MIRRORS
THE OTHER SIDE OF ME
CHAPTER ONE
Afraid, paranoid, and nervous.
This is how he feels.
Benedict stared deeply at the tall and enormous school building from the tinted window of his sister's car. He was terribly anxious and petrified of even the thought of going in there. Benedict was always the kid that got picked on and bullied by all the 'cool' and 'popular' kids at all of his previous schools. He had to move towns and schools time and time again because of this. His parents grew tired of moving again and again, and were sick of it all, so they planted him on his eldest sibling.
His sister: Kiera. She was Benedict's favourite person out of all of his siblings as she was the only one that took great care of him and didn't tease him at home. The two of them had a strong and solid bond, and Kiera didn't mind at all when her parents practically handed their youngest son and her youngest brother over to her.
Truth be told, Benedict is not the most athletic of boys his age, but he did pack some muscle – a trait from his father. He mostly wanted to stay in inside and indoors and read books rather than staring at a television screen playing violent video games. He was like Kiera in that way and in some other ways as well. Quiet, isolated, intelligent, and has that hidden impulsive aggression inherited from their father but also the two of them also had that soft, empathetic, and nurturing side from their mother. So, they found comfort from that and bonded over that together as well.
Benedict took a deep breath and removed his gaze from the school to Kiera. Her hands rested casually on the top of the stirring wheel. Kiera gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm sure you've heard these a million times, Benny, but just don't worry about trying to 'fit in' too much. Just be you, and you'll be fine. High school doesn't last forever."
Benedict scoffed and looked down at his fidgeting hands. It all seemed like forever to him, but he realised sooner or later that Kiera was always right. He found that creepy and confusing at certain times but as he thought it through he figured that it was all just from life experience. "Yeah, well, thanks, Kiera."
She nodded and patted his shoulder. Somehow her touch calmed and took his nerves and anxiety down a peg or two. "Good luck, Benny, and if anyone pushes you around, call me and you'll know what I'll do."
Benedict laughed a little, thankful for her dry sense of humour. "Kick their ass?"
Kiera smirked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You bet your ass I will."
Benedict smiled to himself at that and opened the car door. He slipped out of Kiera's black Range Rover and closed the door, waving her goodbye. She waved him off and twirled the car back into the crazy morning traffic. He felt sorry for her, he knew how hectic the morning school run can be, but he was thankful all the same. She could have simply told him to walk but she made time in her morning schedule for him. That made him smile. Benedict switched his gaze back to the school and he sighed to himself. A new town, a new year, a new life. Try and make it count this time, Ben. He told himself. Benedict made a promise to himself that he would make it work this time, and this time no backing out of the school, the life, and the town. He told himself that he would at least try to make any friends and have no bullies after him.
Benedict had retrieved his school and lesson schedule the week before, so he knew what he had and where he had it. Luckily, the schedule came with a map of the classrooms around the school – which was entirely helpful for him. It would be entirely awkward for him and anyone involved if he had gotten himself lost within the school. Benedict had run any and every horrible scenario of what might happen to him on his first day of his new school. He was too paranoid for his own good – Kiera told him she was the same so that reassured him. He was prepared this time and that made it entirely easier for him.
Benedict attempted to walk at a normal pace to the entrance of the school without making eye contact with anyone he thought might tease or hurt him in any way – which was everyone. As he was passing fellow students in the hallway to get to his first lesson on time, he overheard the not-so-whispers of 'he must be the new kid'. Benedict had lost track of how many of them whispered about him. He really hated it when they did that, those whispers made him think that they were talking more into than him being the 'new kid'. Again: too paranoid for his own good.
Just be you and you'll be fine.
Kiera's soft and reassuring voice rang in his head. He took a few deep breaths to remind himself not to overthink everything. What would Kiera do? He thought and without looking where he was going turning a corner as he was distracted, he rammed into someone. His eyes widened, and he immediately apologised. "I'm terribly sorry!" Benedict glanced up at whom he ran into. It was a cheerleader, the head cheerleader to be exact and from the looks of her she was far from friendly from where he stood.
Oh, I am so bloody screwed. He thought as he mentally counted up all his blessings. "Watch it, weirdo!" The head cheerleader exclaimed and yelled at him. Her cheerleader friends all scoffed at him. He nodded, wincing at her high pitch wail and screech. His experiences with the head cheerleaders were not nice ones and they were all the same: insecure, unintelligent and bitchy bimbos. As his elder brothers put it. He sometimes wasn't so sure. He always had to question what his brothers said to him as Arthur was serious, but Thaddeus was not, so he understood them two clearly. Aidan to him was a mystery: he has his serious and soft moments but also has his great reputation as a prankster. It was always all so confusing for him.
"Why don't you watch where you are going, idiot?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Benedict glared at her. He didn't enjoy being called names even from his own brothers, he only tolerates being called 'Benny' by Kiera because he loves her – he prefers Benedict or Ben and no in between.
"It was an accident and I said I was a sorry." He said calmly, holding back his tongue. At times he wished he was as cool and collected as Kiera with his anger and impulsive nature.
"I don't care and get out of my way, runt." The head cheerleader scoffed and rolled her eyes, pushing past him as well as her idiot clique. He took deep breaths once again and noticed all eyes were on him, so he continued walking but he was then joined by two boys.
"Um, can I help you?" Benedict asked as politely as he could to the both of them.
"Yeah, the name is Charmy, and this is Miles but don't call him that he hates it – call him Tails." The boy named Charmy grinned at Benedict as he introduced himself and his friend.
"Um, my name is Benedict." He said this unsure of himself because this has never happened to him before, not ever.
"That's a cool name, Ben – is that okay? Can I call you Ben?" The boy on the other side of him, Tails, said softly to him with a gentle smile. Benedict could tell that Tails was much more on the soft and gentle side than Charmy was. He was more energetic and fast.
"Ben is fine." He replied simply.
"You survived the wrath of the Princess. I'm honestly surprised she didn't roast you." Charmy said as the three of them walked down the hall together.
"Um, thanks? I guess." Benedict said, slightly confused but there was a sliver of pride that bubbled up in him.
"The Princess is…the head cheerleader I ran into, I presume?" Benedict asked the both of them while minding the directionality in which he was going. His first lesson was mathematics and he really didn't want to be late and make a very bad impression of himself on the very first day, again. This happened multiple times and didn't end well for him.
"Yeah, she is. Her name is Rouge and the girls you saw her with were Fiona and Amy. Rouge acts like she owns the damn building with her damn 'squad'." Charmy answered him, walking quickly with him on his short legs. Benedict was taking this all in on a vast plate, he wasn't exactly happy about all this information. He had to get on the wrong side of the 'Princess'.
"Technically she does own the building." Tails commented. That didn't make Benedict feel any better on top of his first day anxiety and paranoia.
"Let me guess: daddy?" Benedict asked and the two of them nodded. Rich from daddy, owns the place and a bitch that everyone is afraid of. Damn it, can I please go home now? He thought to himself with self-pity. He had to get through this day with no other bumps in the road but with his luck that never seems to follow through. He thought back to Kiera again and what she said to him in the car: if anyone pushes you around, call me and you'll know what I'll do. He always knew she would come to his 'rescue' but he wasn't exactly a damsel in distress and he didn't want to call her about a damn stuck up cheerleader. She would laugh at him or he was just being too paranoid for his own good again.
"If you're unlucky enough to increase her already deadly wrath, you'll be out of the frying pan and into the fire by the end of the day." Charmy said with a serious tone to his voice, and again, this didn't at all help with his nerves.
"How is that going to help me feel better?" Benedict groaned, frustrated and everything in between. He looked down at his map and continued his route to his maths lesson.
"Which is why you need friends to watch your back." Tails told him as he caught a glance at his map and soon understood where he was going. The same place he and Charmy were heading to.
"I have no friends – just…" Just my sister. He stopped himself from saying that, they would have thought he was loser. "No one, just no one."
"You do now. Us two and a plus, we're in the same maths class – so it won't be as nerve wrecking for you." Charmy said and that surprisingly made him feel better about it all. Benedict nodded and walked with them. The three of them headed down the hallway to the first class and lesson. He was slightly on edge as he entered the classroom as he had no idea where to sit but Tails motioned him along to sit beside him and Charmy. He was thankful and comforted by that. He sat down at the desk and waited patiently. He wanted this day to end as he always wanted his school days to end. The evening was his favourite because he wasn't here of all places. He was home.
The bell rang in his ears and that was another sound he wasn't so fond of, but as other students filled the room his heart dropped as Rouge and her little clique on her tail. He wished his lucky stars that she wouldn't see him at the back of the classroom but those lucky stars of his were never aligned and out of luck on such occasion. Rouge glared at him and sat in her usual spot: right in the middle with her girls either side of her. Benedict looked over at Charmy and he gave him a reassuring nod and smile, he closed his eyes for a moment.
Just be you, and you'll be fine.
He smiled to himself as the voice of his sister filled his mind – she calmed his nerves, anxiety and anger. She grounded him, she brought him control and he was forever thankful for that, but he knew he wouldn't have her always and forever. She had her life as well and he respected that as much as he could at his age – after all, he needed her.
She was his anchor.
"Benedict the Lone Wolf." His eyes flashed open as he heard his name. He looked down at the person that said his full name: the teacher. He was tall, hard and serious but somehow Benedict felt the teacher was far from fierce. He felt the teacher had a cool and understanding atmosphere about him.
"Yes, sir?" Benedict replied politely, staring right at him. The teacher kept that gaze – it was respectable in some way.
"A chat, please? Come." The teacher motioned Benedict to stand up and follow him. He obliged and stood up as quickly as he could and walked down the row to the front of the classroom. The teacher guided him out the door and Benedict waited patiently outside of the classroom and in the quiet corridor.
"Talk amongst yourselves for the time being." He ordered the students as he exited the classroom and closed the door behind him. He turned toward Benedict who was trying to keep control of his wracking nerves and overthinking of the whole situation he was in. He had to keep reminding himself that he did nothing wrong.
"Do you know who I am, Benedict?" He asked him calmly. Benedict was highly confused, he never met this man in his life. How was he supposed to know who he was?
"No, sir. Should I?" He answered him simply.
"I'm Silver. Mr Hedgehog in the classroom. My wife, Blaze, is a close friend of your sister and so am I." He informed him. Benedict took all of that in, it took him a few seconds to figure why this was all important.
"My sister wants you to look out for me, doesn't she?" He already knew the answer, it was more of a confirmation he wanted off of him. He didn't know whether to be hurt or thankful towards Kiera. He wasn't exactly a 'baby' anymore but she knew of what happened to him.
"Yes. When you are not with her, she knows she can't comfort or calm you, or even protect you because she can do all of that when you are with her. She worries for you and she called me a few days prior to school starting up again." Benedict nodded, he knew all of this to be true. Kiera was damn right protective of her family and he knew this. He loved her even more for this – she deeply cares for him more than he knew.
"So, she wants me to come to you if anything happens to me that is serious?" Benedict asked, and he nodded.
"Yes. Now, let's begin the day." Mr Hedgehog opened the classroom door and walked in, keeping it open for Benedict. He gained the class' attention as Benedict returned to his seat beside Charmy and Tails. He nodded at Benedict and he returned the nod.
"Right, class. Let's start off the school year with algebra to get it out the way, shall we?" Mr Hedgehog began.
Charmy and Tails leaned over to Benedict and whispered as quietly as he could to him. Discretion was a strong suit in the classroom if you don't want to get caught. "Hey, what was that about?"
Benedict looked at Charmy and whispered to him. "Apparently he is friends with my sister."
"Didn't you know?" Tails softly whispered to him and Benedict gaze switched to him, but he shook his head. He didn't know but he wanted to know. He'll talk with Kiera once she picks him up at the end of the day – if she was able to.