Chapter 8

Gojo woke up Monday morning, momentarily disoriented by his new surroundings. The room he now inhabited was vastly different from the one in his past life. He sat up, taking in the expansive space. The large windows let in streams of morning light, illuminating the modern, minimalist decor. The room was furnished with sleek, high-quality furniture: a king-sized bed with a memory foam mattress, a spacious desk with a top-of-the-line computer setup, and a comfortable reading nook by the window. A walk-in closet filled with stylish clothes completed the picture. It still took some getting used to, having a room this size.

"Well, I better get up and get ready," Gojo muttered to himself. It was another day of school at Bayville High.

He headed to the en suite bathroom, which was equipped with a luxurious rainfall shower and digital temperature controls. After a refreshing shower, Gojo used his telekinesis to tidy up his room, floating the laundry into the hamper and rearranging the few items that were out of place. In the kitchen, he prepared breakfast with ease, using his powers to crack eggs, pour juice, and flip pancakes all at once.

After finishing his meal, Gojo got dressed. He chose a pair of well-fitted jeans, a crisp white shirt, and a black leather jacket. His silver hair, effortlessly tousled, framed his face perfectly. He grabbed his signature dark shades and put them on, completing his look.

Gojo headed outside to his bike, a sleek Ducati Panigale V4, a top-tier model he had purchased two months back. The process of acquiring it had been surprisingly smooth, thanks to the detailed documents provided by Ethan. The driver's license and permit had been the biggest help, legitimizing his presence in this world and allowing him to blend in seamlessly.

As Gojo revved up his bike, he couldn't help but flashback to the day he bought it. The sense of freedom and power it gave him was unparalleled. He put on his helmet, settled into the seat, and sped off towards Bayville High.

Passing through the city, he noticed a section under construction, with wrecked walls and collapsed buildings marking the aftermath of yet another battle. "This kind of thing is almost a daily occurrence in the Marvel Universe," he thought, shaking his head. Most cities had developed protocols against such disasters, like building underground tunnels for evacuation during crises.

"Most of these threats come from either the Fantastic Four or the Avengers battling heavy hitters," he mused. "And lately, even mutant fights have been growing more frequent."

Upon arriving at school, Gojo parked his bike and walked towards the entrance. The usual chaos of high school life was in full swing. He saw a cheerleader aggressively kissing a guy, almost eating his face, while others were running around, causing a ruckus. Navigating through the hallway, he noticed several girls eyeing him hungrily, some even approaching with predatory gazes.

"I definitely do not want to know what's going through some of these minds," he thought with a shiver. He could practically smell the raging hormones in the air. "Ugh, why the hell did I even bother with high school again?" He mused on his dislike for teenagers, ironic given his current age. In his past life, he had been quiet and reserved, attending parties and hooking up occasionally, but never to the obsessive level of some of his peers. "Maybe I should just drop out. It's not like I haven't learned most of what's being taught here already." College seemed a more appealing option, with people generally focused on either partying or studying hard.

As he made his way through the hallway, he saw a cliché scene of bullying. Duncan Matthews, the school's resident jock and bully, was harassing a smaller student, shoving him against a locker.

"Hey, back off," Gojo called out, walking towards them.

Duncan sneered, "What's it to you, pretty boy?"

Ignoring the insult, Gojo discreetly used his telekinesis to trip Duncan, who stumbled and fell. The surrounding students laughed, and Gojo moved to help the bullied student up.

"Thanks, man," the kid said, clearly relieved.

"No problem," Gojo replied, his tone light.

Duncan, fuming, got up and tried to punch Gojo, but Gojo dodged effortlessly, moving with a grace that made Duncan's attempts look pathetic. "You really should work on your coordination," Gojo teased, laughing. The more Duncan tried, the more he failed, until finally, he gave up and stormed off, humiliated.

With the situation resolved, Gojo grabbed his books from his locker and headed to his AP class. The lesson went smoothly, the teacher covering advanced calculus. Gojo, already familiar with the material, found himself more interested in observing his classmates and their interactions. It was fascinating how the dynamics of high school played out, even in a universe filled with superheroes and mutants.

At lunch break, he made his way to the cafeteria, wondering what the rest of the day had in store. Despite his disdain for high school drama, he couldn't deny that it was never boring.

Lunchtime came all too quickly for Gojo. His classes were just like the ones back home, really, and for him, mostly just as easy. He always tried not to show it, so as not to draw too much attention to himself. Gojo could remember almost everything from his past life, mostly due to his eidetic memory. That meant he was particularly good at math, science, and engineering—skills that had led him to become a software engineer. In those subjects, everything obeyed certain rules and had a logical path to an outcome.

Anyway, he made his way to the canteen, looking for a place to sit when he saw Kurt waving him over. He joined Kurt at the table, where Kitty, Rogue, and Scott were already seated.

"So, like, how was your morning, Gojo?" Kitty asked him.

Gojo shrugged, unsure of what to say exactly. "Alright, I guess. Not that much different from the usual."

As he looked towards the cafeteria door, he observed Jean running over to some blond guy—Duncan—whom she then kissed on the cheek. Scott, standing nearby, looked like he had just been punched in the gut. Gojo could almost feel the tension from across the room.

"Doesn't seem fair, does it?" Rogue's voice broke through his thoughts.

"What?" Gojo asked, turning his attention to her.

"Jean and Duncan. I mean, Scott really likes her, but she's with that jerk," Rogue said, shaking her head.

Gojo nodded, his thoughts drifting. He wondered if this was the story where Rogue had absorbed the powers of Captain Marvel. If she touched him, would she be able to absorb his powers too or would his immunity stop it? The thought was intriguing, but he decided not to dwell on it too much.

"So, Gojo," Scott began, trying to change the subject, "any plans for the weekend?"

"Actually," Gojo replied, "I was thinking about heading to New York. Just to see how things are over there. You know, check out the Avengers and Spider-Man. It could be interesting."

"Sounds like fun," Kitty said. "Just be careful. Things can get pretty wild in the city."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Gojo said with a smile.

The rest of the lunch period passed uneventfully, with casual conversation and lighthearted banter. As the day went on, Gojo found himself lost in his thoughts about his potential trip to New York and the encounters he might have there.

At the end of the day, Gojo was putting away his books in his locker when he noticed Bobby sulking nearby. Apparently, Bobby's attempt to prank Gojo hadn't gone as planned, leaving him in a bit of a funk.

Gojo couldn't help but laugh, a light chuckle that sounded almost identical to the original Gojo's. "Hehehe, you need to do better than that, Bobby."

As he teased Bobby, he suddenly heard someone from behind him. "Hey, Gojo, ease up on the poor guy, would you?"

Turning around, Gojo saw Jubilee, someone he hadn't seen in a while. "Jubilee! Long time no see," he said, genuinely pleased to see her.

"Yeah, it's been a while," she replied, grinning. "How've you been?"

"Not bad, not bad. Just trying to survive high school, you know how it is."

"Oh, I know," she said with a laugh. "So, any big plans?"

"Thinking about heading to New York this weekend. See what's going on with the Avengers and Spider-Man."

"That sounds awesome! Maybe I'll join you sometime," Jubilee said, her eyes lighting up. Gojo was about to say something when u expectedly jubilee says, "oh God."