Characters do not belong to me. Enjoy!

Arthur stared at the huge, brick building in front of him; Carthoson's Academy. He let out a sigh and walked up to the door; one week. He had to spend one week here with one of the students his age. The Brit remembered protesting about his assignment, asking his teacher for another one.

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"So," Arthur's teacher continued, "I'll pass around this bag, and whatever you pull out will be your job for this assignment."

Arthur stared at the bag, hoping he'd get something easier for his 'contributing citizen' assignment. Each student would get a piece of paper that would tell them where they would volunteer. He was hoping for the environment center, or something that suited him.

His classmate passed the bag to him, and the Brit bit his lip and stuck his hand in. He felt around for a paper and pulled one out, passing the bag on and unfolding the piece of paper.

Volunteer at Carthoson's Academy.

Arthur's hopes shattered. Carthoson's Academy… an academy for deaf, mute, and blind students. He couldn't get along with kids his age; volunteering there meant he'd have to spend a week with one of the students.

Mr. Wallace continued talking about the details of the assignment, but Arthur couldn't stop staring at the paper. There was no way he could volunteer there; he wouldn't get along with the kids there. Even a job picking up trash on the sidewalk would be better. The bell rang for the next class, and the Brit immediately confronted his teacher.

"Mr. Wallace, I was wondering if there was any way I could switch my job for the assignment?" Arthur pleaded. His teacher ignored him as he walked to his desk and sat in the leather chair.

"What did you get?" Mr. Wallace asked, typing away at his computer.

"Volunteer at Carthoson's Academy," the boy answered. The teacher was silent for a moment before answering.

"Listen, Arthur, I know you're not good with people your age, but they really need volunteers there. Not many kids want to spend their days hanging out with handicapped children, but they need friends there. I'm sending a third of my students there for that reason. You're just going to have to suck it up, ok?" He answered. Arthur tried to protest, but Mr. Wallace cut him off again.

"You might find a friend there Arthur. Just amuse me and go for one week," the teacher said with a tone that ended the conversation. Arthur grumbled and wadded up the paper, throwing it in the trash bin. Anger welled up inside him as he walked out of Mr. Wallace's room. He tried to convince himself that it wouldn't be so bad, but in his mind he knew this would be the worst week of his life.

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Arthur sighed again as he opened up the glass door to the spacious building. Inside it was relatively quiet, but the Brit could hear faint sounds in the background. He ambled up to the desk, waiting for the secretary to notice him. It was an older girl in her fifties, rather large with a set of reading glasses perked on her straight nose. The girl looked up from her stack of papers.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Arthur clenched his hands together as he continued.

"I'm here to volunteer," he grumbled. She nodded her head, pulling out a paper and a pen.

"Name?" she asked.

"Arthur Kirkland."

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Duration of your volunteering?"

"The shortest one available."

"One week it is then," she said, slipping the paper into a folder before standing up and walking towards a set of double doors.

"Follow me," she commanded, and the Brit did as he was told. They passed into a huge hallway filled with doors on each side.

"These are dorm rooms. Most of the kids stay here permanently," she told Arthur as they headed down the long hallway. Several kids passed them, some of them using canes. The whole paint scheme was rather dull; white all around with wooden doors and that nasty carpet you can only find in schools and public buildings.

The secretary came to a stop and Arthur almost ran into her. She knocked on one of the doors, waiting several moments before opening it. Arthur walked in slowly, seeing a kid with blond hair, blue eyes, and glasses reading a comic book.

"Alfred, this is Arthur. He's going to be your buddy for the next week," she said before walking out, shutting the door. Arthur started at the boy, who stared back. He wasn't blind… and the secretary had addressed him with words; does that mean he was mute?

Arthur was about to ask, but suddenly the Brit had the air sucked out of him by the other tackling him in a bear hug, making Arthur slam into the floor below. The Brit struggled against the boy's hold as Alfred rolled them around on the floor, right through dirty clothing.

This was going to be a long week.

Two times an author really needs reviews: The beginning of the story and the end of the story. Please guys, I'm really self conscious about this one, review and tell me if you think it's a good idea/things I could improve on/etc. Constructive criticism is fabulous as well.

The contributing citizen assignment is a real assignment I had to do. Between that and a picture I saw of the Bad Touch Trio inspired me to write this. Mr. Wallace is a real teacher; he was the one that assigned me the 'contributing citizen' assignment.

Sorry there was only like, 30 seconds of Alfred in this one. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it! Hasta la pasta~!