Social Menace [boyxboy]

                I couldn't tell if Drew Pawlikowski was yelling "You're weak, too" or "Your week two", because both would be very accurate statements.

                Yes, this was my second week at Braxton High School. Yes, I was too weak to struggle out of Drew's iron grasp.

                "Come on, Nolan. Impress me," Drew said, slamming me back up against the lockers again.

                "Would bleeding profusely from my mouth due to internal injuries from being repeatedly slammed against a solid surface count as impressive?" I asked.

                I was going to take that as a yes by the way he slammed me against the lockers again. Drew seemed to lose interest in me quickly though, as he checked his phone and finally dropped me.

                "I'm sure I'll be seeing you later," he said.

                "I'm sure I'll do my best to keep that from happening," I said, grabbing my bag and taking off down the hall before he could catch me again.

                I might not be strong, but I was fast. My parents used to call me the Invisible Boy because I was quick and quiet, good at going undetected when I wanted to. That was a skill I was learning to use a lot around Braxton.

                It was a private school with a good reputation for producing academic achievement. It suffered from a bullying problem, though. The classes were incredibly competitive to challenge students to do better, and while their grades got higher, so did their aggression.

                I was the new kid, so naturally I was the new target. Kids like Drew were trying to put me in my place before I became a problem.

                Not that I could see myself becoming a problem. I was smart, sure, but I was lazy as hell. I preferred to do the bare minimum and get grades that kept my college options open but didn't require me to put in hours of studying.

                As long as my grades were somewhere around high 80s to mid 90s, I was happy. I'd probably only have to endure this harassment until grade updates came out and everyone saw where they were in the school standing.

                I scurried into my classroom and Ana looked over at me. "Hey, you're running a little late, Nolan."

                "Drew found me and thought it was time I was properly introduced to the lockers," I said, dropping into my seat.

                "Oh, bad lot," she said, sitting next to me. "He still doesn't like you?"

                "I know. I'm shocked too. I have a fantastic personality. And this smile with these dimples? Irresistible," I said. 

                Ana rolled her eyes. "How could anyone not fall in love with your modest self?"

                "It's a true mystery," I said.

                She turned to talk to the girl next to her and I folded my arms over my desk. It's not that I struggled to make friends or anything. I was a pretty social person for someone who used to be known as the Invisible Boy.

                It's just that I wasn't sure I considered any of these people to be actual friends. Acquaintances, definitely. People I sat with at lunch and walked to the parking lot with afterschool. People I joked around with in class and messaged about homework.