Dear Jason

Welcome to Westerburg

Monday after midterms is a pretty shitty time to transfer schools. Everyone has already settled in to their classes, friend groups are established, and the year is halfway over to begin with.
My school sticks new students with another kid in their grade for their first week, in order to help them adjust to the place and at least know one person in case they need help.
Jason Dean had come to Westerburg from some school in New York, which I only knew because that's what Mrs. Finnegan told me when she introduced us to each other.
"Veronica, this is Jason Dean. Jason, this is Veronica Sawyer," Mrs. Finnegan said. "It looks like you share some classes and have similar interests, so I'm going to pair you two up, okay?"
"Okay," I agreed, and Jason simply nodded.
He didn't seem like a weird kid, maybe just quiet. He wore a blue, thin striped button down, buttoned mostly to the top, over a black shirt. His hair was dark and done nicely, and he wore round glasses that brought out his eyes. Plenty of potential; too bad I'm gay.
"So, I guess this is your locker," I said to him, walking down the hall a few feet and banging on the blue, metal cupboard. "The combination should be on the schedule Finnegan gave you. We have first, third, and fourth period together," I continued, looking at his schedule for the day. "And lunch. So I'll be able to help you not get killed or anything."
"Killed?" Jason mumbled, raising an eyebrow.
I laughed and shrugged. "It's high school, isn't it? There's people who'll shove you into things if you get in their way, reject you as loudly as they can so you're the laughingstock of the school for a week, etcetera etcetera. Did this not happen in your school?"
"No, it did," Jason admitted, opening his locker and stuffing in his jacket. "Just not to me."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," I assured him. "Just follow my lead and don't speak unless you're spoken to."
As I lead him to our first period, biology, he didn't say a word. I wasn't surprised, honestly, seeing as he had just been completely uprooted from everything he knew and thrown into a new hellhole full of new assholes.
I told him he could be my lab partner for now, which he seemed to be fine with, and sat down on a stool at an empty lab table in the back of the room. We chatted a bit about our families, hobbies, and life in general, when that dreaded moment came hurling at the poor kid.
"So, I hear we have a new student," Ms. Jonson, the biology teacher, announced. "Lets welcome Mr. Jason Dean to Westerburg," she continued.
Everyone in the room turned to face Jason, and gave him a petty wave or nod. It was too early in the morning for this.
"Do you prefer to be called Jason?" Ms. Jonson asked. "Or do you have any nicknames?"
Jason shrugged and hesitated. "Um," he finally began, "they call my J.D back home."
"Alright!" Ms. Jonson chirped. "J.D it is. Welcome to Westerburg."
"You coulda told me that, you know," I whisper-chuckled to him as Jonson began her lesson.
"Sorry," he chuckled back, pulling out a textbook and attempting to follow along. "No one usually asks me about nicknames, but I've been J.D since I was a toddler."
"Do I hear chit chat?" Ms. Jonson asked, turning away from the board and looking around the room.
J.D and I closed our mouths immediately, and Jonson continued her lesson.
"Not a bad kid," I thought. "Not an asshole."