A/N: Sorry I've ben gone for a while, had some business to take care of in Hong Kong so I had to go offline a bit. Anyways enjoy!
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(Manuel POV)
It's finally time for one of the most youthful times in my life, high school. Not really excited for a bunch of wannabe greasers, stereotypical jocks, and maybe the possible pedophile gym coach. There is a plus that comes with all these hormones though!
I had a massive growth spurt and I was now at a staggering height of 6'3 and I wasn't even done growing! Honestly if it weren't for my Scandinavian genes this height would've been my peak. I was encouraged to join the basketball club on account of my height and athleticism, but I decided to abstain from joining any clubs right now, and instead focus on training myself for the future.
I also brought the other 3 along with me on some of my camping trips to see how well I would do in a group situation. Although at the end of the trips they would complain about the fact that I would bring just about the bare minimum of supplies. I would also encourage them to scavenge and forage for anything that could be useful in our little camping trips.
The one who would complain the most though would be Sharon, she'd always say something about the bugs or the heat. Well she might be able to avoid the bloat flies, but the heat from the bombs would definitely get to her. The person who adapted surprisingly well was Alisson. She never once complained about anything and was really good at foraging.
I also introduce the sport of hunting to my good friend Frederick. I tell you he was a natural with the varmint rifle, but he's still got some time to figure out how to take the recoil of a 20 gauge. I spent a whole summer just camping it out with the three, which was incredibly enjoyable for me.
I also started writing down my own knowledge of the future in a journal I keep in one of my stash bases I've hidden. I've already finished writing in one book about the different factions that can be encountered in the Wasteland.
I'm currently writing in a second journal about the different abominations and monsters in the Wasteland. I was in the middle of writing about the Cazadors when all of a sudden the Three Musketeers barge into my room.
"Hey there Manny! You want to come with us to watch that new Silver Shroud movie?"
The boisterous voice that asked me to join them belonged to Fred. He certainly filled out his height of 6 feet as the quarterback in the football team. Trailing behind him were Sharon and Alisson who were also curious about my answer.
Sharon had grown into a classical beauty, She had her styled in a bun with a bow to tie it all together. She was also wearing a blue shirtwaist dress with a white collar. She also had a pair of black flats that went well with the rest of her ensemble.
Alisson came in with her hair in her usual twin braids. She had on her round rimmed glasses that somehow never seem to fall off of her face no matter what she does. She was also wearing a shirtwaist dress, however hers was long sleeved, without a collar and had a red and orange floral pattern. She was also wearing a pair of white high heels.
"What's that you got there Manny?"
As I was about to answer her question, Sharon decided to snatch my journal right out of my hands. As I was about to protest the theft of my property I heard her gasp and looked up from my seat only to be greeted by a wide eyed, and mouth gaped redhead.
"What type of hellish monstrosity are you drawing in this little notebook of yours?"
As Sharon turned the leatherbound journal around the other two saw just how terrifyingly detailed my sketch of the Cazadors were. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but i did quite enjoy art class in my previous life. As Fred just kept gaping at the drawing Alisson asked the question that seemed to be on the others minds.
"Are you planning to write a book or something?"
Sharon and Fred then turned their heads to me, expecting me to answer Alisson's' question. So to avoid any type of dram or incessant questioning I told them a sort of white lie.
"Actually, I was planning on writing my own uhm... horror and sci-fi comic! Yes, that's what I've been working on."
As I fumbled that answer out of my mouth the trio of them had these inquisitive yet excited looks on their faces.
"You were making a comic? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!??"
As Fred complained to me in faux anger, the two girls were flipping through the pages of my journal and were discussing the various abominations found in the future.
"Oooh, this Brahmin thing kinda looks cute, in a 'kicked puppy' sorta way"
"Ali no, that is not cute, in fact everything in this book looks like some sort of unholy abomination from hell. Look at this one, 'Spore Carrier' it looks terrifying and the description is even worse. It's like a zombie, but all planty."
As I was being verbally assaulted by Fred and hearing the girls complain about not seeing anything cute in the journal I couldn't help but smile at this little chaotic group I call my friends.
====Time Skip====
It has been a year since I entered high school and am now 15 years old. It has been a productive year as I was able to accomplish a lot of objectives. I joined the wrestling team in my school and was able to win a few matches in a state tournament before I was eliminated in the semi-finals by some guy who was about to graduate.
Along with the new club I also grew 6'5 and put on a few more pound of muscle to my frame. The only thing annoying about my body though were the pimples, which were easily handled with some pimple cream that Sharon recommended to me a few months back. Speaking of Sharon, her and Alisson also had their time to grow into their bodies.
Sharon was now 5'4 with her hair primarily styled in twin braids that run along her back, and a model hour glass figure that she likes to brag about. Normally she would be seen wearing designer dresses to school and was easily the most popular girl in oure year if not the whole school.
Alisson on the other hand had grown a considerable amount at 5'6, taller than most of the other girls in school which has left her with some self-esteem issues. She also styles her hair in a wavy style that's reminiscent of Ava Gardner. She also dresses quite modestly with long sleeves and skirts and often in black or white.
Fred has also grown quite a lot, finally reaching my previous height of 6'2, he's also started to style his hair in a greaser style with a single blonde cowlick curling between his eyes. He always wore his Varsity football jacket over whatever shirt he decided to put on that day, he's also bulked up a considerable amount.
As for me, aside from my height and absolutely herculean physique, I let my hair grow out a little bit, and the longer it grew the messier it got, I kinda looked like Carlos from Resident Evil 3 if he didn't have a beard. I would also mostly wear jeans, boots, and a shirt under a button down.
During this past year I was able to successfully make myself a pair of buckskin leather chaps from a whitetail I shot over the summer. I was also able to make a vest from the skin of a black bear my dad shot near the property line of the ranch. We just told the game warden it was on our property and he didn't ask anymore questions.
I was also spending time sneaking into college lecture halls that were focused on technology. So I was able to learn some things about coding and other stuff like that. I also asked my dad if I could start working part time at an auto repair shop which he eventually agreed to. Now you may wonder why I wanted to work at a garage when a large majority of the cars in the apocalypse won't even function, well for the skills associated with working at a garage.
I would be able to learn welding, wiring, and even some electrical engineering. Also there is the infinitesimal chance that I could repair a motorcycle and become like a ghost rider. Oh sue me, I loved Johnny Blaze, and I somewhat maybe enjoyed that 2000's movie where Johnny Cage played the ghost rider.
I also started rock climbing on the ranch, of course I did it alone since it was considered dangerous and I didn't want to unnecessarily worry my dad and also ban me from doing it. My body has gotten considerably stronger and my grip strength seems to have nearly doubled since 2 years ago.
I also increased the value of my cap cashes by going on trips with my friends and family to different places, like just this summer me and the 3 musketeers visited Zion national park and I was able to stash around 350 caps under a large rock near a stream and I was able to get 30 more caps just from picking them up off the ground on the mountain trail we took.
All in all I would say that I had an incredibly productive year, it was also incredibly enjoyable. I was able to spend more time with my friends and with my dad and grandpa. All in all it was a really great year, if it wasn't for the fact that right before me stood Alisson with an incredibly adorable yet frightening pout, who just told me to accompany her to the Autumn formal.
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A/N: Hey guys been a while, like a year a while. I'm real sorry it took such a long time to update, but I've had one hell of a busy year. Also I'm heading out to college in a few months so wish me luck! Most of you have probably abandoned this story for the lack of updates and I honestly don't blame you, but for those who are reading this, from the bottom of my heart thank you for still paying attention. Anyways I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!