Mild guilt washed over Ben once he realized that his strong reaction had startled the other, the hint of a sympathetic look crossing his features in direct response. The two quite obviously were frightened probably a little *too* easily, though from a positive outlook, that was just one thing that they already had in common. Still, Ben felt obligated to apologize for his crude outburst even after the other teen had brushed it off, eyebrows furrowing apologetically.

❝Um, sorry about that, by the way. I didn't mean to startle you...❞ he spoke sheepishly, resisting the urge to scratch the back of his head in a very cliché sort of way. ❝I should, uh - maybe try harder not to do that so often,❞ he trailed off to admit, giving a shy grin in his own defense.

It was true that such an occurrence wasn't at all out of the ordinary for the taller. Whether it be unexpected loud noises, or as in Arvo's case, being approached without any warning, Ben was generally the jumpy type, another thing that he was known for, and therefore picked on for by the football jocks and popular cliques alike. Perhaps with somebody to understand that it wasn't something he could simply control would make it easier on him.

No harm done, it appeared as Arvo's expression suddenly beamed around a much more genuine smile, the sight of it seeming to be rather infectious when Ben's own grin grew in size as well. It also proved to be a tad distracting as Ben barely noticed the interruption that followed, though the same apparently couldn't be said for the other as the inkling of a blush dusted lightly across his cheeks, and Ben resisted the urge to chuckle at the display before him. He decided against doing so, however, upon seeing the other begin to fumble with the collar of his shirt somewhat anxiously.

The obvious act of nerves that was presented to him reminded him so much of himself that it was almost shocking, though not in a bad way. Although he hated those same actions from himself, somehow seeing those similarities from Arvo did nothing but intrigue him, and he soon caught himself staring while the other spoke, the accent that rolled off his tongue sparking a certain interest that Ben couldn't quite place. Once he did realize that he was almost gawking at the other, it took all the mental effort not to literally kick himself; with his luck, Arvo would probably assume that he was gaping at him for all the wrong reasons. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

So he quickly attempted to cover himself. ❝Y-yeah, hopefully they'll fix that soon. Not that it matters now, since we managed to find each other, I guess,❞ he said quickly, giving a nervous laugh that almost earned a cringe out of himself. *Stupid*.

At least Arvo managed to catch the part of his babbling about his name, to which he thankfully confirmed. That was a start, he supposed, and he made a mental note to actually slow down in the future while talking to Arvo so that he'll be able to understand him. It wouldn't be much use to do nothing but confuse the exchange student he is meant to support during his stay in an all American school; it certainly couldn't be easy to comprehend everything that will be thrown his way, therefore it would be helpful for at least Ben to provide him with some form of stability.

❝Okay, well then it's nice to finally meet you, Arvo,❞ Ben greeted officially, smile growing further as his nerves slowly decreased. In fact, in the midst of it all he'd successfully managed to have forgotten the bell that had rung just minutes prior to their encounter until Arvo brought it up, and his smile faded slightly as he also regretfully recalled the mess of paper and books that still lay strewed across a now empty hallway. 

❝Ah, yeah...❞ he sighed in defeat as he scanned his belongings that would need gathering before he went to class. If he was late, he hoped that his History teacher would understand the reason and not make a big deal out of it. ❝I'll show you around the rest of the school at the lunch break. I guess you can just come with me to class until then? I have History first, you can probably just sit and watch?❞ he offered, hoping that would suffice for the time being.