𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 | 𝐙𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥/𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲

5. Fresh start

Jack's p.o.v.

I ran down stairs, grabbing an apple on my way out the door when I was stopped by the call of my mother. I groaned, swiftly turning on my heel to face her.

"Yes mom?" I asked politely. "Before you rush out the door I want to talk to you."
She sat down at the table, pointing at the seat in front of her.

I reluctantly made my way over and sat in it, muttering under my breath. "I'm going to tell you now Jack, and I won't say it again."
She paused, collecting her words. "What happened at your last school can't happen agai-"

I groaned loudly, cutting her off. "Mom, you know it wasn't my fault!" I protested. She sighed, capturing one of my hands in hers and resting it on the table between us. "I know sweetie, I'm not mad at you for what you did, but that doesn't make it right. You can't always be everyone's hero, Jack. It'll cost you. And Maybe next time you won't get away so easily."  She patronized, although it was clear she only had my best interests in mind.

I silently nodded, not wanting to upset her. "Ok mom, I won't get into any more trouble" I mumbled, looking down. "Promise?" She asked, desperately searching my face. I sternly looked her in the eye. "I won't" I repeated louder.

I stood up and left the house without saying another word. I stormed down the street, thoughts racing through my mind. I didn't mean to do what I did...

I didnt mean to hurt anyone, and I didn't want to again. But I also didn't want to make promises that I might not be able to keep...

...

"Welcome!" The headmaster exclaimed enthusiastically. I quietly entered his office, carefully sitting on the chair in front of his desk.

He firmly shook my hand and have me a friendly pat on the back before sitting behind his desk, a wide smile still spread across his animated face. "Hello, Mr. Jack Avery" he greeted. "I'm sure you're surprised any school has offered to take you in after the - erm, incident, in your last, but we are all about second chances here.  Besides, you achieve surprisingly high grades across your subjects, perhaps you will help raise the school's grade  averages!"

I gave him a questionable look. So he wasn't being charitable by taking me in and allowing me to finish school here, he's just worried cause his institution is failing? He must have detected my doubt as he saw it necessary to add justification to what he had just said.

"It's definitely not that we're taking in anyone we can find due to a student shortage... definitely not. It's not like we're losing students to Jeffery high that opened two years ago 3 miles away. No, definitely not."

He narrowed his eyes.  "Screw you, Jeffery" he scorned under his breath.

"Anyways!" He exclaimed, completely moving on. "I'm sure you're eager to get to class and learn" he jokingly remarked. "So don't worry, I'll make this short. Your schedule is here, and I want to make sure you find your way around the school. I was going to find someone for you to buddy up with but I want to make sure you... get on with them, just so we can avoid any misunderstandings and such..."

"So today I want you to find someone you like and ask them to show you around school for a week. I hope you can have an educational experience here at this school, and a journey we can all enjoy and feel safe in. What I'm trying to say is, I hope your time with us is without any, erm, complications..."

He cleared his throat. "Well, best get to class, eh?" He stated, checking his watch. I nodded, standing up and walking towards the door. "Bye sir, thank you" I mumbled. "T'was a pleasure" he replied enthusiastically.

One last tight smile along with a polite nod and I was out. I walked out of the office, and then out of the reception. As I was back in a now empty hall I let out a loud sigh of relief. I took a look at my schedule. Ew. Calculus. I'm sure it can wait...

The period had already started; there was no point going. Besides, it was my first day - I could just use the 'I'm new' excuse. As I walked around the vacant halls I eventually found a bathroom.

Walking in, I dropped my bag and approached the sink. I turned it on, wetting my face with the running water. I breathed deeply, backing up so that my back hit the wall. I lazily slid down it, sitting on the floor.
I dismissed the thought of how unsanitary it must be.

"Come on Jack, you can get through today. Just don't make yourself look like a dick" I whispered to myself. Along the line of stalls, the sound of a toilet flushing suddenly occurred.

My head snapped to the direction of the sound; the clicking of a lock now sounding out too. My heart pounded in my chest as I realised I wasn't alone. One of the stall doors slowly creaked open, revealing a blonde boy awkwardly standing behind it. "Hello" he greeted, timidly stepping out and walking over to the sink. My mouth was dry, yet I forced out some words.

"I-I'm sorry, I thought it was empty-" I spluttered. He gave me a reassuring smile. "No problem" the blonde kindly mumbled. He cleared his throat as he finished washing his hands.

When he was done, he looked as if he would leave, but instead he stayed, awkwardly standing about. He finally mustered the courage to speak. "For the record, I'm sure you won't make yourself look like a knobhead. You seem like a fairly decent guy. Not exactly cautious about hygiene when it comes to bathroom floors, but I'm willing to overlook a few flaws." He shot a cute, lop-sided smile as he tilted his head to the side.

"Knobhead?" I questioned, unfamiliar with the word. He sighed, slapping his hand to his forehead. "I'm sorry, I've really got to stop doing that - it's become quite a habit. It's British slang." He explained. I let out a chuckle, amused. I certainly wanted to know more about this guy, and I definitely wanted to know more about why exactly he's made a habit of using British slang.

It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't even know his name. "I'm Jack" I greeted, waiting to hear his name in response. The blonde came through, informing me that his name was Corbyn. I smiled. "I like that name" I admitted, dropping a subtle compliment.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the time. "Shoot, I gotta be getting back to calculus - I don't want the class thinking I did a number two or anything-" he hurriedly explained.

"Mrs. Beckham's class?" I interrupted, fumbling around for my schedule. He nodded in response. "Hey, we're in the same calculus class!" I exclaimed happily. "No way, that's awesome!" He replied, waking over and looking at my schedule. He sat down next to me. "Woah, looks like we have quite a few classes together" he said while his eyes scanned over my subjects.

I nervously played with my thumbs before working up the nerve to ask Corbyn something I was reluctant to. "Hey, I know this is super awkward to ask but since it's my first day I'm supposed to find a 'buddy' for the week, would you min-"

Corbyn cut me off, smiling. "No problem, I'd love to. Here, I'll take you to calculus now. We can tell the teacher you got lost" he cheerily exclaimed, standing up and offering his hand out to help me up. I took it, pulling myself off the floor. I was greatful that I'd found someone decent so fast. Hey, maybe this school wouldn't be that bad after all.