New Guy on the Street (Larry)

Chapter One: Me Too




“Harry, I want you to have a great day at school today,” my mom says, pulling me in for a hug. “Try to make some friends, okay?” I just brush her off muttering a quick goodbye before stepping out of my new home and onto the path to hell… I mean school. “Don’t forget Mr. Tomlinson’s picking you up after school.” Since we arrived here, my mother had gotten a job at a nearby hospital as a nurse, and it was a night shift. She threw her idea of a big dinner and invited Mr. Tomlinson over. Somehow during the short amount of time he was in our home, she managed to rope Mr. Tomlinson into picking me up after school and watching me until he needed to leave. Here I am, nearing seventeen, and now I have a babysitter. If I want to stay home alone, I should be able to. Yet, here I am worrying about what people will say when their part-time English teacher slips and tells his class that he babysits that junior kid named Harry.

“Okay,” I yell back to her, signaling that I got her message, though I could care less. Then, just like that, I was continuing my walk to school and my mother was going back to bed to get some much needed rest before her big day on the job.

When I was nearly halfway there, I shoved a pair of headphones into my head and pressed play on my iPod, letting it continue playing where I had left it off. I was so lost in the music that I barely noticed the shiny car pull up next to me – well, until the sun gleamed right off of it and into my eyes.

“Need a ride, kid?” someone asks after I take out one of my ear buds. I squint into the car to see who the mysterious person is, realizing it’s only my new babysitter.

“No thanks, Mr. Tomlinson,” I say, declining the offer. “I like walking.”

“Oh, come on, Harry,” Mr. Tomlinson says rolling his eyes at me. “Nobody likes walking. That’s just a common fact.” He chuckles. “Now, get in the car before I drag you in myself.” My eyes widen at him. “Kidding,” he says, “get in.” I groan and make my way to the passenger seat, open the door, and plop myself into the car. “Boy, if anyone heard me say that, I’d be in some serious trouble,” he says, referring to the threat of me being dragged into the car.

“I pray someone heard. ‘Help I’m being kidnapped and taken to school by my babysitter,” I say sarcastically. Mr. Tomlinson scoffs and crosses his arms.

“If I were to kidnap you, I’d return you the next minute.” Mr. Tomlinson grins at my empty face before he changes the gear to drive and moves the car back onto the road. “Lighten up, kid. Nobody likes a grouch on his first day.”

“I’m not a grouch,” I say, trying to defend myself.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize,” he says. I don’t get another word in before Mr. Tomlinson turns up the radio and sings loudly to whatever song playing. Nobody talks again until we pull up to the school and he puts the car in park, turning off the engine. Mr. Tomlinson looks towards me. “We’re here. Get out. I’ll see you after school. Just meet me here or something,” he says.

“Or something?” I question, not understanding what else ‘or something’ would be.

“You know,” he says, “my classroom, the front door. Places like those.” I scowl at him.

“Well, how am I supposed to know where you are, then?” I question. I can see Mr. Tomlinson is ready for me to quit being an annoying sixteen year old and get out of his car already. It’s not my fault he wasn’t being clear with his instructions. If he had just told me a place to meet him, I would have been halfway into the school by now. See? Not my fault.

“Text me,” he says. I scowl even more, which I’m not even sure is that possible considering the fact that my face is drooping to the floor already.