Chapter Text
Owen walked onto the school grounds with the Year 13 Dean guiding him around. Once being shown where all his classes were he sat down at his new Math class. He had been transferred to Oakhurst School after getting expelled from his previous school. He got expelled after getting in multiple fights around school. He may be sick and constantly going back and forth from the hospital due to illness but he sure as hell can put up a fight. Owen didn’t even like anyone from that school. They all made fun of him and ostracised him.
The only person to show him kindness was a guy named Louis. He was kind, soft, and caring. He always visited Owen in the hospital and helped him catch up on missing work. Owen would have never passed NCEA 2 without him. Now he was at a new school with people who he doesn’t know, people who are probably going to bully him, and it’s year 13 so everyone already has their friend groups established.
“Hello? Can I help you?”
Owen snapped back into reality and realised he had been staring at the guy in front of him. His hair is a very light blue, almost white and he wore a sort of alt style of clothing. It kind of made him look like some supernatural creature. His blue eyes glared down at Owen.
“I just zoned out. Sorry” Owen quickly replied. The guy turned around on his seat to face Owen.
“What’s with the bandages?” He gestured towards the bandages around Owen’s arms
“None of your business.” Owen said bluntly. That for some reason made the guy laugh. He held out his hand.
“Name’s Scott” Owen shook Scott’s hand with uncertainty. People don’t normally like to touch Owen. Scared they’d get sick as well from just touching him.
“I’m- I- I’m Owen?”
“Why are you saying it like you don’t know what your name is?” Scott laughs again.
“Fuck off” Owen hisses. Scott just grinned again and turned back around before the teacher could scold him. Owen could tell Scott was going to be one of those assholes he would have to deal with.
In the 2nd period Owen had drama. The teacher paired him up with an alt girl named Shelby to do an improv practice. She was a sweet girl and Owen found himself chuckling at some of her jokes. Shelby talked a lot but she also didn’t care about the bandages that covered his arms. He couldn’t say much about the rest of the class. They avoided him and seemed a bit scared of Shelby? After the class had ended Shelby invited Owen to join her friend group for morning tea. She led him over to a grassy spot behind the classroom buildings. A place where teachers didn’t normally look. Owen was a bit surprised to see Scott there. He was also introduced to a guy named Pyro who also wore the same style of clothing Scott and Shelby wore. Owen glared at Scott as he sat down next to Shelby. Scott simply grinned in return.
When heading to his 3rd class he bumped into a guy who was rambling on some religious nonsense to another girl. He spotted Owen coming from behind the buildings and cornered him.
“You weren’t corrupted by the vampire yet were you!?”
“Wha- What the hell are you on about?”
“Scott! The vampire!”
“The guy who you think looks like a vampire” The girl corrected the boy.
“Who are you two exactly?” Owen raised an eyebrow.
“I’m Drift and this is Avid.” The girl, Drift, gestured to herself then the boy. Avid looked like he was inspecting Owen for something.
“Can you not?” Owen pushes Avid away. He stumbled for a second before regaining his footing.
“Right, sorry. So uh don’t talk to Scott or his crew. They will corrupt you!” Avid handed Owen a small cross necklace. “Maybe with some prayers it can also help with whatever that is” Avid points at Owen’s bandages. Owen frowned while Drift buried her head in her hands in embarrassment. Owen ends up pushing past Avid and throwing the cross necklace in the rubbish bin.
After a couple more boring classes. Meeting a few more nut cases. Owen finds himself sitting back down on the grass behind the buildings. The others still hadn’t arrived yet. That’s fine. They’re probably just packing up after class. Owen picked at the grass anxiously. They hadn’t moved spots had they? They hadn’t decided to move now that Owen knew where they sat. They weren’t avoiding him now once they realised how little emotion he showed?
Just as Owen was about to get up and leave, accepting that they ditched him, Scott came round the corner. “Where are you going?” Scott raises an eyebrow. Owen steps back.
“I uh- I thought you guys had m-moved spots or sss- something”
“Hah! Nah we’ve been sitting in this spot since year 9. That’s not changing anytime soon.”
Scott sat down and Owen sat down with him. Pyro and Shubble were quick to join them. Trading different lunch items they have packed.
“What’s with the Avid guy calling you a vampire?” Owen asks Scott. Pyro and Shubble snicker as Scott sighs.
“He’s a crazy religious freak who saw my white hair and decided that meant I’m a vampire back when we met in year 9. I may have played into it over the years. It’s why we’re called the Coven” Scott hums. Smirking a bit.
“Hm. Sss- sounds like a band name”
“Yeah I guess. Wait, how did you know Avid calls me a vampire? Oh god he didn’t say anything to you did you?” Scott stares Owen down. Scott being around a foot taller than Owen certainly makes him more intimidating.
“Uh yeah. After morning tea, he had started to talk about you cor- corrupting people or some shit like that”
“Oh he gave that same speal to me and Shubble when we first became his friends” Pyro talks with a mouthful of chips.
“Mmm. He tends to do that to anyone I talk to.” Scott huffs. After a moment his frown turns into a grin. “Well I happen to spot where his car is parked. Maybe we could leave a little note.”
“Like a scary note?” Shelby perks up from where she was scribbling in their notebook.
“Yeah! Just a little thing to scare him straight.” Scott chuckles.
Next thing Owen knew he was helping Scott write a note to leave in Avid’s car. Owen wrote
“Keep your neck covered. Don’t let the demons bite” along with using a bit of red ink to imitate blood.
“This looks stupid” Owen says as he slips the note through Avid’s car window.
“It is. But the guy is a total lunatic. He thinks anything to deal with demons or vampires is terrifying” Scott explains. In the background Owen can hear Shubble and Pyro finding the perfect “ball shape” rock.
“How many nut cases are there in this school? I heard heaps of people ram- rambling about religious things. Like a lot more than normal.”
“Well this is quite the religious school. Though like half of us get sent here by our parents in hope we’ll be a bit more ‘normal’ I guess” Scott shrugs. Just as he finished speaking Owen heard glass shattering behind him. Both him and Scott turned to look to see the rock Shelby and Pyro had found was now in Avid’s car. Turns out they had the great idea to use this rock as a pall and pass it to one another as if it was a rugby ball. Pyro chucked it a bit too hard, Shelby missed her catch, and the rock went through the back window of Avid’s car.
“Shit!” Scott walked around to check the damage. The rock had gone through the window and into the boot. Scott grabbed Owen’s arm and started to run. Pyro and Shubble were already up ahead.
They headed back to the grass spot behind the buildings. They all collapsed onto the grass. After a moment of silence Scott, Pyro, and Shubble bursted out laughing. Owen looked at them confused for a second before also chuckling along.
“Oh we are so dead!” Pyro doubled over laughing.
“There’s no cameras! They’re not going to know we did it.” Shubble giggles. “I do feel a bit bad for damaging Avid’s car though.”
“I can easily transfer some money into his account to pay for it.” Scott hums.
“Why do- why do you have his account number?” Owen tilts his head.
“Mm don’t worry about it.”
In 5th period Owen checked his emails. A new email addressed to the whole school popped up. Attached was a photo of Avid’s car and his broken window as well as a photo of the rock Shelby and Pyro threw. He could hear Avid’s loud complaining from the classroom next door. He quietly snickers to himself. Maybe he won’t be as alone as he thought he would be.