Ramza awoke at the sound of the alarm. He opened his eyes and looked at the clock, then closed his eyes again. It took him not less than a minute to realize it was already 7:30 in the morning.
He shot out of bed like a speeding bullet and yelled out loud. Delita, who was in the bathroom washing up, went out to see what was the matter. He found Ramza rummaging and scrambling around the closet like a headless chicken searching for his uniform.
"Hey Ram-chan, didnt you forget that you left your school uniform on the living room couch? I left it there purposely so that you didnt forget it", Delita said, poking Ramza on the shoulders. Ramza looked at him with panic.
"Delita, why the hell didnt you wake me up sooner!! This is the first official day of class and you let me sleep through it all??? How could you!!" Ramza exclaimed as he ran off to get his uniform. Delita shrugged to himself.
"Ramza, please. The alarm went off nice and loud this morning. I went up to wake you up and you said if I tried to, youd clobber me!"
Ramza ran back past Delita and into the bathroom, shutting the door. "Well, you should have risked clobbering me!" he exclaimed. Delita noticed his face still dripping wet then looked at the bathroom. "Hey Ramza!! I was using the restroom first!!"
" Well hold on, Del! Im running later than you are!" yelled Ramza from the bathroom. Delita sighed as he dried himself with a rag in the closet. He then frowned as he looked into the closet for his uniform. Once found, Delita began to dress.
He sighed at the uniform and its colors. Basically, the uniform was a long navy blue overcoat worn over a while cotton T-shirt with matching navy blue pants, which were to be worn with dressy black shoes of some sort, according to the regulations of the academy. Delita, however, did find the attire rather overly dressed as he was more used to his laid-back styles found on most people of Igros. Neither did Balbanas tend to over dress the boys, with the exception of formal dinner parties, so Delita felt rather strange to be dressed up so much for something so simple as school.
Come on, Delita....this isnt any ordinary school he thought to himself shaking off the thought. This wasnt just a regular high school found in Gariland..it was a damn good, expensive and well-known academy, one that Balbanas surely chose well. Delita was in no position to be picky about it, much less dissatisfied. Here he was, a commoner, in a rich, wealthy environment, with young students, nobles, whom he would have never had the chance to see much less know, had he not been enrolled. Delita knew that even though he was a commoner, he was still enrolled in Gariland, and was obligated to dress, act and even adapt to the morals of a noble person. Luckily, being raised by a noble family, Delita himself knew a lot of rules for the noble class. However, he silently wondered if he would fit in or just look like a commoner trying to be an upper class wanna-be.
Delita quickly pushed all sour thoughts of the uniform out of his mind, feeling ungrateful. His current worry was getting to class on time. It would be certainly not be very noble-like to arrive to his classes late, especially on the first day! He dressed quickly, then looked at himself in the full-sized mirror, which was located right next to the closet. Delita frowned, obviously still dissatisfied with something. I think I look disgusting in navy bluefurthermore, I hate formal stuff, he thought to himself, turning left to right to examine himself. Delita took note at how he looked, with his slicked-back dark brown hair and matching brown eyes, typically a rather handsome boy, enough for anybody to think he was a noble, not a peasant-born boy. At one point , he thought that perhaps he could really pass off as being a noble. Well, maybe...
But right now, the clock was ticking away.
"RAMZY!!!" yelled Delita, turning to the bathroom door and pounding on it. He knocked and knocked without getting a reply, so he placed his ear on the door. No water running. Pehaps he was dressing by now. Delita waited and waited until suddenly the door opened and Ramza came running out like a bull from hell. In the process, he knocked down Delita.
"Oooo, sorry Del!!" apologized Ramza as he ran about, looking for his uniform. He finally found it and then shut himself in the bathroom again. Delita shook his head in disbelief.
Man, I don't know why he didn't use HIS bathroom, he said to himself as he gathered his morning class books. Today was Monday which meant that it was Algebra day. He smiled a bit with joy. Math was one of the subjects he didn't mind at all, but that didn't mean he was a genius at it. He simply didn't have too much difficulty with it as everyone else did. Ramza, who wasnt very good at math, was scheduled to take class with him.
Delita grabbed his bookbag and stuffe a package of theme paper in it, a manilla folder, along with a couple of pens. He hesitated a moment, then tossed in few pencils. You never know what kind of slob might need a pencil on the first day of class he thought to himself. This was a routine for Delita, as he was very generous to everyone, whether they deserved it or not.
Ramza finally came out of the shower, again like a speeding bullet. He proceeded to get his new socks that were neatly laid out on the bed, done by Delita of course. Ramza tended to be a bit unorganized, especially under pressure. Since Delita loved Ramza dearly, he tended to pick up after Ramza, iron his clothes and so forth.
"Man oh man, Ramzy, we are going to be late if you dont hurry up," said Delita, zipping his book bags zipper.
Ramza quickly slipped on his socks then fished under the bed for his left shoe. "Im hurrying, Im hurrying! Geez, Delita! Cut me some slack!"
Delita merely chuckled. If they were going to be late, they were at least going to be late together. Besides, he could never stay mad at Ramzy for long!
"Well come on then! Its not my fault you woke up late," Delita said as he gathered Ramzas books neatly. He stuffed them quickly in his bag along with some pencils, then zipped it up. Ramza nodded a "thank you" at Delita.
"Ok!" he exclaimed brushing back his long blonde hair, then tying it back into a ponytail. "Im ready!"
"Ram-chan, your hair is sticking out a bit at the edge," Delita pointed out. Ramza frowned, then turned to the mirror to examine himself. He frowned at the small little curly bang that curled upward and then down to the rest of his head. Patting it neatly with his hand, he smiled at himself in the mirror.
"I like this little style...think Ill try it for today!" he said cheerily, turning to Delita. Delita smiled back at him.
"Heh...alright if you insist, Ram-chan," he said, heading out the door. Ramza grabbed his book bag and hurried after Delita.
The boys managed to find their classroom five minutes before the class was scheduled to start. They hurried inside already finding numerous students seated and waiting to begin the lesson. Some of them shifted their eyes to Ramza and Delita, mainly Delita, as if they knew it was typical of a commoner to be late. Some of them smiled at Ramza tightly even. Most of the students in the academy were aware of Delitas background and history of why he was really accepted here.
Most assumed it was out of pity.
Delita shyly looked down and followed Ramza to a seat at the back of the classroom, which were all set in rows and colums. Delita chose to sit at the very last seat of the first row, followed by Ramza, who sat in front of Delita.
Once they were seated, Ramza turned to face Delita.
"See, told ya wed make it on time!" he exclaimed, flashing an apologizing grin at Delita.
"Yeah, but that was really close, you know Ram-chan? Please dont do this again. People are already contradicting me for this," replied Delita, pulling out a pencil from his book bag.
"Oh, dont you worry about them, Del, Im still your best friend no matter what!" Ramza proclaimed, putting his fist to his chest. Delita couldnt help but chuckle at his friend.
Ramza stood up then.
"Ive gotta sharpen my pencil before class starts" he said, then headed to the front of the classroom to the pencil sharpener. Delita smiled and sighed, feeling a bit more at ease with Ramza around. He placed his chin on his hand, his elbow leaning on the table, and scanned the room to see his classmates.
To the far end of the room, sat a quiet young woman with long caramel-colored hair and ivory complexion. She sat at the front of the room so Delita could only make out her face from an angle. The girl seemed to be the only one sitting in that row.
Delita turned his attention to Andy Zuckerman, who was sitting one row down from him to his right. Andy was tapping his pencil impatiently and smirking at every person entering the room. He looked very smug and confident, as if he was determined to outdo everyone in the class, no, the entire academy. Hmm..well it figured Andy would still act the same as he used to back in grade school, thought Delita.
Delita shuddered and then looked at the person who was sitting in between him and Andy. It was a rather young-looking guy with medium-brown hair, and matching brown eyes. The kid looked frightened, his shoulders slumping and his head lowered. He was staring back at Delita when he realized that Delita had been returning his gaze. In embarrassment, the kid shifted his gaze forward.
But Delita couldnt shift hisEe had a vague feeling that he knew this kid from somewhereE#060;/P>
Ramza finally finished sharpening the last of his four pencils. He turned to head back to his seat when he crashed into someone who had just walked into the classroom. He stepped back, rubbing his nose when he realized he owed the person an apology.
"Hey Im..." He began when he looked to see who it was.
The young man was nearly 6 feet in height, blonde stringy hair, and ice-blue eyes. His figure made it seem like if he kept in shape often. These features all together gave him a handsome appearance, like a teen idol or a movie star. It took Ramza a moment to piece those features together and figure out that hed seen this guy before.
"Well...we meet again. It would appear that we are going to have class together," the young blonde asked, his smile overconfident.
Ramza was completely taken by surprise.
"You! Its you again!" he said, recognizing the arrogant blonde boy that had been so rude yesterday.
"Really.." replied the blonde guy, brushing his blonde bangs back. A few girls had begun to take notice in the new guy. "Yes, it is me again. Im sure you will enjoy taking class with me. You may use me as a role model if you wish to become a knight yourself!" said the blonde as he poked Ramzas side.
Ramza backed away and frowned. "You wish! I dont use arrogant people as examples. Rich, snobby show-offs merely want attention and that isnt what Im looking for."
"Really it isnt?" The blonde said, looked straight into Ramzas fire-red eyes. "I cant help it if you dont have the appropriate figure to become a knight."
"I didnt ask for your opinion, ok?"
The blondes smile grew sinister and Ramza knew to back off. Compared with his 5 foot 7 height, he knew that hed be beaten easily by the blonde.
"Just leave me alone..." mumbled Ramza as he made his way past the blonde toward his seat.
Delita was still gazing at the kid next to him when he felt Ramza slam himself into his seat. Ramza slammed his pencils on his desk then turned to face Delita.
"Hey, Ram-chan, whats the matter? Sharpener ate your pencils?" he joked. His smile faded when he noticed Ramzas sour scorn-looking face and knew that he wasnt in the mood to joke around.
"Grr..." began Ramza as he clenched his fist, causing Delita to back away. "Youll never believe who I ran into-"
He cut off his sentence upon hearing the door to the classroom close. He turned around to the front and noticed that the professor had arrived. The professor appeared to be in his mid-40s, chestnut-brown hair with a few strands of gray and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. His uniform coat had a silver medal pinned on the right breast, the medal of knighthood.
Ramza and Delita stared at the medal in amazement, hoping that one day soon, they would have one to show off.
The professor set his books down and gazed around the classroom for a moment then gave the students a warm, welcoming smile.
"Good morning students. Welcome to the academy. This is advanced Algebra class part I, and my name is Mr. Edin."
The students all nodded and politely responded a "Good Morning".
"As you can already see.." he began, putting a hand over his medal, "Im a former knight of the Hokuten, a war general to be exact. One of my best skills was planning strategy," he said. Delita and Ramza both widened their eyes in envy.
As Mr. Edin began to explain more about his history and the course of the class, Delita noticed from the corner of his eye that Andy was eyeing the kid next to him carefully, no, evilly. Perhaps he was going to get the kid in trouble some way? Mr. Edin was facing the classroom, sohe had no choice but to wonder what Andy was up to.
The lecture given by the professor switched to an overview of algebra, along with some general problems. When Mr. Edin turned his back to write on the chalkboard, Andy stood from his seat, leaned over to his left side where the kid sat and quickly pushed all the kids books off his desk. He quickly sat down as the books fell to the floor with a loud thud, alarming the class. The kid looked at Andy angrily, but then turned to the professor, who was giving him that accusing-look. Immediately, the kid lowered his head shyly and blushed.
"Im sorry sir...Ill be careful," the kid said as the professor nodded.
"Very well. Please keep your things in order and avoid distractions."
The kid nodded and blushed a deeper red when he noticed his classmates were all staring at him. It took them a moment to get their focuses back on Mr. Edins lecture. Delita frowned and quickly exchanged sympathetic looks with Ramza. Their heart went out to Andys latest victim.
But the kid was feeling less than sympathetic toward the bully whod just gotten him in trouble. He decided to get himself a little bit of revenge.
Mr. Edins back was once again facing the classroom as he continued to write down math problems on the chalkboard. The kid took that opportunity to get up from his seat and shove all of Andys belongings off his desk. They hit the ground with an even louder thud, once again grabbing the attention of the classroom. However, unlike Andy, the kid did not sit down as quick. Andy lost his temper and stood up. He grabbed the kid by the uniform and pulled him up to his face.
"Now what the hell do you think youre doing, little bitch-ass punk?" growled Andy, drawing outraged gasps from his classmates.
Mr. Edin dropped his chalk and put his hands on his hips. "What in St. Ajora is going on here? You! Let go of that kid now!"
"Ughhh! Stop, put me down! Help!" said the kid, meekly.
Andy then realized that hed lost his temper in front of the classroom and suddenly released the kid. He turned to look at Mr. Edin with his face red from fury.
"That brat..." he began as he pointed to the kid, "that brat just got up and knocked over my stuff just like that!"
Mr. Edin nodded. "Yes, I saw him standing up."
"And he knocked over his own books too just to grab attention! I tell you, that guy is out for TROUBLE," Andy huffed, still pointing to the kid. The kid just stood there, with his mouth open, too embarrassed to defend himself.
"Hmm, well that is a possibility," began Mr. Edin. His face then became upset. "But you did not have to become violent here and scare off the class. What kind of knight do you expect to be if youre going to lose your temper like that?"
Andy stood silent. Ramza and Delita exchanged glances, hoping that Andy would be punished.
"You two have certainly caused a lot of trouble for the first day of class. State your names, both of you, now!" Mr. Edin demanded.
"Andy," started Andy, standing tall and straight, obviously trying to redeem himself. "Andy Zuckerman, sir!"
Mr. Edin nodded then looked at the kid. "And you are?"
The kid slumped his shoulders and lowered his head shyly.
"My name is..."
"Stand up straight!"
"Yes sir!" The kid stood straight up like if he were given a military command. Ramza and Delita shuddered in fear. It must have been both embarrassing and frustrating for the poor victim of Andys violent nature.
"Now state your name!" continued Mr. Edin, a bit louder this time. Several classmates began to nervously twiddle their thumbs or mindlessly do other things. The beautiful girl at the front held her folder tightly to her chest, her eyes full of fear as she bit into the top of it. The young blonde arrogant guy was shaking his head disappointedly, while another girl next to him looked as if she were going to cry. Others just simply looked on with sympathy, too afraid to speak up if indeed they did witness his innocence.
"Youre name!" boomed Mr. Edin once more when the kid gave no answer.
"R...Rad." The kid began. "Rad..Morrow."
Delita suddenly let out a small gasp. Rad Morrow! Of course! The young manwho I rescued from the gym the other day; the same boy who kept getting bullied around. Why didnt I recognize him then thought Delita to himself. Ramza sensed Delitas surprised and looked at him curiously. He would have to get an explanation after class.
Mr. Edin nodded at the kid then looked at both of them disapprovingly. "I see. I am very disappointed in both of you boys. This is the first day of class and you are already causing trouble for the rest of us. There are some students in the class who do wish to learn, so I hope that this little incident will not repeat itself...understood?"
Both boys stood straight.
"Yes sir!" They repeated in unison. Delita looked at the kid, Rad, a little closer. He wasnt more than 5'5, a little short for a guy his age. His body started to tremble nervously, but hed done a good job at controlling himself. As the two boys resumed their seats, Delita felt incredibly sorry for Rad.
And incredibly furious at Andy for doing this to him.
After their morning classes, Ramza and Delita headed toward the cafeteria for lunch. It had been a very long morning, especially with the mornings incident. The two boys had no time to talk about it because of the long class periods and short intermissions, so they anxiously awaited lunch time to sit, eat and gossip over the days events.
Rad Morrow was in their every class, which meant he was probably the same age as they were, even though he looked younger. Rad somehow managed to sit next to Delita or at least be close to him for some odd reason. Unfortunately, the kid was a walking disaster; many embarrassing incidents occurred all throughout the morning pertaining to him. Luckily, however, Andy wasnt in the same class as they were and the little embarrassing incidents only caused minor distractions.
Ramza yawned and put his heads over his head, stretching. "You know, Del, that was some way to spend a first day of class."
"Yes it was, Ram-chan. Whod have thought our first day would be something like this!" Delita replied, chuckling.
"Haha. And here I thought we were going to fall asleep after the first 30 minutes of class!" joked Ramza. "Especially that kidEhat was his name? Rad. Yeah, I got to hand it to him, he sure kept us awake!"
Delita nodded and smiled. "Yes, that is true. Except for first period. That was really awful what Andy did!"
"No kidding," said Ramza. "I sure would have loved to get up and smack the living shit out of Andy, right there! But I didnt want to add to the incident."
"Yeah, its better that you didnt," Delita said, fishing his bookbag for something. He stopped walking a moment to dig deeper.
Ramza stopped and walked up next to Delita. "Looking for something?"
Delita set down his book bag and frowned. "Yes. I wanted to check the pages of todays homework in my math folder. It doesnt seem to be in here,though."
"Oh no...you think Andy stole it from you?"
Delita shook his head. "I doubt it. I wasnt sitting near him at all. I think I might have left it in the wire basket under my seat."
"Uh-oh. Youd better go get it before the afternoon classes find it. And we know how some people can be." Ramza suggested, taking Delitas book bag.
Delita shot Ramza an apologetic look as he headed back toward the technology building. "Thanks Ram-chan. Go ahead and wait for me at the cafeteria, I wont be long!" With that Delita took off.
Ramza stared at Delita until he was out of sight, then he headed to the cafeteria.
Delita made his way past the crowded hallways out of the building and toward the technology building. He quickened his pace, feeling utterly irresponsible for leaving his belongings behind like that.
He finally reached his destination and started to jog to the math classroom. Delita took a sharp turn to the right hallway and stopped short when he saw what he saw.
Andy and his posse were gathered around something, laughing and taunting. Delita frowned and moved back into the other hallway, his back against the lockers. He turned his head to the right hallway, then moved away for fear of being seen.
So it figures these goons would pull something like this, thought Delita disgustingly as he edged back against the wall, away from Andy. That damn boy would never change. Ever since grade school, hed been so vicious and violent that everyone feared hed become an extreme threat to many people.
He slowly turned his head to look down the hallway again, this time able to see clearly what the boys were doing.
Andy walked up to Rad and pulled him up by his hair. "You scrawny little shit! How dare you!!"
Rad put his hand on Andys, trying to get him to release his hair. "Ughh!! Wha...what are you talking about? Let me go!! Please!!"
"You embarrassed me in class, thats what you did! You DARE try and mess with me, you little fool??" spat Andy, tightening his grip. "Youre a weak little runt! A damn shit wholl never amount to anything, not even a damn chemist!" Rad winced in pain. Andys other two friends merely laughed evilly.
"Aww, Andy I think were scaring the living shit out of the little shit!" said Joseph, the tall and lean blacked-hair boy.
"Yeah, maybe hell take a crap in his pants!" piped in Mark, the smaller and slightly overweight boy. Andy just looked at the two then back at Rad.
"Hm, you boys have a point there...maybe we should stop scaring him so much..and finish him off once and for all!" he said, yanking Rads hair harder. Rad continued his struggle.
Delita gasped and quickly covered his mouth. Oh God, they were going to kill him! He knew he had to do something fast before Rads first day of class turned out to be his last. But could he risk his reputation in this academy? He stopped and thought for a minute; what would the students say if hed been caught in a fight? Would they look down at him as the commoner peasant he is or would they look upon him as a hero, like the nobles? Oh God, what would Mr. Balbanes Beoulve, father, think? Hed certainly disown Delita and say that he did not raise a young boy to be of such low class...would he?
To hell with it. Delita ran like a speeding bullet down the hallway.
"You bastard!!!" he cried out. Andy turned in surprise as Delita swiftly punched him in the face. He fell backwards, releasing his grip on Rad. Joseph and Mark gasped at the sudden attack.
Andy helped himself up, then wiped the blood away from the corner of his mouth. He stared at Delita, with eyes full of anger. Rad simply took the opportunity to try to hide, but the other two boys blocked his path.
"Tch...and just who the hell made you hero, Dork-lita? Did the janitorial jobs fire you and you had to do this to earn your broke-ass some money? Too poor to afford lunch or something, you commoner bastard?" Andy spat, balling his fists ready for a fight.
Delita felt extreme anger rising inside of him but chose to keep his cool. He stood ready to fight. "Well gee, Andy, arent you mighty bored picking on defenseless people! What, too chicken to take on the big boys? Or do you have to have Mommy to come and do it for you! I cant believe some nobles like you still need their diaper changed"
Andy yelled out in fury and charged toward Delita.
"Stop!" yelled a frightened Rad as he tried to get up and help Delita. But Joseph and Mark had held him tightly by each arm.
However, Delita didnt seem to be in need of any help. He let Andy charge into him, then jabbed him in the stomach with his fist. Andy staggered back, holding his stomach, then proceeded to land a blow to Delita with his fist. Delita caught Andys fist with his own hand and twisted it. Andy winced in pain, but struggled to free himself from his mighty grasp. Delita simply held him for a few minutes in that position then punched his face with his other arm. Andy fell backwards as his two friends freed Rad and rushed on over to help their leader. Rad quickly ran toward Delita and hid behind him.
Joseph and Mark helped Andy up slowly.
"Filthy...commoner...bastard...You havent heard the last of me, hear me? I will get you for this!" he yelled as he put his arms over Joseph and Marks shoulders. The two boys glared at Delita, then helped Andy walk toward the dorms with Andy cursing all the way.
Delita wiped the blood off his hands with a small cloth, then turned to face the frightened Rad. Rad looked down nervously, obviously too embarrassed by the entire situation.
"I...I...I'm sorry," he began, putting his hands behind his back. Delita smiled at him, though.
"No problem. I felt I should have helped you because I didnt defend you in math class today. You have my sympathy," he said.
"Thanks...I'm such a wimp though...you had to go through enough trouble for my sake..."
"Like I said, no problem at all for me. Wimp or not, you dont deserve to be treated like crap from bullies like Andy Zuckerman."
"Th..Thank you very much, um...
Delita stuck his hand out. "Delita. Delita Hyral."
Rad opened his mouth in surprise. "Youre that commoner boy everyones talking about! Wow!" he said, then realizing that what he said was insensitive. He shut his mouth, then looked down stupidly. "Im sorry...didnt mean...
"Thats alright. I know Im talked about here, but I have a feeling you mean no harm," he said, his smile widening. This kid really was something else.
Rad looked at Delitas friendly hand gesture for a minute then shook it.
"Im Rad. Rad Morrow. Junior student, first year squireEquot;
"I know," said Delita, after shaking his hand. "You stated your name in class."
"Oh...so I did...heh.." Rad said, laughing nervously. Delita smiled and gathered up his books.
"So, you heading to lunch yet, Rad?" he asked. Rad nodded.
"Yes. I may be a wimp but I still have an appetite!"
Delita chuckled. "Alright. Are your friends waiting for you in the cafeteria? I can walk with you over there if you like, as soon as I retrieve my belongings from the classroom."
Rad lowered his head, embarrassed.
"I...don't have any friends...I'm going by myself."
There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment. Rad kept on looking down until he noticed Delitas hand sticking out in a friendly gesture. Rad looked up at Delita to see him smiling warmly.
"Hey, Ill be your friend. That is, if you want."
Rad couldnt believe his ears at what he heard. A friend? He smiled at Delita, then shook his hand once again.
"Hell yeah!" Rad exclaimed, a bit too excited. The two boys chuckled at the outburst.
"A hyper guy, arent you? No problem, though! That fight sure worked up an appetite. Now lets get going before the food runs out!" Delita said. Hed forgotten all about his belongings and motioned toward the cafeteria. Rad nodded happily and the two began to head for their well-earned meal.