A Story Beyond

1: A Beginning

The sun was rising as dawn drew upon the blinds. Boe opened his eyes and sat up, getting out of bed before his alarm could go off. Sarha was still asleep, her blanket covered in unfolded clothes. Boe walked over and gently shook her before getting his towel for a shower. He could hear Sarha groaning just as he closed the bathroom door.

After a hot shower and brushing his teeth, Boe fixed his hair into a neat combover. The long, thick black hair was now long enough to curl at the tips, making it difficult to flatten. Sarha's black hair on the other hand was extremely straight, not curling even slightly. Deciding it would take too long to fix, he left it as is and got out of the shower just as Sarha left the bedroom. Her hair was messy, her rough-cut bangs plastered on her forehead.

"I'll be ready in a few minutes." she muttered as she stumbled into the bathroom.

Boe went to the dining room and started making breakfast. He had only learned a few recipes, but it was enough to have a variety of choices. Scrambled eggs and French toast were the options for today. By the time he had finished cooking, Sarha was out of the bathroom and getting dressed in the bedroom. Boe set the table and started eating.

"Thanks for breakfast." Sarha said as she walked in, ruffling his hair.

Boe absent-mindedly fixed his hair and continued eating. His thoughts were focused on the day ahead; it was his first day at high school. Sarha wasn't concerned, but that's because she was already a senior, and she had made friends.

"You seem nervous." Sarha commented with a mouthful of food.

Boe nodded.

"Don't be, you can hang out with my friends. I'm sure they won't mind." she said, giving him a warm look.

She seemed very casual about going to school. This was his first day attending a school, he didn't know the traditions or culture of what's considered normal. He finished eating his breakfast and then retrieved his backpack. It was almost time to leave, so he went outside to wait.

Sarha turned her black mustang around the corner and entered the student parking lot. Other students were slowly beginning to enter the parking lot, but it was very early. Sarha drove down a few lanes and parked in a spot on the far left. Seniors were fortunate enough to get reserved spots, so there was no worry of parking too far. As Sarha swerved into the spot, she turned off the car and began gathering her belongings. Boe nervously picked up his backpack and got out of the car, swinging the bag onto his back.

"Alright, come on."

She led him towards the front gate into the large blue school. It was very block-like, much to his surprise. Schools in movies were typically smaller or more varied in shape. This school was just three rectangular buildings boxing in a courtyard. Each building was about three stories high and seemed many classrooms wide. Just by looking, Boe estimated that there were about fifty classrooms per building, at least. Sarha led him towards one of the buildings farther back where some of the students were filing in.

Entering the building, it seemed to be some sort of auditorium. Boe and Sarha headed towards a row to the far left, where two others were sitting down and talking to each other. One was a boy with black hair and narrow facial features. His dark brown eyes contrasted against his pale skin, and his thin body made Boe consider that he may be underweight. The other person was a girl, dressed in baggy pants and a shirt with an intricate logo on it. She hardly wore any makeup, and her orange hair seemed styled similar to Sarha's, being naturally straight and swept over the forehead to the side. Despite not looking at him, Boe could feel her bright blue eyes piercing him.

"Hey guys." Sarha said.

They both looked up, and Boe immediately recognized the girl. She was the one he had seen playing basketball a few weeks ago, when he had taken a walk outside. He recalled her playing with several others, but this boy didn't seem to be part of that group.