Everything Has Changed: The Lost Years

Chapter 2: School

There was time to settle in before the start of the next school year. The summer holidays had never been much of a holiday for him, usually stuck inside the house while his father was at work, but this year was different. This year he lived in a coastal city with people who wanted him to enjoy himself and though he was terrified of being outside, he had to admit they were succeeding a little bit.

It had taken some convincing, but Barbara managed to get him to agree to come with her as she ran errands around town. She kept the AC in the car blasting so that he could wear his hoodie without melting, bought him a pair of sunglasses to help him feel more comfortable, bought snacks, played music... and she didn't push him to talk too much, which Quasi appreciated. "It's not good for you to be cooped up by yourself," she told him. "You need to feel the sun on your face. I promise, it'll make you feel better." And he did, just a bit. 

She even knew what time the beach would be the quietest, and brought him to the water to walk along the sand. Slowly, Quasi was letting himself relax. He took off his shoes and watched the waves roll over his feet and felt something in his chest lighten a little bit. There were so many things he had never done, so many normal experiences he had never had, and now, maybe he would get to experience them. The beach was a start.

"Maybe we could get you surfing lessons. Half the teenage boys who live here can surf, and maybe you'd make some friends-"

"Oh, uh, th-that's okay," he said hurriedly, turning to Barbara. That honestly sounded like a nightmare, but he couldn't be rude. "I d-don't think I'd be g-good at that."

"Alright. Paul's not much of a surfer either. We'll find something that's right for you." She smiled reassuringly, and Quasi let out a breath, wondering how he would survive living with someone who had such good intentions. How could she understand that any kind of social activity was horrifying to him? He had no desire to spend time with people any more than necessary. School was bad enough.

Of course, the new year came with a new school and the term was fast approaching. They were quick to get him an appointment with their therapist before he had to go back, to gauge how he was adjusting and see what support he needed. It was awkward, sitting in front of a stranger and being honest about his feelings, but he made it through the session and was told that he would have to come back every week to start with. He wasn't sure what to make of this. Was it supposed to be helping? It just felt like another stranger knowing his vulnerabilities, which felt dangerous.

But so far, despite his reservations and the fear of being known, he was settling in. Paul and Barbara were gentle with him, but open and friendly, not probing him but only trying to make conversation. They bought him a phone and clothes, helped him pick his subjects for the year, offered all kinds of extra-curricular activities, and did everything he assumed normal parents did. It would take some getting used to, and most of the time he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

* * * * * *

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Barbara asked as he got out of the car, the sounds of teenagers milling around already making the hair stand up on his neck.

"I'll be f-fine," he lied, gripping his school bag tightly. "I've d-done this before."

"Alright. I'll see you this afternoon. Have a good day!"

Quasi watched her drive away and took a deep breath, bracing himself as he turned and headed towards the gate with the hundreds of other students on their first day back, muttering under his breath. "Yeah, that's likely."

The confusion of finding classrooms and stashing supplies overruled much of the attention that he would have gotten from the other students, but he still kept his guard up. As he looked around his first class of the day, trying to pick a seat, his eyes fell on a dark head of hair, sitting at the back of the room, and for a moment his heart skipped a beat. He took a step, relief already flooding his body, knowing that he would find safety there, with Mich, that she would make him forget about his troubles as soon as he sat down next to her. And then the girl turned around, waving a friend over, and it wasn't Mich, of course it wasn't. Mich was five hundred kilometres away, starting her first day of school without him, she had probably forgotten him over the summer holidays by now. He was alone.

Realising he still didn't have a seat, he quickly chose the closest empty desk and sat down, forcing back the tears pricking the edges of his vision. It was just another year at another school- his last one. He had done this before and could do it again. He just had to get through the year as quietly as he could.

"Woah, man, you're huge." 

Quasi blinked, turning to see who has spoken, and the guy at the desk next to his was gazing at him like he'd never seen anything like him. He probably hadn't. "Um..."

The boy shook his head quickly. "Not in a bad way. I'm saying, your arms, dude, they're fucking huge. Hey, bro, look at this guy." He nudged the boy next to him and pointed to Quasi

"They are fucking huge," the other boy confirmed, and Quasi fought the urge to cross his arms, the attention bewildering to him. Peering closer, the other boy's eyes widened. "Woah, what the fuck is up with your face, man?"

Okay, there it was. Quasi stared down at his desk, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself. 

"Hey, that's fucking rude, man. You're not much of a stunner yourself." The first boy leaned over to Quasi. "Sorry, mate. He's not the soggiest sandwich in the bathtub, if you know what I mean." Quasi didn't. "Name's Harley. That's Tim. And seriously, how much are you lifting? Fifty? Eighty?"

"I'm Quasi," he replied faintly, completely lost now. "Um... lifting?"

"Yeah, at the gym. I bet you're a beast on the free weights, huh?"

"I d-don't... go to the gym."

"Oh. Well, bloody hell. How'd you get arms like that?" Harley leaned over to grab his arm, and Quasi froze, letting him squeeze him over his hoodie sleeve. He half expected pain from various bruises that used to litter his skin, but he'd been healed for some time now. 

"I, um, don't know. I've always been... p-pretty strong." 

"Lucky. Hey, arm-wrestle me. I wanna see something." Harley braced his arm on the desk and held his hand out, but they were interrupted by the teacher starting class, and he sunk back. "Raincheck. Lunchtime?"

"Uh, yeah, s-sure..." Quasi's confusion was palpable, but the strange interaction had been nothing but friendly. Was it some weird trick to get him off guard? Or was the kid really that fascinated by his apparent strength? He would have to wait for lunchtime to find out.

Class to class, he swapped subjects and teachers, the first day rather introductory and less informative, and each time he managed to avoid most of the attention in the excitement and confusion of the new year. He did get a few stares, he could feel them burrowing into his skin, but overall everything was pretty calm. 

Harley came to find him at lunch, making sure he didn't escape before they could have their arm wrestle. So Quasi sat down and assumed the position, taking the boy's hand in his and waiting for the signal. He wasn't sure what this was supposed to accomplish. "Don't go easy on me," Harley told him, and so Quasi didn't. He pinned Harley's arm to the table in a second. The boy stared at him as if he couldn't quiet believe it. Then he laughed and held his hand up again. "Okay, I wasn't ready. Best of three?"

Quasi took his hand again.

The first day of school wasn't horrible, he realised as he got into the car at the end of the day. When Barbara asked how it went, he shrugged, looking confused.

"I th-think I made a friend."