Chapter Text
Uranium was a quaint little town, but quaint doesn't always mean nice. Sure it had that small town charm but it wasn't always welcoming to those outside the norm, I mean all the schools were Catholic so safe to say that if you were gay you had better not show it. Such was the case for Noel Gruber, he didn't have any friends because people always said he was too weird. Sure he didn't like the normal things like soccer, or mainstream TV, or girls, but he really tried to fit in! One of the only positive things in his life was that he was in the choir and even then ocean was there too so it wasn't that positive. Overall he really just wanted to leave for France, which he would as soon as he saved up the money.
It was 1st period in 9th grade in Mr. Ross's class when the door opened and in came a new boy, at least he thinks the boy was new Noel really didn't pay that much attention. "Ah yes you're here!" Mr. Ross said "go take a seat in the empty chair in the back." That was right next to Noel! The boy walked to the back and sat down, when there was time to do the assigned work Noel introduced himself. "Hi! I'm Noel Gruber, whats your name?" "Um my name is Mischa Bachinski." The boy, Mischa replied through a fairly heavy Ukrainian accent. "Would you like me to catch you up on what all we've been learning so far?". Noel asked. "Yes please." Mischa said, from there he got Mischa caught up and they started talking, Noel was ecstatic! He finally found someone who wasn't disgusted by him or would call him a slur! Maybe now school wouldn't be so bad.
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At lunch Mischa looked for an empty table, the only one who had even talked to him was Noel and pretty much everyone else had ignored him, which was why he was surprised to see that Noel was eating alone. He seemed like a nice enough guy, Mischa would have figured he would have at least some friends. Seeing at there were no empty tables he decided he would just ask to sit with Noel. "Could I sit here? There are no empty tables and you're the only one who has talked to me so far." Noel looked like he was taken aback, "uh sure, I know the kids here aren't very warm and welcoming..." So the kids of St. Cassian weren't very kind to Noel either. It was probably something stupid that they hated him for, if it was something at all. "I take it the kids here aren't very nice to you either?" He asked. "No not really " Noel answered with a self deprecating laugh, "well I think that you're nice." Mischa then said. As a barely visible blush crept up on Noel's face he said "thanks, I think you're nice too."
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When Noel got home his mom asked him how school was, today for once he answered truthfully. "It was great, I made a friend!" She was almost as happy as he was, and after dinner he went to his room and as he drifted off to sleep he thought "maybe highschool will be different..."