A Dream's Bite

1

       Amber and ginger leaves hung loosely on their trees, waiting for dawn's breeze to knock them off. The air was stale and tasted of yesterday's sunlight, although today, dark swirling clouds covered the sky. It seemed as if it was going to rain. A tall rusty colored high school building had came into sight.

       George's hands and nose felt cold yet he was sweating under his coat. The sensation of his shirt sticking with his skin was beyond feeling uncomfortable. His eyes perked up at the sight of the rusty building. He had moved to a cold town in the middle of nowhere. He tried his best to not feel depressed about it.

       As soon as he stepped into the high school, he was greeted by a warm blast of air. George promptly took off his coat and fiddled with a paper in his hand.

       George took a deep breathe before starting down the long hallways. The high school students didn't pay much attention to him, they just continued their conversations as he past. The banging lockers were starting to make him feel a bit anxious.

       George looked at the number on the paper in his hand, before quickly glancing around.

       '11' it had marked.

       A figure, George's size, walked passed him but George tapped his shoulder. The boy turned whirled around and his brown eyes met George's eyes. The boy had dark hair, though it was lighter than George's. He was wearing a white shirt with a band around his head.

       "Excuse me," George smiled, "Do you know where locker 11 is?"

       "Oh," The boy said grinning now, "That's next to my locker, it's over here."

       George followed the boy through the halls. Colorful posters occasionally were plastered on the white walls. Students were chattering with one another, George couldn't help but to feel like he didn't fit in. He felt an uneasy wave wash over him and he sunk his head down and glanced to his feet. A few people waved at the boy leading him around the school.

       Soon George could see his locker number in sight. His locker, like all the others, was blue. The boy who led George around the school walked over to locker 12.

       "I'm Nick," He told George, "What's your name?"

       "George," He told Nick.

       As his name left his mouth, a shoulder bumped into him. George cringed at the contact and twirled around to apologize. He met a gaze of a boy around 6'1. The boy had dark honey eyes with messy dark brown hair. He was wearing jeans and a red hoodie.

       "I'm sorry-" George started.

       "Watch where you're going," The larger boy growled and suddenly George felt very small.

       "It's your fault," Nick said blankly to the taller boy. "Say sorry, Ryan. Is this really how you introduce people to our school?"

       "Listen here you twerp." Ryan growled and raised his fist. Nick's face showed no sign of fear in that moment. George's heart began to race. He felt the need to do something.

       "Hey!" George found himself saying. "Leave him alone."

       "What are you doing," Nick whisper yelled.

       The taller boy shoved Nick into the locker, and Nick grunted at the impact. Ryan stood over George, and George became very aware how tall he was up close. Million thoughts of escape rushed through his mind, but his feet stuck to the floor. The taller boy raised his clench fist once again and George closed his eyes and waited for the impact. He felt so useless as his heart picked up more speed. Though the impact never came.