A/N from sixty chapters in the future: Hello! Thank you for coming across this story of mine and choosing to read! Before you continue, I would like to let you know that since this first chapter, I have grown a lot as a writer, which is good because that was the whole point of this challenge. I have chosen not to edit any of the early chapters so I can compare how I used to write with how I write now. With that said, please excuse the way I used to write and persevere through the chapters until I get better. Maybe you'll notice the difference between my writing in future chapters :)

And now, without further ado, please enjoy A Long Way to Go!

Gilbert Beilschmidt stepped off of the bus and took a big whiff of the smells around him, letting the scented air out of his lungs with a sigh.

Sunscreen, diesel, cheap perfume, and new clothes.

It smelled like the first day of school. And Gilbert loved it.

Contrary to popular belief, Gilbert did not hate school. In fact, he was actually quite fond of some certain aspects of it, the first day to name only one of them. The first day meant moving up a grade and making progress! And who doesn't love progress? Progress meant dorky little eighth-graders coming out of middle school to become the bright young men and women of the future! And freshmen meant… well, for lack of a better phrase:

Fresh meat.

Gilbert grinned at that thought in a way that made some of the people looking his way (wisely) turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Call it cruel, call it twisted, but there were few things Gilbert loved more than watching a kid struggle in an uncomfortable situation. His little brother, Ludwig, told Gilbert that he needed to get counseling. Gilbert told Ludwig that he needed to get a life.

Backpack slung over his shoulder, Gilbert walked through the large, open campus of his high school, scanning the yard for his first target of the year. They'd have to be a cute, lost-looking kid, definitely a freshman. Why not spot some easy prey for the first day?

Gilbert kept looking until—ahah! Perfect!—his eyes rested on a tall girl with wavy blonde hair. Her back was turned to him, so he couldn't be sure if she was cute, but Gilbert didn't mind. She was obviously a freshman judging by the way she walked slowly and unsurely, hands gripping strongly onto her backpack.

A thrilling little jolt went through Gilbert as he imagined the trouble he could cause with this one. He took long, confident strides toward her and arrived behind her in only seven steps. He reached out and tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump a little in surprise.

"Excuse me, but you seem lost, miss—"

Gilbert's eyes went wide as the girl spun around to reveal that she was not a girl at all, but in fact, a boy. A rather cute and feminine boy, no doubt, but a boy nonetheless. Her—his—eyes were a dark violet in color, and there was a loopy curl that came off of his hair and hung beside his face. Gilbert could only blink a few times in confusion before realizing that he was staring, and the guy was looking at him like he was insane. The mystery guy raised an eyebrow.

"Miss?"

Suddenly Gilbert was the one feeling uncomfortable. Had he actually mistaken a guy for a girl? Wait, maybe he could use this to his advantage.

"Yeah, Miss! I thought you were a girl at first! What's up with that?" There. That should be significantly mortifying, Gilbert thought with a smirk.

The guy looked down at the ground and blushed, kicking at the dirt. "Y-yeah…? It's my hair, right? My brother says I should get it cut, but nobody notices me much anyway, so…" He trailed off and actually smiled. "B-but look! It got me noticed! So I like my hair the way it is."

What the fuck was wrong with this guy? It was like he was immune to insults and ridicule.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Um, Matthew. Matthew Williams," he responded, then in a quieter voice, said: "We've, uh, been in the same English class since freshman year… Um… You're Gilbert, right?"

Gilbert could only blush from embarrassment. How the hell had he gone three years without knowing this guy existed? And he knew his name! Shit… He was actually feeling kind of bad for this Matthew person… Maybe… he could make it up to him? Just this once?

"Oh," Gilbert mumbled. "Yeah, I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt. I'm awesome, so of course you would know my name!" he remarked, quickly getting some of his confidence back. Gilbert dug into his pocket and retrieved a crumpled class schedule, noting that he had English first period. If they'd had it together every year before…

"Do you have English first?" Gilbert asked. Matthew looked confused and slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah… With Mr. Hopper… Why?"

Gilbert smiled. "Good. Because I'm taking you to class," he concluded, grabbing Matthew's arm and dragging him towards the building their class would be in. Matthew stumbled and tried to keep up.

"E-eh? Wait, why?" he yelled, looking around him.

Gilbert only cackled as they made their way across the campus. What a strange first day!

This was going to be the most awesome senior year ever.

A/N: That's right, Jel is taking on the 100 theme challenge! Be prepared for a giant clusterfuck of crack and a huge distraction from my other stories! Yay~!

This is a great and exciting undertaking for me, and I hope I do well!

Please leave constructive criticism in a review! Flames will be used to heat Russia's house~!

~Jel