Chapter Text
Let it be known that Exer Campbell would’ve rather jumped into the ocean than become an exchange student. Unhappy is a severe understatement when it comes to how much he is disliking his current arrangement.
He didn’t even know you could have exchange students between other states! That’s weird, in his (not so) humble opinion.
Exer did not choose to move to Kingsmont. It wasn’t even one of those big cities that you could get lost in with tons of new people to meet. No, Kingsmont was tiny. Exer deduced that immediately from the thin pamphlet his dad had handed to him along with his bus tickets.
In all honesty, he couldn’t even be mad at his dad. He freaked out and rightfully so. One minute your kid's captain of the football team and the next he’s causing earthquakes with rocks flying in every direction. Exer hated to admit it, but he lost control. It sucked. Especially since he thought he was doing so good with it.
His dad had told him that this family could help him. That he knew them for a long time and magic seemed to run in the family. It would be the perfect opportunity, he said.
One and a half days of living here, Exer can officially say that he was wrong. His dad had forgotten a few details in the welcome packet, it seems like.
Like how it’s very clear that magic is not in the family. If it was, it seems to have fizzeled out long ago. Maybe went off to some random niece or nephew. Exer is sure that his host family isn’t even aware of his magic. Having to keep it under wraps is going to be fun times.
Also, his current biggest issue. His roommate is a humongous jerk! Seriously, the universe couldn’t have found a more annoying human? He’s already going through enough.
He doesn’t know what exactly about Jackson irks him so much. He just knows that whenever he has to be in the same room as him that he would rather spontaneously combust. He probably could with his magic. He’ll have to think on that one.
His host family calls him downstairs. Exer makes sure he has his backpack before going down. He’s met with Jackson who glances at him anxiously, as if Exer’s a feral cat about to bite.
“Okay, so you two help each other out today. Maybe walk to class together?” Mrs. Smith- Carol, she insisted Exer call her- proposed. “I just feel like it’ll be good for you two to know each other.” She adds.
Exer would rather throw himself out the nearest window. But he can’t say that, so he puts on his best smile and nods.
Jackson doesn’t talk to him on the way to school. That’s fine with Exer. He’d make friends like he did at his old school no problem.
Except now that he's thinking about it…were they really his friends? He was popular, obviously. Top of his junior year class and a bunch of extracurriculars along with his spot on the varsity team. People would gawk and admire him; Exer would revel in it, power-drunk.
But he never had sleepovers with those people. He never hung out with them at the park or after school or at their houses.
…okay, maybe he didn’t have a lot of friends. Maybe he had no friends. That thought slithered down his back like a slippery snake; uncomfortable and unwelcome.
Exer didn’t notice they were at the school until Jackson told him he’d see him later at home. Exer had murmured something and walked in the other direction.
He had gotten to school early, but it seems the hallways were already filling up with eager students. And he needed to go to classroom 1250-B. He could figure that out easily!
Ten minutes of walking around aimlessly he came to the conclusion he could not do this. This school was built like a freaking labyrinth. Exer knew he stuck out like a sore thumb now looking completely lost.
He huffs, considers leaving and trying again tomorrow. Then he remembers how his father would call him dramatic and that he’s making mountains out of mole hills, so he puts the thought to the back of his brain.
The green mist- a byproduct of his magic- creates a small pathway along the tile. It might be helpful, but it’s just another example of him losing control over it. He follows it still because he needs to get to class on time.
A few kids are meandering around the class, clearly trying to delay the start of class. Exer grips his backpack strap and walks to the back of class. Despite his desire to be popular, it’s recently been overshadowed by his fear of his magic being exposed. He decided if this was going to be like his old school, he was going to have to be subtle about it. He sits down and begins to survey the room.
“Alright everyone, pick a seat and stay in it! Let’s try and get started today.” The teacher instructs as he picks up his clipboard. He glances over to the other side of the room. The teacher sighs and turns his gaze to two boys in the front row. “Miller, Novikov, do not make me separate you two on the first day.” “We won’t, sir. Promise.” The blond boy assures the teacher. The boy sitting next to him with blue hair nods as well.
“Alright. Now, the next order of business: class, we have a new student joining us this year. Is there an Axel Campbell here?” Exer sighs and raises his hand. “It’s Exer.” He corrects. The teacher looks down at his clipboard. “Ah, my bad. How about you come up to the front of the class and introduce yourself?” Exer groaned inwardly. It seems like this day was made to torture him specifically.
He stood up and walked to the front of the room. “My name is Exer Campbell. I’m from New York and I moved here because my dad wanted me to have a change. That’s it.” He shrugs. The thought of what he could’ve had if he hadn’t screwed up, hadn’t lost control seeped into his mind and he walked back to his seat before he started to panic.
Exer picks at his sleeve as the teacher begins the lesson. He’s about to unravel a thread when he feels eyes on him. He looks up to see the blond boy in the front row staring at him. He's not even being subtle, his head is fully turned towards Exer.
Exer glares back at him, because what is this guy's problem? The blond guy must notice he’s been caught and smiles like he’s won a prize. Like he wanted to get caught. He turns his head back around and whispers something to the guy next to him. Exer wonders for a second if he can have super hearing with his magic but stops himself. He’s supposed to be controlling himself.
Throughout class the two of them would not stop staring at Exer. It was mostly the blond guy, eyes blue like the sky at high noon taking him in. Seriously, was there something on his sweater? A quick check confirms that’s false, so these two guys were just being really odd.
The bell rings, signaling the class is over. Whether Exer gave it a little ‘encouragement’ to get away from the visual dissection is an irrelevant question as he packs up his bag and walks out of class. When he takes the turn out into the hallway, he bumps into someone.
It’s the blond guy, or ‘Miller’ as the teacher called him. But Exer could bet that wasn’t his first name and calling people by their last names was never a trait of Exer’s.
“Woah- sorry about that.” He puts his hands up in surrender like Exer would bite his head off. Now that Exer’s this close he could see the shimmer in his eyes. “Whatever. Just- whatever.” Exer sighs as he walks away.
He used to be good at this. Socializing, making people feel nice and getting favors out of them in return. He used to be a king. He used to be respected at the very least. Now he’s starting over from scratch with nothing.
If this day couldn’t get any worse, he runs into Jackson. Exer curses the sky as Jackson begins to talk about something Exer couldn’t be paid to give a crap about. He could feel a headache building up just being near Jackson and his incessant niceness.
“And then the teacher- hey, are you okay?” Jackson asks with such genuine concern Exer might actually barf. “I’m peachy.” Exer draws sarcastically. Jackson doesn’t seem to grasp it. “Really? Because you look kinda sick.” He tries to reach out to Exer’s face. Exer takes a step back. “I’m fine.” He states. What would really make him feel better is getting Jackson off of his case.“I’ll walk home by myself. The teacher wanted to talk to me.” He settles on. Jackson’s smile returns. “Oh, okay! I’ll see you later then.” “Can’t wait.” He grits through his teeth before leaving Jackson alone in the hallway.
Walking the other way, he can feel his anger build up in the now empty section of the school. He was never officially diagnosed with anger issues, but Exer had looked it up in one of his dad’s textbooks and wasn’t all that shocked that he met most of the symptoms.
The magic doesn’t help. It feeds on his emotions and stronger ones are like adding gasoline to the fire. He can feel it burning in his chest now, his magic yearning to be released. Back at home he had his place to go; here he has nowhere. He is trapped, a prisoner who’s made his own magical cage.
He can’t stop thinking about stupid Jackson and those stupid boys and this move and how he just wanted to explode sometimes.
That last thought slips away from him and his magic expels from his body as a strong force that could knock someone over easily. It leaves Exer’s hands twitching and tingling like he just got electrocuted. He rubs at them and sighs.
At least no one got hurt.
“Ow.” A voice comes from inside a classroom.
He stands corrected, then.
Exer pushes the door open to the classroom. He finds the blue haired boy from earlier holding his nose, blood dripping down from it.
“Do you need help?” Exer questions. “The door hit me.” He says. He looks up at Exer. He blinks once, twice. “It’s you.”
Okay, now Exer’s confused.
“Are you concussed or something?” He shrugs. He pulls his hand away and sees the blood. “I have to go.” Then he’s walking away like Exer was nothing important.
“Fine! See if I care about either of you!” Exer doesn’t know why he uses those specific words, or why he’s acting like a jealous ex at the moment.
He’s so done with today. So done with this stupid small town and the people designed to do nothing but piss him off.
Exer doesn’t remember the walk home, too blinded by his steadfast anger. He throws his bag on the floor of his room and screams into his pillow.
The cherry on top, of course, is that his magic has to act up. All the unpacked objects in his room start levitating. The flying objects evade Exer when he tries to grab them and Exer’s ready to throw everything out of the room at his point.
It finally stops after a couple of minutes. Even a short time using his magic felt like an eternity to Exer, because those were all times where he was out of control.
He sighs and sits on the bedroom floor. Then Jackson comes into view and he sits back up. “What do you want?” He asks tiredly.
Jackson rubs at the back of his neck. “Oh- uh, nothing. I just thought I saw something…green?”
Exer’s blood runs cold.
Shit.