shitposts i might turn into an actual story

Cal's Story

Cal stood in front of the entrance, debating whether it was actually worth it to skip. He'd been going to Whitewater High School for three weeks now, and it was already hell. He stared at the high school's name for a bit longer before forcing himself to step inside. He made sure his headphones were turned on and cranked up the music. Whitewater high schoolers happen to be the loudest teenagers Cal has ever met. As soon as he opened the front doors, he was hit with a wave of yelling, gossiping, fighting, and general high school noises. Pressing his headphones against his ears, Cal quickly walked towards the library, trying to avoid the bustling bodies of teenagers on caffeine. Suddenly, he felt his backpack fling backwards, consequently taking his body with it. 

"Hey Carrot! You weren't gonna hide out without saying hello to me first, were you?"

Any trace of happiness in Cal's mood immediately left upon hearing Zack's taunting voice. He turned around and grabbed his backpack from Zack's hands, glaring at him.

"Fuck off."

Zack grinned. He was so easily amused by others misery; most bullies were. Cal supposes he must think he's so clever for thinking up the nickname "Carrot", the most overused name for redheads ever. Zack was called over by a friend and gave Cal one last push before running off. He breathed a bit more easily once Zack was out of range. He didn't bother Cal that much, just made an already exhausting place even worse. He put his headphones back on and continued picking his way down the hallway towards the library.  

The library was a safe haven, in a way. No bully dared to go in there for fear of being seen by their friends and anyone who did enter mostly kept to themselves. It was the perfect place to relax, and the only time Cal let his guard down. He nodded hello to the librarian and walked to a chair in a corner in the way back of the YA section. He settled in and grabbed his astronomy book, getting lost in the words of space.

---

Cal stared at the clock in his math class, counting the seconds until the end of the day. He did just fine in school, and some would consider him to be one of the smart ones, but that didn't mean he liked school any better. In fact, being good at school seemed to make it worse. Cal had miraculously avoided Zack and his friends all day besides the occasional push in the hallway, but he knew his luck would run out. Sure enough, just as fourth period began, Zack walked in and sat right behind him. 

Why would he be here? 

As far as Cal knows, Zack wasn't in this class. Or at least, he hadn't shown up for the past three weeks. Cal's stomach flipped as he noticed "Welcome Zack!" was written on the whiteboard.

"Looks like you're stuck with me Carrot," Zack sneered from behind him.

Cal shrank in his seat. Having to deal with Zack in between classes was bad enough, now he had to share one with him?

"Why the hell are you here?"

He could almost feel Zack's smirk as he put his arms on Cal's desk, hovering over him.

"Is that anyway to talk to your fellow student? We'll finally get to know each other!"

"The last person I want to get to know is you." Cal snapped, avoiding his eyes.

Zack would have continued the banter if the teacher had not started class. Cal did his best to ignore him, but he made it increasingly harder as the class went on. Whenever Zack got the chance, he prodded at Cal and made comments under his breath that only Cal could hear. As soon as the final bell rang, he nearly bolted out of the classroom, making sure he wasn't subjected to more harassment.

He managed to uneventfully make it home and he breathed a sigh of relief as he was welcomed with the smell of honey and camomile. His mother loved making tea in the afternoon, and always made his favorite for when he got home. Cal opened his eyes and was greeted with his mothers warm smile and a cup of tea. He took it, and let the warmth wash over him.

"How was school?" she asked, putting the tea bags away.

"The usual" he said, taking another sip of tea.

"Nothing exciting and new happen?"

He grimaced, thinking of the change in classes Zack made.

"Not really, someone transferred into my math class."

Her face perked up, probably hoping it was someone Cal could be friends with. Oh how wrong she was.

"Do you know them? This is a great opportunity to make a new friend!"

She was constantly trying to get him to make a friend, ever since they moved to this rundown town. Cal thought most of the people in that school were fine, just not exactly friend material.

"No, we don't have a lot in common."

She gave him a half smile and returned to her previous task. Cal took off his shoes and headed up to his room, taking his tea with him. He dropped his backpack on the floor and plopped on his bed, taking out his laptop. Now this is where his real friends were. Online, it was so much easier to find people that have the same interests, skills, etc. He's met some of his best friends on the internet. His parents didn't consider his online friends 'real' friends but they were born at a different time, they didn't have access to the internet and all its benefits. He supposed it would be nice to have a friend outside of his computer. If they hadn't moved to some washed up town in the middle of the countryside, maybe he would still have friends. He frowned bitterly. He missed his old house, his old school, his old life. Out here he was just an outcast, the weird new kid who keeps to himself. 

Cal chatted with his friends for a while before scrolling through instagram. He never posted anything and he downloaded it mostly to keep up with the school's events. He did occasionally get posts from students, like the one he was staring at from Mia Hesko, the most popular girl in school. Her 17th birthday was coming up, and she's invited the entire school.

"As long as you are officially enrolled at Whitewater High School, you're invited!! <3"

He probably wasn't the target demographic, but she did say anyone in Whitewater High School. This was probably going to be the biggest party of the year and potential friends could be there. He checked the date and made sure nothing else interfered. He almost had second thoughts since Zack was definitely going to be there but Mia's house was big, he could probably avoid him. Cal just hoped all this would be worth it. 

Word Count: 1142