Whispers in the Dark

Chapter 2: First Impressions

Jeff's alarm blared in his ear, startling him out of sleep. He looks around in a panic, seeing his mostly empty room and sighing heavily. The anxiety of an unfamiliar place was still a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach, but he, like always, forced himself out of bed and got ready for the day.

After a long shower to try and rid his mind of his anxiety, he took his daily medication, a bitter tasting red pill that reminded him of cinnamon candy. He pulled on a wrinkled T-shirt of his favorite band, Iron Phoenix, a faded pair of black jeans, and a stained white sweater. He trudged down the stairs to the dining room, where Margaret met him with a warm smile.

"Morning, sleepyhead. How was your first night?" she asked brightly. He shrugged slightly and grunted and sat at the table, waiting for breakfast. Fiddling with his fork, his mind became flooded with scenarios of what school was like.

However, something managed to bring him back to reality. It felt like a tiny metal hand touched the right side of his face, the cool sensation making him recoil. Liu had poked him in the face with a fork, he was laughing at Jeff's expression. "What the heck, Liu? Could've poked my eye out." he growled at him. Margaret shot a look at Jeff, warning him to watch his tone. He forced his anger at Liu down as they all sat down for breakfast.

"Sorry, Jeff," Liu said, still giggling. "You looked like you were in another world."

Jeff forced a smile. "Just thinking about school. I guess I'm a bit nervous."

Margaret placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. "You'll be fine, Jeff. Just be yourself and everything will fall into place."

Jeff nodded absently, picking at his breakfast. Despite his mother's reassurance, the knot of anxiety in his stomach refused to untangle.

After breakfast, Jeff grabbed his backpack and waited by the door for Liu. His younger brother bounded down the stairs, full of energy and excitement for their first day at the new school.

"Ready?" Liu asked, his eyes bright.

Jeff nodded, trying to match his brother's enthusiasm. "Yeah, let's get this over with."

The walk to Crescentville High School was short, but each step felt like it took an eternity. Jeff's mind was a whirlwind of anxious thoughts, but he kept his face neutral, not wanting Liu to see how rattled he really was.

As they approached the school, the building loomed large and intimidating. Students milled about the front steps, chatting and laughing in groups. Jeff felt a wave of nausea but pushed it down, focusing on Liu's excited chatter.

Inside, the halls were a maze of lockers and classrooms. Jeff and Liu found the main office to get their schedules. While they waited, Jeff noticed a group of boys nearby, laughing loudly and shoving each other around. One of them, a tall, burly kid with a buzz cut, glanced their way and smirked.

"Looks like we got fresh meat, boys," he said loudly, making sure Jeff and Liu could hear.

Jeff's stomach tightened. He forced himself to look away, hoping they wouldn't approach. But as fate would have it, they did.

"Well, well," the tall kid said, stepping in front of Jeff. "Who do we have here? I'm Randy. These are my friends, Keith and Troy. You must be new."

Jeff swallowed hard. "Yeah. We just moved here."

Randy looked Jeff up and down, his smirk growing. "Nice sweater," he said sarcastically. "Did you spill ketchup on it or something?"

Jeff felt his face flush. "It's just old."

Randy chuckled and looked at Liu. "And who's this, your little brother?"

Liu, unfazed, smiled up at Randy. "I'm Liu. We moved here from the city."

Randy nodded, his smile turning more menacing. "Well, Liu, welcome to Crescentville. Hope you like it here."

The bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. Randy gave Jeff one last look. "See you around, new kid."

Jeff and Liu hurried to their first class, the encounter with Randy leaving a sour taste in Jeff's mouth. As they sat down, Jeff tried to focus on the teacher's introduction, but his mind kept drifting back to the bullies they had just met.

The morning passed in a blur. Jeff barely registered the lessons, his thoughts consumed by anxiety. At lunch, he and Liu found a quiet corner in the cafeteria to eat.

"I don't like those guys," Jeff said quietly, picking at his sandwich.

"Me neither," Liu agreed. "But we'll be okay. We just have to stay out of their way."

Jeff nodded, but deep down he knew it wouldn't be that simple. Randy and his friends were trouble, and Jeff had a sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, but Jeff's anxiety never fully subsided. By the time they got home, he was exhausted. He trudged up to his room and collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Margaret called them down for dinner, but Jeff could barely eat. He went through the motions, responding to his parents' questions about school with short, vague answers.

Later that night, as he lay in bed, Jeff replayed the day's events over and over in his mind. The fear and anxiety were overwhelming, but he forced himself to push through it. Tomorrow would be another day, another chance to try and fit in.