Death Sticks

3. New friends and Old enemies

After twelve hours of uninterrupted rest, Beya arrived to school as ready as she could possibly be. Beya sighed. Even though Ethan was out of inpatient, they still went to different schools. She thought about how much more 'interesting' it would be with him there. Oh well, she considered. Based on my foster 'parents', I won't be here long. Beya then remembered her bookbag which she'd left with Nova. She didn't feel like engaging Nova but thought she at least owed her the whole 'thank you so much' conversation.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Brooklyn, Ethan was starting his first day of school. He peered down at his schedule. "Mr. Bergin first period and homeroom," he muttered. "Hey!" Ethan stopped the first person he encountered. "Do you know where Mr. Bergin's science class is?" A pretty latina girl with long black hair and big brown eyes looked up at him.

"Yeah, he's room three-ten," she replied, a shy smile spreading across her face. Ethan looked up but lacked to see a sign that read 310. The girl strung her hand through her hair and replied to Ethan's puzzled look. "Here, I'll show you where it is," she offered. She began walking forward and Ethan followed. Once she reached a stopping point, Ethan knew he'd arrived.

"So if you ever need to find class," the girl smiled nervously. "You can just ask me. I'm Vanessa. I've pretty much lived here like, my whole life."

"Cool," Ethan replied, not trying too hard to hide the fact that he didn't care in the slightest. Vanessa tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear and giggled a small and insincere laugh as she started to walk away. Ethan rolled his eyes and walked into room three-ten.

He scanned his eyes over the room, searching for an empty seat. When he finally found one, he sat down. His goal was not to get noticed at all, but he knew that'd be hard, considering he was the newbie. Ethan sighed, wishing Beya was there sitting next to him. He reflected back on when they used to go to school together. Once again he'd been the new kid, so he decided to have some fun. He had told each person he met that his name was something different. Although it only proved to be difficult for Ethan, for some reason the confusion it caused amused him. As Ethan drifted off into thought, he didn't even notice a boy approach him.

"What do you think you're do'in here?" asked an unknown voice. Ethan looked up and noticed the boy. He was tan and skinny. He had short black, curly hair, the kind you'd use a curling iron to twist. Ethan continuously observed her. He wore a white t-shirt with the Mexican flag across the center, and ripped jeans that clearly weren't bought that way.

"Excuse me?" Ethan countered.

The boy was leaning over his desk, trying to look intimidating, but his slim arms didn't do a great just complimenting his intentions. Ethan wasn't particularly threatened though, considering the boy was at least a few inches shorter than him.

"Look dude. I don't care if you're new here. I sit here everyday."

"Well I'm sorry. I didn't see your name on the seat," Ethan returned.

The boy paused and stopped leaning on the desk. He forced a small laugh. "Respect man," he said, holding out his fist. Ethan titled his head to the side, in confusion. "You serious?" he asked, as if Ethan didn't know what a fist bump was.

"No, I'm not stupid. But you kinda flipped moods on me real quick, I thought for a second I'd have to kick your ass."

The boy snickered, "Nah, just being a jerk, ya know? Testing your patience." Ethan nodded, even though he didn't fully understand. "What's your name?" the boy questioned, slanting his head the smallest bit.

"Ethan," he replied.

"Mmm. You're my friend now Ethan. And I'm Omar."

Ethan exhaled heavily, "Okay."