SOTF Archive/SOTF Classic

((Aria Samuels: Start))

Aria sat in one of the many chairs in the library, his eyes scanning the area around him as he thought about what to do. He didn't want to study obviously so maybe he just wanted some time alone. Though he did set out to make some good friends, he was still slightly intimidated by the other people here. Memories of his previous school still haunted him and no amount of reading or playing video games would allow him to stop worrying about making a good impression to the people here. He set out to make new friends here, hopefully close ones, and for some reason, he still felt as if he hadn't accomplished it yet. There was still time though.

He looked up at the clock above him, which was slowly ticking. Tick tock tick tock. Aria closed his eyes as he let the sound of the clock consume him for a while as he took in the blissful silence of the library. Aria was not the type of person who liked loud noises too much. Music was ok to him, but he also liked to partake in his dreams when the world became quiet around him. He perfected this during his elementary school years when he stayed in his classroom and just let the world fade away around him. Those were the times where Aria was happy. Well, sorta happy.

He leaned his head back so that it was laying against the head rest as he let his body enter a state of rest. The ticking of the clock continued to resound in his head as he started to let the worries wash out of him to be replaced by calm and tranquility. His breathing eased up and his chest rose and fell slowly, his breathing regulated and finally in a state of ease. Normally, Aria suffered from worrying too much about things, especially people. He felt that doing this allowed his nerves to be calmed and his health in general to be better. It was like meditation in a way.

Though people watching him may think he's asleep, Aria was not fully unconscious. He still heard the sounds around him and if a sound loud enough were to occur, Aria would snap out of this trance. However, Aria doubted that such loud noises would occur in the library of all places. Aria let his mind wonder to a happier place. A place where there were open fields and blue skies. He imagined himself lying down in the grass and looking up to the empty vastness of the sky. The beautiful blue sky. Right now, Aria was in his happy place. A place where he could truly relax.

(Jason Meyers continue from Bunga Bunga Parties, Video Games and Vampires)

The Catcher in the Rye? Nope.

Tom Sawyer? Nope.

Brave Story? Heck yes!

The library was virtually a treasure trove of fascinating stories, and it was either feast or famine when it came to Aurora High School's collection, usually famine. Maybe it was the lack of diversity in the books themselves or the absence of several ones he wanted. Either way, it was extremely rare for Jason to find a book he was interested in. This occurrence being extremely rare, the Irish boy was rather giddy and excited to read the book.

Sitting down at one of the tables, Jason couldn't help but notice another student sleeping at the other table. Sure, class probably wasn't in session, but some students don't just randomly fall asleep, especially ones who get a good night's sleep. It was then Jason noticed that he didn't recognize the kid from the hallways or classes. The boy could be a trespasser, or worse, a murderer.

Jason tried to act natural. He strode over, and shook the boy's shoulders.

"Hey, you alright?"

Aria was thrusted into the world around him by someone shaking him rather roughly. He was about to let out a little squeal, but he quickly moved his hands to his mouth, silencing himself before he let himself had a chance to make a sound as he knew he was still in the Library. Looking quickly left and right in an attempt to see who or what caused him to "wake up", it took a while for him to notice that it was someone he never met before. His eyes looked straight as the other boy's eyes as he glared angrily.

"W-what was that for?" Aria whispered angrily, glaring for a while before he moved his eyes away from him and looked down, the eye contact becoming very uncomfortable for him. He always struggled with maintaining eye contact with someone for long periods of time and this person was no exception. He couldn't describe the feelings when it came to eye contact, but maintaining it for a long time made it feel too intense for him to handle.

"I-I'm fine, t-thank you very much..." He stated quietly, making an effort to make conversation with the person while still looking away from him. He wanted to try to be more social with others. He was sick of being the person who's on the outside looking in. But, he didn't know what to do now. Most of his conversations were online conversations and he barely ever made conversation in real life in anyone except his parents. It was then that his eyes skirted over to the book the boy seemed to be interested in.

"Y-you like commencing in the art of reading as well?" Aria asked him shyly, his eyes transfixed on the book. He had never read it before, but the title looked promising. As long as the book had a good story, like the Harry Potter series, he could easily lose hours to books. Maybe he should get to reading that as well. He might be pleasantly surprised. Maybe the kid has read it as well.

"H-have you read that book? I-is it a-any good? D-do you recommend it?" Aria asked quickly, not realizing that he hadn't introduced himself to the other kid yet. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the book and possibly making friends with him. If he could get both, that would be amazing.

((Just a quick reminder: The Hunger Games do not exist in the SOTF universe, as they'd be seen as being in too bad taste compared to the actual SOTF Program.))

Hmph, wow, Aria (the name just came to him) used some strange and extremely formal wording. I mean, 'commencing in the art of reading'? All Aria needed was a posh accent and let go of the stuttering. He could make a fine posh kid.

That aside, he had asked about Brave Story. Aria seemed really interested in reading, and Jason might as well answer the questions.

"Well, no, I'm not an avid reader. Secondly, I haven't started yet, but it seems to be a good book. It's a story about a boy named Wataru traveling through Vision, a strange and magical land. It's a fantasy story, so if you don't like that genre, it's not for you."

Jason hoped that he didn't come off as rude.

Did Aria offend him or something? He couldn't help but feel that his last statement came off as a bit rude, especially since he just met him. He was the one that snapped him out of his daydream anyways, he must of wanted to talk to him. Then again, he didn't seem to be very happy with him talking about what he thought of the book. It was then he remembered he forgot to introduce himself! He must've been offended by the fact that he would just go on about books without even considering him at all! Oh no, this wasn't good. He needed to apologize.

"O-oh... I-I'm sorry... I-I forgot to i-introduce myself.... m-m-my name i-is Aria Samuels. W-what about you?" Aria spluttered out quietly, embarrassment and shyness completely taking over him as he continued to stutter. He had never been good at interacting with people and his inexperience shone through with this conversation. Was it that obvious? Aria started to stress out more and he started to tap the table quickly, a sure sign that he was freaking out. What else was there to talk about? Aria racked his brains as he searched for something that the person may like.

"D-do you play v-video games?" Aria whispered to the boy, hoping that the other would like to play video games. He was a guy, like himself. He should like games, right? That's what Aria told himself as he looked at the boy in the eyes, trying to get over the embarrassed feelings he got whenever he did make eye contact. It felt wrong. Very wrong, but Aria had to persevere.

"Well, I'm Jason. Jason Meyers. Nice to meet ya, Aria."

Well, now that the introductions were out of the way, they could have a proper conversation. Inclining his head, Jason began to think about Aria's next question. Video games? Jason wasn't an avid player, but he did play Minecraft on a regular basis. That counts, right? He was the 'save-your-penny-for-later' type of person, and blowing it on video games just wasn't what Jason would do. Before he would ever get things, he'd check if it was actually worth buying, and if it was violent, it was out of the question. Analyzing all of this, Jason complied all this information into one short, simple and easy to understand answer.

"I'm not a gamer, but I do play Minecraft on a regular basis. I also played Pokemon HeartGold once. It probably doesn't count."

Jason wasn't the type to notice things and judge people about it, but Aria did seem to stutter a lot. He also whispered everything, and that tapping was pounding in his ears. This kid could be suffering form some deadly disease, but came to school anyway. Maybe he liked studying, or he had friends. Either way, he was determined to come to school. He could collapse at any moment, or worse.

Man, Jason was being a little neurotic. Maybe it was mean world syndrome. He did read that newspaper article about that disaster.

"Er, hey, are you okay? Are you, like, sick or something? Sorry if I'm being rude, but I'm just feeling a little neurotic today."

"Oh..." Aria said sadly as he heard Jason's reply to his question. Crap, what was he supposed to do now? This guy didn't like video games or reading, just what he heck was he interested in? Aria began to tap even quicker as he looked around the place in an attempt to think about something else to talk about. It was then that he asked that question.

"Wait what!?" Aria exclaimed loudly. He moved his hands to his mouth as he realized that they were still in the Library. He could feel the eyes of every single other person in the library digging into him, causing him to shrivel a little in his seat. Oh god that was embarrassing. But the question he asked was so preposterous, where the hell did he get the idea he was sick anyways?

"N-no I'm not sick! Where the hell did you get that from!" He whispered angrily, Aria frowning at the other kid for making him do that. Why the hell did Jason think he was sick. He couldn't wrap his head around it and he tried his best to calm down, taking a few quick breaths as he aimed to regain his composure. After taking a few short breaths, Aria was able to control himself and as he turned to Jason, he gave him an apologetic look.

"I-I sorry about that. I-I was just surprised. I'm not sick, to the best of my knowledge... B-but then again, t-there was that time in middle school... N-nah... that couldn't mean anything..." Aria said to Jason, but was more talking to himself at this point. His mind wondered back to the time where he was diagnosed with something called "Asperger's Syndrome." He didn't have any idea what that meant nor did he think that having said "disorder" affect his life at all. In any case, it didn't change his life at all.

"S-so yeah... w-what do you like to do?" Aria quickly asked, hoping to change the subject. He'd rather not expand on his past if he had a choice. His past was hell and he was so glad he could escape from it all. The only thing now was to survive high school, which shouldn't be too hard.

OHGODWHYTHEHELLWOULDHESAYHELLOHMYGAWDAHHHH

*ahem*

Jason didn't know how to react to Aria's sudden outburst, but he could answer his next question. What he liked? Tons of things, like photography, soccer, jokes, My Little Pony...wait, scratch the last one. He wouldn't tell Aria that. It was bad enough that people already knew it, so Aria not knowing would help.

"What I like, tons of things. Like photography, soccer and humor."

Wait, that time in middle school? WHAT ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL?! This could be something, a lead. Oh christ, Jason was mental today.

"What about middle school?"

"Y-you like humor?" Aria asked in a perplexed tone. "D-doesn't everyone like humor?" He continued to inquire, not really sure how humor can be classified as an exclusive hobby. Humor was something that could be enjoyed by anyone, not something that only a select few people liked. Maybe it was a certain type of humor, or maybe he was just a bit weird. That would make sense. Aria felt himself start to calm down a little, the nerves of meeting someone new starting to ebb away ever so slowly. Maybe he could stop stuttering now, now that he felt a bit more comfortable.

It was when he mentioned middle school that his face soured. He'd rather forget middle school. His middle school was hell and he did not want to relive any of it anytime soon. If only he hadn't rambled, he would've been able to avoid his past. But no, he had to open his mouth and blabber on, and look where it got him.

"I'd... rather not talk about my past." Aria said bitterly, crossing his arms over himself unconsciously. A part of him was scared that mentioning his past would cause it to follow him to the present. To be frank, he wasn't going to take any chances of that happening. He didn't want to be alone again. But something about Jason was odd.

"Jason, why do you even care about my past?" Aria questioned bluntly, his voice ceasing to stutter. He always had a stuttering problem when he met new people. All he needed was some time to get adjusted to them, and he'd be just fine. What was on his mind however was why Jason kept on asking him questions about things. He'd barely even met him.

"You've only just met me and you're trying to get me to talk about my past and if I'm sick." Aria explained to him as he gave Jason an odd look. "What's up with that?"

"Woah, sorry dude, didn't mean to pry. Answering your other question, some people don't like humor."

Jason really wanted to befriend Aria, but it seems that this attempted friendship was ripping at the seams. He didn't know whether it was Aria or him that was failing at this conversation, but Jason bet his hat that both of them were utter crap at socializing with each other. Jason decided to try and change the subject, maybe steering it towards something they both liked. Thinking for a little bit, Jason decided on fanfiction. He's read some, and Aria liked to read. That was a perfect thing to talk about.

"Hey, have you ever read fanfiction on the internet? There's this really good one called Anthropology, you should check it out." Jason smiled, and prayed that this conversation could steer to that. Sitting down across from Aria, he opened up Brave Story and began to read, glancing at Aria once in a while.

Oh, damn, this book was good, at least so far. He had no idea why Katchan Komura's Kindergarten mishaps were related to a fantasy adventure, but he might need to remember it for later. Jason was so wrapped up in the book that everything around him faded into the background. It was just him and the book.

Why did he have to be so bad at socializing? Aria couldn't help but cringe a little inwardly at Jason's reply to his question. He really screwed up, didn't he? What if Jason thought he was a rude asshole? What if he thought he was a freak? What if he didn't like Aria? The many scenarios started flashing in his mind as he struggled to think about what to say to Jason. Maybe he should tell him the truth.

It was then that he asked about fanfiction, mentioning a particular fanfiction called "Anthropology". Aria was not a big reader of fanfiction surprisingly. One would think that since Aria liked reading and video games, he would enjoy reading fan fiction. Unfortunately, Aria was the type of person who really enjoyed having the book in his hands and reading it on the internet didn't really have the same impact reading it in a book did. However, he did read a few infamous fanfictions, more out of humor than anything else.

"I might check it out if I have any time. I don't really read fanfiction though. However, I did read this hilarious fanfiction called "My Immortal". It is a Harry Potter fanfic that is so terrible that it's good, you know what I mean?" Aria stated in reply to Jason's question, a little chuckle escaping him as he remembered reading "My Immortal". His favorite moment was when the main character shouted Crookshanks instead of Crucio. It was then when it came to him that he really should tell him the truth about some things.

"I guess I should apologize if I have offended you in any time in this conversation." Aria said apologetically as he looked Jason in the eyes, a hard feat. "I'm just not really used to making conversation with others." Aria continued to say, enjoying the feeling of relief that washed over him as he told the boy the truth. It was better this way. At least, he hoped it was.

"I still want to make friends though." Aria then said in an embarrassed tone, blushing a little as he turned away from Jason. He had not noticed that Jason was reading his book due to his eyes were turning away from Jason. Though it was a little embarrassing talking like it, it was also made him feel relieved after telling him. Maybe this way he won't mess up this relationship. As he looked towards him, Aria realized that he was now reading that book. Now he felt a bit like an idiot.

"Enjoying that book?"

Jason had heard "My Immortal" and "I still want to make friends though," and the latter was music to his ears. It looked like he could salvage a relationship with Aria, no matter what had happened before.

"You enjoying that book?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, this book is really good. It's just that the 'prologue' before the actual adventure is freaking long, about 7 chapters." Jason replied, now standing up. "Oh, and I heard that we could be friends. Before that, let's start over."

Jason went back over to the table he was originally sitting at, walked back, and said "Hello, my name is Jason Liam Meyers. Yours?"

7 chapters of prologue? To Aria, that was like music to his ears. He always liked reading and the story sounded like something he could get his teeth into. Maybe it would be a good way to spend his time, reading this book. Aria was now considering buying the book in one of the bookstores, if he could find it. He wondered if book stores actually did sell the book? He needed to check that out.

"What are you doing?" Aria asked Jason as he watched him walk away and to another table close to him. He tilted his head to the left a little in confusion. This was not making any sense to him whatsoever. Did he offend him too much? Was he giving up? But didn't he say he wanted to start over? It then came to him when he noticed that Jason was walking back to him.

As Jason re-introduced himself, Aria couldn't help but fall into a fit of giggles, trying to be as quiet as possible due to him realizing that he was in a library. He grinned at the other boy, very amused by the other kid. Maybe this could work out after all.

"I-I'm A-a-aria S-s-samuels" He tried to say, his fit of giggles causing it very hard for him to talk at times. He continued to laugh for a few moments as he tried to regain his composure.

After taking a few deep breaths, he looked up at Jason and smiled widely.

"You're a funny kid, you know that?"

"Yeah, that's the point," Jason responded, grinning. "This is what I meant by humor. I know tons of jokes." This 'start over (quite literally)' thing was working, and not many people like it. some just scoffed that it was childish, others left before he could come back. There was something about Aria that made Jason want to be his friend. Whether it was his aura of loneliness or his childish enthusiasm, Jason liked Aria.

"How was that?"

Jason sat down in his old seat and smiled expectantly at Aria, waiting for a response.