Chapter Text
Finney loathed the food in the school cafeteria. If it was a good day then they’d serve pizza, if it was an ok day chicken nuggets. Today, however, was Friday. What most kids considered the best day of the week was tainted only by the so-called ‘food’ the cafeteria served its students that day. Grilled cheese was hard to get wrong for most people, but the school cafeteria found a way. It probably had something to do with how they prepared it, which was some sort of backward miracle considering it was served in a plastic wrapper. You’d think they could just pop a bunch of them in the microwave and they’d be relatively decent, but no. Instead, the students were served a sandwich moist with perspiration and grease.
The way the soggy bread squished under Finney’s fork made him grimace. Upon being unwrapped from the plastic the thing had released a wretched stench, and the grease from the all-American cheese had soaked into the sandwich bread. This combination of evil in a bag made most kids turn their noses up at it as Finney had, leaving it on the tray and instead reaching for a frozen fruit cup.
“Do you think you could help me out with my homework over the weekend?” Robin asked, taking a bit of his grilled cheese. The first time Finney had watched his friend eat the infamous thing he thought he’d tasted bile in the back of his throat. But now it was just a normal part of Finney’s Fridays to watch the grease build up in the corners of his friend's mouth before Robin reached up to wipe it away.
“Yeah, sure.” Finney agreed, flicking the plastic seal of the fruit cup a few times with his nail. “I’ll bring mine to Bruce’s house.”
“Thanks, man,” Robin sighed, leaning back and taking another bite of his lunch. “I just don’t get all that math stuff, y’know?” He said as Finney finally managed to snag the plastic and peel it off the cup. “Teacher’ doesn’t explain it well. Not like you do.”
Finney let out a little laugh, leaning back himself with a spoon in one hand and a fruit cup in the other. “I don’t know,” The boy said sheepishly, a touch embarrassed at his friend's compliment. “I just let you copy me.”
“No, man,” Robin insisted, popping the last piece of the grilled cheese into his mouth. “Mr. Smith talks too fast. You show me how to do it, like, step by step.”
“Mr. Smith does that too.” Finney pointed out, lifting a spoonful of frozen-melted strawberry mush. “You just don’t pay attention.” He put the spoon in his mouth, watching Robin huff and cross his arms indignantly. Robin had a fair right to his indignance, it wasn’t like Finney had the same math class as the other boy. For all he knew, Robin could be paying attention and taking notes diligently. But the lack of a teasing or biting response from the other told Finney he was probably right.
Robin reached to his plate and picked up the plastic container of dry fries- what he’d opted for rather than the fruit cup Finney was finishing. The black-haired boy opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a couple of surprised and disgruntled shouts coming from behind them. Finney twisted around, eyes landing on the lunch line that was currently getting shoved aside by a curly-haired blonde named Vance Hopper.
“Looks like he’s in a bad mood,” Finney commented as Vance threw a frightening look at a kid who tried to stop the older blonde from cutting to the front of the line. The kid quickly backed off, allowing Vance to grab a flimsy tray with a grilled cheese from the frowning lunch lady.
“When isn’t he?” Robin laughed as Vance pushed his way through the lunch line, the lady at the end clicking her counter without a beat as he walked past her. Robin waved at him as he approached the two younger boys, the glare on his face becoming clearer and clearer as he came closer. Finney turned back around as Vance practically tossed his lunch tray onto the table and his backpack onto the bench beside Robin. The boy sat next to the black-haired boy with an aggravated noise, running an angry hand through his curly hair.
“What happened this time?” Robin asked with a bit of a laugh, raising a hand to cover his smirk from the already aggravated blonde.
“My fuckin son of a bitch teacher,” Vance growled, grabbing his backpack with a fist and yanking it towards him. “I was jacking off in his class,” The older boy threw a sharp glare at Robin when he snickered, Finney’s cheeks tinting a bit at Vance’s choice of words. “And Mr. Prick,”
The blonde pulled out a paper that was creased in a fist. “Decided to get on my ass about it. He was all like ‘Mr. Hopper,” His nose crinkled, putting on a funny voice as he quoted the teacher. “‘I already called your Mom once this week’- As if ,” He slammed his fist on the table, making Finney jump. “My fucking Mom even gives a shit! He said ‘If you paid attention I wouldn’t have to call her again’ so I said,” He smirked. “Maybe if you weren’t such a snotty-nosed bitch your husband wouldn't have left your sorry ass.”
Robin let out a laugh, smiling wide as his brows raised. “No way you said that!” He exclaimed, Finney’s face morphing into an expression of surprise. Vance was constantly getting into some form of trouble, ranging from just being late to class to busting kids' noses in. Every time Finney reacted with equal shock, though he’d slowly been able to start reacting with a hesitant smile along with Robin's laughter at Vance’s escapades.
“Course’ I did,” Vance grinned, obviously proud of the comeback. He let go of the paper he’d been holding, laying it on the table before drawing both arms back to rest along the bench. “Fucker got real mad, so he decided to ramp it up from a call to Mom to an actual referral.” Vance looked to the side, glaring daggers at the cafeteria wall as the two other boys looked at the paper.
“That’s your second one this year right?” Robin asked, glancing up at Vance.
“Yeah.”
“Won’t three get you held back?” Finney blurted out, quickly glancing up at Vance after saying it. Finney usually didn’t talk to Vance much- they were friendly and had their moments, but Finney preferred to stay quiet around the blonde rather than risk ticking the older boy off. Unlike Robin and Bruce who were annoyed with the older boys' temper at worst and amused more often than not.
But rather than snapping at Finney Vance just gritted his teeth, not looking back. “Yeah, but who gives a shit?” He shrugs, crossing his legs under the table. “I was already planning to drop out of high school the second shit got too annoying for me, if they try and hold me back again I’ll just drop out.”
“Your sister won’t like that,” Robin said, picking up another stale fry from his momentarily abandoned lunch tray.
“I don’t give a damn what my sister thinks,” Vance growled, narrowing his eyes.
“Bruce won’t either.” Robin quipped back, pointing the bitten fry at the blonde.
Vance opened his mouth before closing it again, letting out a growl that gradually got louder before he snatched the referral off the table. “We were planning to move in together when we turn 18 anyway, dropping out’ll just give me more time for work.” He grumbled, shoving the paper back into his backpack- where it would most likely sit crumpled up at the bottom, never to see the light of day again.
“You won’t be able to get a good job if you drop out.” Finney pointed out, shifting where he sat. He didn’t want to piss the other off, but at the same time, he knew it wasn’t a good idea for Vance to drop out of school. Especially before he even made it to high school. His mom had always told him and Gwen that you could barely get a fast food job with a high school degree, Finney couldn’t imagine it was much easier if you didn’t even have a general diploma.
“I’ll get two fuckin’ jobs then- Christ ,” Vance snapped. Finney’s lips thinned as the blonde shoved his backpack to the floor angrily as he glared at the two younger boys. “The fuck do you two care,” He growled, eyes snapping between the two. “You’re starting to sound like my sister.” His blue eyes landed on Robin, glaring.
“You’re our friend , idiota.” Robin said without flinching, popping the fry into his mouth and grinning smugly as Vances' eyes widened. The blonde opened his mouth to say something before snapping away, grabbing the milk he’d gotten from his tray and opening it as his brows creased.
Vance had never been all that great at accepting gestures of friendship, so a good way to pour water on his fires was to remind the older teen that they were, in fact, his friends. And their poking and prodding were usually nothing more than friendly teases, if not gestures of genuine concern. Robbin threw Finney his smirk, making the brunette smile despite himself.
The shriek of the bell interrupted the trio, Robin letting out a small grunt as he shoved a few fries in his mouth. Finney slid out of the bench on his side, grabbing his tray to throw his food away. “Uh,” He glanced at Vance as he stood up. “Do you want me to throw yours away too?”
“I’m not done eating.” Vance said, picking up his untouched grilled cheese.
“Will they let you stay?” Finney asked though he could imagine they probably would. Hell, Finney wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t the first time Vance had stayed past their lunch period because he ‘wasn’t done eating’.
The blonde snorted, unmoving as Robin tried to climb out of the stall behind him. “They can try and kick me out.” He smirked, unwrapping the grilled cheese and giving a little grimace at its grossness.
Robin clambered past Vance and stood next to Finney, reaching over to drag his own tray towards him. “Two referrals in one day, Hopper?” The black-haired boy teased as he picked up the tray.
“Fuck off, Arellano.” Vance snapped back, taking a bite of the grilled cheese. Robin laughed and Finney smiled, the two leaving their temperamental friend behind at the lunch stall and tossing out their food near the lunch line.
Finney looked around a bit, watching as students from his lunch period filed out and the cafeteria was refilled with different students. Kids shoved and pushed each other to get to the lunch line the quickest, aggravation fueled by hunger and newly-pubescent middle school hormones. “C’mon,” Robin said, a little smirk on his face. “I know you don’t wanna be late to your next class.” There was a snicker to his voice that made the brunette raise a brow as they walked out.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finney asked as he cast his friend a glance. Robin responded with a roll of his eyes, giving the taller boy a light shove.
Robin laughed, putting his arms back to his side as Finney let out a joking ‘oof’. “I just know you don’t wanna leave your ~ lab partner Donna ~ waiting.” The boy grinned when Finney started to blush and stutter.
“I-I mean- y-yeah that would be rude.” Finney stuttered, pulling on his bag strap and looking away.
“Yeah, you definitely don’t want Donna to think you’re rude. ”
“I-!” Finney blushed harder, making Robin laugh. Was his crush on Donna that obvious? He certainly hoped not, the brunette would die of embarrassment if the girl ever found out about it. The pale teen reached up, covering his mouth and trying to breathe evenly to make his blush go away. If he walked into class red-faced then he’d die right then and there.
Beside him, Robin was staring at the other boy with a smile on his face. It was smug, sure, but it faltered a bit in comparison to the confident boy's usual grin. In his eyes was a sparkle of something else- sadness, longing perhaps? A sparkle that only showed itself when he was around Finney.
Finney didn’t notice, just looking back at Robin with a friendly glare as they approached his science classroom’s door. “Try not to embarrass yourself, tu amante.” Robin sighed, patting Finney's back as he walked past like a right-hand man in a rom-com.
“Shut up!” Finney laughed, blushing, returning a bit.
Robin laughed as he looked at him over his shoulder, eyes lingering on his friend's face for a moment before turning back around. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” The boy said as he disappeared into the crowd of the busy hallway.
Finney stood for a moment outside of the door, reaching up to cup his face again to try and make the blush go away. Robin wasn’t the only person who could fluster Finney so quickly- tease him about his crush and it was honestly pretty easy. But Robin certainly was the only person who could leave him flustered and blushing long after messing with him. The thought of the power Robin had over him left his stomach in knots.
The boy was shaken from his thoughts when the bell rang again, starting the new class period. Finney let out a breath, hoping the blush had dissipated enough to be unnoticeable as he ducked into the classroom.
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Finney always appreciated that they lived close enough to school that he was able to walk home. Driving would be easier if only his dad weren’t hung over or tipsy every morning. Finney hated being in the car with his dad when he was like that. The man was functional enough to drive mostly ok, but the anxiety Finney had sitting in the car next to his dad was enough on its own to make the boy prefer walking.
The walks could be nice as well. Extended periods of quiet where the only sounds were that of the people living around him and the squirrels skittering about in the trees. Trees whose leaves were changing colors for the onslaught of autumn. The area was painted different hues of greens, yellows, and oranges by the mid-October season; making Finney’s walks to and from places particularly pleasant.
What made them better year-round was the presence of his little sister Gwen by his side, talking her quiet brother's ear off. Although, phrasing it like that makes it seem as though Finney was bothered by his little sister's talking. Finney didn’t mind at all, rather the opposite. Finney valued the walks home from school with his little sister, a couple minutes they got to spend with each other in peace- peace they certainly wouldn’t find at home or at school.
“For English, Ms. McGraw said we and a partner have to make a presentation about the book we’re reading right now,” Gwen explained, moving one of her braids behind her ear. Finney nodded along as she spoke. “It’s ‘ Call of the Wild ’, did you have to read it?”
Finney paused, trying to remember when he was in Gwen's year before shaking his head. “Really?” Gwen asked, a whine in her voice. “I thought you said you had McGraw!”
“I did,” Finney laughed lightly at Gwen's misery, eliciting a light shove from her that made him laugh more. “I guess she changed the books or something.”
“Ugh.” Gwen huffed, puffing her cheek out and glaring ahead.
“Oh, c’mon, you’ll be fine,” Finney said, trying to cheer his little sister up. “Are you guys done reading the book? You’ll just have to display your notes and stuff, right?”
Gwen looked away, avoiding her brother's gaze. “Well,” She murmured, scrunching her lips. “ Susie’s read it.”
“Read it?” Finney asked, looking at his sister as he shifted his bag to sit better on his shoulder. “You mean you haven’t even read it? Do you have the book?”
“No,” Gwen puffed, glowering.
“You could have gone to the school’s library!” Finney insisted. That’s what he always did for book assignments.
“I did!” The brunette girl insisted angrily. “But I couldn’t go until after school, and by the time I got to the library everyone else had already gotten all the copies!”
Finney frowned a bit. Gwen glowered at his down-turned expression, shooting him a hot glare. “What was I supposed to do, ask Dad to buy it for me?” The two knew that their father wouldn’t exactly have been warm to them asking him to buy something for them, even if it was for school. ‘ I need to spend our money on important things, not some junk. ’ Important things like bills and food- and don’t forget alcohol, of course.
“Dad’s gonna be mad if your grade goes down.” Finney pointed out, indirectly responding to Gwens' question.
“I know, jerkface,” Gwen said irritatedly, crossing her arms against her chest. “That’s why I’m working with Susie, remember? She’s read it, she even took a bunch of notes and stuff.” The two walked in silence for a few moments, the wind whipping at them from behind their backs. Finney tightened his jacket around himself as Gwen cast a glance his way.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Gwen sighed, looking at him again.
“It’s fine.” Finney gave his sister a little smile. And it was, of course, Finney knew Gwen didn’t mean it. The little girl was hot-headed and snappy, and her big brother had grown to know better than to let it get under his skin. Hell, Finney would be more concerned if one day she wasn’t so hot-headed.
Gwen smiled back at him, slowing down a little as they approached the turn into Susie’s neighborhood. “I’m gonna be spending the night at Susie’s tonight, it’s Friday. We need to work on the presentation anyway.” She gave her brother the same apologetic gaze she gave him every Friday. “You know what that means.”
“I got it.” Finney smiled reassuringly at her as she turned the corner. “I’ll look after Dad tonight.”
Gwen smiled before pausing and slowing down a bit. “Dad seemed kinda irritated this morning, like, more than usual.” Her lip thinned a bit. She didn’t need to say more, they both knew what she was warning Finney about.
The older brother swallowed but tried not to let his nerves show on his face. “I’ll be fine.” He said, adjusting his bag strap again. He tried to smile more at Gwen’s nervous and disbelieving stare. “Really, don’t worry about it. I’ll just go to the neighbors if it gets to be too much.”
“Ok just…” The girl paused for a moment, mouth hanging open a bit as though thinking. Her guilty hesitation was only natural, they both knew how their father would…. Act when he was drunk and irritated, and Gwen wasn’t nearly as familiar with their neighbor as Finney was. It was understandable for the little sister to be a bit discontent that Finney’s only options for the night were their possibly angry-drunk father or a man she was relatively unfamiliar with.
Finally, she smiled, sighing through her nose. “Don’t eat all the ice cream!” Gwen teased as she walked off. Finney just let out a huff of laughter at her teasing, looking away with a smile and continuing his walk home.