This Is Paradise (Kellic)

Chapter Two

[Vic's P.O.V.]

It's been two weeks and school is starting up today. I've been awake and staring at the ceiling for the past five minutes, but I still don't expect it when my alarm goes off, and so, startled, I roll out of bed and land flat on my back on the floor, tangled in my blankets. Thankfully, I unpacked the last box last night and so I don't have anything to crash into, but the hardwood floor doesn't exactly make for a soft landing.

I then hear my mom call from the bottom of the stairs. "Vic was that you?"

"Yeah, mama, that was me!" I call back.

"You okay?"

"I'll be fine mama," I say as I manage to detangle myself from my sheets and throw the heap onto my bed and drag myself to my closet. I just grab the first t-shirt I see and a random pair of skinny jeans.

I get downstairs in just enough time to get a piece of toast that I have no plans of eating and grabbing my keys and my bag before exiting my house. "I'll see you later mama. Mike! Let's go!"

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I sigh as I exit the office, schedule and locker number with combo in hand. I hardly ever pay attention or look up while walking at school. I tend to try to fly under the radar as much as humanly possible because I don't want people to have a reason to fuck with me and if I don't give them a reason to hate me, they might not. But it would be just my luck to run into someone, and that's exactly what happens.

I look up as soon as it happens, "Oh, I'm sorry," I mumble.

This boy simply smiles, running a hand through his black hair with an odd blonde patch in it. Not particularly a style I've seen before, but I dig it. It's different, which is pretty cool.

"No biggie," he shrugs, "you new here?"

I nod, "Y-yeah..." I hate being the "new kid". I've only been that kid for five minutes and I already hate it more than anything else.

"Nice to meet you," he says, a kind smile on his face, "I'm Jack. Jack Barakat."

I smile back, praying to god that this kindness will last. That he's not just trying to get close to me so that he can fuck with me later. I don't think I could handle that, if it was what he was planning to do. "It's nice to meet you too," I say, "I'm Vic."

It's strange for me to say this, but I was actually contemplating giving him a fake name. However, if, by any chance, we have any of the same classes, he'd find out I was lying and that's far from something I need. I don't also want to be known as a pathological liar.

"Do you need help finding anything?" He asks, and I don't want to say yes, but I'm actually lost as all hell.

"Um... yeah, actually," I say, "I honestly can't find my locker... and I'm pretty much completely lost as to finding my first period class."

He nods, "What locker is yours?"

I hand him my paper, "ah. Locker 447. That's right next to mine, actually," he says.

"Thank god, I'll know someone near me," I laugh, as relieved as I've ever been about anything in my life.

"Yeah. I could probably introduce you to one or two people in the same general vicinity, if you want," he shrugs.

He seems pretty cool, maybe not one of the populars, but I don't think I want to be in with them again. It was too much pressure the last time and it would be way too much pressure this time. I have to keep that promise I made to my brother. Have to.