Things Can Go Wrong

Chapter One

JACK

"Beep!"

"Beep!"

"BEEP!"

Ah, great. I slowly grab my alarm clock, thump my entire hand down on it and throw it across the other side of the room. I check my phone to see what time it is; 6:30 am. I groggily get out of bed, and do my usual routine. I shower, make sure to spray deodorant and aftershave all over me, get dressed, eat breakfast and run out of my parents' apartment, hoping to not be ridiculously late.

As I make my way out, I see my first glimpse of Japan's technological advancements. I notice cars with hydraulic engines zoom past me at a rate which I can't even fathom. I notice several other students talking to their hands for an unknown reason. And most importantly, I see the sky change colours rapidly, almost to the point where I feel as if I'm in a nightclub. And the strangest thing is, I have no clue how it is even possible.

After running for a few minutes, I see the school building in the distance, and I sigh in relief. I check the time on my phone again; 7:52 am. Eight minutes until the doors to Koenji High School open. I slowly make my way to the building as the minutes inch closer to opening time. Soon enough, I see groups of students congregating and chatting, and they seem fairly comfortable in their groups, so I don't interfere.

I feel fairly confident with the Japanese language, as I have been taking language classes for a couple of years now, however I believe that the school is English-Japanese, so it's good to know that the school's staff and some of the students know how to speak English.

I hear a grand clock strike eight, and I see a staff member slowly open the doors.

A group of girls immediately run up to the doors, and I hear them chime "Ohayō gozaimasu!" (Good morning) and after they have gone in, I quietly say the same thing. I take in the surroundings as the school becomes busier, and I then realize one thing; I have no clue where my tutor room is.

I make my way to the reception and ask the ladies behind the desk to see where I am for the day. They hand me a set of timetables for the weeks ahead and give me thumbs up as I make my way to my tutor room. I swiftly make my way there and push open the door to see that I am the first student in.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" I say brightly, before sitting down at a table allocated with my name.

"Ohayo gozaimasu." the teacher says happily.

"You must be Jack." he says excitedly.

"Welcome to Koenji High School!" he adds, smiling.

"Thank you very much." I say.

"Class should be starting in around thirty minutes, so you can just wait here while I get everything ready." says the teacher.

"Oh by the way, my name is Mr Eko." he says politely.

Within about ten minutes, the class starts filling up with students, and as Mr Eko greets everyone and allocates them to their seats, I hear more chatter and laughter, and I can already sense that there is a more positive environment compared to my previous school in England. Everyone is neatly dressed, relaxed and surprisingly happy for the start of the school year.

After everyone is settled in, the bell rings and Mr Eko sits at his seat, smiling and tapping away on his computer.

"Okay everyone!"

"My name is Mr Eko, I will be your form tutor for this year and it is great to see all of you here today."

"The plan is, we will be taking register and then going to the student hall for assembly to introduce the new teachers and students."