Renaissance (boyxboy)

Chapter 3

Ten minutes was more than enough time to stare at myself in the mirror, but no matter what I did I just didn’t look right.  All of my clothes were still more befitting of hot weather, what if it made me look strange?  Until I could do some clothes shopping I’d have to settle for jackets.  I pulled on my favorite gray hoodie and pulled it up over my head.  It would be drizzly outside anyways.

“Goin’ to school.” I announced as I went into the kitchen to pour me a quick thermos of coffee.  Ricky was already there, dressed for work and reading the paper, “You got your map?” He spoke around a mouthful of bagel.

“Yeah but like I said, I’ve got GPS on my phone.”

He chuckled as I screwed the cap onto my thermos, taking it black.  Cream and sugar took away too much of the bite and that’s what I loved most, “What?”  Why was he chuckling?

“I already told you kid, GPS is only gonna take you so far here.”

He had a point due to how it was constantly overcast, but I was still more reliant on it than paper.  Another side effect from previously living somewhere with clear skies.

“I’ll take my chances, but I do have the map.” I patted my pocket where it was folded up nice and tight.

“All right well, be safe.  Those are new tires so they shouldn’t give you trouble.”

“Got it, thanks Dad.” We nodded to each other and I left the house before we both tried to figure out a way to avoid small talk.  And then sufficiently slipped on the last step out of the house.  Slick cement.  Still wasn’t used to that.  I bit back the urge to shout out every curse I knew, but man it hurt like hell.  What a great way to start the day.

My tailbone was sore as I sat down in the cab of the car, and after the second try it started up.  It pains me to admit it, but Ricky was right: GPS had been practically useless and ended up leaving me with a drained battery and an annoyed attitude.  Hell I even went right past the school and had to double back.  To me it looked more like a small community than anything else, all random little buildings and no huge parking lots.

This place was definitely gonna take some getting used to.  Map folded back up in my pocket, I left the sanctuary of my truck and managed to get into the office before the downpour started outside.  Back home it rained maybe three or four times a year, Forks really was like some sort of alien planet.  The lady at the front desk smiled at me and something about how casually she was dressed made me feel better.  Hopefully everything in the school would be like that.

“How can I help you honey?”

“Hi.” Awkward way to start, who answers that with ‘hi’? “I’m new here, Adam Marsh?”

Her eyes lit with recognition and she nodded, taking out a paper from one of her piles and offered it to me across the desk, “Ricky Marsh’s son.  We’ve been expecting you, it’s not often we get too many new students, especially this late in the year.” Her smile widened as if I’d just given her a million and one compliments and all I could do was smile awkwardly.

“Yeah it’s different I guess.”

“Don’t you worry honey, you’ll fit right in.  All you have to do is get that paper signed by all of your teachers in the right spots and bring it back to me at the end of the day, all right?”

I nodded quickly, already liking this woman.  That was another point for Forks: it was a small town, but that didn’t stop them from being welcoming.  Certainly not something you’d get from my old school with all of its concrete and metal detectors. “Got it.  Thanks ma’am.”

She smiled a warm smile, “You have a good first day.”

And I found myself smiling more with her as I nodded and left the office, making sure the paper was safely zipped up against my chest in my hoodie.  It was really coming down and it made me a little nervous about driving, even if it was just to the next building.

I made it there, nearly skidding into my parking spot.  Luckily not too many students were here this early, which meant that I might be able to memorize the school map fast enough to not be a buoy in the sea of students.  I didn’t need anything else making me stick out.  Trigonometry was first and I got the teacher to sign it as soon as I was in his classroom, but before I could take one of the many empty seats, he stopped me,

“Try to sit near the front ok?  That way you can get your introduction out easier.” I’m not sure if he thought I’d like that or not but I wasn’t able to smile back at him and sunk into one of the desks at the front.  No no I didn’t want this.  I wanted to blend.  This school already had less students in it than my junior class alone back in Phoenix: meaning that knowledge of me would spread like wildfire.  Just what I needed.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been my last class, then I at least would have had a normal day.  Possibly.  Hopefully none of the other teachers would make me do this.

Students filed in slowly over the next half hour, and to add insult to injury they all gave me a small stare as they came in.  Great.  I managed not to keep any eye contact with a single one of them, I definitely didn’t want to have any social interaction when I wasn’t even prepared for it, especially since I’d be up there soon anyways talking about myself.  Man I hated talking about myself.

When everyone was inside and the buzz of the last bell sounded, the teacher got up to the front of the class,

“Everyone, we have a new student joining us.  This is Adam Marsh,” He gestured towards me and twenty heads all turned in my direction.  My stomach dipped uncomfortably. “He’s come from Phoenix, Arizona, pretty far, so let’s make sure we help him feel welcomed.” And then he nodded his head at me for me to come up front.

Not gonna lie, I actually hesitated for nearly a minute before managing to get myself up there, nearly slipping on the streaks of water left by kids’ sneakers.  All eyes were on me and the room felt unnaturally quiet, all I could think was: well, that’s one point taken away from Forks.