How Green Becomes Wood

As they all sat together, a familiar brunette walked up to them, her hands deep in the pocket of the same fake army jacket she wore the day before, "Hello again," She said. Her hair was in a ponytail again, but this time it had an accent braid. She looked at Peter, having not seen him before, "And hello for the first time. So, my friend is still sick, so I was wondering if I could sit with you again?"

She looked over her shoulder at one short kid with a scowl and restless leg syndrome, "Anytime I sit alone Jordan tries to ask me out, and I don't know if you know this, but he has a habit of punching lockers and also one time asked me how to spell 'brown,'" she looked at Xander and waved her hand, "and no offense to this, but I think you're probably one of the people he's afraid to approach. I dunno if it's because of your rep or Mr. Dark's, but either way, you know, I try to stay away from guys who can't take no for an answer."
 
Xander considered that for a moment. "Yeah, I can live with that," he decided with a nod. "Sure. Park it."

"Sloan, this is Peter. He's a new transfer student," Alec said, nodding to Peter. "Peter, this is Sloan. She's a year ahead of us, and we only actually met yesterday." He frowned. "It was yesterday, wasn't it? Yesterday feels like ages ago."

Peter stood and held out a hand. "Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you!" he greeted with a grin.

Alec frowned at Xander. "Didn't you punch Jordan in the groin once?"

"Kicked, and it was technically an accident," Xander replied.

"Oh, right, I remember!" Alec said happily as if that answered all questions.
 
"Right on," Sloan replied sitting, "good to meet you Peter. And yeah, it was yesterday..." She turned her head to the side, "is everything okay? My bedroom overlooks the street, I noticed you all leave kind of late. You don't have to tell me, obviously, we just met, but Benny, my brother, he was convinced you were going to some sneaky vampire feeding spot, which silly because we see Mr. Dark and Dr. Wahid travel in sunlight, and I'm pretty sure neither of them are a Cullen." She didn't say that her response to her brother was that they were probably going to meet their coven, because even though when she said it, it was to make her brother feel dumb, she didn't know anyone who lived in that house well enough to know Daizi would have adored that joke. She also didn't mention that, especially having seen them leave this morning, since they left before she did every day, she (and her mother) were pretty sure Daizi was pregnant, because it was also, from her perspective, plausible that Daizi had just gained a bit of weight over the winter.

She grinned hearing that Xander had once kicked Jordan there and said, "Well, he probably deserved it. Dude's an entire creep," as she began unpacking her lunch from her bag, she looked a bit closer at the table and asked, "Where's your lunches?"
 
"No, obviously, we don't have to tell you, 'cause it's none of your business," Xander said bluntly, not looking at her.

"Thank you for your concern," Alec said quietly, meaning it, "but don't worry. We just had an appointment we needed to get to. Everything is fine, really."

"Not that it concerns you," Xander repeated.

Peter cleared his throat. "Well, this is awkward. So! Sloan, you're part of the student council, right?"
 
"Hey, I really didn't mean anything by it, I'm sorry. I've just lived across the street from them forever, so they're like, part of my community or whatever. It'd be like if someone who never misses wasn't at temple one day." She shrugged, holding up her hands to indicate she really meant to harm.

Sloan turned towards Peter to answer his question, "Yeah, I'm the secretary. It kinda sucks, like all I do is take notes and track attendance, but I'm hoping if I stick with it, in a few years I'll be elected Senior Class president. Why do you ask?"
 
"I was talking to someone earlier, and they pointed you out in the hall between classes," Peter told her. "I figure you would be the perfect person to talk to about clubs and extracurriculars. Although, apparently I am this one's serendipity." He grinned and nodded toward Alec. "Fastest I've ever been picked up!"

Alec blushed brightly. "I only meant that I have been really hoping to find a drummer for the talent show."

"Talent show?" Peter asked. He offered his plate toward Xander. "Soggy crisp?" He'd also noticed the lack of lunches but didn't want to mention it.

Xander glanced at the plate of mostly bright orange melted cheese. "I'd rather eat dirt."

"That's fair. I think this might actually be dirt," Peter said, poking one of the pieces of hamburger.
 
"Hey, don't be mean about the food," Sloan said firmly, "Dottie, the lunch lady, is the nicest woman at this school and she does her best with what she's given. It's the school's fault for not directing more of the budget to food. Dottie never lets a kid go hungry and she gives you extra fries if you're sad."

She exhaled, not explaining why she so adamantly defended the lunch lady, and then said, in her more usual relaxed tone, "So you're doing the talent show, then? That's very cool, and a music act with actual instruments, not just the YouTubed 'karaoke' version, that's really sick. I can't wait to see it."
 
Peter held up a hand to Sloan. "No offense to the lady! It's hard to make food with substandard ingredients."

Xander glared at Sloan but said nothing. He couldn't figure out why she would snap about the lunch lady when that wasn't even the subject. Soggy chips and grainy meat were the subject. How could soggy chips and grainy meat possibly reflect on a person? It wasn't like they'd said she did it on purpose.

"It's what I'd like to do, if possible," Alec said. "I'm on piano, Xander will do the guitar, and if he agrees, Peter might do the drums. Will you?"

"We can talk, definitely," Peter agreed. "It's a little sudden, but it could be fun."
 
"I know, it's just," She glanced over her shoulder, "she really does try her best, and you should hear some of the things people say about her. I think it takes a lot of guts, you know? To work in a job people don't really appreciate. I mean, teachers are barely appreciated, but the janitors, the lunch workers, and even though it's not always..." she squinted at the bright orange cheese, "great, the school would fall apart without them."

"Oh well, I don't mean to snap at you, it just makes me sad," Sloan looked up at Xander who was still glaring at her, but didn't seem bothered or intimidated by his look. It was kind of his resting facial state, and anyway all she was doing was standing up for service workers, "and I can't wait to see your act. It sounds like it's going to be pretty cool. We don't do prizes or awards or anything, like nobody 'wins' the talent show, but it sounds like you probably would. Because Sara-without-an-H H. graduated last year, and she did ballet last year and I'm pretty sure she's a Rockette now or something."
 
Peter grinned and gave her shoulder a quick pat. "No hard feelings! I think you're right, absolutely, and it takes a lot of guts to stand up for people like that. Anyway, so what kind of song are you thinking? I can keep a beat, no problem, but some songs are more difficult than non-drummers realize."

Xander relaxed a little at her statement and turned his gaze to the table, idly picking at a dent in the surface for no reason. It was weird sitting with other people, especially when they were eating and he wasn't.

Alec brightened as the topic moved on. "It's a rock song, but I'm pretty sure the drums are fairly mid-level difficulty, at least I think they are, so we'll play that song."

Peter stared at Alec, waiting for the name. Alec smiled back excitedly. "Right... well, let me think about it, and I'll let you know tomorrow, right?"

Alec nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks!"
 
Sloan looked at how they still weren't eating, and she wanted to ask them again, but she fully anticipated that if she did, Xander would get cranky with her again, and that wasn't really her jam. She thought they were both pretty cool, ands he was hoping she wouldn't be cast out to sea too soon, especially since they were neighbors, and that kind of tension on the street was not what she was looking for.

She briefly considered excusing herself and finding Mr. Dark to casually mention his kids weren't eating, but she was not a snitch, "You should exchange numbers or something," She suggested, "I mean, if you're working together you'll need to figure out a rehearsal schedule, right?" Very casually, she took her phone from her bag to check her messages, and then swore under her breath, "I totally forgot I have this big dinner I'm supposed go to tonight, um..." She held up her orange and her bag of pretzels, "Does anybody want this? Like, if I eat it now, I will be totally full and my mom will get so pissed, but if I bring it back home she'll think I'm not eating and get even more pissed." It was absolutely a lie, but she didn't want the twins to just like... not eat, that's ridiculous.
 
"Oh!" Alec said in surprise. "That is a conundrum. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble, and it is terrible to waste food. Peter?"

"No, thank ya, mate," Peter grinned. "This cheese is weird but kind of good in its own way, so I am set."

Alec hesitated before shyly saying, "We could take them, if you would like."

Xander glanced at Sloan, a little suspicious, but then nodded. "It's been a while since I've had an orange. Sticky. Nature's candy."

"I like pretzels," Alec said. "And you're right about phone numbers. We can do that now! Do we- do we need yours or someone on the councils? Or is it okay to just show up to the audition?"
 
"Well, you signed up, so that means you just show up, but you're welcome to mine," She handed Alec her phone after pulling up the 'new contact' page, as well as the orange and pretzels, "but I was more talking about you needing Peter's right? I mean, I'm not going to be in your band, which, by the way, you should totally pick a cool name for, even if you're a one hit wonder."
 
Alec reddened as he carefully added in his new phone number. "No, I know what you meant. I was just wondering... Never mind. Thank you." He handed back her phone. "I hope you have a good time at the dinner thing."

Xander started picking apart the orange, ignoring the conversation.

Peter handed Alec's his phone next and showed him where to input the information. Then he texted Alec, grinning in enjoyment.
 
"Oh, no it's totally okay," She laughed kindly, "I just thought you misunderstood, but that's on me, you know, I'm always thinking about like, thirty thousand different things, right? And, ugh, you know, my family is just--a lot, so it'll be totally lame, but that's how it is sometimes, you know? Sometimes your family is like, super weird and suffocating and you're like, 'I wanna get outta here,' and then one day you look at them and you're realize that they're just people with their own problems, and you're all just kinda struggling together." Sloan paused to finish her sandwich and then drink some of her water.

"and then you kind of want to die because it's so much better to just pretend like they're just intentionally being the worst, because once you realize they haven't figured life out either, you have to be empathetic. So, like, is my mom judgmental and probably addicted to Vicodin? Yes. But she also is a stay-at-home mom living a life a leisure and trying to find some joy in it, and nobody is meant to live that way, you know? People need stimulation," She laughed again, "And I'm just kidding, by the way, my mom doesn't actually have a pill habit, she just seems like the kind of person who would."
 
Alec smiled uncertainly, not sure what to do with this information. He had a sudden flashback to how he'd reacted to Daizi declining to let him call her beautiful - a fact wich he still disagreed with but had learned to accept and work around - and realized that this must be how she'd felt. Wow. Awkward.

"TMI, stranger neighbor," Xander said blandly, not overly concerned. He lifted his orange to her in a salute. "Good luck staying alive."

"I think you are absolutely right, and that is a smashing way to look at it!" Peter said brightly. He stood. "I need to bus my tray. May I walk you to the doors?"
 
"Hey look, you live across the street, eventually you'll meet my mom, and then you will be glad for the warning," Sloan replied, packing up her lunchbox and putting it in her schoolbag, "and, you Peter, are quite the gentleman, huh? I think we'll have to keep you." She stood up and slung her backpack over one shoulder, "It's been cool hanging out with you guys. Feel free to text me whenever."
 
"Bye! See you later!" Alec called, waving to her.

"I'm delighted to have made the cut," Peter said happily as he walked with her. "So, what's the tea with the teachers? Who should I avoid, and who should I go the extra mile for?"
 
"Okay, so, Ms. Young is crazy. Don't be deceived by her name, she is ancient, and I'm not ageist, or anything, but I'm pretty sure she's been teaching since the Spanish Inquisition, and I know that nobody expects it, which is why I'm warning you. I'm good at math, I like math, but like, I cried in her class most days because she would just scream at us, like literally, scream. And she would get mad and, like, make us stand up to recite equations as punishment. Miss Gurl should be retired, you know what I mean?" She flipped her pony tail over her shoulder, "and the worst part is if you see her in the hallway, you think she is the nicest little old lady, but the moment you cross into her classroom she turns evil. And, also, like she grades you partially on binder-checks, and everything needs to be organized to her standards, which personally--I think should be illegal, because I organize my things in a way which makes sense to me, and my grade shouldn't suffer just because I don't conform to her standards, right? Anyway."

As she walked to the door, she took hand sanitizer from her bag and used it. It smelled strongly of cucumber melon, and she offered it to Peter, "Um, there's Mr. Boggs, who is kind of trash, he teaches biology and A&P, and like... His class is fun, his lectures can be a bit hard to follow, and he's funny, but also he has this weird thing about body shaming girls, like he told a really, really close friend of mine that she had chicken legs, which is just weird, you know? Ugh, Boggs. Ummm...." She squinted her eyes, and tried to think of anyone who stood out to her, or at least anyone who she felt Peter really needed to know about. Most of the teachers she had were fairly neutral. They were mostly just fine, nice enough but not particularly stand out, "Mr. Major and Ms. McGann, the art and music teacher, they're wonderful, and sometimes you catch them bickering, which is really fun to watch, because like, Ms. McGann does choir, right? And Mr. Major keeps trying to get her to perform his Space Rock Opera, and she is not having it. All of the English teachers are really really nice, although Mrs. W has, like, zero expectations for her class, or at least that's what I've been told. Finally, Mr. Dark, if you have him, he is a great teacher, like, he can be funny if you're clever enough to get his jokes, but he is a harsh grader and you can't expect to trick him."

She stopped after mentioning Dark and turned more to Peter, adjusting her backpack, "But even if you don't have him, you'll probably get to know him, yeah? Since you're friends with the twins?"
 
Peter listened closely, muttering the names and one or two keywords as she explained. He hoped he'd be able to remember all this later so he could write it down, but he usually had a good memory for names. He took a couple of steps before he realized Sloan had stopped. He turned and retraced his steps to close the gap.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Dark! He did mention that he is fostering Alexander - I mean, Alec and Xander, but it seems to be a relatively new thing. It's quite noble of him, really," Peter nodded. "I do hope to be friends, but Xander seems rather... resistant to the idea."
 
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