Distaste and Delight

Moving

I'm different. I don't blend in, and I don't want to. Now I'm being shipped off. I live in the slums of New York, surprise surprise. My slut of a mother is letting me be taken away and sent across the country, although I'll be happy to escape the experience of being kicked out in the middle of the night for one of her late-night visitors. God, I swear if they ship me off to some weird foster house with fifteen kids. I packed my things, not that I have many, and get into the car that was sent for me. Damn, the car has a leather interior. There's no one in the car except for a driver who doesn't seem like he'll be talking anytime soon. I pull on a pair of headphones and play music. I'm tapping my foot along to the music when someone taps me on the shoulder. I didn't realize someone was in the front seat next to the driver. I slip my headphones behind my neck. "So, how are you?" It's a brunette with green eyes. She looks about thirty-five. How does she think I'm doing? "Fine." There's no way I'm being polite to the person responsible for getting me sent away. "Do you know where I'm going?" I may as well know if I'm going to some foster home. "I'm not going to some orphanage am I?" She turned to me. "No sweetheart, of course not!" The nickname made me cringe. Call me that one more time. I took a sip of the water bottle that was in the cup holder for me when I got in. "You're being sent to a very nice, respectable... boarding school." I choked on my water. This time she was the one that cringed. "It's not as bad as it sounds. The only thing different about it from any other school is that it has dorms." She handed me some brochure. "No. No way I'm going to some year-round boarding school." She looked at me, sympathetically. "The foster care system in your area is full, and considering your police record, this was the best option." Christ, my police record. Last time I've gotten arrested was two months ago. "Oh, I'm sorry I never introduced myself! I'm Karen. You won't see me for long because once we arrive, you'll legally be the schools' responsibility but it's nice to meet you..." She looked at a file, "Ren." She doesn't even know my name. "So I'm being sent off to some school for delinquents, but they like to call it a boarding school.""Oh goodness gracious no!" She has the vocabulary of a seventy-year-old woman. "The system has known about your situation, and we think if we put you in good circumstances, you could have great potential. It is a costly private school, and they have an excellent curriculum. You are very lucky to go there." She's trying to make this seem so exciting. Going to some expensive private school with snobs that will look at me like trash. What a great opportunity, am I right?"So where is this place anyway? How long is the drive there going to take?" I may as well like the place if I'm going to be living there. She gave me a small, hopeful smile."It's in the mountains. It will take about three hours to get there, but from the school itself, it doesn't take long to get to the city. Although you would have everything, you need at school so there would be no need for you to travel to the city. And though it is in the mountains the campus is large so you are not in the middle of the forest." I cross my arms and look at her."Thanks for the geography lesson, Karen." She looks unsettled that I called her by name. Good, that makes two of us. But she smiles anyway."I think this will be a good place for you, Ren. I hope you get good opportunities for your future." I look at the floor of the car."Thanks." I pull my headphones over my ears and let the music drown out the sounds of the car. I make it almost through one of my playlists when I feel the car stop and turn off. I take off my headphones and look forward. "We're here." Karen says delightedly. I wonder how many times a week she does things like this. God, it's huge. I get out of the car and look at the building. I can't even describe how big it is. "This is the place? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Karen pulls my one black suitcase and backpack out of the trunk and hands them to me. "I told you, you are extremely lucky to be here, don't waste this opportunity. The school's Headmaster will show you around and explain everything." As a man comes through the main door, Karen goes to the car. "I wish you the best of luck, Ren." Her smile seems sincere — sort of. I turn back toward the man. He has dark, neat, brown hair and he towers over me. Is he wearing a blue suit? I don't know what to call it, but it looks elegant and expensive. Something a Headmaster would wear, I guess. He gives me a warm smile."Ren, correct?" I nod. "I am your Headmaster, welcome." I give him an unconvincing smile and pick up my bag and grab the handle of my suitcase. After showing me around, he takes me to the dorms and brings me to the end of the hallway on the first floor. He opens the door and gives me the key. "This is the only student issued key to your room, so I recommend you take good care of it." I set my things next to the bed in the small rectangular room. I look around, one decent-sized window, a twin bed, and a desk next to a bookshelf. I flip on the light switch, and a fluorescent glow brightens the room. "I'll leave you here to rest and get your things unpacked. There is no one else in the dorm right now because class is still going on. Feel free to roam the campus to get used to things. Dinner is at 5, or you can buy food anytime from the campus cafe or store. And curfew is at 10:00 PM exactly. If you need anything, feel free to come to me directly." "Ok," for some reason, I feel like I can actually trust him, and I smile at him for real this time, "thanks." He smiled back at me and closed the door behind him, and for the first time today, I'm finally alone. I unpack my things and decide to explore a little. I go into the hallway and out of the dorm, I walk towards what looks like a garden. As I walk through the high bushes and plants and flowers, I spot a bench and sit down. So much happened today, I'm feeling overwhelmed. I thought I would be ecstatic, being so far away and having a room. But I kind of miss the small apartment, and as much as I hate myself for it, I miss my mom. She was a shitty parent, but I know she cared about me. A loud bell chime rings out through the grounds and scares the hell out of me. I'm pretty sure everyone's done with the class now, I was hoping to avoid meeting anyone until tomorrow — my luck.