Chapter Text
Finn wanted to go home. There was no good reason he couldn't just be home schooled until graduation and then go to college online. Apparently, that's not how society works. By law, he had to go to high school for at least 2 years. He wasn't legally allowed to be shielded from the world in foster care until he was a functioning adult. Also, his current “parents” really didn't want him home all the time. So, much to his dismay, here he was. He stood at the entrance to the prison he’d only seen on TV and prepared for the worst.
The woman supervising the front of the school spotted him right away. She came rushing over, quickly introducing herself and ushering him inside the building. She directed him toward the Advisory Office to pick up his schedule and left him stranded in the hall as the first bell rang and the flood of sweaty, smelly, hormonal pre-adults broke through the weakly constructed defenses they call doors.
Finn swore under his breath and attempted to fight the raging waters to get to his destination. Unfortunately, the only thing he managed to do was get pushed and shoved more than he ever had before in his sad existence on the rock we call Earth. Eventually the waves calmed, and he was able to follow the instructions the woman had given him.
Every person he passed in the halls stared at him. If this was the extent of the attention, he could deal. But who was he kidding, it wouldn't be. These kids looked vicious. As soon as he found Advisory, he'd get his schedule, thank everyone politely, then book it out of there and find the nearest broom closet to sit down and cry in. He pushed open the door of the quiet office and walked up to the man at the desk. He cleared his throat. The man looked up.
“Hmm? Oh. You must be Finnegan Calrissian.” he said, surprised.
Finn cringed at the name. “It’s just Finn, if you don't mind, sir.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Well, Just Finn, welcome to First Order High. I’m Mr. Solo, head of advisory for today. I’m also the Wood Shop teacher.” He held out his hand, and Finn shook it.
“You probably want your schedule, right?”
Finn nodded.
“Alright, here’s that. Your first class is English Lit with Mr. Hux. That's the second floor, Room 28. If you can’t find it, he’s the teacher with weirdly red hair.” Mr. Solo cracked a grin. “Good luck, kid.” He handed Finn the flimsy paper that dictated where he went and when, and sent him along. Finn felt a bit more confident knowing where he was going now. He easily found Room 28, but tensed up immediately after catching a glimpse of Mr. Hux.
The man stood as a general, presiding over his troops. His hair was just as red as described, but it looked intimidating paired with the black suit and steel expression. Sure, he wasn’t tall, but even the tallest man in the world would feel small looking at Hux. Finn took a deep breath and turned the cold handle.
The entire class turned to look at the newly opened door. Hux frowned and turned away from the board.
“Yes? Can I help you with something?” Hux asked, his voice breaking Finn’s confidence completely.
“Yeah- uh, yes, sir. My name’s Finn Calrissian, I’m new here-”
“Ah, yes.” Hux cut him off. “Class, this is our new student. Please be respectful. Mr. Calrissian, you may take a seat behind Ms. Skywalker.”
A small brown-haired girl smiled and waved at him, gesturing to the open seat behind her. People started to talk as he quickly made his way to the desk, keeping his head down. He sat, and Hux clapped once.
“Class, a new student is not a reason to chat. Am I clear?”
The lack of response was deafening.
“Thank you. Now, may I continue my lesson?”
He took the silence as a ‘yes’ and continued his discussion. The brown-haired girl turned to Finn.
“Hi.” she whispered. “I’m Rey. Don't worry about Hux, he’s got a stick up his ass.” Finn smiled.
“Ms. Skywalker!” Hux exclaimed. Rey whipped around. “Is there something you want to tell the class?”
“No, sir.” she answered.
“And Mr. Dameron!”
A boy from the second row looked up.
“If I see that game one more time this semester, I’ll tell Coach Phasma to cut you from the team. Understand?”
The boy spoke and Finn’s heart skipped a beat.
“Yes, sir, fully comprendo.”
His voice was sickly sweet caramel with a touch of rebellious. Finn loved it.
“And please, try to refrain from made-up words.”
“But it’s Spanish-”
“Mr. Dameron.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you. I trust I will be able to continue this lesson with no interruptions?”
Silence.
“Thank you. Now, back to Shakespeare…”
~~~~
The day dragged on in this fashion. Thankfully, Rey had been in all of Finn’s classes thus far. They sat together at lunch, where Finn asked Rey about the caramel-voiced boy from English.
“Oh, you mean Poe? Yeah, I guess he’s alright. His soccer squad is cruel, though. You know those guys you see on TV that bug the nerds for lunch money?”
Finn nodded, nervous for the comparison ahead.
“That’s them, but instead of lunch money, it’s weed money. They tried to take my ten bucks once and I nearly knocked a guy out. They don’t bother me anymore.”
Finn laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me, honestly. But what about Poe? Is he nice?”
Rey grinned. “Why? You got a crush?” She drew out ‘crush’ as long as she could. Finn blushed.
“No, I just- he seems like someone I’d like to talk to.” he explained.
“Sure, kid. Yeah, Poe’s pretty cool. If he wasn’t on the team he’d probably be super punk, but he has to be Jock Man, or his reputation will go-” She imitated a bomb exploding.
Finn frowned. Maybe he could talk to Poe in another class?
~~~
Finn and Rey had to part ways after lunch. Rey had P.E. with Phasma (“She’s a nightmare, be thankful you don't have her today,” Rey had said), and Finn had Art with Mr. Ren. As he entered the small room, he spotted Poe alone at a small table in the corner. The rest of the tables were already full. Shit. He’d have to take that spot. A man Finn first assumed was a student cleared his throat, taking a seat at the desk near the door.
“You lost, kid?” the man asked. Is this Mr. Ren? Finn thought.
“No, actually, I’m just new.”
“Oh. So you’re Finnegan?” Ren asked smugly, silently mocking his name.
“It’s just Finn, if you don't mind.”
“Sure, kid. Go find a seat.” Ren finished, waving him off. Finn looked around once more, praying a seat would pop up on the opposite end of the room, but alas, the seat next to Poe Dameron remained open. Thankfully, Poe hadn’t seen him yet, but he could look up at any point. Finn quickly took the seat and Ren stood up.
“Alright, let's get this thing started. First of all, this ‘mister whatever’ business is stupid, and you can all call me Kylo. Second of all, you can talk all you want when you're doing your assignments, but shut up when I’m talking. Kapeesh?”
The class nodded.
“Okay, first assignment: draw something. I don't care what. Go!”
Finn grabbed a paper and a pencil and started sketching. Poe looked up from his phone, confused. To Finn’s horror, the boy nudged his arm.
“Hey, what’re we doing? I wasn't listening at all. Kylo’s an obnoxious ass.”
Finn refused to look up. “He just said to draw something, and that he doesn’t care.”
Poe laughed. Finn nearly died.
“Dude’s probably hungover. So, what brings you to First Order High?” Poe asked. Finn’s mind went completely blank. His breath caught in his throat and he coughed loudly. Poe frowned. “Hey, buddy, you okay?”
Finn nodded, clearing his throat. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I’m Poe, by the way. Your name’s Finnegan?”
He nodded again. Embarrassment was not an option.
“Can I call you Finn? Finnegan’s a bit of a mouthful.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Am I annoying you?”
“Nope.”
“Then what? Do you not like me?” Poe asked, defeated. Finn looked up and was met with a pair of gorgeous brown eyes and a pout that could probably flirt its way out of arrest. His own mouth decided it wasn’t a good time for speaking, so he sat there like a fish gulping for air. Poe’s pout quickly morphed into a smirk. Finn felt his cheeks heat up. “See something you like?”
“I-uh, um…” Finn mumbled, attempting to gain control of his voice again. “Sorry, I… I’m not really used to talking to people. I was homeschooled before this.”
“So that answers one of my questions, but-”
“Dameron!” Kylo yelled from the front of the room. “Maybe you should get some actual work done instead of flirting with newbies. You do want to pass, right?”
Poe rolled his eyes. Finn dropped his gaze and turned his focus to the blank paper in front of him. Poe grabbed a notepad from his bag and turned to a page with an incredibly detailed drawing of a corgi sitting in a jet-black car. He grabbed a pencil and started touching it up, though Finn couldn’t see a difference anywhere he drew. He sat and stared in awe as Poe added lines and curves to the masterpiece, looking away when the boy’s eyes flicked toward him.
Finn couldn’t wait for the day to be over.