Chapter Text
Derek sat in his seat, he had Rossi’s class, AP psychology. He absolutely despised that class, but his mother had signed him up for it, and he needed at least one AP class to get his football scholarship. Maths was out of the question, he wasn’t exactly the best at science nor history.
So when his best friend and favourite person ever, Penelope Garcia, who took this class told him to take it with a very big empty promise of helping him ace the class, he folded.
“Hello there my chocolate hunk.” Penelope smirked as she took her usual seat beside the dark skinned boy. Her pink butterfly dress and cardigan with bold blue tights and pink heels contrasted to his dark blue jeans and fitted black top with a black sports jacket of the football team. A green bolded ‘MORGAN’ sat nicely over his number — 10, of course — as he had his feet on his desk.
“Why hello there baby girl. How is my gorgeous solace doing.” Derek smirked as he leaned in, his hands in his jacket. He looked up when the door opened, with only a minute before class starts, the infamous Spencer Reid entered with his book bag on his side.
He wore light blue jeans a white button up shirt. A dark brown vest on top of it and a brown leather jacket over it. His glasses, broken in the middle and taped together sat on his face as his hair was parted.
He took a seat at the back of the class as usual as he took off his glasses and laid his head on the desk. Everyone knew about the loner genius with an ego. He never associated with anyone because he thought he was above them.
That’s what everyone at school thought, in reality, he was just an anti-social freak who couldn't keep a friend because of his father.
“First day of school and he’s dressed up.” Penelope says causing Derek to look back at her. He shrugged before looking at the notebook she was doodling in.
“Wouldn’t kill him to be social. I hate people who think they’re the best because they’re convinced they’re the smartest in the room.” Derek said as he scoffed. He looked up when a girl took a seat on his desk.
“He is the smartest in the room.” Emily Prentiss said as she opened Derek’s bag and took out the chocolate Derek had been saving.
She wore her classical gothic boots and ripped fishnets, a gothic black meth dress under her corset. She wore long half gloves and a spiky bracelet and choker. A huge moon necklace that she had definitely borrowed from Penelope, and gothic makeup that made her look like a vampire.
“Hey em, I think Twilight needs their vampire attire back.” Derek joked, causing Emily to smack the back of his head as he laughed.
“Why are you guys like this. Why can’t you be normal?” Penelope joked as Mr. Rossi entered the room; his stern, tired expression was familiar to everyone. Derek watched as Spencer sat up and rubbed his eyes, then put his glasses back onto his face before taking out a notebook Derek had never seen him write in.
“I can’t be bothered to teach students who will fail my class anyway, so we’ll start this year with a project.” Rossi started making the whole class smile. He always let people pick their partners, not because he wanted to be cool, but because he couldn't be bothered to put people together.
Derek had felt bad for Spencer, only for a second. He usually ended up being partnered with people who would throw all the work at him or end up alone. Yet, maybe if he were social, he’d have people who’d want to work with him.
“Now, principal Strauss has been on my ass, so I’ll be assigning partners,” Rossi stated as he sat down at his desk. Derek groaned, and Penelope pouted as they’d usually work together. “Kevin Lynch, you’re with Penelope Garcia, Emily Prentiss, you're with Tara Lewis, Spencer Reid, you're with Derek Morgan—.”
You’ve got to be shitting me.
“Sir, if I may, I’d like a different partner—.” Derek raised his hand and started. Rossi had a sign and immediately raised his hand to stop him.
“And I’d like to be in Cabo. No exceptions, Morgan.” Rossi said as he continued giving the list. Derek turned to look at Spencer, who had his head down. A hand in his hair as he sighed.
Maybe he was an ass, but he would rather be partnered with Foyet than Spencer. At least Foyet was on his team, and Derek was captain.
“You have two weeks to submit the project. The project is about how mental illnesses affect those around you. It’ll be a paper or a presentation. If it’s a presentation, both partners must present what they’ve worked on.” Rossi started. “I suggest you work most of it at home to finish in time. If you’ve submitted before the deadline, I’ll let you skip class, dismissed.”
Rossi left without another word, ensuring that no one could complain about the partner he’d set them up with, and locked himself in the staff lounge.
Derek watched as everyone stood up to go to his partners. He’d watch as Kevin said some lame computer joke that made Penelope laugh, Tara, who commented on Emily’s dress, saying some bullshit about ‘retro gothic style being cool’ or something.
“Uh, hey,” Spencer said as he crossed his arms, his lips in a straight line as he stared at the jock. “I guess we’re partners—.”
“The library after school. Don’t be late.” Derek said stubbornly as he stormed out, leaving Spencer to sigh as he grabbed his book bag and followed after the boy.
“Morgan,” Spencer said firmly, surprising himself and Derek. Derek sighed and turned around to face the scrawny kid as he shrugged. “I. I don’t get it. What’s your problem with me?”
“Your existence.” Derek snarled as he stormed off again, leaving the boy alone in the hallway as he sighed and headed to his locker.
“Reid.” A voice Spencer’s familiar with, it belonged to Tobias Hankel, the one who’s been tormenting Spencer to please his older brother, Raphael, who was supposed to be captain of the football team, but Derek had snatched it from him.
“Hankel.” Spencer stuttered as he shoved his psychology books into his locker.
“It can’t be that bad—. Right, guys?” JJ said as she watched Emily and Penelope set their trays down. “Maybe you’ll even be friends!”
“Yeah, friends with a guy who wants to constantly prove he’s smarter than you.” Derek grumbled as he ate his sandwich. Penelope elbowed his side as Elle sat down next to JJ and Emily.
“Who’s smarter than Derek?” Elle asks, making Derek groan. She scoffed before sitting down.
“Stupid Reid is my partner for a project,” Derek grumbled, making Elle smile. “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing, just Spencer's nice.” Elle answered making the table look at her, even Aaron, who had made it his goal to ignore his friends looked up from the book he was reading. “What? We had a project and he was nice. The opposite of the rumours actually.”
“Yeah right, the guy’s constantly correcting everyone.” Emily said as Derek rolled his eyes. “I got Tara for my partner. She’s nice. Penny here got her crush Kevin—.”
“It’s not my fault you can’t find love em—!” Penelope answered as Emily fake gasped as the two bickered. Derek turned around to find Spencer putting his full tray of food into the rubbish before placing the tray on top as he left.
Weird, he's never at lunch, why did he come only to throw away the food?
Something bugged Derek, maybe it was that Rossi wouldn’t change his partner or maybe it was just something about his partner.
Derek knew the school had a habit of making rumours far off the truth, like how he and Penelope had been dating, but that was debunked when he came out as gay. There was a rumour about how Emily and JJ had been messing around but he knew that wasn’t true, and if JJ wasn't the star of the soccer team, it would’ve lasted longer.
Maybe he was being too hard on the guy he had never met.
Maybe Spencer wasn’t stuck up, maybe he was just a loner.
Either way, Derek made it his goal to figure out the mystery of Spencer Reid