Boarding school (Yare and BloodletLove)

[BloodletLove]

Derrick laughed. "Apparently abnormally fast," he said, smiling. "The only subject I'm that quick in is English. Other than that, I'm average." He didn't mention how everybody stared at him because he was so good-looking. Physical features didn't matter one bit to him. "What class do you have next?"

[Yare]

'English,' James said. He gave a small smile. 'Appropriate, seeing as you mentioned it. What do you have?'

[BloodletLove]

Derrick nodded. "Same," he said. "Come on, let's walk together. If we're going to be late, might as well go down together." He shrugged, and started heading for the door. "I'll bet the teacher throws a fit when I walk in late, of all people."

[Yare]

James wheeled along beside Derrick. 'I've got an excuse,' he said. 'I hardly ever arrive early to class.'

[BloodletLove]

Derrick nodded again, walking down the hall towards the English classroom. "I've got no excuse for being late," he said. "I'm probably going to get two hours of detention for being late to his class, because I'm his best student and shouldn't be late, blah blah blah. Got that lecture about ten times before, when I was almost late." He laughed as he remembered it, shaking his head.

[Yare]

James stopped at the elevator and took out his key. 'I got that once,' he said. 'Admittedly, my teacher hadn't turned around yet - she was facing the board and heard me come in - but she went on anyway, saying "Someone came in late, they're not supposed to be late, what excuse are you going to try and give me this time". Then she turned around, saw me, and stopped midway through the last sentence.' He smiled. 'She turned a very nice shade of red, actually.'

[BloodletLove]

Derrick laughed. "Yeah, I just get the detention, no pleasing reactions," he said. "Which sucks, because I'd kinda like to get a little free time today after school..." He sighed, and shrugged. "But, knowing my luck, it won't work out the way I want it. I'll get detention and you'll get off, and I'll be stuck here for an extra two hours. Oh, well, I've got no one to hang out with anyway, so..."

[Yare]

James nodded as the elevator doors opened, and beckoned Derrick to follow him before getting on. 'I have the same problem,' he said. 'I don't really have anything to do after school.'

[BloodletLove]

Derrick chuckled a bit as he stepped into the elevator behind James. "People here avoid me," he said. "Mainly it's because of my mom, but...it's also 'cause they're scared of me, I guess, though I don't know why."

[Yare]

'I know why people avoid me,' James said. He sighed. 'Paralysis doesn't just affect people physically, it seems. It's been affecting my relationships with people my entire life.'

[BloodletLove]

"Abuse can work the same way," Derrick said, nodding slowly and knowingly. "My mom gave me that scar on my arm. And the ones on my back. And the ones in places you don't even want to know about."

[Yare]

'That's certainly a cause for alientation,' James said, 'though few people realise just how important friends are in recovering from it. Neglect on a parent's part is just as bad, though.'

[BloodletLove]

"She didn't neglect me, per se," Derrick said. "She just...beat me and hit me because I remind her of my father." He held up his scarred arm. "This scar was her most recent birthday gift to me. She got so worked up, she grabbed a cleaver and slashed my arm, trying to kill me. Her husband, my stepdad, got me to the hospital in time, though. He isn't my real dad, but he treats me better than my own mom does."

[Yare]

James nodded solemnly. 'I think we all know someone like that,' he said. 'I've had a nurse raise me my whole life. She's more of a mother to me than my birth mother is.'

[BloodletLove]

"At least your birthmother's around, right?" Derrick said, absently rubbing the scar on his arm. "I never even knew my dad, and my mom's horrible to me. I've tried calling Dyphus on her, but...she always makes up some excuse for herself and gets off the hook."