(no subject)
Reason
by Harikari
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Part Eight
1991
"Hey," called out Mohinder as he approached Gabriel and Elle. The two teenagers were sitting side by side on the stone bench just outside of the cafeteria that they had all agreed to meet at for lunch, their food and drinks spread out in front of them.
Gabriel looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, Mohinder," he said.
"What's going on, Mohinder?" asked Elle from around a large bite of her hamburger. "How was your first day back so far?" She swallowed, waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she reached for her diet Coke. "Any hotties in your new classes? Think you're gonna' get yourself a girl this year?"
Gabriel turned and stared at the blond. He was frowning.
Mohinder barked a short laugh and took a seat across from them, placed his own soda and tray of food on the table. "Are you kidding? I was too busy freaking out over all of the homework I already have to notice any girls." He made sure his backpack was zipped before setting it aside. "I think it was a mistake to sign up for Honors classes."
Elle giggled and shook her head and Mohinder gave her a wide smile. He liked Elle. When he had been forced to leave Gabriel behind in middle school the year before she had turned up. An eighth grader, a transfer student with nice blond hair and bright eyes and a habit of complaining about her jerk of a 'daddy' and all of the things he wouldn't let her do.
She and Gabriel had thrown all of their classmates for a loop by almost instantaneously becoming friends.
Mohinder on the other hand had gotten to know Elle over the course of the summer and thought he understood their friendship pretty well. It had been easy to gather from all of the under-the-eyelash looks and dopey smiles that the blond was smitten with Gabriel. And as for Gabriel himself... Well, Mohinder was pretty sure that with him in high school Gabriel had been desperate for someone to talk to. Anyone to talk to. Because after Sarah Ellis and the murdered cat none of the other middle school kids had wanted anything at all to do with the bespectacled teenager.
"How about you two?" he asked and popped his soda can open. "How are you liking high school so far? How does it feel to be fresh meat?"
Elle rolled her eyes.
Gabriel smirked. Shrugged. "Teachers, lectures, homework and annoying classmates. It's all the same, Mohinder."
"Except the school is bigger," pointed out Elle. "That's different."
Mohinder nodded and grabbed a french fry from his tray, popped it into his mouth. "Hey. Do you guys want to study together Friday? We all three have Communications last period so we'll have at least some of the same homework. I thought we could order pizza or something..." He trailed off.
Gabriel nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he said.
And at that Elle suddenly shook her head, sat up straighter in her seat. "No, but..." She shook her head again, looked at them both with wide eyes. Her mood seemed to have abruptly shifted from cheery to melancholy.
"Gabriel, you said we would go out to eat Friday night. Remember? The two of us? You owe me a dinner because you lost that stupid bet. You said there was no way I could-"
"So?" Gabriel cut her off, narrowed his eyes. "I'll take you some other time."
"Oh," said Mohinder, feeling guilty. Elle had flinched at his best friend's tone. She looked devastated. "It's just a thought. Don't cancel any plans or anything. I haven't even asked my mom about it yet."
Elle turned to look at him, smiled a small smile.
Mohinder eyed Gabriel. He noticed some of the powdered sugar from the brownie on his friend's tray had managed to get on the teenager's sleeve. He reached over to brush it off.
Gabriel jumped a little at his touch.
"Sugar," Mohinder explained and sat back.
Gabriel blinked and studied his now mostly spotless black sleeve. "I was wrong before," he said and both Mohinder and Elle stared at him. Waited. "About ninth grade being the same as eighth grade," he continued. "So far? It's better than eighth grade."
"Really?" asked Mohinder, picking up another french fry. "How is it better?"
Gabriel didn't answer immediately. He watched as Mohinder popped his second fry into his mouth, watched as he chewed and swallowed. "It's better because of you. It's better because you're here, Mohinder."
There was a moment of nothing but breathing and the chatter and movement of the various students, trailing in and out of the cafeteria doors, around them.
Mohinder blinked. Snorted. "Whatever," he said. But despite his casual brush off of his friend's words his stomach felt like it had flipped, his muscles felt tense.
He doesn't mean anything weird by it, he assured himself. This is just Gabriel being Gabriel. This...it's just the way he is. The way he talks.
All three of them had fallen silent.
Elle took a long and careful look at her fellow ninth grader. Then she stared across the table at Mohinder.
She didn't break the awkward silence. Instead, she grabbed her diet Coke and took another sip.
Part Nine
by Harikari
-----
Part Eight
1991
"Hey," called out Mohinder as he approached Gabriel and Elle. The two teenagers were sitting side by side on the stone bench just outside of the cafeteria that they had all agreed to meet at for lunch, their food and drinks spread out in front of them.
Gabriel looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, Mohinder," he said.
"What's going on, Mohinder?" asked Elle from around a large bite of her hamburger. "How was your first day back so far?" She swallowed, waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she reached for her diet Coke. "Any hotties in your new classes? Think you're gonna' get yourself a girl this year?"
Gabriel turned and stared at the blond. He was frowning.
Mohinder barked a short laugh and took a seat across from them, placed his own soda and tray of food on the table. "Are you kidding? I was too busy freaking out over all of the homework I already have to notice any girls." He made sure his backpack was zipped before setting it aside. "I think it was a mistake to sign up for Honors classes."
Elle giggled and shook her head and Mohinder gave her a wide smile. He liked Elle. When he had been forced to leave Gabriel behind in middle school the year before she had turned up. An eighth grader, a transfer student with nice blond hair and bright eyes and a habit of complaining about her jerk of a 'daddy' and all of the things he wouldn't let her do.
She and Gabriel had thrown all of their classmates for a loop by almost instantaneously becoming friends.
Mohinder on the other hand had gotten to know Elle over the course of the summer and thought he understood their friendship pretty well. It had been easy to gather from all of the under-the-eyelash looks and dopey smiles that the blond was smitten with Gabriel. And as for Gabriel himself... Well, Mohinder was pretty sure that with him in high school Gabriel had been desperate for someone to talk to. Anyone to talk to. Because after Sarah Ellis and the murdered cat none of the other middle school kids had wanted anything at all to do with the bespectacled teenager.
"How about you two?" he asked and popped his soda can open. "How are you liking high school so far? How does it feel to be fresh meat?"
Elle rolled her eyes.
Gabriel smirked. Shrugged. "Teachers, lectures, homework and annoying classmates. It's all the same, Mohinder."
"Except the school is bigger," pointed out Elle. "That's different."
Mohinder nodded and grabbed a french fry from his tray, popped it into his mouth. "Hey. Do you guys want to study together Friday? We all three have Communications last period so we'll have at least some of the same homework. I thought we could order pizza or something..." He trailed off.
Gabriel nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he said.
And at that Elle suddenly shook her head, sat up straighter in her seat. "No, but..." She shook her head again, looked at them both with wide eyes. Her mood seemed to have abruptly shifted from cheery to melancholy.
"Gabriel, you said we would go out to eat Friday night. Remember? The two of us? You owe me a dinner because you lost that stupid bet. You said there was no way I could-"
"So?" Gabriel cut her off, narrowed his eyes. "I'll take you some other time."
"Oh," said Mohinder, feeling guilty. Elle had flinched at his best friend's tone. She looked devastated. "It's just a thought. Don't cancel any plans or anything. I haven't even asked my mom about it yet."
Elle turned to look at him, smiled a small smile.
Mohinder eyed Gabriel. He noticed some of the powdered sugar from the brownie on his friend's tray had managed to get on the teenager's sleeve. He reached over to brush it off.
Gabriel jumped a little at his touch.
"Sugar," Mohinder explained and sat back.
Gabriel blinked and studied his now mostly spotless black sleeve. "I was wrong before," he said and both Mohinder and Elle stared at him. Waited. "About ninth grade being the same as eighth grade," he continued. "So far? It's better than eighth grade."
"Really?" asked Mohinder, picking up another french fry. "How is it better?"
Gabriel didn't answer immediately. He watched as Mohinder popped his second fry into his mouth, watched as he chewed and swallowed. "It's better because of you. It's better because you're here, Mohinder."
There was a moment of nothing but breathing and the chatter and movement of the various students, trailing in and out of the cafeteria doors, around them.
Mohinder blinked. Snorted. "Whatever," he said. But despite his casual brush off of his friend's words his stomach felt like it had flipped, his muscles felt tense.
He doesn't mean anything weird by it, he assured himself. This is just Gabriel being Gabriel. This...it's just the way he is. The way he talks.
All three of them had fallen silent.
Elle took a long and careful look at her fellow ninth grader. Then she stared across the table at Mohinder.
She didn't break the awkward silence. Instead, she grabbed her diet Coke and took another sip.
Part Nine