#wallaway

     Hartley counted his blessings when he saw the very clearly labeled front office as soon as he entered the building. He beelined for it, having not been in town for open house and therefore not having his schedule, and steeled himself before heading for the small woman sitting behind the desk. Wordlessly, and before he could speak, she held up a finger. A little shocked, Hartley obeyed and waited for her to finish her snail’s pace tapping on the keyboard. While he waited, he observed her and her red cat-eye readers, the faux-gemstone glasses chain hanging around her neck, she had an almost comical beehive. There were huge filing cabinets lining the walls behind her. Hartley felt like he’d entered a time bubble. After several agonizing moments, she turned to him and smiled. 

     “Hello, dear, so sorry about that wait,” she pulled the glasses off her face and dropped them, letting the chain catch them against her chest. “What can I do for you?”

     “Uh,” Hartley’s brain felt a little like mush. The second she spoke and actually gave him her attention, the entire script he had for her had left his mind. Stupid traitor script. He remembered himself and pulled one of his earbuds out, fiddling with it. “Uh. Um, my name is Hartley and… and I need to pick up my schedule.” She stared a little bit. “I’m… I’m new in town.” 

     For a brief, terrifying moment, she remained silent and staring. Then, as if a switch flipped, she smiled at him again and picked up the phone sitting on the desk in front of her and pressed a couple of buttons. It made a strange crackling noise and she spoke into it without putting it to her ear. 

     “Mrs. Stevenson? I need you to send Mr. Wally West to the front office, I need his assistance.” She paused, listening for a response that Hartley didn’t hear and didn’t think she heard either. “Thank you.” She turned back to him and smiled again. “What’s your last name, sweetheart?” 

     He flushed. He thought he’d done a good job introducing himself, but apparently not. “Oh, um, Rathaway.” 

     She blinked, and a brief shocked expression crossed her face. Then, she schooled her expression back to the kind grin she’d had moments before and pushed against the desk to send her rolling chair to the filing cabinets behind her. She yanked on one of the drawers and it opened with a loud whooshing sound. Her bright red nail polish shined as she quickly sifted through the contents, giving a small “ah-ha!” as she brandished what she was looking for with a smile. The secretary rolled back towards him and placed a schedule in his hands. Then, she leaned in, conspiratorial. A little mesmerized by her, Hartley leaned in, too and she spoke to him in a whisper. 

     “Dr. Haven insists on a paper filing system, though,” with this she lowered her voice further. “Between you and me? I think he may be a time traveler from the fifties.” 

     He stared at her. Was she joking? Could she read his mind? She winked. He grinned. At that moment, a blur of color and fabric came bursting through the door. The blur nearly knocked a potted plant over and Hartley braced for an impact that never came. There was something achingly familiar about the way the newcomer moved, the chaos and simultaneous self-assuredness. 

     “Hi, Miss Darlene!” The boy (not a blur) spoke. “Sorry it took me so long, I was wrapping up a quiz when you called.” 

     Hartley looked at the secretary (Miss Darlene, his mind supplied) with what had to have been a bewildered expression because she laughed lightly at his face. 

     “Just the entrance I expected from you, Mr. West! Not to worry, I just need you to show our new student around. He missed the open house last week.” 

     When had he told her that? Miss Darlene winked at him again. What did she know that he didn’t? He narrowed his eyes at her, but before he could say anything, the kid grabbed his arm and tugged, a little impatiently. Hartley shoved his earbud back into his ear and followed his tour guide out of the office. The guide began chattering away as he led Hartley to what seemed to be a central area for the school. Some students sat on benches and picnic tables scattered throughout the area, and there were plenty of bulletin boards filled with flyers for events, clubs, and classes that wanted advertisement. Hartley observed the school with a bit of scrutiny. The walls were white, and the floor was checkered with dark green and a light gray, the school’s colors. 

     “... schedule?” 

     Hartley snapped back into focus, pulling an earbud out once again and finding his tour guide’s face. 

     “Sorry, what?” He asked. 

     “Can I see your schedule?” The kid - Wally West, as Miss Darlene had called him - didn’t seem upset at having to repeat himself. He smiled, pleasantly and a bit lazily. His smile was crooked, the left corner of his mouth rising higher than the right. He had freckles all over his face, and his cheeks were rosy. Hartley zeroed in on a small freckle on his bottom lip without thinking. Wally’s green eyes sparkled with vague amusement, and Hartley remembered where he was and what was happening in an embarrassing rush. 

     “Right!” Hartley said, probably a little too loud. A couple heads turned as he sheepishly handed the kid his schedule. “Sorry. About that.” 

     “It’s alright, new kid,” Wally’s voice was soft and tilted a bit when he spoke. Hartley felt the tips of his ears heat up. He really liked this kid’s voice, it almost had a musical quality to it. He watched with bated breath as Wally looked over his schedule. The crooked grin was back, and the schedule was slid back into Hartley’s hand. “You can follow me.” 

     So, Hartley did. He followed Wally West to his locker, studiously kept his eyes on the door of it as he deposited his things, he was led to his first, second, third, and fourth blocks, then shown the gymnasium, the cafeteria, the quad (which - what kind of high school legitimately has a quad?), and the athletic fields. The whole tour only took about twenty minutes, but Hartley hardly recalled anything. He was too focused on the kid’s voice, the intonation and the way he pronounced his words. Too focused on the sound of it to register what was being said. 

     “... got the same homeroom, so I’ll probably see you around. Do you have any questions? Need anything else?”

     “Sorry, what?” He felt like a broken record.

     “We’re in the same homeroom. And we have the same lunch. You can sit with me and Linda today, if you’d like.” That smile was back. “I’m Wally West, by the way. I don’t think I ever told you that.” 

     “I know.” He said it without thinking. Wally’s eyebrows raised, and Hartley felt like cursing himself for his lack of impulse control. “I… uh, Miss Darlene said it. A couple times, I think. I’m Hartley Rathaway, I’m -”

     “The new kid?” Wally hooked his thumbs into the straps of his backpack. 

     “Yeah,” the word left Hartley’s mouth in a rush of breath. He smiled, feeling at ease in an instant. “I moved here in July, but my folks took me out of town last week, so…” 

     “So, no open house.” Wally nodded, not needing Hartley’s confirmation. “Hey, whatcha listening to, new kid?” 

     What was he listening to? 

Step by step,

Ooh, baby,

Gonna get to you, girl!

     Oh God. He was listening to New Kids on the Block. That was the most distinctly embarrassing music he could be listening to! Before Hartley could change the song, Wally had the free earbud up to his ear. Through his embarrassed haze, Hartley noticed that Wally didn’t put the earbud fully in his ear, which was appreciated. A small smile grew on Wally’s lips, and Hartley kind of wanted to curl up and die. Wally would think he’s a total dweeb for listening to an 80s boy band, and then he’d take back his lunch invitation and Hartley would sit alone and never make any friends because Wally totally had to be super popular and then he’d end up dying alone with only the Rogues caring. This was the worst case scenario. 

     “New Kids on the Block.” Wally’s lovely voice was thick with amusement. 

     “I don’t even like them! It’s… it’s a friend’s playlist!” Lies. Total bullshit lies. Hartley didn’t even believe himself, why would Wally? 

     “Right.” Wally drew out the vowel, and then winked. Actually winked! Hartley felt his heart beat a little faster. “Well, I gotta run.”

     Hartley’s heart sank a little bit. He took the earbud that was handed to him back and held up two fingers in a peace sign. A peace sign?! Wally, somehow, found that charming, because he laughed a little bit and held up a peace sign of his own. His nose scrunched and Hartley’s knees went a bit weak. 

     “I’ll see you at lunch?”

     The lunch invitation! Had not been taken back! A little starstruck, he nodded mutely. 

     “Cool, hang tough, new kid!” Wally threw another wink over his shoulder as he walked away. 

     Quick! Say something cool! Something suave! A voice in his head (one that sounded suspiciously like Lisa) whispered to him. 

edit: here’s a better ot3 meme that doesn’t erase hart’s identity! that fact 100%  slipped my mind when i initially made this post, shoutout to the anon who brought that to my attention!