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This chapter is in Mark's perspective.
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Some would call stepping into class on the first day of school a beautiful, thrilling moment or memory, but, as of right now, all I could see were the faces of my judgemental classmates staring me down. I was late (late!) on the very first day of school, the day that was the most important of the entire year. All eyes were on me, the one who showed up nearly a full twenty minutes after the morning bell, not yet having discovered their way around the school, let alone where their locker was or what class they had.
"You're late," the teacher scolded, her glasses frames catching the ceiling lights in reflection. "Name?"
I stuttered, forgetting my name entirely. The only thing that I was focused on was the boy in the very back corner, propped up against the window, trying to hide his Apple earphones behind his hand, resting carefully on his cheek, his arm positioned just so that the teacher wouldn't find out just what he was up to. It was the same boy from the Coffee House, the one that knew all about me and my career - I prayed that he wouldn't care in the slightest.
"Mark," I said, surprisingly bold. Clearing my throat, I tried something a little quieter. "It's... it's Mark."
She nodded. The boy in the back corner was now staring daggers into my chest, his eyes as pierced as his ears. I tried not to look back, tried to seem preoccupied in the conversation that I was currently having with the teacher. Please don't let him care that I'm here.
"The new transfer student, I assume," the teacher sighed, opening a small desk drawer containing dozens upon dozens of folders (presumably one for each student). She took out a piece of paper and handed it to me, which I took politely, nodding my head as a genuine way of saying thank-you. "You'll need to get your parents to sign this form tonight - bring it back tomorrow. Now, take a seat."
Hesitantly, I stepped forward and into the classroom, undecided as to where I would sit. There were only two open spots, one next to a blond, Swedish-looking, tall man, and one next to the mysterious boy from the Coffee House. Either way, I would be stirring the pot, for the Swedish boy himself didn't look all that friendly, as if he'd built up a wall to keep unknown persons from getting to know him; the boy with the unsettling blue eyes was staring out the window, most likely to ignore me for the entire period. Seeing as he was a better option than the upfront, distant-looking Swedish boy, I headed over to the chair next to his. The fact that the two of us were in the back corner, right next to the window, was just a bonus.
As I bent down in order to retrieve my pencil case from my book bag, the one that I have used for the past seven years of school, I noted his rising and falling chest with every breath he took, his finger gently tapping against the desk with every beat in his current song, his eyes stealing glances over at me just as I was to him. He didn't dare turn over to actually look at me without forcing strain upon his eyes, however, for fear of seeming too desperate to get a good look, I supposed. I wasn't as nervous to be seen as desperate and too curious for my own good, so I took pride in staring at his beautiful profile with every chance I had, something that he didn't seem to appreciate.
The teacher began the lesson, but the only thing that I could focus on was the sound of the music erupting from his earphones. It was heavy metal, the kind that I had never truly sat down to listen to. In fact, I don't even know what kind of music I'm into, but I just know that I would probably never catch myself listening to metal, for that would lead me to stretching out my ears, buying band t-shirts, and painting the walls of my bedroom black. I'd rather be doing that, however, than being a nerd that has to work two jobs just in order to keep his family out of the gutter.
It was because of my parents' recent divorce that my father moved my brother and I here, hoping to get away from Ohio and get accustomed to something new, something as random as a small town called Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland, for reasons that I can't understand or explain. To be quite honest, it seemed the most random of decisions, as if moving into an ordinary apartment complex with a room fit for three in Ohio weren't enough. It, at least, helped to make me more excited for school, for it was the only way for me to catch a break from working and that stale, disoriented apartment, giving me the opportunity to spill coffee all over someone's jeans just on the first day of school.
Turning to the boy, I whispered as the teacher continued with the lesson. "I'm sorry for ruining your jeans."
His eyes deciphered me once more, only to go back to staring out the window, not caring for the world outside of his earphones. I felt awful, as if I should've been kinder - if my parents were still together and had enough money to feed us more than baloney sandwiches every week, I would've offered to buy him a brand new pair. There was nothing that I could do to make amends, at least nothing that involved spending our costly euros.
I'm going to have to get used to this silence, I thought, for we're going to be elbow partners for the entire semester.
I just hoped for the entire class that I wouldn't screw it up.
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The final bell had rung, sending us all out in a flurry. Pushing open the exit doors was like pushing yourself through the gates of freedom, but, in this case, I was exiting freedom, on my way home to the hell hole for only an hour's worth of relaxation and homework before my next shift. I needed to get used to this, too, this schedule that drove me absolutely insane and onto the brink of madness. I would be lucky to get six hours of sleep each night, give or take a few due to sleep deprivation, jet lag, and the existence of cellphones and YouTube.
As I walked around and to the back of the school (where I usually went due to the shortcut of being able to hop the fence and end up right in front of my apartment building), I heard voices whispering by the dumpster, followed by the sound of footsteps pressing lightly against the dirt and slight patches of grass. I was about to turn the corner and walk into the visible line of fire, ready to walk by the dumpster and towards the fence, when I heard the Irish boy's voice erupt.
"What the fuck are ye lookin' at?" he said, presumably to the whispering voices beside the dumpster.
"Your shit stain," one of them snarled. "On your fuckin' pants."
"It's coffee," said the Irish man. "Don't gotta be a douche about it, Killian."
"I'm not bein' a douche," the person who was seemingly Killian retorted. "In fact, I'm gonna do you a favour by fuckin' washing out that stain in the fuckin' river."
"Nice one," said the boy. A short pause came, followed by the sound of his voice, lighter and creaking in between each word. "Oh, you're serious."
Before I knew it, the sound of rushing footsteps thundered into my ears, followed by the sounds of backpacks falling against the dirt. "Get back here, Jack!" hollered another boy, telling me that Killian had more friends. It also told me the boy's name - Jack, short and sweet, straight-to-the-point.
I wanted to be the bigger person, to be the one to chase after them, bounding over fallen twigs and rough patches, but they were running wild and into the forest beyond my apartment complex, meaning that it would take me an hour to find my way out if I were to save the day. No matter how badly I wanted to mean something to Jack, and no matter how badly I wanted him to appreciate me from now on, I just couldn't risk it. I pivoted on my foot, walking over to the fence just before my apartment complex, keeping my mind occupied by just how badly I wanted to "Jack" off when thinking about his gorgeous, hypnotic baby blues.
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Author's Note:
Hey, guys! I don't know if you've realized or not, but I'm trying to make this a lot shorter and quicker than my other books due to them taking forever to write... I also like reading things that go a little quicker when it comes to fanfiction, so please tell me if you don't like this and I'll try to change it up! Thank you all so much for reading... you're all absolutely amazing.
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