Full Ride

CHAPTER TWO

Waking up in an unfamiliar bed was a common concept to Connor, having more than once crashed at a friend's house for days on end, but this time it was different; he was in a room all alone, with nothing but a bed, a desk, and a pile of his belongings.

Why didn't Mich wake him up? he thought to himself, going over to Vi's pile of bags to assess the situation at hand. On top of his suitcase, the post-it said, 'You wouldn't wake up, so I carried you up. Come down when you wake up after freshening up a bit.' 

He was at a frat house, full of D1 athletes who could actually pancake him. He had to stay calm—one in, two out. He noticed he was being called by a random number and almost immediately picked it up.

"Hey, Connor, do you want anything from IHOP?" I heard Mich ask me. He wasn't even home. Great, I have some time to unpack my sh*t.

"I've never been," I tell him truthfully. "We don't have that shit in England," I continued, hoping he didn't just think I was weird for not eating fast food; I mean, I wouldn't anyway, but still. "I don't eat breakfast anyway, Mich."

"Well, you're eating it today. You had no dinner or lunch yesterday," that bloody aeroplane babysitter told him my crap. What the hell? "So I'm going to get you a selection of all our favourites, and I'm going to make sure you get a sufficient diet to start your term."

"You know I don't start till January," I told him seriously, as it was only September now, but the school didn't want me to start year 9 in England, so they just brought me straight over.

"Yeah, but your football training starts for you next week, and you're lighter than my baby sister, so I'm going to get some meat on your bones by then," and there goes with my weight; it's always the first thing people notice.

"Don't talk about that," I told him. "I can eat what I want, and I don't want to fucking eat breakfast."

And with that, I hung up, silly me thinking it was different here. Everywhere I go, someone will always comment on my looks. I used to want it to stop—I would prey to God that I got through a week without anyone mentioning it.

Football was rough. I was always skinnier than all of the other boys; the only good thing about me is that I was always taller than them, thanks to my dad. 

Almost as soon as I hung up the phone, there was a knock at my door. What the hell do I do? I don't know anybody here. What are they doing, knocking on my door?

"Can I come in?" the voice called. They sounded like they had just gotten back from a night out.

"Yeah," I called back, trying to make a good first impression of myself, which I am increasingly bad at.

A boy with blonde, shaggy hair opened the door, peeking his head in as if he thought I would be a monster. That could be no further from the truth, in all honesty. The day someone calls me a monster is the day I die and come back to haunt them as my ghost.

"I just want to let you know that Mich is going to be back soon," he said with a small smile. "I'm Hayden, by the way; we haven't met yet."

Great, I have to introduce myself to him while I'm still in my pyjamas.

"I'm Connor; nice to meet you," I reply, trying to sound as polite as possible. First introductions always count, even if you think they don't.

You're never going to want to talk to someone if their first words to you are 'fuck off'. I want to at least be friends with everyone I live with until either I leave or they leave. But I can't get attached either, like what if they're all gone and I'm still here?

I can't end up sad over a bunch of adults leaving me to be adults. I can't get close to them.

"Get dressed into some of the UMich gear that's on the dresser so you fit in with all the others, then come downstairs to meet everyone who's home," and with that he leaves, not leaving any room for debate.

Great, now I've got to talk to people.

I go to the dresser and open the first cupboard door. He wasn't kidding; it's jam packed with yellow and blue clothes. I guess that's why the letter said to pack light. At least I don't have to meet the wolves while in my pyjamas.

I grab some light blue joggers out of the bottom drawer and open the middle one, shirts, great. I managed to find a long-sleeve white t-shirt. Then I opened the top drawer to see some new packs of underwear in my size and some of my protein sports socks.

This is it; this is the first time I'm going to wear UMich merchandise, and it's actually from the university, unlike someone who I've once seen fully kitted out in a primark UMich sweat set.

I will miss my Nikes, though. The sports part of the school is sponsored by myprotein, as all of the gear is covered in the brand name. That will be funny.

I have to do it. I have to go downstairs now.

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And today on should i revise for mocks or write fanfiction