calm down // josh dun

o n e

LOOK AROUND THAT'S NOT ME. NOT ONE SHRED OF WHO I'LL BE

--Josh's P.O.V--

"I know transferring to a new school must be terrible, but you'll get used to this school. It's not that bad."

I raised my eyebrows at my next door neighbor, Jenna, who I was currently walking to school with. 'Really? It's so much bigger than my old school. My old school only had one floor and this one has three. What if I get lost?"

Jenna smiled. "I can't guarantee that you won't get lost, Josh, but all the teachers are understanding towards new students. They'll be happy to point you in the right direction as well as the students in the hallways. All you have to do is ask."

Little did Jenna know, I hated asking for help. I hated asking anybody anything, which included asking teachers questions in class, even if it did help my test scores. I honestly felt like I was going to pass out before I even made it to the school.

Jenna gave me a sympathetic smile. "Josh, it's going to be okay. I'll direct you to the office where you can meet with principal Porter. He'll give you a tour around the school and tell all your teachers that you may possibly be late class until you figure out where everything is. Everything will work out."

Jenna Black was overall not a bad girl. She was sweet and very caring. My mom loved her too, but she was always so positive. I had only known her for a couple weeks and she was never in a bad mood. That seemed strange to me, but I was glad I had her because, without her, I would have no one.

We soon arrived at the school and I was surprised to see all the students standing around on the steps and the courtyard. "What is everyone doing, Jenna?" I asked the blonde to my right.

"Waiting for classes to start. Every day people wait outside until the bell rings. I've done that since I was a freshman."

I took a deep breath as followed Jenna through the crowds of people and passed the buses to end up sitting under a great oak tree. "My boyfriend, Tyler, usually sits with me before school starts, but he has a doctor's appointment today and is coming in at lunch. I think you will get along well with him."

I certainly hoped so because I could already feel a bunch of eyes on me as people began to notice that Jenna Black was sitting with someone unfamiliar. I already felt like I was getting judged for my bright red hair although it was probably all in my head.

"I'm not ready for this. I'm so not ready."

"Joshua Dun quit worrying. You will be fine."

•••

Mr. Porter was a decent guy. He was extremely tall, but he was very patient with me as I explained my medical records and how I was afraid of attending a new school. He assured me that he was here if I ever needed anything. A part of me was grateful.

The school tour he gave me took up half of my day, which meant I got to miss french, English, journalism, and accounting. I was a bit disappointed that I missed journalism since it was the only class I had with Jenna, but at least it was time for lunch.

"And finally, this is the cafeteria," Mr. Porter said, gesturing to the room full of students as we looked on from the catwalk. "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head and he nodded. "I'll take you down to Miss Black then." He started down the steps and I followed after him, making sure to keep my head down as we walked passed all the students. We soon arrived at Jenna's table and her face lit up as she saw me.

"Josh, hi! How did your first day go?"

Mr. Porter patted me on the back. "It looks like you are good hands. Come and see me if you need anything."

With that, he was gone.

I timidly sat down at the table, next to Jenna and a girl with curly brown hair. It felt strange to just sit at a table where I only knew one person. I honestly went like I was intruding on everyone's lunch.

"Hey, Josh, since you are here now," Jenna began. "I would like to introduce you to my friends."

She gestured to a boy beside her with dark brown hair and tired eyes. "This is my boyfriend, Tyler. He just came in a little bit before you did."

Tyler gave me a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Josh. I hope you like it here."

I hoped I did too.

Next, Jenna pointed to the girl sitting next to Tyler. "This is Ezgi Pond."

The olive skinned girl smiled warmly at me and I could already tell that she was part Turkish. "I think you're in my french class. The teacher mentioned you the morning. It is nice to meet you."

I nodded in response to Ezgi's words and I was glad that there was at least going to be someone I had already been introduced to in my first class of the day.

"The fun-loving bisexual next to her is Nickolai Turner."

Nickolai smiled at me but didn't say a word as he returned to the book he was reading.

Jenna rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. He always reads during lunch for some reason." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, the girl next to him is Carter Ramey."

The brown haired girl grinned at me, her black hipster looking glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. "What's up, Josh? It's nice to have a fresh face around here. It gets boring with just these losers sometimes."

"Hey!" Ezgi and Tyler exclaimed at the same time. "You love us!"

Jenna chose to ignore her friends' pointless teasing. "And finally, Ambrosia Mott is the girl sitting next to you."

The girl with the curly brown hair glanced up from her phone at the sound of her name. "Nice to meet you, Josh."

"It's nice to meet all of you," I mumbled.

Everyone sitting at this table seemed extremely nice, but I still felt uncomfortable. These guys seemed to have been friends for years and I was just the newcomer. Nobody ever really liked the newcomer.

Suddenly, I felt something come in contact with the back of my head and snickers sounded from behind me.

I slowly turned around in my seat to see a group of nine to ten boys, multiple tinfoil balls were in the middle of their table.

"Sorry, dude," one of them with dark hair yelled. "That wasn't meant for you."

I rolled my eyes, turning back around. "Who are those people?"

"They are Oakville High School's very own hockey team," Ezgi explained, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"And they are all assholes," Ambrosia added.

"Not all of them are," Carter protested.

"Believe me," Nickolai spoke up, looking up from his book for the first time. "They all are."

I tuned out their conversation as I looked down at my lap. Something about the hockey players made me uneasy, maybe even slightly uncomfortable. They just gave off a strange vibe.

I made a mental note in my head to make sure to avoid them as much as possible.

However, I had a feeling that I would probably be in their line of fire from here on out.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I had to rewrite the end because Wattpad decided not to save my original writing, so I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed.

-L.A