[center][IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/2eozoyp.gif[/IMG][/center] As much as the boy had hoped for a break, none was about to come along. People looked at him in a mixture of fear and astonishment, the Evo who saved all those people at the park. This amount of attention was nothing he signed up for and while it was nice to read about once, Casper didn't want this to linger. He didn't want people to look at him with wide eyes, he just wanted to fade into the background like he always had. He was a quiet kid, someone who enjoyed the silence and preferred to be part of it. This, everything that was happening, it was breaking that comfort with a battering ram. "Hey." A new voice started, stealing Casper's attention from his locker. "You're the guy on the news, right?" [color=00aeef]"Yeah..."[/color] "Cool, about time something good came along on the news. I'm Aiden." The boy spoke, stretching his hand out to Casper who shook it gently. [color=00aeef]"Casper..."[/color] "Sorry about your arm, though. I saw the video, damn...punching that looked painful." Aiden was taller than Casper, which wasn't a very impressive feat and possessed quite the opposite features with blonde hair, blue eyes and very fair skin. He appeared to possess a thin, slender frame though with enough weight to consider him quite attractive around those of similar age. The bright smile stretching across his lips hinted at a joyful and pleasant personality with his casual approach to Casper being an obvious giveaway of his social tendencies. Aiden wasn't being a nuisance, though. He was polite and gave off a better impression of this place than Casper's old home. [color=00aeef]"Yeah..."[/color] Casper responded, closing his locker. It was still empty, though he wanted to make sure that he had gotten the right one. [color=00aeef]"He was rather sturdy..."[/color] "Happy you won that one. If you didn't, things would have gotten really sour really fast." Aiden continued, managing a soft chuckle. "Seems like you know how to fight, though. Who taught you?" [color=00aeef]"Buncha' people..."[/color] In truth, Casper's combat capabilities were instinctive. He had been through countless fights in his previous school, on the streets and in countless other venues where thugs tended to reside. Every fight was another experience point and while he wasn't exactly a master martial artist, he had been through enough of the rough to have good reflexes. He did want to learn more disciplined forms of fighting, though. [color=00aeef]"Been in a few brawls..."[/color] "A few?" Aiden returned, placing a hand by his hip. [color=00aeef]"Depends on how ya' count, I guess..."[/color] "Mhm." Aiden giggled. "What's your next class?" [color=00aeef]"English..."[/color] "Me too! We're in the same class, then." Aiden finished, motioning towards the fork in the corridor. "It's in there." [color=00aeef]"Oh, okay..."[/color] Raising his eyes from the floor where they often found home, Casper noticed how things hadn't changed much. People were still ogling him and it felt odd in so many ways. He just wanted to save his sister from a psycho, there was nothing else to it. Why were people treating this like national news? Casper just did what any person would have done in that situation, didn't he? [color=00aeef]"Why did ya' say hi to me...?"[/color] "Huh?" Leaning against the wall next to their classroom door, Aiden tilted his head slightly and gazed down at the smaller boy with a confused expression on his face. "What do you mean?" [color=00aeef]"Why did ya' say hi?"[/color] Casper repeated. [color=00aeef]"People don't usually walk up to strangers like that...is there anything ya' want?"[/color] "Heh, sorry. People have said that I'm a bit too hands-on for my own good. I just saw you on the news and wanted to see what kind of person you were, sorry if I overstepped." Aiden raised his hands apologetically, something else Casper didn't expect. This guy appeared to pleasant in a lot of ways, didn't he? [color=00aeef]"Ya didn't overstep. I'm just not used to bein' social...this is still new to me..."[/color] Casper didn't mind Aiden's presence, he actually somewhat liked it, but this was still a lot to take in. [color=00aeef]"Uhm..."[/color] "Yup?" Aiden returned, waiting for Casper to finish. [color=00aeef]"Nice...to meet ya'..."[/color] "Heh, likewise, buddy. My mom always says that it's good to make a friend on the first day of school so uh, you might have made one!...if you want." [color=00aeef]"Thanks, Aiden..."[/color] Calling him a friend this early on would be a mistake but Aiden was certainly not going in any other direction. Perhaps this would be a person Casper would see himself hanging out with rather frequently at school. He wasn't opposed to that idea, he just needed to get used to it. There were countless changes in his life and Casper was trying to keep up with them. At the very least, he had come to accept the changes rather than fight them which made everything a lot easier. "I can show you around school after class, if you want." Aiden offered as he scratched the back of his head somewhat nervously as if not to step on Casper's nerves. Despite his talkative and social nature, the boy possessed a very calm voice. It was harmonic and serene, quite pleasant to listen to, in fact. His social endeavors also showed quite frequently as he raised a hand in greeting to many people he knew while speaking with Casper. A social butterfly indeed. [color=00aeef][i]"So far, so good...right? Things are goin' a lot more smoothly than I first thought...heh, thanks Aiden. Hope things don't go downhill from here..."[/i][/color]