New Kid on the Bus

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Liam blankly watched the school bus approach. It looked surprisingly like the bus he used to take to his last school, and Liam found himself faintly disappointed in that. He'd wanted it to be something completely different, when really, his life here would be just like his old life.

It would just take a few weeks or months to build back up to where he'd been.

The bus hissed to a stop and Liam got on. A few heads turned with dull curiosity to see who got on at the new stop, but their eyes drifted away again before Liam could make eye contact and invite himself to sit with them.

Shrugging, Liam made his way to the only empty seat left on the bus and settled in next to the window. This prompted a few more turned heads, a raised eyebrow, and a few giggles from the back of the bus that likely had nothing to do with Liam and his choice of seat.

Backpack next to him, Liam turned his eyes out the window and watched the neighborhood pass by, wondering at its similarities to the last neighborhood he'd lived in. The bus made a few more stops, but no one tried to sit next to Liam, for which he was silently grateful. Right now, he didn't want anyone trying to befriend the new kid. He was having far too much fun sulking by himself.

The bus stopped again, and Liam disinterestedly studied the line of tricycles at the house across the street. There were four of them, all different colors, and parked in a row next to a bike with training wheels and two adult bikes. It was almost disgustingly cute.

"Well, look here," said a voice from the bus aisle. "Just when I thought there was no one to answer my prayers; an angel sits in my bus seat."

Liam rolled his eyes, but turned around to look at the guy who was addressing him. His first look was dull and uninterested, but half a second later, his lazy gaze sharpened and he sat infinitesimally straighter. "This is your seat?" Liam asked, shooting for extra sarcasm to hide his interest. "And they told me this wasn't hell." But he pulled his backpack over onto his lap so the other guy could sit down.

The other guy not only sat, but leaned his arm over Liam's head. "Aw now, sweetie, don't be like that," he said leaning closer. "You know you love me."

Liam, unfazed by the invasion of his personal space, snorted. "I'm your seatmate, not your boyfriend," he said.

The other guy didn't move. "We could change that," he said, deepening his voice and giving Liam a significant look.

Liam raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that," he said. "It depends what you're doing on Friday."

His seatmate smiled. "Well, I was planning to watch internet porn and feel sorry for myself, but I could probably be convinced to take you out to dinner."

Liam snorted again, and turned back to the window.

"What?" asked his seatmate, sounding a bit hurt.

"If you need convincing, you're not worth it."

"Oh, I don't know," the other guy said, running a finger along Liam's ear. "I'm pretty easy," he leaned forward to whisper in Liam's ear, "to convince."

Liam turned back to look at him again, forcing his face to stay blank. "What's your name?" he asked.

The guy, still far too close for a normal conversation, grinned. "Noel. But you can call me whatever you like, beautiful."

"Liam," Liam said. "How does Friday at seven sound?"

"Early," Noel said, still grinning, and still very close.

"Wouldn't want to run out of time," Liam replied, grinning back. He didn't mention the temporary curfew, or the fact that his parents wanted to meet his new friends before they'd let him go out. They wouldn't stop his from going out; they were just concerned because of the new school and everything. If it was truly a date, and Noel impressed them favorably, they might even remove the curfew for the night…

Apparently satisfied with this, Noel sat back onto his side of the seat, convinced Liam to show him his schedule and compared what classes they were in.

"You should switch to fourth period physics," Noel said.

Liam shook his head. "It was hard enough to get these classes, I'm not going back to the guidance counselor to try and convince him I want to switch."

"But then we won't share the same lunch."

"A tragedy, really," Liam said. "I'll just be happier to see you sixth period that way." He wouldn't mind sharing lunch with Noel, but he wasn't lying about the difficulty in getting the classes he had.

Noel huffed dramatically and folded his arms across his chest. "Like we'll get to talk in history."

"Then find me on breaks," Liam said, shifting to stand as the bus pulled up to the school at last. "School's not that big."

Noel stood up and slipped his own bag over his shoulder, somehow managing to grope Liam as he did so. "I will find you," he said.

"Good, because I'll probably be lost," Liam said, but it was lost to the noise of everyone exiting the bus.

The school wasn't that big, as Liam had said, and he found his first class without problem. It helped that the counselor had given him a tour when he'd come in to register. Liam spoke with the teacher and then settled down into his seat, tapping his pencil on the side of the desk.

Once class was over, Liam spent a few minutes trying to locate his locker, which was naturally on the far side of the school. He'd barely shut the door to it, when a hand slid down up his back. "Hey, beautiful," Noel said.

"Hey yourself," Liam replied, turning around and leaning back against his locker.

"How was class?" Noel asked, stepping a bit closer.

"Survivable," Liam said, raising an eyebrow expectantly as Noel leaned even closer. There was a moment of hesitance, and then Noel's lips were on Liam's, his hands on Liam's hips, pressing him back into the locker.

The kiss was a bit more show than passion, but Liam didn't mind. So far this whole thing had been a bit more show than passion. Not that he didn't want Noel, and not that Noel didn't want him, but they were making out in the middle of a crowded high school hallway, if that wasn't a sign of exhibitionism, Liam didn't know what was.

A throat was cleared loudly and nearby.

Noel pulled away, though his hands still lingered at Liam's hips.

Lima peered curiously at the principal, who'd just interrupted them.

"Mr. Goffard, I should think you know the rules about PDAs by now," the principal said, frowning at Noel.

Noel smiled at him. "I do, but Liam here doesn't, so I thought I'd take my chance while I still could."

The principal smiled faintly. "You still get a detention," he said. "Although I will allow Mr. Sussman off the hook, as this is his first offense."

"Does that mean everyone else gets a free first offence with me?"

The principal shook his head. "You've already had a first offence with everyone else, Mr. Goffard."

Noel's smile grew. "Too true," he said, laughing.

The principal shook his head again, and then clapped Noel on the shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

"I got off lightly," Noel said, grabbing Liam's hand and tugging him along.

"How's that?" Liam asked, allowing himself to be pulled through the flow of foot traffic.

"I was up to three detentions for any public display of affection, but I've been on good behavior for the last few months, so I guess he decided to go easy on me."

"Good behavior?" Liam asked. "Or did you just run out of innocents to molest in the hallway?"

Noel laughed and pulled them to a stop. "Have fun in French," he said, leaning forward for a peck on the lips before darting off to his next class.

Liam shrugged and entered the French room Noel had left him in front of, assuming it was the right one.

It was, and he sorted out a few things with the teacher before finding his assigned seat.

About halfway through class the teacher broke them up into small groups with a list of French questions to ask each other.

Liam stared at his group. They stared back.

"You're the kid who sat in Noel's bus seat," the boy finally said.

The girl snorted. "He's the guy who was making out with Noel in the hall last passing period."

Liam smirked. He was.

The boy scrunched up his face. "Poor new boy," he said.

"Yeah," the girl said. "Look, I know you're new, so you don't know this, but Noel's not exactly known for his fidelity or his constancy."

Liam leaned forward. "Look, I know I'm new, so you don't know this, but I'm not exactly known for my fidelity or my constancy, either. I know what I'm getting into."

The girl looked like she wanted to say more, but the French teacher walked by right then, tapping the assignment on the desk in front of Liam. "En Francais, sil vous plait," she said before walking off. The three of them sent a collective glare at her as she left, but began to work.

Liam made it to his next class without seeing or being molested by Noel. He did see Noel in the hall as he made his way to lunch after third period, but the meeting only lasted long enough for Noel to introduce Liam to a friend, tell them to sit together at lunch, and then run off to class.

Noel's friends grilled Liam at lunch, but seemed to find him inoffensive at the end, since they invited him to sit with them again the next day. There were a few comments about Noel's inconstancy, but, unlike the kids in French class, most of them seemed to understand that Liam knew what he was getting in to.

They probably recognized the signs.

Liam didn't see Noel again until sixth period, were they sat next to each other and passed notes of increasing vulgarity all class.

Then there was one more class period to suffer through until the end of the school day.

Liam met Noel just outside the school, waiting for him. They shared a brief kiss, and then got onto the bus holding hands. They settled into the seat that was apparently Noel's usual, as it was still empty, and Noel leaned against Liam's side.

"I know we're on for Friday," Noel said, "but could we also do a study date tonight? Friday's a long way off."

Liam chuckled. "You are easy," he said, running his fingers through Noel's hair. "Tomorrow, maybe." He still had a million things to do and unpack, and his parents had said they'd go out tonight as a family; try a new restaurant, get settled more with the businesses around their new home. "When I'm more unpacked."

They fell silent for a moment.

"I thought I'd scare you off," Noel said suddenly. "This morning. I hate sharing my bus seat, so I hit on anyone who tries to sit there. It's been a year since anyone tried."

Liam chuckled. "We're too alike for you to scare me off," he said.

"Hmm," Noel replied.

They rode in silence for a few more minutes.

Noel sighed and sat up. "My stop is coming soon. You had better give me your number."

Liam opened his mouth to start rattling it off, but then paused. "I think we've got a new one, and I don't have a cell phone, so… maybe you should give me yours instead."

"How do I know you'll call me?" he asked.

Liam smiled. "I'll still be on the bus tomorrow morning, you can chastise me then if I don't."

Noel gave him his number, and then got off the bus at his stop. Liam crushed the paper into his pocket and turned to look out the window of the bus, a faint smile playing around his mouth. Maybe his new school wasn't exactly like his old school, but it was close enough that Liam was fitting right in.

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End

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Yes, you read that right. END. That's why it's a one-shot.