Here & Now

Chapter Three

       I heard an 'ahem' from behind me, and the laughing stopped immediately. Principal Ribbon had trained them well. The young teacher put her hand on my shoulder. I caught the scent of her immediately—she smelt like flowers. Somehow the smell made her more attractive.

'Aiden, that will be your seat,' she said, pointing to a seat at the front of the room but close to the window.

Bad idea putting me next to a window, I thought as I walked over to my seat. The boy I was sitting next to was wearing thick glasses. He looked at me and smiled, showing a mouth full of braces. I smiled back. I was sure that befriending this kid would kill any chance I had to be popular. Good thing I have no intention of being popular. I turned to face the teacher again- Principal Ribbon had just walked out closing the door behind him.

'Aiden, my name is Miss. Gilberry. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.' I noticed a slight English twang to her voice that I hadn't earlier. I always thought English accents were a bit jarring, but I liked hers.

'PJ,' said Miss. Gilberry. The teacher turned to the boy sitting next to me

'Can you please show Aiden around the school after we finish class this morning? I'll advise Mr. Cameron that you'll be a tad late.'

'Sure thing, Miss. Gilberry,' PJ chimed.
The rest of the class was uneventful, I did however manage to survey some of my fellow students. The students I looked at didn't seemed to have any interest in the fact that I was new. I noticed a really pretty brunette, surrounded by other pretty girls. I assumed she was the alpha female of the class. I also noticed a guy that did not look sixteen. He was so muscular that he almost didn't fit into his clothes; I assumed he was the alpha male of the year. He caught me looking at him and shot me a look that said, 'look at me for one second longer and I'll end you.' I quickly averted my eyes, making a mental note to avoid him at all costs.

Despite those two, the rest of the class looked fairly average. There wasn't much ethnic diversity, which was something I noticed due to my own ethnicity. My Mom was Indian, and came to America when she was in her 20s with her sisters to find secure employment and a better future. My dad was born here in America and had a relatively standard American upbringing. To be honest, I wasn't the greatest half-Indian; I didn't know much about the culture, I didn't watch the movies, didn't speak the language and wasn't a fan of the food. I may as well have just been a tanned American. I noticed a handful of Asians, two African Americans, and a few people whose heritage I would never have been able to guess, but the class was predominately white.

When the class ended, PJ leaned over to me and said, 'We have some time before our next class. Let me show you around the school.'

'Yeah okay,' I replied, getting out of my seat. The whole class was moving towards the door, and it was only at this point that I noticed some of the other students surveying me. I felt a red flush overcome my face, but I tried to ignore it.

Once in the corridor PJ turned to me again. 'Let's start at the oval.' As we walked, PJ shot all kinds of questions at me, asking where was I originally from, whether I had siblings, what were my likes and dislikes. I got the impression that he didn't have many friends and he was using this opportunity to make one. I answered all his questions without going into too much depth. We eventually reached the oval, on which there was a class standing in a circle trying to touch their toes, with only one student succeeding. The idea of playing sport and having attention on me made my stomach crawl with displeasure. 

PJ was about to start up again with more questions, but I interrupted him.

'Do you guys have a music room here?'