[Potironette]

The teacher wasn't one for following exceptional rules the school gave sometimes. She was old, and quite sure of her place in the room.

She waited for the students to copy down the Do Now then addressed the class while holding out a piece of chalk, "Someone come up and draw a free body diagram for the ball rolling on the ground."
---
Luck glanced over a Rune. So his name was 'Joshua'? Rune didn't look particularly happy about it, he noticed. In fact, Rune looked furious. Luck was surprised. This was the first time he'd seen Rune so angry.

Luck ignored the teacher. Science class was good when the teacher dropped things. It wasn't when she felt like being a teacher.

[Kitarun]

Rune pretty well ignored the teacher for most of the class, only jotting down the assignment and homework, before getting up and leaving the moment the bell rang, not caring that the old bitch called sfter him, saying she wasn't finished, and that she dismissed them, not the bell. He had another class to get to, and really didnt feel like being late- or around the science teacher linger than necessary.

[Potironette]

Luck saw Rune get up and leave as the bell rang. Yep, definitely angry. Luck got up himself. When a teacher's authority was challenged by one person, and the teacher was generally disliked, students generally could care less about respecting the teacher.
As he thought, everyone else got up and a hurry and left.
The teacher looked rather red with fury.
Luck exited the door, after Rune. He had history class next.

[Kitarun]

Rune had his programming class. Just perfect. He needed something to distract himself.

Reaching the computer lab his class was held in, he entered, grabbing the best computer and starting it up. As well as unpacking his laptop. He knew that the teacher likely had an actual lesson planned before he lrt them work on their projects.

[Potironette]

Luck entered his history class and picked a random seat. The seats in history class were arranged in a horse-shoe fashion around the walls. It was supposed to encourage discussion, or something.

The history teacher walked in, and the gaggle of students quieted. They liked this history teacher, so they were well-behaved.

[Kitarun]

Not surprising, it was only a quick lesson before they were given free reign of the room, Rune delving straight into his project, distracting himself from reality while coding took over his brain.

[Potironette]

The history teacher took out a piece of chalk and went to the front of the class, ignoring the board. She began lesson with a few passionate words about the some wars in the past.

Luck listened and absorbed, like much of the rest of the class. It was always a joy to be in a class with someone obviously passionate about their work, after all.

[Kitarun]

Rune lost himself in his project, calming slowly as he forgot about the idiot in science. So lost in his work, he didn't notice when the bell rang, until the teacher tapped him on the shoulder. "I love that you're so into your project, Rune, but school's over now. We should get going, before they lock us into the building." His teacher joked, causing Rune to crack a smile as well. He packed up and headed for his locker, dumping the books he didn't need. He made sure to grab his math notes, having to copy them out for Luck that night.

[Potironette]

The chalk touched the board occasionally during class, writing down notes that no one needed to copy. It was the discussion that got everyone excited. Everything that needed to be copied was in their heads, and their homework from the days before. As fast as it started, the class ended with the discussion still unfinished, but finished enough so that they could move on to the next timeline tomorrow. Luck left his chair and walked out the room. He got to his locker where Blitzel and Fran and Cork were waiting for him.

"Hey boss." Said Blitzel.
"Hey." Said Luck back to Blitzel and the twins.
Cork and Fran snapped their heads up from their phone. Luck noted they had been absorbed in a game together.
"Luck!" Exclaimed Cork.
"Luck!" Said Fran.

Luck walked up to his locker and spun the metal dial around the combination lock. He turned the lock three times to the right to 4. It turned left past 4 again into 7. He spun the lock right again into 4.

"Boss, why've you been so chummy with Rune today?" Blitzel asked, he tugged on his blazer button.
"Let's say I've taken a liking to 'im" Said Luck nonchalantly. Folders tumbled like candy into his school bag. One for every subject.

"Getting soft?"
"Maybe."
"Good."
"Why's that?"
"It's better for Cork and Fran."
"What are you going to do?"
"You're still boss."
"Good."

The phone blared out a man's voice. "Sweet." It said. The twins were playing again.
"God I hate phones."
Luck chuckled. "Then why do you carry one?"

They parted ways. Luck padded across the hallway in his sneakers, past the laughing students playing games together, past the students crying over their test grades, and past the teachers looking too happy that it was the end of the day. He opened the door of the school and stepped into the open air.

[Kitarun]

Rune left the building, smiling st the sunshine that shone down on them. The radio had said there was supposed to be rain that afternoon, but so far the sky had remained clear. He looked up, waving to a few kids who called his name, but didn't go over. They weren't exactly what he'd call friends, thiugh they could be if he let them in. He couldn't afford that, though, anybody getting close enough to find out what his father was like. Just like that, his smile was gone, and he picked up his pace a bit. He was expected home no later than 3:30 every day, and it was already almost quarter after. He'd missed the city bus, then, too... He hurried off down the street, keeping his head down, knowing he had to hurry to make it home before his father got there.

[Potironette]

If the clear skies and sunshine greeted Luck, he didn't notice it. He walked with his eyes straight ahead and his backpack slung over one shoulder. Luck took the subway back home. Metallic rails screeching all the time, people never looking at each other, the conductor being a pain and not saying anything clearly. That was the subway. Getting on was a hassle that day. Too many people too happy about getting out of work. Some couple smooching against the doors that weren't opening. A little kid talking to his mother about how school went. Luck smiled, he never did that as a kid.

When the subway doors opened again, Luck streamed out along with the rest. There wouldn't be anyone at home, he knew, as he walked the short distance back home. He ignored his surroundings. Same old, nothing to see.

[Kitarun]

Rune made it home before his father. He'd just shut the door and taken his shoes off when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel. His eyes widening slightly, he rushed upstairs, set on not letting his father catch him downstairs until suppertime. He made it to his room as the front door opened, sighing softly to himself. He was quick to unpack his bag, settling at his desk just as his father came up the stairs, pausing outside his open door. "Hello Father... Welcome home..." He said softly, eyes averted, posture stiff.

The man watched his son for a moment, smirking as he sensed the fear. "Hmm... I've had a long day- I'm going to take a nap. Remember to have dinner ready for six."

Rune nodded. "Yessir, Father." He replied, waiting til the man walked off down the hallway towards his own room to let out a sigh of relief. His father didn't realize he'd only iust gotten in moments before him. He was safe, for the moment.

[Potironette]

Reaching deep into his pockets, Luck fished out a metal key. The door opened with a satisfying click.

"I'm home." Luck called. No one answered. Of course. His father was still working at this time and his mother wouldn't be back in a long while.

Luck pushed the door back behind him, clicking it closed. He took off his shoes and padded across the wood floors. Through the living room and the little TV and into the kitchen where a radio was still switched on. "...weather today is rai-" It was saying, before Luck switched it off. He opened the fridge and took out some leftovers. Spaghetti. He popped it into the microwave. 30 seconds. It started making popping sounds at 25 seconds. 0 seconds. He took it out.

Luck carried the plate with him. Out the marble-tiled kitchen, into the wooded hallways, up the carpeted steps, and to his room.

[Kitarun]

Rune finished his homework quickly, then headed downstairs quietly around five to start on dinner. He checked the fridge, and sighed softly in relief that someone had thought to take a package of meat from the freezer that morning. He grabbed the meat, and went for one of his mother's old recipe books,and got to work. He picked something quick, knowing that if his father wanted it done by six, he'd better have it ready a bit early.

Meat seasoned and in the oven, he put potatoes on to boil, and started on a salad, as well, even though he knew his father would barely touch it... Maybe he'd have something left over for lunch tomorrow, then... Or even get lucky and be allowed to eat that night. He had made an awful lot, and his father hated leftovers, so...

He smiled to himself, and took the potatoes off the heat when they boiled, andmashed them, checking on the meat, then the time. Looked like everything was on track... He set the table quickly, but neatly, and was serving up his father's meal just as the man in question came downstairs.

His fathr eyed the food, sitting down, and ate when Rune set the plate on the table before him. "Not terrible... Not great, but still edible." He said, after a few bites."Go get yourself something to eat."

Rune rushed to obey, hiding his smile until he was in the kitchen, making his own plate from what was left, though a considerably smaller portion than he'd given his father. He must have done a good job if his father was letting him eat.

[Potironette]

The hour hand pointed past three, the minute hand pointed all the way down. 3:30, read the clock at the desk by the bed. Luck finished the spaghetti to the ticking of the clock.

The book bag unzipped accompanied with what would have been a sigh, if Luck had more heart to voice one. It was the after school blues, when it seemed no one existed and all was quiet and gone. Except the ticking of the clock, and eventually he would be gone too. All quiet after school. No fun.

Folders plied themselves onto the desk like multicolored cough-drops. White for the infinity of math, yellow for the sickly brightness of English, blue for the creativity of science, red for the blood of history. His older brother color coded them for him, and explained what each meant. His only brother wasn't around anymore to nag him about school though. He had gone away long ago, leaving behind the plastic colored folders.

He opened the white folder and stared at the whiteness of the handout. Infinity indeed. He hadn't got up to that yet with Rune. The folder closed again. The teacher wouldn't check the homework anyway. That's how half the class got away with their homework every day.

The yellow folder was opened to a reading. The blue folder was opened to a math handout. The history folder contained a reading. Luck left them there and went to take a shower beforehand.

[Kitarun]

After a quick meal for himself, Rune cleaned up the dinner dishes, and headed upstairs, thankful that it seemed he was going to have a quiet night for once.

Back in his room, he got to work copying his math notes for Luck, smiling slightly as he thought about the boy. One more distraction from reality. He had no idea what he was to Luck, but he hoped it was something close to friend, or at least that it was heading there. It would hurt if he found out later the older boy was just using him for his math notes, or that this was all out of pity for him.