The Lives of Us
Cowritten by Shawn Breach and Poppy Midnight (Robyn)
Shawn's parents had just moved into town. It was a bore, having to leave their whole life behind because of a stupid job his father had applied to. But business was weak lately, with the said crisis and economic recession and the Breaches had been forced to accept the deal. Moving from a large city to a smaller town was not exactly anyone's cup of tea, and their lives would be much changed after that: getting used to the smaller, more welcoming community, the narrow streets, absence of skyscrapers and mega shopping malls... But the human being possesses a remarkable ability to change and adapt to its environment and as such, with a bit of effort, they would be fitting in perfectly.
Or at least Shawn had thought. The first day of school was quite memorable, and most probably not for the best reasons. The tall boy coming from the big city had a style and a demeanor most starkly contrasting with the rest of the students. Country bumpkins, he would have called them if it wasn't such a disrespectful term. And the feeling was mutual. All around him other teens were ogling, some with genuine curiosity, others with pure disdain. The boy's style was obviously not a big hype around those parts, the other kids' conservative clothing contrasting with the hooded sweatshirt always covering his features, the multi-pocketed trousers sagging dangerously low and the heavy chain connected to his wallet. That coupled with his whole six feet of height made it quite impossible for him to remain unnoticed and Shawn kept his eyes down, one hand on the strap around his shoulder as he snaked through the populace, trying to find the room for his next class.
Jessica walked down the corridor, a distraught expression upon her face. There had been much debate that morning between herself and her mother. Jessica almost always argued with her mother about going to school, as she hated it. She was always teased and bullied. It had always been the same. Moving to this town had been the gravest mistake her parents had ever made. She looked around, frowning. The people in the corridor stared at her. Her gaze hardened as she met the eyes of a group of boys. One walked up to her and asked for her number. She gulped and walked off without answering. She sighed, checking her timetable for the umpteenth time. Science... Biology... not good. She hated Biology. Always had, always would. Her black skinny jeans teamed with her deep purple t-shirt and long black cardigan didn't show at all what kind of girl she was. She had decided not to draw attention to herself for the first week or so. The bell rang and there was a frantic rush. She stopped looking where she was completely, and ran straight into a boy. At first, she thought he was a teacher, as he was at least six feet tall, but she was surprised to find he was a student. She dropped all of her books and sighed. She'd never been so embarrassed. She knelt down and began to pick them up, expecting the boy to continue walking, as all the other people she'd met had been awfully unhelpful.
Shawn let out a long sigh, adjusting the backpack over his shoulder once again after stepping around yet another corner crammed with noisy students. It was interesting, watching everyone hustle and bustle under him and realizing most of them were actually shorter than him when back at home his height was quite average. The room he was seeking, he had been told by a haughty looking girl, was found just beyond the corner he was standing in right now and he craned his neck, trying to see between the many moving forms just what number was inscribed upon the door. And that was when someone bumped against him from behind. Shawn gasped and turned around only to have his eyes spot a small girl leaning over a pile of books and scattered sheets of paper. Apparently, stopping right in the corner hadn't been a good idea.
"I... I'm sorry" he said and crouched down, his long arms snagging the discarded papers swiftly before anyone would step over them, the inconsiderate people. "I really shouldn't have... stopped there" he managed a faint chuckle as he passed the disorganized pile to her hands again. Then he stood up again, towering above the others as he pulled his own bag over his shoulder. His hand was placed out for her to hold on and he smiled sheepishly, his bright blue eyes peering from under his hood. "I'm Shawn."
