Semi-Charmed Life

Warnings: back to the 90s, boys in relationships with boys, underage alcohol use, light swearing, all the drama that comes with being a high school student

Summary: Straight-laced Casey didn't expect his senior year to be so crazy. But between his all-knowing best friend, his jerk-ass lab partner, and the grunge kid who made his heart skip a beat, crazy was inevitable.


One: Come As You Are

August 26, 1996 was the start of it all. The sun was out, very few clouds dared to disturb it and one-fourth of the students at Larkspur High School felt like the most powerful people in the world. They were on top of the world and the social food chain and no one would dare stand in their way. They had the best lockers, the best classes, and, if they were lucky, early dismissal. These students were the seniors and Casey Hinson was one of them.

He wasn't aware of the feeling of empowerment that came with the title of "senior" just yet because he preferred to continue sleeping. First day of school or not, Casey hated waking up at seven in the morning. No amount of excitement could get him to budge and leave the nest of pillows and blankets he had settled himself into over the course of the night.

Thankfully, his best friend knew this.

Valerie Hartman lived the next house over and had done so all of her life. Casey moved in when he was five, just in time to start kindergarten. In their almost-thirteen years of knowing each other, they couldn't decide if it was a curse or a blessing that their bedroom windows faced each other.

This morning, in Casey's eyes, it was a curse.

"RISE AND SHINE, SPACE CASE," Valerie hollered through the window, jolting Casey from his sleep. "YOU CAN'T BE LATE FOR OUR FIRST DAY OF SENIOR YEAR!"

Casey grumbled, tossing over his bed and covering his head with a pillow to block out the racket coming from next door.

Valerie sighed and rolled her eyes before stepping away from her window and picking up an object from her closet before returning. "Have you forgotten who worked as a camp counselor this summer?" She held up a bullhorn and waved it threateningly in Casey's direction, even though she knew he couldn't see it and he was in for a rude awakening regardless.

With a grin, she pressed the red button, sending the obnoxious, blaring sound of the horn into the next home (and perhaps through the entire neighborhood).

Casey shrieked and nearly fell out of bed as he body moved to get away from the noise. Valerie doubled over in laughter.

Finally sitting up, Casey glared at the girl through the window before walking over and opening his. He rested his elbows against the sill.

"I'm beginning to wonder how I've managed to live next to you for so long and not lose my mind," he snapped.

Valerie chuckled. "Without me, you'd be late to your own funeral," she said. "Now seriously, get ready! I'm coming over in like ten minutes and if I walk in on you in your underwear I'm gonna be so pissed."

"Wouldn't be the first time that happened," Casey said with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah yeah, but we're not making a habit out of it, ya hear?"

"Yes ma'm."

"Now go. Ten minutes. And wear something nice!"

Casey sent her a military salute, earning another round of laughter from the girl, before closing his window and obeying her wishes. He wasn't sure if his light, straight-leg jeans and a red and white striped collared shirt were Valerie's definition of "nice", but they suited him just fine. He slipped on his brown leather sandals since the weather was still summer warm.

As promised, Valerie was over just as soon as she said she would be. She was always punctual and kept her word. She strolled into the Hinson home through the back door just as Casey clambered down the stairs. Both of his parents were in the kitchen.

"Just in time for breakfast, Valerie," said Brenda Hinson with a large smile indicative of a mother who was proud to see that her only child had succeeded in the public school system on was on the verge of graduation. "You like your toast with butter, right?"

"Awww, Mrs. Hinson, you know me so well," said Valerie, taking a seat at the table. Casey made his way into the kitchen and sat down to join her.

"My son's finally a senior," Robert Hinson said, putting down his newspaper so he could focus on the two teenagers at the table. They dug into their plates like starving animals once Brenda set them down in front of them. "And you Val, you're pretty much my daughter. This is an exciting day."

"I've been waiting for this day since high school started," Valerie said, forming her works around a mouthful of egg and buttered toast. "Remember how much freshman year sucked? Now we finally get to run things."

"This year took forever to get here," Casey groaned before returning to his food. "But I really just want to skip senior year entirely and just fast-forward to graduation. I hate school."

"Don't be too excited," said Brenda. "These are some of the best times of your life. You shouldn't wish them away so fast. You don't want to miss anything."

Casey rolled his eyes. "Don't get all mushy-corny on me right now, Mom. I'm eating. Besides it's not that big of a deal… really."

Brenda simply smiled at her son and patted his shoulder gently before cleaning up the plates that she and her husband had soiled before the teenagers had even woken up.

Once Valerie and Casey were done eating, they picked up their backpacks waved goodbye to Robert and Brenda and headed outside to Valerie's car. It was a clunker she had just purchased with her earnings from her summer job. Casey never bothered to save his money for a vehicle, so he was without but he didn't care. Valerie seemed more than happy to chauffer him to and from school, as they had already agreed on the day Valerie got the car. He happily hopped into the passenger seat while Valerie got into the driver's side.

"Here we go," Valerie's excitement evident in her voice. "Senior year. No going back. We're gonna make this an awesome school year!"

Casey nodded in agreement, smiling at his friend and receiving one in return.

Valerie started the car and immediately rolled down the windows and turned up the radio. Gangsta's Paradise blasted the entire way to school.


Monotone, technological ringing woke Bryce up on his first day of his senior year. He mumbled incoherently as he reached out a hand to feel around his bedside table, hoping to reach his cell phone without having to move the rest of his body. He only managed to succeed once the ringing stopped.

He pulled the bulky phone under the covers and looked at the screen.

Missed Call
Jack M

Bryce stared absently at the phone for a moment, scratching his chin. Jack would call him this early in the morning. His phone made another monotone ringing noise and the message changed.

One New Voice Message

He smirked at the screen. "Whatever, I don't have time for this," he mumbled to himself. He threw his phone aside and practically tumbled out of bed because he legs were tangled up in his comforter and his arms were awkwardly wrapped up in the sheets.

After getting himself situated and orientated with his surroundings, Bryce went about his typical morning routine: shower, brush his teeth, get dressed, and drink chocolate milk straight from the carton (his preferred form of breakfast). After he completed his checklist, he returned to his room to grab his backpack for the first day of school, a spare pair of shoes to change into, and his rollerblades. He put them on and exited the apartment where he lived and began his journey to Larkspur High School.

He gripped his cell phone tightly in his hand, curiosity slowly getting the better of his as he bladed his way to school. With a sigh he dialed his voice mail box and put in his password, sighing as he held the large device to his ear.

You have one new voice messages, a digitized female voice announced.

Hey, Bry, Jack's voice came up next. Bryce swallowed thickly at the sound. So I know you're probably still pissed about the end of this summer but uhm… I think I'm just gonna sit this semester out of school because I've got some personal stuff I need to handle and I need to be home to do… and I'll be back sometime next week. Soooo… I was hoping we could talk and maybe when I get back… well, yeah. You know. Uhm, so give me a call back alright? I'll see you soon. Take care, man.

With a sigh, Bryce deleted the voicemail, running a hand through his hair. He suddenly felt too tired to care about school. Forget the fact that it was the first day and he was now officially a senior.

He quickly dialed a familiar number and placed the phone back to his ear.

One ring.

Two.

Three.

You've reached the desk of Rhonda Walker. Sorry I am unable to take your call but please leave your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a good day.

Beep!

"Hey Mom," said Bryce, slowly, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Yeah, sorry for not calling all summer… not that you ever return my calls anyway, but… Just wanted to let you know I'm alive and stuff, I guess. I'm on my way to school right now… senior year…"

He paused. Then gave a breathy laugh. Calling his mom was totally pointless. "Whatever," he said into the phone before hanging up just as he skated onto the grounds of Larkspur High School.

He rolled passed the majority of his classmates who were congregated on the front lawns, greeting their friends who they acted like they hadn't seen in ages even though they were all hanging out almost every day of the summer. He stayed on the sidewalk and made his way to the back of the school where the wood and auto shops were located because that's where he and his friends have been hanging out before school since their sophomore year.

Sitting down on the curb, Bryce pulled off his skates and slipped on his favorite pair of shoes – his green high-top Chuck Taylors that clashed horribly with the red checkered shirt he decided to wear.

"It's 'bout time you showed up, B-man," one large boy greeted him, giving him a typical 'bro' hug once the boy stood up. "I was thinking you were skipping the first day."

"You know I hate meaningless introductions and all that mess," Bryce shrugged. "I was gonna sleep, but I was rudely awakened by some idiot who thought it would be a good idea to call me at 7am. But it's good to see you, Tommy. Where's the rest of your band at."

"Eh… Craig is hittin' on that hot History teacher he had last year," Tommy said, recalling where everyone had run off to shortly before Bryce's arrival. "Kevin is with that new girlfriend of his and Shane is off in a practice room somewhere. Typical."

Bryce rolled his eyes at the mention of Shane's name. He pretty much hated the kid. When they were younger, they were really competitive towards each other but the friendly aspect of their rivalry died once they hit high school and it became vicious. It sucked that they ran in the same circle, so they were constantly in close proximity to each other and fist fights were common between the two.

"He's just wiggin' out over our show next Friday, you know how he gets," Tommy continued.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Are you comin' to the show? Still got a couple a' spaces left on the guest list if you wanna get in free," the boy continued to prod his friend. "You know you wanna goooooo."

Bryce laughed at his annoying friend. The warning bell rang, signaling that they only had five minutes to get to their first class before they were officially tardy.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Bryce finally answered as they two entered the building. "Hope ya'll worked on some new stuff. If I have to listen to your cover of Heart-Shaped Box again, I'm gonna murder somebody."

"We're always gonna play Heart-Shaped Box," said Tommy, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he shuffled along. "Shane's in love with Kurt Cobain."

"Tell me about it," Bryce sighed, exasperated. "Man's been dead for two years, total worm dinner, and he's still in that annoying fan boy grieving stage."

"You better not let him hear you talk like that," Tommy warned, lightly punching his friend's shoulder. "He'll knock your block off in a heartbeat if he hears you speaking ill of his idol… But anyway, I've got English first but I'll catch you later. Don't be late to class!"

Bryce flipped him off before making his way to the science wing of the school.


"Welcome to Chemistry II, my little geniuses! It's good to see some familiar faces from Chemistry I… I've taught most of you before."

Casey sat at his own, personal lab table as he listened to Mr. Morrison drown on and on about the exciting world of Chemistry II. The first day of school was such a waste of his life. He only took this class because he was naturally gifted in the subject and he wanted an easy A so he could take it easy his last year of high school.

"Alright now, I'll stop ranting and we can get to the fun part," said Mr. Morrison, returning to his desk and pulling out a large stack of papers. "Okay, so I have to take roll but I also have to hand out your emergency information forms which must be filled out and signed by a parent or guardian. So when I call your name, come up and get your form."

"Abshire, Melissa… Babs, Heather… Black, Jason…"

The door swung open and slammed into the wall adjacent to it as a boy walked into the classroom, looking tired and rather livid.

"Bryce Walker!" Mr. Morrison barked the boy's name, quickly getting his attention. "Fifteen minutes tardy on your first day. I feel that's a new record. Tell me, is this going to be a reoccurring theme this school year?"

"Probably," Bryce answered, smugly.

Mr. Morrison sighed before handing him a piece of paper. "Well since you're up here, come get your emergency information form and then take that seat beside… Casey Hinson. It's the only one left anyway."

Bryce snatched the paper from his teacher's hand and threw his backpack and rollerblades down next to his lab table. He sat down and turned to face Casey giving him a quick once-over.

"Casey Hinson, huh?"

Casey glanced over at Bryce. His luck… he would get stuck sitting next this guy. He assumed he was an idiot who couldn't care less about grades, social niceties, or even wearing clothes that matched. With his red plaid and green sneakers, he looked like Christmas come early.

"Yeah. Bryce Walker?"

"Don't get smart," Bryce snapped. "Now look, I didn't want to take Chemistry II but I needed one more science class to graduate and this was the least of all the evils in the class catalog. Are you good at Chemistry?"

"Casey, come up here and get your form," Mr. Morrison interrupted their conversation.

Thank God, Casey thought, jumping up a little too eagerly to make his way to the teacher's desk to receive his paper. He took his time walking back to his seat when he noticed that Bryce was still eyeing him in a way that made him feel really uncomfortable. His but was barely back on his stool when he was assaulted again.

"So are you good at Chemistry or not?"

"I guess," Casey answered. "I did okay in Chemistry I."

"Well good because you and I are in this together," Bryce continued. "You scratch my back and I'll try to scratch yours some day. Is that cool?"

"Dude, it's every man for himself," Casey snapped in return. "I'm not helping you cheat your way through this class. If you fail, it's all on you."

"Alright, now that everyone has their forms," Mr. Morrison piped up, leaving their conversation hanging on an awkward note. "In this class, we have a lot of labs, a lot of projects, a lot of group work so I want you to look around right now. The person you're sharing a table with right now is your lab partner for the year, unless circumstances result in you switching or someone drops the course. Now, look down your row. For bigger group projects, it will be you and your lab partner with the table directly across from you. I suggest you all take a little bit of time to get to know each other because you'll be dealing with each other a lot."

Upon that mini-speech, Casey slammed his head down on the table. His classmates stared at him in alarm, thinking he had passed out.

"You alright there, man?" Bryce asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Peachy, just peachy," Casey replied, sarcastically, his voice muffled by the thick plastic his mouth was pressed firmly against. Crap... I. Am. So. SCREWED this year!