Chapter 2
A New Beginning
Helena High School. As I walked up the steps of that place I felt as if something was definitely going to change, in this school, somehow.
When I entered the school, everyone was separated by last name in several different lines. I joined the many people with a last name that started with c. As I inched closer to the front of the line I saw a woman sitting at a desk. She was handing each kid a slip of paper with their new year schedules. When I reached the front of the line she handed me my schedule and said “Looks like I have you for Physical Education” in a deep raspy voice. She was an intimidating woman, short red hair, sharp features in the face. I have never seen any other woman with as big of muscles as her. Kind of scary actually. I realized that while I was in awe of the way she looked she had also handed me a small piece of paper that had said, “Before the first bell of the day rings on August 27, 2014, Julian Crane, will report to the front office to take his/her picture for their identification card.” I shoved both slips of paper into my front pocket. I walked down the hallways following the signs that pointed me towards the front office and as I approached the door of the large reception desk I realized I had nothing in my hands, I forgot all of my supplies, even my cello. I hoped that it would be alright because after all, it was the first day of school. I approached the desk and asked the man sitting at the desk where I could get my picture taken and he answered saying that I needed to sit on one of the benches on the opposite side of the room and my name would be called eventually. I sat on one of the poorly made wooden bench behind me and I figured they were made in one of the Wood Shop classes. While dosing off thinking about the horribly uncomfortable benches, I was too blind to realize that someone was sitting next to me. It was a girl. I wanted to say something but I was speechless, after all the only females I have socialized with were my previous teachers and the woman that I apparently have for physical education.
I have of course seen many women but she was, she was just so beautiful. She had long silky brown hair, beautiful hazel eyes that sparkled just like stars, and a few cute little freckles on her nose. “So you’re new here too huh?”, she said in the softest voice. “ Um… Yeah.” Right after I responded, her name was called. Amy Rider. It suited her so well. I hoped I would have her in at least one of my classes. Just seconds later she came walking out of the door at the back of the room and my name was called. When I passed her while walking towards the back room, she whispered “See you later, friend.” Is that what I think she just said? Friend? I was so ecstatic, I actually had a potential friend, maybe even a best friend. I entered the back room and there was a dark haired woman sitting in front of a computer. Behind her was a small camera, like the ones you take to the beach that you are okay with losing. She had told me to sit at the stool at the other end of the small room. It was probably the most comfortable seat I have sat in since I got here. Before I could smile for a picture the flash of the camera blinded me and the next thing I knew I received a small plastic card with a
picture of me picking my nose.
First period was a small classroom with a petite little woman standing in front. All throughout the room there were desks set in many different rows. I was the first person to arrive in the class. The woman said, “ Hello, I’m Miss Gale, please choose a seat and fill out this form so I can know you better.” I chose a seat in the very front of the room and examined the paper. All I had to fill out was my name. I guess it was for attendance purposes of some sort. As soon as I received a pencil from Miss Gale, a loud bell rang and my fellow classmates came running in, grabbing slips of paper from Miss Gale and running into their seats. I looked around for Amy but no one even looked like her a single bit. Everyone in my classroom was either blonde or had really dark brown hair, none of which was the color of Amy’s. I noticed that the whole classroom was separated in half, the blondes were on the left and the brown haired ones were on the right. I think me and Miss Gale were the only ones that noticed. Since I am blonde, I was the odd ball on the right side. Miss Gale had assigned everyone a different seat and I ended up at the back of the room in the middle of a circle of chatty girls. After the class was finally in order, Miss Gale picked up her pencils and the slips of paper from all of us but when she came to me she had said for me to keep the pencil because I would need it for other classes. She put the pencils from the other students in a little cup on her desk and put the slips of paper in a filing cabinet behind her swivel chair. She then introduced herself and had each of us stand up and say our names to the class. Everyone stood up and said their name and I was last. I knew why I was the last one to introduce myself because I was the new kid in the community.
“Stand up Julian” I stood up. “Julian here is new to Helena. Julian, why don’t you tell the class about where you come from.”
“Well, I was born in Houston, Texas and soon after my birth me and my father moved to Massachusetts and we moved here just a few years ago.”
I tried to sit down as quickly as possible but before my butt even got close to the seat, a few people simultaneously asked, “Where’s your mom?”
I stood back up and I looked around the classroom. Everyone, including Miss Gale, had a curious look on their face. “Well?”, Miss Gale said.
“If you all really want to know, my mother is dead. She died after my birth. I don’t feel bad about it so don’t feel sorry for me.”, I said. Another kid asked, “ Well why would your dad just leave with you right away?”
“Julian, don’t answer that.”, Miss Gale had said. I sat back down thinking “Thank goodness Miss Gale said that.” I hated answering that question. After all, I have never been able to answer that question, for I don’t know the answer.
Just after I had sat down, the second bell had rung and everyone ran out of the classroom. I didn’t see the whole point of running so I walked swiftly. My next class was a little down the large hallway. When I say a little, I mean a little. It was literally three classrooms down from my first. I walked into the classroom to find that the walls were covered with posters of skeletons and muscles. The only blank spot on the wall was above the door. This, was my biology class. A man stood at the back of the room turned towards the back wall. After the bell rang once more to signal we were all going to be tardy if not in our classrooms, everyone turned towards the man in the back of the classroom. He turned around to face the class. He had a white beard and short white hair with a few gray hairs mixed in. He looked as if he had just came back from a jungle expedition. He whipped out a clipboard and called attendance. I remembered those slips of paper Miss Gale handed out to us. Since I knew now that they were not for attendance purposes, it was a mystery for what those were for.
The man then introduced himself, “Students, I am Mr. Wittfield, I will be your biology teacher, if any of you haven’t noticed the many posters on the wall.” He had an extremely deep voice and I hadn’t even noticed how tall he was. He was at least six foot seven. He called everyone’s in order by last name and when he got to me, he didn’t make a big scene like Miss Gale did. I was very grateful for that, it was kind of embarrassing. Mr. Wittfield said that he had nothing planned for today, since it was the first of the year, so we could talk to our fellow classmates and get to know them. Everyone separated into groups of friends and I was left alone. Like always. I laid my head down on the desk and somebody tapped my shoulder. Thinking it was Mr. Wittfield, I raised my head quickly and said, “Sir?”. Amy smirked.
