Broken Open

Prologue

-Tommy's POV-

"We'll miss you." Those were the last words I heard from my parents as I boarded the bus, heading for my new school. Bermington High School wasn't a private school, but they provided dorms and meals for any of the students that requested it on their entrance slips.

My parents signed me up for that program, partly because they wanted me to meet some new friends, and they were kind of tired with having me in the house, being that I was homeschooled for part of my life.

I stepped onto the bus, looking at all the other teens who were possibly going to be my classmates. The bus driver smiled at me and extended a hand. "Name's Peter. Glad you decided to come to Bermington." Sure, that's probably what they say to all the kids.

I chose an empty seat towards the middle of the bus. A couple people exchanged glances, a few whispered to their friends, and some just totally ignored me. I watched the outside world pass by, as if it had nothing to worry about.

I still didn't understand why I was doing this, but it was, as my parents said, "for my own good."

When we arrived at the school, I walked into the registration office. An older lady with dark brown hair was sitting at the desk. "Your name, please?" She asked, pulling open her file cabinet.

"Tommy Joe Ratliff." I stated, listening to couple girls behind me giggle. Great, either I was becoming a chick magnet, or a total dork.

The lady flipped through the files, finally stopping at mine. She pulled it out and handed me a bunch of papers. "The white paper is your class schedule, blue is the daily schedule, yellow is the map, purple is the list of activites available to teens on campus, the creme packet is the rules and guidelines, and the green sheet is a personal thought sheet. Basically, you give us your opinion on how you want your first year being here to happen." She leaned down and pulled out a key.

"This is for your dorm room. Room 204 is two floors up, and then you go to the left. We'll send your personal counselor to come talk to you."

I took the stuff and began to head up the stairs. Special activites? Suggestions for school? PERSONAL COUNSELORS? This school had everything. All it needed was a nightclub and a pool, then it would be perfect.

I made it to the top of the stairs on the 2nd floor, turning to the left. Why left? Then, it came to me. It was an all-gender school, so maybe they were doing something like Harry Potter; where one side of the dorms was for the boys, and the other was for girls.

I finally made my way to Room 204, opening it with my key. The room wasn't the biggest, but it was a nice size. Two beds, two dressers, two desks, one window, one couch, and one overhead light.

One of the beds was covered in clothes and random stuff, so I assumed I was bunking with someone who had already been enrolled. I set my papers on the opposite bunk and began to put my stuff in the dresser.

A sharp knocking erupted from behind the door. "Excuse me, is Tommy Joe Ratliff there?" I ran over to the door and opened it. Outside, a man with dusty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail with glasses was standing. He wore a dark brown suit and had a smile on his face. "Hello, Tommy. I'm your personal counselor, James. I'd like to talk to you a bit about this school, so you're ready for everything..."