Awa'altu High: ATWOW highschool au!!

Kiri

"Oh, thank god," Kiri said out loud, watching Neteyam walk through the door. "Tey!" she called in a hushed voice, waving her hand to get his attention. His head snapped up, scanning the room for who called his name. His eyes settled on Kiri and he grinned, his shoulders visibly relaxing. "Hey, Kiri," he grinned, sliding into the seat next to her. "You excited for econ?" she asked rhetorically, grinning. Neteyam didn't respond. Kiri glanced up at him to see him gazing at the door. No, not at the door, but at the person sitting right next to it. Kiri recognized him as Tsireya's brother, the tall one. "Neteyam," she whispered, flicking his ear. "Hm? Oh, yeah," he mumbled, blinking apologetically. Kiri inspected the boy. He had curly black hair which was mostly tied back in a knot, except for a few strands that had slipped loose around his face. He had his sister's blue eyes, but they were paler - ice compared to Reya's sky blue. He was so tall that his legs were folded uncomfortably under the table, making his desk look comically small. "He fits in that desk like how Dad fits on Tuk's bike," she joked, nudging her brother. "Who does?" Neteyam asked without looking at her. Kiri snorted. "Yeah, okay," she muttered, sniggering.

Kiri was instantly bored. Her econ teacher was names Mr. Selfrige. He had a receding hairline and awful posture. Kiri kept herself busy by sketching on her hand, realizing with disappointment that she had left her favorite green pen in her last class. She blamed it on Rotxo. He had talked her ear off the whole time, undoubtedly distracting her and leading her to forgetting to fully back up her belongings. Kiri sighed in annoyance, rubbing the fresh ink off of her palm. "Headache?" Neteyam whispered, leaning across the aisle. "No," Kiri snapped, feeling instantly guilty at the look of hurt on his face. "Thank you," she added lamely, offering him a close-lipped smile. Neteyam nodded, returning to his slumped position with his chin resting in his hand.

When the teacher was done speaking, the class broke into soft conversations amongst themselves. Neteyam and Kiri were playing their little "game" of observation, which entailed the two of them scanning the room and sharing made-up assumptions about the strangers around them. Kiri was whispering about a girl with straight black hair and upturned eyes who kept glancing at Neteyam when someone approached her desk. A boy with curly blonde hair was standing in front of her. His hair was very long, ending about mid-back. He had kind brown eyes, like a cow. "You're new, right?" he asked, looking down at her. "Yes, we are!" Neteyam said, inserting himself in front of Kiri. The boy blinked, looking between the two of them. "I'm Neteyam. This is my sister, Kiri!" he said, using the familiar artificial, people-pleasing tone of voice he so often spoke in. "Oh. Hey, Kiri. My name is Miles. Soccoro," He grinned. "My friends call me Spider, though." "Why is that, Spider? Because of how skinny and delicate your legs are?" Ao'nung called from across the room, a wide grin on his face. The boy rolled his eyes and turned to him, laughing loudly. He returned his gaze to Kiri, a smile still on his lips. "Excuse him. He's perpetually angry for God knows why." Kiri forced a small smile, nodding. "Hi, Miles," she said, making a point not to use his nickname. His smile faltered at her words, but was quickly replaced by yet another lopsided grin. He nodded, returning to his seat beside Ao'nung. "Everyone here is so..." "Friendly?" Neteyam offered sarcastically. "I was going to say strange. Perhaps even aggravating. But sure, friendly works," she grinned. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Reya🌊🪸:

2:17 p.m.: hi kiri! wanna come over after school? my mom said we could bake cookies or something
2:17 p.m.: your brothers could come too if they wanted. no pressure if not, tho !!!

    "Hey, Teyam, what are you doing after school?" she asked, leaning towards her brother. "Not much. Probably going to go for a walk at the park, maybe," he said thoughtfully. "Dude, you are actually 67 years old," she joked. "I am not! I just enjoy fresh air," he mumbled, pulling his sweater tighter around himself. "Okay, sure. Tsireya invited us over to bake cookies." Neteyam side-eyed her. "And you are wondering if I can drive you?" "Well, yeah, but she said you and Lo'ak can come, too." Neteyam tilted his head to the side in thought. "Can Tuk come? I think I'm supposed to pick her up from school today. "Lemme ask," she said, looking down at her phone.