Leap of Faith

Chapter Two

Mason

I couldn't believe my parents had made me up and move once again. Every time my Dad moved to a different state, my Mom picked up and followed him, even though they were divorced. That's what love does to you, I guess. It turns you into a brainless monkey.

She kept saying that we were moving so that I could have that fatherly bond she'd never had with her Dad, but I know the truth is that she never got over mine. She never lost hope. And I hate that.

I hate that she threw her whole life away for a man who doesn't really want anything to do with me or her.

So, when she shook me awake this morning from my deep slumber saying, "Mason, honey, wake up, first day!" I snapped at her in response.

"I get it, leave me alone." She sulked off, a hurt look gracing her face as a stab of guilt cut through my gut. Was it unusual for me to feel resentment towards her? Each time she followed Dad it involved me schlepping myself and my life along with her!

After a silent car ride Mom dropped me off in front of the local high school - Fairmont High - at 7 am. I sighed, glancing over at her before getting out of the car.

"Have fun! Make some friends this time Mason!" she called out as I slammed the door shut.

Why should I? It never lasts anyway.

I headed into the main office, where the woman at the front desk absently handed me a schedule and a locker combination. I walked down the hallway, trying to ignore all the blank stares I was receiving from passing guys. Not to mention the looks of appraisal some of the girls were giving me. God, it was as if they had never seen a new kid before. Although, in a tank town like this I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't.

I stopped at my locker and quickly entered the combination. It swung open revealing an empty green rectangle with one shelf at the top. Typical.

After I shoved my lunch and a few belongings in, I shut it and walked around looking for my first class.

"Hi!" someone said, and I spun around, coming face to face with who I assumed was the Queen Bee at this school. "I'm Jenna! You must be new! What class are you looking for?"

Ugh. Too preppy. Too perky. Too... blond.

"I'll find it, don't worry." She looked startled, as if she had never been rejected before; although, if this were, as I suspected, the average American High School then I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't. I started walking away, but stopped when I realized she was still following me.

"Can I help you?" I asked, staring her down. She thrust her chest out and my stomach flipped. I didn't do relationships, or romance, or anything. This girl was just wasting her time with me.

"Look, I just don't want you falling in with the wrong crowd around here! There are some people you just have to avoid." I rolled my eyes. Man did I hate people sometimes. Who gave anyone the right to decide who was cool and who wasn't? How did we even define those things?

Just as I was about to send her on her way, I saw two people coming down the hall. My stomach lurched at the sight of her. Weird.

She had thin, straight, brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and a pair of startling hazel eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and I think she noticed. And so did her boyfriend. Or the guy I assumed was her boyfriend. He was tall and had the same eyes as her. His arm was slung around her shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. He glared at me.

He stopped beside Blondie, and then slung his arm around her shoulders. What was this, a polygamous relationship?

"Hey Seth," the Blond said enthusiastically, "This is the new kid..." She looked at me expectantly for a name. Now, if it were up to me, I would avoid giving out my name at all, but that wasn't socially acceptable, so I stood my ground and trained my eyes on the pretty girl I'd been checking out before.

"Mason Hawthorn." Seth nodded at me, and the girl avoided my eyes. She angled her body away from me subtly.

"I'll see you at lunch okay?" she said to the guy and he leaned down, kissing her cheek.

She walked away, still ignoring me, and I couldn't help but feel a little grateful at that. It made me feel a little less like a freak. But only a little.

The day went by in a blur. By now you can imagine how used to this I am. I barely noticed the stares I got in all my classes, and at this point I had my basic "what's your name and tell us something about yourself" speech down to memory.

This school seemed pretty ordinary. They had the usual cliques - jocks, cheerleaders, geeks, emo kids - but identifying people with those labels seemed so... television USA. Why did everyone need to belong to a group? If I belonged in a school like this permanently I would want to have on foot in every group.

It was when I was heading towards lunch that they swarmed me. And by they I meant the girls. They flirted shamelessly, puffing out their chests like birds and pouting until I spoke to them.

I hated this. Truly, I did. I knew that I was good-looking, okay? It's not exactly a major secret. Girls thought I was hot, and that made them like me. I get it. It's stupid that they like me because of my body, but still, I get it.

Only thing is that I don't do relationships. That's how I put up with these constant relocations. No friends, no relationships, no one-night stands. Every social involvement I make is just one more thing that could potentially hold me down in the long run. Attachments hurt too much to break, and if I settled down too much I'd be severing a lot of ties.

I saw her, yes her, standing off to the left and in front with another girl, who had curly red hair and was ogling me like I was an A & F model.

She pointed at me as if were some kind of zoo animal and the pretty girl walked away, rolling her eyes. There was something that drew me to her, I'll admit, but it didn't matter anyway.

Just as I had managed to shove out of the crowd, the pretty girl's friend sidled up to me and laid a hand on my arm. I quickly shook it off and she looked momentarily disappointed

"Hey!" she said enthusiastically, "I'm Shannon. You should sit with us at lunch today! I know how awkward it must be as the new kid, you know? You don't know anyone and finding a place to sit must be super weird, right? Like, how do you know where to sit! And what if the people were douche bags and you end up stuck in the wrong crowd and..."

I had just decided that Shannon talked way too much and was about to pull away from her, when I realized where she was dragging me.

She was pulling me to the table where the pretty girl was sitting.

And she was staring right at me.