Albion High (Part i)
Title: Albion High (Part i)
Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur (eventually), Gwen/Lance, Morgana, Uther, Gaius, and OMCs.
Rating: PG (for now)
Word Count: 2,928 give or take
Warnings: None yet, but this is only part 1...
Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to the BBC and probably some other people too, none of which are me, unfortunately. Oh, and one tiny mention of Megan Fox.. very tiny.
Summary: Merlin Ambrose hated changing schools. It never changed, no matter what his mother told him... Until he got to Albion High.
A/N: So this is a modern!AU with the gang in High School, fun. I know from experience that high school can be a drag sometimes, but with friends like Morgana, Gwen and Lance, it's bearable lol. Anyways, nothing really happens in this chapter, just kind of introducing the characters, and what not. I don't even know how long this will end up being, but we'll see. Oh, and anything in purple italics is a memory/flashback.
Merlin Ambrose hated changing schools. It was always the same thing, he'd get there and immediately be labeled, 'The New Kid'. High school kids stayed away from the 'The New Kid' as if they had leprosy. Merlin sighed. It never changed, no matter what his mother had told him this morning.
"This time will be different, I can feel it." Hunith Emrys was standing at the stove, cooking eggs and bacon, while Merlin sat at the kitchen table patiently trying to explain the order of high school to his mother, again.
"No, mum, it won't, but it's okay, really. I've resigned myself to have a horrible high school experience. There are four kinds of high school students, you know." Merlin said, sitting up straighter in his chair.
"Oh, here we go." Hunith said, sounding just the tiniest bit exasperated. After all, she'd heard this speech every time Merlin started a new school. And as the count was now at 5, well let's just say, she practically knew it by heart.
"It's true. You have the students who thrive academically, who will most likely go on to rule the world, you have the students who thrive socially, who will go on to live the exact same life they live now, just with more money, there's the other social students that, no matter what they do, will end up doing absolutely nothing with their lives, and high school will be, literally, the best years of their lives, then there are the jocks. They are split into 2 categories. You have the academic jocks and the social jocks. The academic jocks are actually looking for a scholarship to either play sports professionally or just get into college. The social jocks on the other hand, only join sports to elevate their 'status level'.
"So you see, mum. Things will never change, but it's really okay, because at the end of this year I will be done with high school, and thankfully for me, I thrive in academics." Merlin finished, starting in on the eggs and bacon his mother had just placed before him.
"You are much too cynical for you're own good." Hunith sighed. "Now, hurry up and finish your breakfast, or you'll be late for your first day of school." Hunith said over her shoulder, on her way out of the kitchen.
Merlin walked through the halls of Albion High towards the main office, looking around at what would be his final high school. It looked just like all of the other high schools he'd been to, nothing special. Well, he supposed it was quite a bit cleaner than many of the others, but he just chalked that up to a good janitorial staff.
He reached the office and walked up to the older lady sitting behind the desk. She was concentrating very hard on whatever it was she was writing, and hadn't noticed Merlin enter, so he cleared his throat and started to say, "Hello, my name is Merlin Ambrose. I just moved here, and this is my first day. Could you please point me in the right direction?" He only made it as far as hello before she glared at him and held up her finger in the classic sign for, "Give me a minute".
So Merlin waited. He went to sit in one of the chairs directly across from the woman's desk, and waited. It must have been just a couple of minutes, but to Merlin it had felt like a life-time, but finally the receptionist put down her pen then turned, unimpressed, towards Merlin.
"What can I do for you?" She asked in a very prim-and-proper way.
Merlin hesitated before saying, "Hi. My name is Merlin Ambrose. I just moved here, and..."
Merlin trailed off when he saw the receptionist, Heather Moores, her nameplate said, turn towards her computer and tapped in his name.
"Ah, yes. Merlin Ambrose, son of Hunith Emrys." The way she said his mother's name, almost distastefully, made him grit his teeth. "I suppose you're looking for your timetable?" When he just nodded, she continued, "Right, well I'll just print this off for you, so you can be on your way."
She handed the sheet to Merlin and he turned without saying thank you. Just as he was leaving, he could have sworn he heard her say something like, "Damn ungrateful youth," but he couldn't be sure.
He walked out of the office and down the hall towards his first class. There wasn't anyone here yet because he was early, as usual. That's what happened when you're mother's a teacher at the same school you attend. Merlin didn't mind, though, he actually preferred to get to school early, it gave him time to think before the swell of students arrived.
He was walking past the gym when he heard two voices coming from inside. He walked over to the slightly open door and peered in. There was an older man and a younger man. The older man, maybe late 40's, stood in the middle of the gym, facing Merlin, looking at a stop-watch, while the younger man, about Merlin's age, was bent over, hands on knees, looking like he had just run a marathon.
"That wasn't good enough, Arthur. If you want to beat the competition you'll have to do better." Said the older man, finally looking up from his stop-watch.
They younger man, Arthur, stood up straight, still breathing heavy, and said to the old man, "Yes, Father."
"You do want to win, don't you?"
"Yes, Father."
"Good. Then I want another 10 laps, and this time, don't disappoint me."
This time, Arthur, face like stone, didn't even say anything, just nodded, and started running again.
Merlin shook his head as he walked away. He had never seen an interaction between father and son like that in his whole live. He could feel the chill in the air between them from where he had stood. He tried to imagine he and his mother having that same conversation, but he couldn't, his mother was the warmest, kindest person he'd ever met.
He tried to shake off the odd feeling he had as he got to the classroom. He went in and picked a table right in the middle of the Biology class. He sat down, put his book bag on the the stool beside him, and pulled out his timetable. He didn't really know what he wanted to do, so he had chosen a range of subjects, including; Biology, Calculus, English, and Photography.
He was so absorbed with his thoughts that he hadn't heard the door open. So when someone said, "Hey," from right beside him, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you heard me come in."
Merlin looked up, ready to read this guy the riot act, then the words died on his tongue. This guy was gorgeous! He was the typical tall, dark and handsome that every girl fantasized about. And some boys, Merlin thought.
He didn't realize he was gaping at the guy until said guy looked at him, worried. "Are you alright?" He asked.
Merlin shook his head to clear it, and managed to mumble, "Yeah, I'm fine."
The guy sat down beside Merlin and grinned. He has a great smile, Merlin thought.
"I'm Lance DuLac." He said, and stuck out his hand for Merlin to shake. "Merlin Ambrose," Merlin replied.
"Good to meet you, Merlin. It's nice to meet someone else in this school who shows up early for class."
Merlin chuckled. "You get used to it when your mother's a teacher."
"Oh, so your mum's a teacher?"
"Yeah. She's actually the new English teacher here."
"Ms. Emrys?" His question was innocent enough, but Merlin was remembering the tone the receptionist had used earlier.
"Yeah." Merlin answered stiffly.
Lance noticed his tense shoulders and smiled, reassuringly. "Hey, that's cool. I wasn't judging, just interested. My mum's a single parent, so it's always interesting to meet other kids in similar situations. You don't have to explain if you don't want to."
Merlin relaxed, shrugged, and said, "My parents were never married, and when my dad died before I was born, my mum thought it was right to give me his last name."
Lance nodded. "That makes sense. So, what classes are you taking this year?"
Merlin had to grin at Lance's dreadful attempt to change the subject. He was finding it very hard not to like Lance.
***
By the time first period was over, Merlin had developed a little crush on Lance. It wasn't difficult really, he was a genuinely nice guy, not to mention gorgeous. There has to be a catch, Merlin thought.
The catch came right as he was leaving Calculus. He and Lance had gone their separate ways for period 2, but Lance had said he'd meet up with Merlin for lunch outside his classroom.
When Merlin spotted him, he was talking to a beautiful dark-haired girl. He had hope that she was just a friend until Lance leaned over and kissed her. Merlin sighed, a little disappointed. I knew there had to be a catch, Merlin thought. Oh well, he can't be the only cute guy at this school. Merlin had found over the years that he could bounce back from things quite quickly.
He made his way over to Lance and his girlfriend. When he got there, Lance immediately stepped forward to introduce them. "Gwen, this is Merlin Ambrose, Merlin, this is my girlfriend, Guinevere Price."
"It's Gwen, please, and it's nice to meet you Merlin."
"You too," Merlin said, smiling.
"Merlin's new here, so I invited him to eat lunch with us. I told him you wouldn't mind."
"Of course not," Gwen said, beaming. "I love meeting new people."
The three of them walked to the cafeteria together, chatting like they'd known each other all of their lives. It was the first time in a long time that Merlin actually felt welcomed, especially on the first day of school.
"So, what's your schedule like?" Gwen asked Merlin, once they'd gotten their food and found a table.
"Biology and Calculus in the morning, English and Photography in the afternoon." Merlin told her, digging into his pasta.
"Only four subjects?" Gwen asked, cutting into her chicken. The food here was much better than regular cafeteria food.
"Yeah, I had enough credits from my other schools, plus I wanted to take it easy this year and try to figure out what I want to do with my life."
"I completely understand." Gwen said. "I only just decided I want to be a teacher."
Merlin nodded. "My mum is a teacher here. I could ask her to talk to you about teaching and stuff, if you want."
"Yeah? That's be great."
"Sure, no problem. What about you, Lance? What do you want to be?"
"Oh, Lance wants to be a doctor." Gwen said, clearly proud of her boyfriend.
"Really? Wow, that's great. A lot of schooling, though." Merlin said.
"Yeah, but it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do, so I'm over the initial shock of it all." Lance said, laughing. The sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, each enjoying their food, until Lance broke the silence.
"So, how come you're not taking Art?" He asked Merlin, pointing at the sketchbook poking out of his bag. "I noticed it during class." Lance explained.
"Oh," Merlin said, taking out his sketchbook from his backpack.
"You're taking Photography, but not Art, how come?"
"Art is a hobby, just something I like to do for me. I'd never do it professionally, so I figure there's no point taking the classes." Merlin shrugged.
"Hmm, makes sense. Can we see some of your pictures?" Lance asked. Beside him Gwen was looking excited.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Merlin handed them his sketchbook.
His sketches weren't perfect, but they weren't terrible. He loved to draw, but he had never wanted to make it a living. His mother knew too many artists, and he'd seen the way most of them lived. He did not want that life.
When they were done looking at the book, they handed it back to Merlin.
"You're really good, Merlin." Gwen said.
"Yeah, you could probably make it big if you wanted." Lance agreed. Merlin thanked them. He wasn't self-conscious about his work, but it still felt nice when people liked his stuff.
Merlin just shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't think I'd feel the same way about it if I had to do it for a living."
Both Gwen and Lance nodded they're agreement just as the bell rang.
***
Merlin had nearly forgotten about the guy from the gym that morning, when he saw him on his way to Photography.
He had only seen the back of his head earlier, but he was positive it was the same person. He was standing with a group of guys and they were laughing at something he'd said. He looked a lot more laid back now then he had with his father Merlin noticed. And good-looking, too, Merlin couldn't help but think. He didn't have the tall-dark-handsome thing going for him like Lance did, but still...
When the 5 minute bell rang for class, the group of guys started to leave, leaving the blonde, Arthur he remembered, by himself. When he turned, backpack over his shoulder, to walk the other way, he noticed Merlin just standing there, staring at him. Merlin blushed, embarrassed at being caught.
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, sounding amused. Merlin mumbled a, "No, thank you," and fled. He didn't slow down until he got to his seat.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd been caught ogling someone, that morning with Lance not withstanding. Merlin was mentally berating himself when he felt someone sit beside him. He looked over and mentally rolled his eyes.
What is with this school and it's beautiful people? He thought.
"Hi." The brunette said, getting comfortable in her seat before turning towards Merlin. She had a Megan Fox look about her, only much more approachable, and prettier.
"You're new here, right?" When Merlin nodded, she continued. "I figured. I've never seen you before, and I know practically everyone in the school." She said it so matter-of-factly that Merlin wasn't sure if it sounded conceited or not.
"I'm assuming this isn't your first class of the day," She said, laughing. "What else did you have? Oh, how rude of me. Here I am interrogating you, and I haven't even told you my name. I'm Morgana."
Merlin was reeling a little from the abrupt change of topic, but he took her outstretched hand and said, "Merlin."
"Nice to meet you, Merlin." She said, smiling. Then she sat there, eyebrow raised, looking at him expectantly.
"Well?" She asked. Merlin looked at her confused. She rolled her eyes, but she was smirking slightly.
"What other classes did you have?"
"Oh. Sorry. Uh, I had Biology and Calculus this morning, and I just came from English."
"Hmm, not bad. I assume you have Professor Gaius for Bio, he teaches most of the Science class for the seniors, same with Mr. Simmons for the Maths. Who'd you have for English?"
"My mum- I mean Ms. Emrys."
"You're mum's Ms. Emrys? That's cool. I had her this morning, she's really nice. No offense, but I don't know how long 'nice' is going to last in this school." Morgana looked at him with sympathy.
"Oh, don't worry. My mum might look all nice and sweet, but she's quite the opposite when it comes to English. She's actually very strict. Trust me, I've lived with her all my life." Morgana looked doubtful, but she said, "If you say so."
"So," She said, changing the subject again, "Seen any cute boys yet?" She had what Merlin could only describe as a very mischievous look on her face. Merlin looked around the slowly filling classroom, then back at Morgana.
"Is it that obvious?" Merlin asked, not the least bit embarrassed, but genuinely curious. Morgana laughed.
"No, not really. I can usually tell by the way people act around me when we first meet. It's sort of like a test. Plus, my brother's gay, so I have what most people refer to as 'Gay-dar'. Although my brother hates that label because he says it makes me sound like some sort of military weapon or something. He often just calls it my special 'sense', like some sort of third eye. Like that sounds any better." She said, rolling her eyes. Merlin smiled because she clearly loved her brother, but it also sounded like she thought we was a bit of an idiot.
"Either way," She continued, "It's nothing to do with the way you look or anything. Just the way you carry yourself, I guess. Just in case you were worried about people finding out."
"Oh, I wasn't. I was just curious how you figured it out so quickly. Most people take ages to figure it out, if they ever do. It's just not something I volunteer to everyone, it's my business, not theirs. You know?"
Morgana's smile was so wide, Merlin thought she might hurt herself. "Yeah. I know exactly what you mean." She turned back to the front of the class, that mischievous look back on her face, just as the teacher walked in.
"Good morning, everyone. As most of you already know, I'm Mr. Drake and I'll be teaching you all about cameras, pictures and lighting this year..."
By the end of the class, Merlin was fairly sure that Mr. Drake was some sort of mysterious, otherworldly being. He talked mostly in riddles, and when it was over, Merlin was utterly confused. It was a good thing that Merlin was seated beside Morgana, because she seemed to be the only person in the class who actually understood what he was saying.
And Morgana. Ugh! That look hadn't left her face all period, and Merlin was starting to get nervous about it. For some reason, that look scared him worse than when his mother scolded him for improper use of grammar, and that was terrible. Merlin left the classroom shuddering.
A/N: So, Morgana turned out to be a lot more talkative than I meant, but what are you going to do, right? lol.. Anyways I kind of like her, she's different than most Morgana's I've read. Oh, and I know there wasn't much Arthur in this part, but there will be more, I promise. Well I hope you liked it, and stay tuned for the remaining parts...
And, yes Mr. Drake is the mighty slash dragon, I had to add him in there somewhere :)
Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur (eventually), Gwen/Lance, Morgana, Uther, Gaius, and OMCs.
Rating: PG (for now)
Word Count: 2,928 give or take
Warnings: None yet, but this is only part 1...
Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to the BBC and probably some other people too, none of which are me, unfortunately. Oh, and one tiny mention of Megan Fox.. very tiny.
Summary: Merlin Ambrose hated changing schools. It never changed, no matter what his mother told him... Until he got to Albion High.
A/N: So this is a modern!AU with the gang in High School, fun. I know from experience that high school can be a drag sometimes, but with friends like Morgana, Gwen and Lance, it's bearable lol. Anyways, nothing really happens in this chapter, just kind of introducing the characters, and what not. I don't even know how long this will end up being, but we'll see. Oh, and anything in purple italics is a memory/flashback.
Merlin Ambrose hated changing schools. It was always the same thing, he'd get there and immediately be labeled, 'The New Kid'. High school kids stayed away from the 'The New Kid' as if they had leprosy. Merlin sighed. It never changed, no matter what his mother had told him this morning.
"This time will be different, I can feel it." Hunith Emrys was standing at the stove, cooking eggs and bacon, while Merlin sat at the kitchen table patiently trying to explain the order of high school to his mother, again.
"No, mum, it won't, but it's okay, really. I've resigned myself to have a horrible high school experience. There are four kinds of high school students, you know." Merlin said, sitting up straighter in his chair.
"Oh, here we go." Hunith said, sounding just the tiniest bit exasperated. After all, she'd heard this speech every time Merlin started a new school. And as the count was now at 5, well let's just say, she practically knew it by heart.
"It's true. You have the students who thrive academically, who will most likely go on to rule the world, you have the students who thrive socially, who will go on to live the exact same life they live now, just with more money, there's the other social students that, no matter what they do, will end up doing absolutely nothing with their lives, and high school will be, literally, the best years of their lives, then there are the jocks. They are split into 2 categories. You have the academic jocks and the social jocks. The academic jocks are actually looking for a scholarship to either play sports professionally or just get into college. The social jocks on the other hand, only join sports to elevate their 'status level'.
"So you see, mum. Things will never change, but it's really okay, because at the end of this year I will be done with high school, and thankfully for me, I thrive in academics." Merlin finished, starting in on the eggs and bacon his mother had just placed before him.
"You are much too cynical for you're own good." Hunith sighed. "Now, hurry up and finish your breakfast, or you'll be late for your first day of school." Hunith said over her shoulder, on her way out of the kitchen.
Merlin walked through the halls of Albion High towards the main office, looking around at what would be his final high school. It looked just like all of the other high schools he'd been to, nothing special. Well, he supposed it was quite a bit cleaner than many of the others, but he just chalked that up to a good janitorial staff.
He reached the office and walked up to the older lady sitting behind the desk. She was concentrating very hard on whatever it was she was writing, and hadn't noticed Merlin enter, so he cleared his throat and started to say, "Hello, my name is Merlin Ambrose. I just moved here, and this is my first day. Could you please point me in the right direction?" He only made it as far as hello before she glared at him and held up her finger in the classic sign for, "Give me a minute".
So Merlin waited. He went to sit in one of the chairs directly across from the woman's desk, and waited. It must have been just a couple of minutes, but to Merlin it had felt like a life-time, but finally the receptionist put down her pen then turned, unimpressed, towards Merlin.
"What can I do for you?" She asked in a very prim-and-proper way.
Merlin hesitated before saying, "Hi. My name is Merlin Ambrose. I just moved here, and..."
Merlin trailed off when he saw the receptionist, Heather Moores, her nameplate said, turn towards her computer and tapped in his name.
"Ah, yes. Merlin Ambrose, son of Hunith Emrys." The way she said his mother's name, almost distastefully, made him grit his teeth. "I suppose you're looking for your timetable?" When he just nodded, she continued, "Right, well I'll just print this off for you, so you can be on your way."
She handed the sheet to Merlin and he turned without saying thank you. Just as he was leaving, he could have sworn he heard her say something like, "Damn ungrateful youth," but he couldn't be sure.
He walked out of the office and down the hall towards his first class. There wasn't anyone here yet because he was early, as usual. That's what happened when you're mother's a teacher at the same school you attend. Merlin didn't mind, though, he actually preferred to get to school early, it gave him time to think before the swell of students arrived.
He was walking past the gym when he heard two voices coming from inside. He walked over to the slightly open door and peered in. There was an older man and a younger man. The older man, maybe late 40's, stood in the middle of the gym, facing Merlin, looking at a stop-watch, while the younger man, about Merlin's age, was bent over, hands on knees, looking like he had just run a marathon.
"That wasn't good enough, Arthur. If you want to beat the competition you'll have to do better." Said the older man, finally looking up from his stop-watch.
They younger man, Arthur, stood up straight, still breathing heavy, and said to the old man, "Yes, Father."
"You do want to win, don't you?"
"Yes, Father."
"Good. Then I want another 10 laps, and this time, don't disappoint me."
This time, Arthur, face like stone, didn't even say anything, just nodded, and started running again.
Merlin shook his head as he walked away. He had never seen an interaction between father and son like that in his whole live. He could feel the chill in the air between them from where he had stood. He tried to imagine he and his mother having that same conversation, but he couldn't, his mother was the warmest, kindest person he'd ever met.
He tried to shake off the odd feeling he had as he got to the classroom. He went in and picked a table right in the middle of the Biology class. He sat down, put his book bag on the the stool beside him, and pulled out his timetable. He didn't really know what he wanted to do, so he had chosen a range of subjects, including; Biology, Calculus, English, and Photography.
He was so absorbed with his thoughts that he hadn't heard the door open. So when someone said, "Hey," from right beside him, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you heard me come in."
Merlin looked up, ready to read this guy the riot act, then the words died on his tongue. This guy was gorgeous! He was the typical tall, dark and handsome that every girl fantasized about. And some boys, Merlin thought.
He didn't realize he was gaping at the guy until said guy looked at him, worried. "Are you alright?" He asked.
Merlin shook his head to clear it, and managed to mumble, "Yeah, I'm fine."
The guy sat down beside Merlin and grinned. He has a great smile, Merlin thought.
"I'm Lance DuLac." He said, and stuck out his hand for Merlin to shake. "Merlin Ambrose," Merlin replied.
"Good to meet you, Merlin. It's nice to meet someone else in this school who shows up early for class."
Merlin chuckled. "You get used to it when your mother's a teacher."
"Oh, so your mum's a teacher?"
"Yeah. She's actually the new English teacher here."
"Ms. Emrys?" His question was innocent enough, but Merlin was remembering the tone the receptionist had used earlier.
"Yeah." Merlin answered stiffly.
Lance noticed his tense shoulders and smiled, reassuringly. "Hey, that's cool. I wasn't judging, just interested. My mum's a single parent, so it's always interesting to meet other kids in similar situations. You don't have to explain if you don't want to."
Merlin relaxed, shrugged, and said, "My parents were never married, and when my dad died before I was born, my mum thought it was right to give me his last name."
Lance nodded. "That makes sense. So, what classes are you taking this year?"
Merlin had to grin at Lance's dreadful attempt to change the subject. He was finding it very hard not to like Lance.
***
By the time first period was over, Merlin had developed a little crush on Lance. It wasn't difficult really, he was a genuinely nice guy, not to mention gorgeous. There has to be a catch, Merlin thought.
The catch came right as he was leaving Calculus. He and Lance had gone their separate ways for period 2, but Lance had said he'd meet up with Merlin for lunch outside his classroom.
When Merlin spotted him, he was talking to a beautiful dark-haired girl. He had hope that she was just a friend until Lance leaned over and kissed her. Merlin sighed, a little disappointed. I knew there had to be a catch, Merlin thought. Oh well, he can't be the only cute guy at this school. Merlin had found over the years that he could bounce back from things quite quickly.
He made his way over to Lance and his girlfriend. When he got there, Lance immediately stepped forward to introduce them. "Gwen, this is Merlin Ambrose, Merlin, this is my girlfriend, Guinevere Price."
"It's Gwen, please, and it's nice to meet you Merlin."
"You too," Merlin said, smiling.
"Merlin's new here, so I invited him to eat lunch with us. I told him you wouldn't mind."
"Of course not," Gwen said, beaming. "I love meeting new people."
The three of them walked to the cafeteria together, chatting like they'd known each other all of their lives. It was the first time in a long time that Merlin actually felt welcomed, especially on the first day of school.
"So, what's your schedule like?" Gwen asked Merlin, once they'd gotten their food and found a table.
"Biology and Calculus in the morning, English and Photography in the afternoon." Merlin told her, digging into his pasta.
"Only four subjects?" Gwen asked, cutting into her chicken. The food here was much better than regular cafeteria food.
"Yeah, I had enough credits from my other schools, plus I wanted to take it easy this year and try to figure out what I want to do with my life."
"I completely understand." Gwen said. "I only just decided I want to be a teacher."
Merlin nodded. "My mum is a teacher here. I could ask her to talk to you about teaching and stuff, if you want."
"Yeah? That's be great."
"Sure, no problem. What about you, Lance? What do you want to be?"
"Oh, Lance wants to be a doctor." Gwen said, clearly proud of her boyfriend.
"Really? Wow, that's great. A lot of schooling, though." Merlin said.
"Yeah, but it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do, so I'm over the initial shock of it all." Lance said, laughing. The sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, each enjoying their food, until Lance broke the silence.
"So, how come you're not taking Art?" He asked Merlin, pointing at the sketchbook poking out of his bag. "I noticed it during class." Lance explained.
"Oh," Merlin said, taking out his sketchbook from his backpack.
"You're taking Photography, but not Art, how come?"
"Art is a hobby, just something I like to do for me. I'd never do it professionally, so I figure there's no point taking the classes." Merlin shrugged.
"Hmm, makes sense. Can we see some of your pictures?" Lance asked. Beside him Gwen was looking excited.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Merlin handed them his sketchbook.
His sketches weren't perfect, but they weren't terrible. He loved to draw, but he had never wanted to make it a living. His mother knew too many artists, and he'd seen the way most of them lived. He did not want that life.
When they were done looking at the book, they handed it back to Merlin.
"You're really good, Merlin." Gwen said.
"Yeah, you could probably make it big if you wanted." Lance agreed. Merlin thanked them. He wasn't self-conscious about his work, but it still felt nice when people liked his stuff.
Merlin just shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't think I'd feel the same way about it if I had to do it for a living."
Both Gwen and Lance nodded they're agreement just as the bell rang.
***
Merlin had nearly forgotten about the guy from the gym that morning, when he saw him on his way to Photography.
He had only seen the back of his head earlier, but he was positive it was the same person. He was standing with a group of guys and they were laughing at something he'd said. He looked a lot more laid back now then he had with his father Merlin noticed. And good-looking, too, Merlin couldn't help but think. He didn't have the tall-dark-handsome thing going for him like Lance did, but still...
When the 5 minute bell rang for class, the group of guys started to leave, leaving the blonde, Arthur he remembered, by himself. When he turned, backpack over his shoulder, to walk the other way, he noticed Merlin just standing there, staring at him. Merlin blushed, embarrassed at being caught.
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, sounding amused. Merlin mumbled a, "No, thank you," and fled. He didn't slow down until he got to his seat.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd been caught ogling someone, that morning with Lance not withstanding. Merlin was mentally berating himself when he felt someone sit beside him. He looked over and mentally rolled his eyes.
What is with this school and it's beautiful people? He thought.
"Hi." The brunette said, getting comfortable in her seat before turning towards Merlin. She had a Megan Fox look about her, only much more approachable, and prettier.
"You're new here, right?" When Merlin nodded, she continued. "I figured. I've never seen you before, and I know practically everyone in the school." She said it so matter-of-factly that Merlin wasn't sure if it sounded conceited or not.
"I'm assuming this isn't your first class of the day," She said, laughing. "What else did you have? Oh, how rude of me. Here I am interrogating you, and I haven't even told you my name. I'm Morgana."
Merlin was reeling a little from the abrupt change of topic, but he took her outstretched hand and said, "Merlin."
"Nice to meet you, Merlin." She said, smiling. Then she sat there, eyebrow raised, looking at him expectantly.
"Well?" She asked. Merlin looked at her confused. She rolled her eyes, but she was smirking slightly.
"What other classes did you have?"
"Oh. Sorry. Uh, I had Biology and Calculus this morning, and I just came from English."
"Hmm, not bad. I assume you have Professor Gaius for Bio, he teaches most of the Science class for the seniors, same with Mr. Simmons for the Maths. Who'd you have for English?"
"My mum- I mean Ms. Emrys."
"You're mum's Ms. Emrys? That's cool. I had her this morning, she's really nice. No offense, but I don't know how long 'nice' is going to last in this school." Morgana looked at him with sympathy.
"Oh, don't worry. My mum might look all nice and sweet, but she's quite the opposite when it comes to English. She's actually very strict. Trust me, I've lived with her all my life." Morgana looked doubtful, but she said, "If you say so."
"So," She said, changing the subject again, "Seen any cute boys yet?" She had what Merlin could only describe as a very mischievous look on her face. Merlin looked around the slowly filling classroom, then back at Morgana.
"Is it that obvious?" Merlin asked, not the least bit embarrassed, but genuinely curious. Morgana laughed.
"No, not really. I can usually tell by the way people act around me when we first meet. It's sort of like a test. Plus, my brother's gay, so I have what most people refer to as 'Gay-dar'. Although my brother hates that label because he says it makes me sound like some sort of military weapon or something. He often just calls it my special 'sense', like some sort of third eye. Like that sounds any better." She said, rolling her eyes. Merlin smiled because she clearly loved her brother, but it also sounded like she thought we was a bit of an idiot.
"Either way," She continued, "It's nothing to do with the way you look or anything. Just the way you carry yourself, I guess. Just in case you were worried about people finding out."
"Oh, I wasn't. I was just curious how you figured it out so quickly. Most people take ages to figure it out, if they ever do. It's just not something I volunteer to everyone, it's my business, not theirs. You know?"
Morgana's smile was so wide, Merlin thought she might hurt herself. "Yeah. I know exactly what you mean." She turned back to the front of the class, that mischievous look back on her face, just as the teacher walked in.
"Good morning, everyone. As most of you already know, I'm Mr. Drake and I'll be teaching you all about cameras, pictures and lighting this year..."
By the end of the class, Merlin was fairly sure that Mr. Drake was some sort of mysterious, otherworldly being. He talked mostly in riddles, and when it was over, Merlin was utterly confused. It was a good thing that Merlin was seated beside Morgana, because she seemed to be the only person in the class who actually understood what he was saying.
And Morgana. Ugh! That look hadn't left her face all period, and Merlin was starting to get nervous about it. For some reason, that look scared him worse than when his mother scolded him for improper use of grammar, and that was terrible. Merlin left the classroom shuddering.
A/N: So, Morgana turned out to be a lot more talkative than I meant, but what are you going to do, right? lol.. Anyways I kind of like her, she's different than most Morgana's I've read. Oh, and I know there wasn't much Arthur in this part, but there will be more, I promise. Well I hope you liked it, and stay tuned for the remaining parts...
And, yes Mr. Drake is the mighty slash dragon, I had to add him in there somewhere :)