The order goes (from left to right): Soft Prinxiety, Skater Boy Virgil (And maybe nerd Roman), Virgil’s reaction to Logan’s orange eyes, Nico with the eye stuff, Your favorite side as a pirate, Patton with sharp teeth, Remus pranking Thomas (or one of the other sides), and Logan with a water pistol chasing after another side.
Warnings: Anxiety, Bullying, Depressing Thoughts, Overuse of Italics
Notes: This is based on @romantichopelessly‘s Stereotype Switch AU
Summary: It’s the first day of the second semester, and Virgil is just trying to survive High school. It’s not easy when you only have one real friend and one not-so-real personality.
Chapter 2
——————–
If you want me to add you to the taglist, just shoot me an ask or a message!
——————–
Chapter 1
Virgil Prince
Virgil loved his family. He really did. But why did they have to be so loud?
He had four… exuberant siblings (for lack of a better word), and every morning was the same. They’d all wake up at 6:30 in the morning, clamoring around the house, attempting to get ready. Well, most of them did. Virgil rolled over to look at his baby sister, Mia, who was standing up and looking at him, waiting for him to get her dressed. Virgil and Mia shared a bedroom while his other sister and brothers shared another one. Their parents slept by themselves.
Virgil huffed, sitting up to smile at his patiently waiting sister. Sometimes Virgil thought Mia was the smartest of the whole family. He stood up to pick her up from her crib, bouncing her on his hip while he picked out clothes from her side of the dresser. He then set her on his bed to get dressed quickly before carrying her downstairs to the kitchen.
Downstairs was chaos, but that was no different than usual. Setting Mia in her highchair, Virgil grabbed five bowls, spoons, a carton of milk, and an array of cereal options. Sometimes he would make eggs, but he was too exhausted for that. Some idiot on the football team was goofing around and got them all in trouble, causing his practice to run late, causing Virgil to be late picking up his siblings, causing his parents to go off on a rant about ‘responsibility’ or whatever. Virgil loved his parents, he really did, but sometimes he wondered if they were ever kids. They were probably born adults.
Humming in amusement and satisfaction with this idea, he called everyone for breakfast.
Quicker than lightning at the mention of food, three, now angel-looking, children appeared in their seats. Virgil rolled his eyes, pouring out everyone’s choice cereal options. Eating his breakfast, Virgil thought about his upcoming day.
He had a new project he had to start in science today. Every semester, students switched some classes (a part of one of the school’s “brilliant” ideas to help students make new friends, Virgil was sure) and Virgil’s science class had been one of his that had changed. The new semester started today, and Virgil knew that Mrs. Owens always assigned a group project to a new class. He hoped he’d get a better group than last time. He had gotten two of his teammates and a kid that didn’t talk much. His teammates spent the whole class time teasing the poor kid while Virgil secretly helped with the work, the quiet kid coming over to his house after school. He had eventually learned that the kid’s name was Elliot, and they were actually pretty sweet. Virgil hated that the people he was so-called “friends” with meant he couldn’t talk to people like Elliot.
Shaking off his anxiety for the project, Virgil collected everyone’s dishes, loading them into the almost-full dishwasher.
He made sure everyone was fully dressed and ready before telling them to get their backpacks on. He waved goodbye to his mom, who was coming out of the bedroom, already on the phone and looking stressed.
Virgil walked his siblings to the bus stop, Telling them all goodbye when their individual busses came. Aiden and Annalise, Virgil’s brother and sister (they were twins) left first, waving as the bus pulled away, on its path to the elementary school. Carter’s bus arrived next, transporting him to the middle school. As he waved goodbye, Virgil started his path to the daycare center a few blocks from his house. He was only able to drop Mia off because it was on his way to school.
Once she was checked in with Cora, the daycare supervisor, Virgil put in his earbuds to listen to music and help pass the time. It certainly helped, and in what felt like no time at all, Virgil arrived at the horror show often known as school. It was only a few minutes before the warning bell so he went straight to his locker. He checked his schedule to make sure he had stuff for the right classes and all of his homework, because, while he might not care too much about grades (except for athletic reasons), public humiliation from his peers and disappointment from his parents were two very real possibilities. While sports may have helped to boost his outward confidence, on the inside, he was still a small, scared person, all too influenced by what his peers thought.
A locker near his slamming shut brought his thoughts out of the hole they had started to spiral down. Focus, he told himself. They’ll never know if you fake the confidence. Do you want to go back to your previous social status? No? That’s what I thought.
He sighed tiredly, shutting his locker tightly before walking to class, backpack thrown over one shoulder. He glanced around, spotting a tall boy in a red sweatshirt. “Hey, Jake!” Jake perked up and grinned, running to catch up to Virgil. They talked on the way to their first class, American History. Virgil was nervous the whole time that he would say something wrong, but Jake was definitely one of the nicer jocks. They were talking about the science project, how Jake also hoped for a better group, when they arrived at the classroom and took their seats in the back.
They joked around until class started, then passed a sheet between them to continue a silent conversation. They took notes when necessary, but since it was a new semester, it was mostly going over the rules of the class. It was a good way to start the day, letting Virgil relax a bit and actually feel some of his previously fake confidence.
Of course, that was when it went wrong.
Class had just ended and Virgil and Jake were leaving the room when there was a slam from down the hallway, along with a shout of, “I’m talking to you, fairy!”
The two friends sped up a bit to see what was going on, only to see Trey Tanner walking next to a short boy. Trey was the tallest boy on the football team and was practically the leader of all of the jocks; a group Virgil regretted to admit he was a part of. The kid that Trey was teasing was very small. He couldn’t have been much taller than 5 feet, and it didn’t help that he was hunched in on himself, shoulder forward and head ducked. He wore a grey and white sweater with rainbows on the sleeves, a grey skirt, and grey and white converse with rainbow laces. A butterfly clip held his hair out of his eyes. He was clutching a book to his chest.
Trey kept blocking his way, taunting him and pushing him. He was clearly looking for some sort of reaction but he got none, and it was clearly frustrating him. He finally blew up, grabbing the book out of his hands, throwing it down the hallway towards Virgil and Jake. He whispered something in his ear that made him flinch and stormed off.
Virgil sighed, glad that Trey had left. He hated that he didn’t feel comfortable helping people with Trey around, but it was a habit by now.
He bent down and picked up the book that had landed at his feet, smoothing out the cover. Matilda, he read. He walked over to the kid and handed it to him. The shorter of the two looked up in surprise, beautiful, deep blue eyes shining with fear and confusion behind his thick-rimmed glasses. His face turned slightly pink and he took the book quickly, muttering a quick thanks before rushing off.
“What was that all about?” Jake had caught up with Virgil without him noticing. The latter shrugged, not knowing how to answer the same question he was currently asking himself.
——————–
The next few hours passed rather quickly, Virgil silently thanking whoever created the schedules that he shared several other classes with Jake. He also shared a class with Trey (which sucked), and he heard him laughing about the “fairy” he was teasing earlier, saying he might beat him up later if he felt like it. It was disgusting, honestly, how Trey treated some of the people in this school.
Finally, it was time for science, the last class before lunch. He was quietly excited for this class, wanting to know his group for the first couple weeks of class. The group also decided who you were going to sit with for the remainder of the semester. If you got a good group you were lucky. Mrs. Owens usually assigned groups using random methods, such as picking names or spinning a wheel. But Mrs. Owens was a very creative soul, you never know what might be up her sleeve.
Arriving in the science room, Virgil saw several students were standing around the outside of the room, most likely having been instructed to do so by Mrs. Owens, who was standing behind her desk, shuffling through some papers. He joined those standing, picking a spot near the corner, next to another dude on the football team. They exchanged a fist bump as a greeting before each taking out their respective phones. As more people filed in, Virgil’s excitement and anxiety peaked. Most of his thoughts centered around two main points; Who will it be? and AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Yeah, he was a bit anxious.
The final bell finally rang, signaling the end of the passing period. One last student ducked through the door, a tall kid in a too-big hoodie. They sighed, probably in relief, before closing the door behind them.
Mrs. Owens smiled at everyone, starting the hour with a greeting of, “Good morning, everyone!” most people chorused their own ‘good morning’s back, others rolling their eyes in annoyance.
“So,” she began, eyes sparkling behind her glasses. “Today is the first day of the new semester, and all of you know what that means!” There were a few groans and mutters, both excited and otherwise, from the class. Mrs. Owens smiled at the class, a knowing look on her face.
“I know that many of you may be anxious for your groups, so I have devised a plan that may change things a bit. If not, it will at least level the playing field a bit. As much as most adults may try to ignore it, I am well aware of the cliques and groups inside this school. Thus, I am, along with picking groups for the project, conducting a sort of social experiment. Every group contains people from different defined cliques in the school, and I have done my best to get a variety of personalities in each group as well. So, without further ado, I will announce the groups for this semester’s group project!”
Mrs. Owens’ speech didn’t do much to ease his anxiety, but it did pique his interest. At least it meant he wouldn’t get stuck with other, less productive jocks. She pulled a sheet from the stack next to her, beginning to read it off. As he listened to the list being read, he listened to names he knew, not hearing many. Once in a while, he saw someone he recognized from the halls or football practice move to a table.
“Group 4: Patton Algarotti, Roman Crofter, Logan Perez, and Virgil Prince.” There it was. He didn’t recognize any of the names, which was probably a good sign. He steeled himself, moving over to sit at the table. He caught Trey’s eyes from across the room, and he was looking at him with a pitying smirk. Virgil shot a confused look back, before turning back to his table, finally seeing his group mates.
Oh.
The boy next to him was the same one that Trey had been bullying before. He still had the book clutched to his chest, seeming to hold it a bit tighter than before.
The other two people he didn’t recognize much other than from passing them in the hall. One of them was the kid who had come in late, the one in the too-big hoodie. His hair was dyed a light blue at the ends and he had bags under his eyes, most likely from lack of sleep. His shoulders were slumped slightly and he looked ready to drop. The other kid was wearing a short-sleeved black button-up and a red tie. He didn’t have glasses, but he looked like the kind of person who would buy them just to complete the look. He had a serious, almost bored expression on his face and he seemed like he’d rather be anywhere else at the moment. An interesting group. He thought, suppressing a sarcastic smile. He sighed; best to start by breaking the ice.
“I’m Virgil Prince. I’m 17, and I play football.” He smiled tightly, almost a smirk. “Who’s next?”
The boy across from him sighed, introducing himself. “Patton Algarotti, 16. I write sometimes.”
The nerdy-looking boy went next. “I am Roman Crofter. I’m 17 and I enjoy reading.”
The boy next to Virgil went last. “I’m Logan Perez. I’m 15 and I like music.”
Virgil raised his eyebrows. This boy must be pretty smart. He was surprised that Logan was the one who had apparently skipped a grade and not Roman; he looked more like the type who would have.
He shook off the thought. He should know by now not to judge a book by its cover, but it was difficult. High school was full of stereotypes that ended
“Okay everyone,” Mrs. Owens spoke from the front of the room again. “I trust everyone has at least greeted their tablemates, so we’re going to get started! We won’t begin the planning process until later this week, so today we’re going to play a getting-to-know-you game!”
Everybody dragged their chairs in a big circle in the middle of the room to their teacher’s instruction. She stood in the middle of the circle, turning to look at every one. “Alright, this is a classic get-to-know-you game. One person stands in the middle and says something that others might relate to. For example, I could say ‘I like playing soccer’ and everyone who enjoys playing soccer would have to get up and switch seats. If you get caught standing with no other seats, you go in the middle. Who would like to go first?”
They played the game for the entire hour, Virgil actually learning some things about his groupmates. He found out that both Roman and Logan had an enjoyment for musicals, Patton liked comedy, and all three of them loved Harry Potter (a thing Virgil lied about when he didn’t stand).
The bell rang after a while of playing, signaling the end of the period and the beginning of lunch. Mrs. Owens called out a reminder to brainstorm project ideas over the ruckus of chairs being put away. The crowd of high schoolers pushed through the classroom door, jostling and shoving each other to get to their tables. There were technically no assigned seats, but everyone had them anyways. It was kind of cool sometimes. Virgil just wished he had a better seat.
Virgil sat a table that mostly consisted of the football team. The star players sat at one end, and their friends and teammates filled the rest. Every table went under a different stereotype; the jocks, the preps, the nerds, the misfits, and the outcasts. Every clique stayed to themselves and rarely did someone belong in multiple social groups. There were two tables for jocks (the football and soccer teams respectively). There was only one table for nerds, about three for preps (based on popularity and status), and two main tables for the misfit groups. The outcasts were spread throughout the rest of the cafeteria.
While standing in line, Virgil easily located where his groupmates sat. Patton and Roman were sitting across from each other at the end of the nerd table, a space next to each of them that disconnected them from the others. Logan sat in the back of the cafeteria, sitting alone and reading his book. Virgil felt a twinge of guilt toward the three. Then he realized the line had started moving forward again, and he, once again, shook himself out of his own head.
A few minutes later, now armed with a plastic plate of poison, someone got his attention.
“Yo, V” Virgil internally cringed. The only person who called him ‘V’ was-
“Hey, Trey, what’s up?” Trey scared him, but Virgil still forced himself to act casual. Trey saw him as a friend, an ally, even though Virgil actually hated him. But Trey didn’t need to know that.
“Me and a couple boys are gonna beat up this kid after school. Wanna join in?” No matter how many times Virgil declined, Trey couldn’t take the hint that bullying others wasn’t his thing. He didn’t want to hurt others, unlike Trey.
“No, my parents are making me take care of my siblings.”
Trey groaned, “Again?”
“Well, I do have four of them.” Trey sighed and rolled his eyes.
“That makes sense. Another time then.” And without waiting for another answer, he walked away.
Virgil shook his head, half in confusion, half in exasperation. Trey never listened to him before, he didn’t know why he expected anything to change. Virgil collapsed down next to Jake, pushing his lunch forward to hit his head on the table. Jake just calmly pat his back as he took a bite of his sandwich.
——————–
At the end of the school day, Virgil found himself wandering around the school. His siblings didn’t need to be picked up for an hour or so, so he had time to spare. He was lost in thought, wondering how his project was going to go this semester. It was only the first day; they wouldn’t even be picking a subject for a while, but Virgil still felt anxious. Then again, when wasn’t Virgil anxious? It seemed like a common presence in his head.
Not that he could let anyone know about that. Not even Jake, his only friend in this Hell of a school. Virgil didn’t want to risk the only true friendship he had with his stupid feelings.
There was, however, a tiny voice in the back of his head. Barely more than a whisper, like the sound of a feather falling to the earth. Like a cat’s whiskers rubbing together. Nothing more than a breath being let out. It was rarely heard, and even less often was it listened to. This voice told him it was okay to feel these things. It was normal and perfectly fine to have negative feelings. Virgil loved this voice, but it was never the loudest one. The black shadow of fear usually clouded over it, nearly erasing it altogether.
So Virgil listened to his fears, and in doing this, became the very thing he had feared most. Being a tall, lanky emo kid, he was often bullied. His insecurities took over, pushing him to join sports. He found he was actually quite good at them. So he dropped his hoodie and makeup, adopting a new look, and a new personality. He scored with the right people, making it to the top. And yet, sometimes he wished things could go back to the way they were in middle school. He’d had friends. Good ones, too. But high school changed them, leaving him behind. So he did the same.
Virgil turned another corner, coming to an empty hallway. He sighed and turned around, going the other direction instead.
Until he was hit by a small moving wall.
It didn’t knock him over, but the student who had walked into him was walking at a quick pace, knocking him back slightly. The short boy looked up at him, surprised.
It was Logan again, looking like he was about to fall apart. Virgil held back a joke ‘we really have got to stop running into each other like this’, instead going to ask if he was okay. Logan had a blossoming bruise on his cheek, under his left eye. His hair was slightly messy and he looked a bit disoriented. But before Virgil could even start, Logan turned around and ran off.
As Virgil watched after him, worried, a realization hit him upside the head, knocking all previous thoughts loose.
