YAAAAAAY GWENMOM TEEN ASDFJKL.

Also, takes place during the May of their freshman year instead.

Being the new kid sucked.

That was the conclusion Gwen had come to in the past three months since she started school at Sleepy Peak High. She hadn't really made any friends yet, save for one girl named Jen, and even her Gwen didn't really count. Sure, they both loved trash magazines and TV, but there wasn't much else they had in common. Jen was overly religious and attached to her boyfriend, Daniel… who was also overly religious. Gwen tended to duck out whenever the three of them were hanging out after school, which left a bad impression.

"You really should see the glory of Zeemüg," Jen told Gwen with a smile. "All the negativity you have in your life will make it difficult to ascend."

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I'm happy being agnostic." They turned the corner into Mr. Buchanan's English class. He was an odd man who loved LARPing and Dungeons and Dragons.

"All right, class," he called. "Settle down now!" The bell had rung and he'd begun taking attendance.

Suddenly, the door flew open and a red-haired guy Gwen had seen but never paid attention to rushed in. He tripped over his own feet and face-planted on the ground, making everyone laugh. Mr. Buchanan sighed.

"Thank you for joining us, Mr. Greene. Please take your seat."

"Sorry I'm late, sir."

"I understand. Please take your seat."

Greene (that couldn't have been his name, right?) took his seat with a red face.

"Now, as you all know, we're wrapping up our Shakespeare unit soon. So, for your final project, I'll be putting you into pairs and assigning you a play to research. Find out about productions, famous actors who have been in those productions, and other interesting facts about each play."

Gwen felt herself losing interest as the teacher called out the pairs.

"…and Mr. Greene, you'll be with Miss Sanchez."

The girl looked over at the redheaded boy, who gave her a smile and a wave.

What a weirdo…

"Tough break," Jen whispered to Gwen.

"Why?"

"He's a freak. Always smiling and happy. And he never hangs out with anybody!"

"Well, I'm going to have to hang out with him if I'm going to get this stupid project done."

"Let me know how it goes. I've got my own project."

Gwen watched Greene (seriously, what was his first name?!) go up to the desk and grab their rubric. She rolled her eyes before she realized he was coming over to sit with her. Everyone was breaking off into their pairs already, and Jen had moved to sit with her partner.

"Hey," he greeted her, sitting down. "I'm David. And you are?"

I fucking finally know your name.

"Gwen. So, what play did we get assigned? Romeo and Juliet?"

"The Taming of the Shrew. It's the story of two sisters—one considered lovely and sweet and the other a…"

"Shrew?"

"Yep. The younger sister isn't allowed to get married until the older one does, and the older one is the shrew."

"We're gonna have to work on this outside of school. Meet me at the library?"

"Oh, um, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I… I have to be home after school. It'd be better if we could work at my house."

"Okay, fine." He scribbled his address on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

"Thanks for agreeing to it."

"No problem."

Besides, she was kinda curious about this guy.

After school, Gwen called her mother to take her to the address David had given her. Both of them were shocked by the mansion that was located at said address.

"Call me when you're ready to come home," Valentina told her daughter.

"Yes, Mom," Gwen sighed. "I'll see you later."

Valentina drove off and Gwen approached the door. She knocked a few times before ringing the bell. Rapid footsteps approached the door and it flew open to reveal an exhausted David.

"Sorry," he panted. "Having a little trouble with something. Come on in!"

He led her to the living room, where she was amazed by all the rich-people décor. However, that wasn't really what caught her attention. What caught her attention was the baby sitting in a playpen, playing with a stuffed bear.

"Oh. You're babysitting?"

"No, he's my son." Gwen looked at the white boy with red hair, green eyes, and freckles, then at the baby of Indian descent with curly black hair and bright blue-green eyes.

"I don't see it."

"Well, he's adopted."

"Some agency let you—a guy who's what, fifteen?—adopt a baby."

"Not exactly." The baby looked at Gwen judgmentally, as if she had no right to be there. "All right, little guy." David scooped the baby up. "Gwen, this is Max. Max, this is Gwen."

"Hey, Max." Max gave Gwen the look again. "And he doesn't like me."

"He's only used to me and Mrs. Delgado, his babysitter. Not a people person, I guess." He frowned. "Oh, darn. I need my laptop. Could you hold Max while I run upstairs and get it?"

"Uh, sure."

"Great!"

David handed the baby to Gwen and ran upstairs. Gwen cradled Max in her arms and he gave her a look of confusion.

"What's up? I know you don't like me." Max tugged at her shirt. "I've got nothing in there for you, so quit it, all right?"

Max let out a stream of noises that Gwen was ninety-nine percent sure was the baby equivalent of cursing. It was kind of cute, actually.

"How old is he?" Gwen asked as David re-entered the room with his laptop and cord.

"About… five months, I think. That's what Mrs. Delgado told me when she started helping out. She lives down the street and her daughter has a set of twins about the same age."

"Oh, wow." Gwen looked down at Max, who was squirming and reaching for David. "I think he wants his dad now."

"And I think you're right." David took Max, who immediately calmed to his touch.

"You're good with him."

"Yeah, well, I know how it feels to be unwanted. I told myself I wouldn't let the same thing happen to him."

That made Gwen's heart crack a bit. Unwanted?

"Some agency let you—a guy who's what, fifteen?—adopt a baby."

"Not exactly."

Max had been abandoned. David had found him and taken him in.

He became a parent at fifteen to an abandoned child. Jesus Christ!

"So, shall we get started?"

The next couple hours were mostly the two of them researching. Max sat on the couch between them with his teddy bear, trying to follow their movements with his eyes, but eventually, he fell asleep with his head on David. The teen dad excused himself to take his son upstairs to his crib.

"Sorry about that," he whispered when he came back. "I forgot his naptime was half an hour ago."

"No problem. He's still a baby. He needs his sleep." Gwen checked her watch half an hour later. "Shit. I've gotta go. Same time tomorrow?"

"You got it!" Gwen took out her phone and dialed her mother's number.

"Mom? Yeah, I'm ready to be picked up. I'll be coming here tomorrow right after school, so I don't need a ride then. See you soon."

She hung up.

"She'll be here in half an hour. She has to finish up something, but then she'll be here."

"Great!"

By the time Valentina showed up, Max was awake and very energetic. He was clinging to David, but he was also willing to let Gwen hold him. That's where he was when Gwen's mother knocked at the door.

"I'll get it!" David chirped, getting up. Max babbled something that Gwen didn't catch, but she wasn't paying attention. Her mother walked into the living room and caught sight of her daughter cradling the baby.

"Who is this?" she cooed, holding out her hand to Max. He buried his face in Gwen's shirt.

"This is Max," David replied. "My name is David. I'm Gwen's project partner."

"It's nice to meet you, David." Valentina shook David's hand. "So, Max is your brother?"

"My son, actually. Five months old."

"He's adorable. And he seems to love Gwen!"

"He really does."

"Well, we must be getting home. Come on, Gwen."

Gwen handed Max back to David.

"See you tomorrow, okay, David?" she told him.

"See you, Gwen!"

And that wraps that up.

The next chapter will fast-forward about two months to farther along in David and Gwen's friendship.

So long and thanks for all the fish!