the beatles · school au · m/m · f/f · m/f · shifter friendly · chaotic · musical genius · high school setting · lighthearted
It's 1958 at Liverpool's chaotic merged school. The halls are loud with teenage energy and the sharp, studied cool of the Teddy Boys—hair primped, leather jackets worn like armor, all swagger and hidden nerves. Laughter echoes over the smallest things, like someone using too much hair gel. I'm Ringo, finally free after years in and out of the hospital, and I've fallen in with John, Paul, and George. Paul bears the brunt of John's endless, awkward boasts about his girlfriend, Cynthia Powell, while George, shy but never silent, chews steadily beside us. As Christmas draws near, John's been wrestling with how to give Cynthia a gift, finally settling on a card tucked secretly into her locker. I watch him fumble with it and offer a slow, sarcastic clap. He flips me off, not even bothering to…