Afraid (L.S.)

1, Louis

The walk to school is quiet as always. Nobody stops to wave or say hello. They fear me, almost as much as I fear them.

It's a new school. New faces to see, new crowds to hide in. All in all, a typical school day.

As I walk along some kids smile at me like 'Hey! A new kid to torture? Oh, this year is gonna be the best!'

I couldn't help it, I never really had the patience to get to know people who would forget you in twenty seconds. Smiles were rare from me. In fact, if I smiled, it was because I felt like I had to do it, not because I wanted to do it.

Smiles had no warmth or meaning to me. I mean, my mom smiled as she told me we were moving simply because she finds pleasure in torture. Your future demons and enemies also smile every once in a while before tearing you to pieces, ruining your life.

Maybe I needed counseling, another person who would tell me 'Smile and the world smiles with you' while handing me a bunch of brochures with encouraging things like 'Find your happiness and inner soul for only $500 per month! We'll give you a video and guidebook for an extra $300! Enjoy your happily broke life!' or something like that. To be honest, those ads hit the trash before

I could even glance at them.

Looking up, I had finally reached my school. Somehow, a couple of extra brain cells had non-genetically implored themselves into my little brain and multiplied, giving me the rare family trait of intelligence so that I was looking at Clarity's Academy for the Advanced. It really was a stupid name and therefore few really knew of it, but it really just screamed "GEEK!"

There were a lot of them roaming around campus, including myself. I really couldn't help it though. I was one of those 'girly guys'. I would rather read books and beat my high score on my horrendous computer than go outside. It was by some miracle that I was still tan.

There was a uniform here, but it wasn't terrible. Boys had to wear navy blue coats, ties and dress pants with a white button down. Not my first choice, but hey, I was here on a full scholarship. I wasn't going to complain.

By the way, yes, this was a boarding school and yes, my mother made me walk 15 miles to get here. I had nearly jumped for joy when I learned that we could stay the weekends here if we wanted.

Yeah, my house was that bad. Plus, I didn't feel like walking 15 miles once a week. Go figure. My legs ached as well as my arms from lugging all of my junk over to the dorm rooms of Clarity's Academy for the Advanced from a luxurious house on the southern tip of a neighborhood two towns over.

I ducked my head down as I walked in. My claustrophobia was getting to me. There were way too many people here, even though the place was enormous.

Parents ran around, straightening out their son's room, making sure they 'Really wanted to do this' and telling them to 'Just be nice to the other kids, you'll find friends darling, I'm sure of it' and all that other crap normal parents tell their children.

I pass through mazes of smiles and luggage until I finally get to the dorm that I was assigned to. A happy family stood in the doorway, lecturing their son about all the ups and downs of being in an advanced school.

Pride shone in their eyes and the mother (I guessed it was the mother even though she looked like she could be a 16 year old's older sibling) was balling her eyes out.

It was a next-to-perfect family, the kind that you see on tv and gives you the urge to simply punch your little sister because you know that she'd never let that perfect family happen.

Punching my dear mother was unfortunately out of my league. If I ever did that, I would be thrown out the door with a giant sign on my head that said 'FOR SALE, VIOLENT TEENAGER, WILL TAKE ANYTHING FOR HIM'

I managed to squeeze around the family un-noticed. Don't ask me how I did it, I guess I was just that invisible.

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the room. Maybe it was after living in the basement for so many years or that 15 mile long walk, but I had never seen anything so comfy and wonderful. I sounded like a stinking hobo on the streets, but believe me, when your old cot that's way too big for you turns into a gorgeous, fluffy bed, complete with a tv across from it, a comfy carpet and your own dresser, you sort of appreciate it.

I choose the second bed, which was closest to the window. I started unpacking, trying to look normal, which was pretty hard. Oh, hey! Your family showed up? Neat! Mine are two towns over, not giving a crap about me, please don't mind me as I pack my hobo clothes away along with my piece of crap computer that randomly blinks when you turn it on. Isn't that normal?

I pause the rant in my head suddenly, because my eyes had laid on something not even the Lord Zeus in Greek mythology could conjure up- a beauty beyond all beauties.

A.K.A My roommate.

A.K.A Grant pity on this poor mortal because I. Am. Doomed.

NEW BOOK and so far it's going perfectly. Yeah, I threw some sarcasm in, deal with it ya bums.
Anyway, I had this thing lying around my Create section with an introduction and the first two sentences to the first chapter and I was like hey, this ain't bad and I decided to fix it up just like Charlie Brown's friends fixed up his Christmas tree lol
Anyway I have a packet, an essay and a math assignment to do before my dad comes home (which is like in an hour) so peace out suckas

-Beth Hood, your wonderful author who is on the move again