Blank Slate

Chapter One

In which Bam meets new friends.

Bam's POV

If it weren't for Shibisu, Bam wasn't sure if he would've survived his first week at his new school. Coming in the middle of the school year was truly a terrible decision, but, after his terrible experience with Rachel and his old school, he was determined to turn a new leaf as soon as possible.

The new school was a smaller private school, opposed to Bam's old public school with well over 4,000 kids. This school was new, clean, pristine, and had roughly 1,000 kids. But these kids were scary. They were wealthy, well-kept, and wore the newest and trendiest clothes. They each seemed to perform exceedingly well in at least something, whether it be music, sports, or academics, which left Bam feeling less than mediocre.

Shibisu excelled in academics, namely robotics and, oddly, foreign languages. His friends, Hatz and Endorsi, were the top two in the school's martial arts program, consistently competing and switching between first and second. Hatz also took part in the soccer team, and Endorsi designed and modeled her own clothes. Isu (Bam was allowed to call him by his nickname) also mentioned another friend, but, since Bam didn't meet him in person like he did with Endorsi and Hatz, he couldn't quite remember his name. All he remembered was that he was, according to Isu, a technology whiz who got temporarily suspended.

"He'll be back in a couple weeks. He seems like a scary guy, but he's really a great friend, ya know? I think you'll get along swimmingly."

The first week was quite stressful for Bam. He had to learn the school's strict policies, make up and keep up with work, and remember who Isu said to avoid and who to befriend. It was honestly a lot of work. By Friday afternoon, however, he had finished his schoolwork, practically mastered the Student's Handbook, and finally got his school uniform.
It fit nicely. No, perfectly. The tailors made sure every little detail fit him just right, and said that, if he grew even an inch, he was to contact them immediately for a new uniform.

Geez, these people were literally overflowing with money.

---

The Saturday after his first week, Isu, Endorsi, and Hatz asked him to join them for brunch. Of course, having nothing else to do, he agreed.

"We wanted to invite you for brunch so you could meet Khun, but he's at some fancy family thing or something."

Khun! That was his name.

Endorsi laughed a little. "He's always busy. Khun comes from a very important family, you know." She grinned widely. "I mean, I do, too. I just don't care. After getting suspended, he got a major butt-whooping from his dad."

"He's always doing things he's not supposed to be doing," Hatz piped in. "He just usually doesn't get caught." He spoke about Khun with such deep admiration; Bam couldn't wait to meet him.

"So, Bam!" Shibisu nearly shouted. Bam loved his energy, but it really was a lot more than he was used to. "We've told you a bit about ourselves and even Khun. Tell us about yourself."

Bam wished, just a little bit, that he could just shrink himself out of existence. He was at a fancy café with three very talented and wealthy people. He felt so out of place. He made mediocre grades (Bs and Cs), was in average shape, he wasn't stronger nor faster than the average human being, and he had absolutely no musical talent.

"I, uh. . . I'm a pretty boring person."

This answer didn't seem to bother the others at all. They just continued talking. Shibisu had his natural outgoing nature, making grand gestures and funny facial expressions. Endorsi talked in a snarky, superior, manner, but still left room for endearing words and kind smiles. Hatz limited his words, and, when he did, he got to the point quickly, using no more words than necessary.