A Year Away

Chapter 2

The first week of school went by in a blur. It wasn't too bad. Since I was starting at the beginning of the year, though the other students weren't as new to the school as I was, they were still new to the year. Erik and I had about half our classes together and he would still walk me to the classes we didn't have together to make sure I got there alright.

The classes weren't too hard. I mean for the most part I knew what was going on in them. I was signed up for English, which I thought was interesting, but I enjoyed having a class where I didn't have to think too much.

You'd think math would be easy, because it's just numbers and stuff, but no. No, math was hard even when you weren't being told weird number things in a foreign language; now, when I got into my math class, I wanted to lay my head on my desk and cry.

It was lunch now, I was relaying this feeling to Erik when he laughed at me. "Trust me, it feels like that even when you're fluent in the language."

"I know," I said around my lunch. Mrs. Klose made both of us food in the morning to take to school and I was glad I didn't have to worry about venturing into German cafeteria food. I would eventually, but I figured I'd save it for the second week. "I wasn't good at math in America either, but I thought it would be the easy one to transition to."

His eyebrow arches. "Not English?"

I grimace in disgust. "English is confusing. I'm not particularly good at that one either."

"That I know." Erik nods.

I didn't feel like pointing out that one of the reasons this year wasn't going to be too difficult was that I was used to being terrible in my classes, in my native tongue or not. Not knowing what was going on in these classes wasn't all that new to me. He'd probably figure it out eventually though.

"What about German?" Erik asks, pulling me out from my silence. He was good at that. Almost two weeks of living with him and no matter how far in my mind I was,  he could say anything and pull me back out. In all honesty, I didn't like it. Being pulled out meant I had to answer, and answering meant that I had to share something about myself, and sharing something about myself meant I might eventually get to those topics. But I didn't want to be rude, so for right now, I answered when asked.

"What about it?" I ask, meeting his blue eyes.

"Are you having any problems with it?"

I shrug. "I mean some of the grammar rules are new, but it's a lot like the stuff I was taught in America. It helps that they put me in the first year class."

Erik just smiles at that.

I'm suddenly self conscious. "What?"

"You never admit you're just good at it."

"Good at what?"

He rolls his eyes at me like I'm being stupid- I probably am. "German. Being in Germany. You've been at school for five days already and you're completely calm and complaining about your classes like a normal person. And you're doing it in German. I'd say you've got this thing in the bag."

I don't say anything. Just shrug and focus on my food as I eat. I can tell Erik adds my response to the mental list he's making. Like he's filing it away for later when I've been here long enough for him to start interrogating me about my life and insecurities.

I can't wait for that talk.

I don't want it to happen, but I know I'm not lucky enough to see that it never does.

I want to laugh. 'Lucky enough?' I'm not lucky at all.

The real reason this whole school in another country thing isn't making me crazy is because I like not being known. I like being Nicholas Hemmick: American Exchange Student rather than Nicholas Hemmick: Priest's Son Who Disappeared For a Year. Back in America, school started to feel just as suffocating as home did. It was better, don't get me wrong, and I jumped at the chance to get back on the exy team if it meant I could stay away from home longer, but it still wasn't better.