
"Hi!" Sun jumped on me from behind my back and wrapped her arms around my torso. I grunted from the impact and she soon backed off. I turned to her smiling, then her orbs went ahead and eyed Jake Long. A satisfied smile stretched on her face as she watched the quad.
I stared at the boy as well, noting how he looked at the blue-eyed boy. His hands reaching out to rub the back of his neck, and I don't know what they were talking about, but they seem to be something amusing.
I know it only has been a year since I have seen Jake Long again, but I could see he really bloomed in that year. His stance wasn't as cocky as before, but instead, it was somehow humble and still allowing his confidence to shine through. His hair was still a mess, but he kept it somewhat clean. And... Why haven't I noticed how much he smiled before?
A finger poked my cheek and I irritatingly swatted Sun's hand away. "What?" I asked. She giggled as her hand found its way to her mouth. A habit of hers when she was trying to compress an emotion. She knows she is terribly failing at it, though.
"You're starring."
I raised my brow at her. "You were starring as well," I shot back.
She kept giggling. "No, no, I mean..." She finally removed her hand from her mouth and gave me a smirk. "You were starring with that look. You know... The "Theresa" look?"
My cheeks were enveloped with the color red as I looked away from Sun. That mischievous look of hers was not helping. And I was not staring at Jake like... Like that. Long story short, I had a crush on Theresa Fowler, and whenever I had a new love interest, Sun called the stares I give them the "Theresa look."
"A-anyway... How are... Well, things?" I asked. Normally, when we meant "things," we referred to our magic. We aren't supposed to chat about this in the open, but I just wanted to transfer to another topic. Then I remembered Sun hasn't explained anything to me. "And why does Jake need that book?" I asked. My irritation grew as she only gave me a smile. "Sun, you told me you would explain."
She only chuckled and stared at the group again. "Omne quod est ut debet esse."
"... You know I don't speak Latin."
"Shut up and let the chapter end."
"Wha--"
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Translation:
Omne quod est ut debet esse : Everything is as it should be