High School Story
My BIGGEST project yet. I'm writing this on 12/4/16, so let's how long this takes. Hope you enjoy!
For two hours, the entire car ride had been pure, awkward silence, and Booker was not being the one to break it. Kofi was glued to his phone, no doubt listening to a song riddled with profanity.
"So, I hear there's a basketball team at this school. That should be good, right?" Sharmell alluded. Kofi didn't hear her and if he did, he wasn't ready to answer.
"Kofi, your mother is speaking to you." No response. Booker lowered the speed of the car and turned around, yanking Kofi's earphones out, which did not get a good reaction.
"Hey! What gives?!"
"You can't just listen to music and ignore us the whole ride! We get you're upset but you will not disrespect us," Booker ordered. Kofi crossed his arms and sighed heavily.
"So, Dad, Mom, why exactly did you drag your son out of his hometown where his life was absolutely perfect and he had everything sorted?"
"You really think we wanted to leave? Kofi, we had no choice. Your dad's job simply wasn't paying him enough for his work and neither was mine. Besides, you'll make loads of new friends at this school," Sharmell explained. She felt bad for her son, she really did, but surely he could understand the situation? The money wasn't there and anyone in their right mind would take this new job. Kofi's phone vibrated and he looked at the notification. It was Naomi.
"Sorry, I'd love to have this discussion about why I'm being screwed out of my life but someone who actually cares about how I feel just messaged me." Booker looked into the rear mirror and watched his son message the love of his life, who he would probably never see again in person for a long time.
I miss you already, why'd you have to leave :(
It's not my fault, my stupid parents made me. Promise we'll stay in contact?
I'll always call you and message you, but I don't think this will work with such a distance between the two of us.
What do you mean
Kofi froze and Booker noticed something was wrong.
You'll find someone else at your new school. I love you, but we're over. No one's dumping anyone, we both are moving on. I'll never forget you Kofi xx.
I love you too. I'm gonna miss us as a couple but you're right. It's for the best. Talk 2 U Later.
Kofi dropped his phone on the seat next to him and stared out the window. His eyes became watery and his breathing became difficult but he balled his fists and clenched as hard as he could to keep his emotions from running wild. Sharmell opened her mouth to say something but Booker stopped her, indicating it was not the time, which he was right about. Kofi glimpsed out of the window and laid his head against the glass. For the remainder of the journey, it was sheer silence.
The car finally arrived at its destination and the family got out, but of course, Kofi was the last one. He dragged himself to his weirdly furnished room. He was glad he didn't have to do any unpacking and he dropped onto his bed, face first. Sharmell peered her head into his room and walked in.
"Remember, get your sleep because we have to meet the principle of your school in the morning. We're just going to the convenience store to get some stuff." Great, I get to meet the guy who contributed to all this shit, Kofi thought. She closed his door and left with Booker. As soon as he heard the front door shut he stood up slowly. He looked at his phone again, reading the upsetting messages and couldn't handle it anymore.
"Dammit!"He threw the empty moving boxes across the room in a rage and a few tears escaped his eyes but he quickly took off Celtics jersey to wipe off the tears. He sniffled for a bit and released his dreads from the ponytail it had previously been in. He turned his light off and slid into bed; whenever Kofi was upset, the first thing he would do is sleep. And besides, there was no point being too tired for his new school. He closed his eyes and sighed, realising this wasn't a bad dream. He was going to have to accept it whether he liked it or not.
The next morning was the worst of Kofi's life because he had dreamt about his ex-girlfriend moving next door to him and he hated the thought of starting a new school, a new life without knowing anyone. And he wasn't going to hang out with his parents.
Booker grew impatient of waiting for his son and checked his watch.
"Wake up son! It's your first day at school, come on!" Kofi grunted and pulled himself out of bed, grabbing the same Celtics jersey he had used as a tissue the day before. On his way out he grabbed his phone from the floor, he switched his light off and closed his door. He made his way to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, the same way he always did; make as much mess in the sink as possible and plague his tongue with toothpaste, even though it was toothpaste. He bumped down the stairs and stumbled into the kitchen, still tired and annoyed from his dream. Booker was surprised.
"Hold on, did you sleep in those clothes?"
"Nah, I took the jersey off yesterday." Kofi grabbed a bag of chips during their conversation.
"Come on, you're trying to make a good first impression. Can you at least use some deodorant and put your hair back?" Kofi stopped eating his chips and stopped his father in his tracks.
"Are you hating on my dreads? In case you haven't realised-"
"-I have dreads too, I know, but look!" He pointed to his hair, which was in a ponytail. "I keep my hair neat!"
"Whatever." Kofi ran back to the bathroom and grabbed a can of deodorant, spraying his very hairy armpits. He picked up a hairband and put his hair back. Next, he'll be asking me to wear a suit and call myself Kofi T Kingston.
"Come on, we've got to go, right now!"
Kofi obliged and dashed downstairs, following his dad into the car.
"You excited?"
"No! The only thing I'm looking forward to is finding a new girlfriend." Booker laughed.
"Is that all you care about? I'm guessing that's why you was a bit upset yesterday."
"Over a girl? Yeah right! She wasn't going to keep in contact so I decided to end the relationship. Simple as. Enough about me, what's going on with you?" Kofi had been observing his fathers behaviour for the past few weeks and was definitely different to his expected self; he was less stressed, he was not on the phone or computer as much.
"Me? Son, I'm alright. I'm just happy that we get to make an improvement in our lives."
"Well, I'm glad some of us are happy about the situation."
"You know what I meant. Kofi, here we won't need to hassle you about how long you're on the phone for, about bills and sustainable living methods. And that should be good for all those girls you want to talk to," Booker elaborated, poking Kofi in the process.
"Dad, just stop." Kofi covered his face in an attempt to disguise his embarrassment. The cringe-worthy car ride was finally over and Booker parked outside to school. He looked at the huge, bronze letters that spelt: WORLD WIDESPREAD EDUCATION.
"WWE? Sounds like some run down gym." Both laughed but Booker turned serious straight away.
"Okay, we both walk in, talk to the principle for a bit and then I speak to him and you go to lessons. Think you can manage that?"
"Of course. I'm a Kingston. I'll probably get good grades in school, be a sports leader and eventually change to another school because I feel like it." Booker sighed and Kofi laughed at his father's stress.
"Not funny. Please, just try your best." They got out of the car and walked into the school. The corridors were so clean, the lockers were in groups of either grey, green or dark blue. The walls were absolutely polluted with posters and sign up waivers, but Kofi didn't see anything concerning basketball so he didn't concentrate. As they walked to the principles office Kofi peered into the classrooms and observed his new peers. They stopped outside and Kofi noticed a class, from the looks of it a science class, and looked at the students. From his view he only saw five students: At the front there were two boys, one was slightly overweight with spikey hair, interestingly wearing a black tank top, and the other had a unique haircut, only having hair on the top of his head and being riddled with tattoos. The two girls behind were looking fine, in Kofi's opinion; one was blonde and had the perfect facial structure and the girl sitting next to her was slightly pale, but she still looked amazing, her long black hair looked like it had been treated right. Finally, there was a boy who was looking down, busy writing or drawing something. He had frizzy hair and his skin was smooth, no sign of any spots, milk chocolate.
"You nervous?" Kofi didn't break his attention from the boy, as he was interested in who this guy was, so he simply shrugged his shoulders. The boy turned his head, probably feeling Kofi's observation, and noticed Kofi, giving him a complimentary smile and wave, revealing his dimples. Kofi waved back, awkwardly, and looked away, feeling like he had already screwed up his first impressions. The door opened and the secretary addressed them.
"The Principle will see you now." She gave a polite smile and Kofi followed his dad into the office. The man sitting at his desk looked like a principle, a no-nonsense, strict man at least.
"Hello, I'm Principle McMahon, you must be Mr Kingston, nice to meet you," he said, shaking Booker's hand. "And you must be Kofi, nice to meet you, welcome to the school."
"Nice to meet you too," he responded, shaking his new principles hand. They all sat down and Kofi knew the boring stuff was coming.
"Kofi, are there any particular classes you would want to do, such as Design, or Art?"
"Well, I guess I've always been good at computer stuff, and science." Mr McMahon smiled.
"Well, the good news is we can offer a place in IT, and in extra science lessons. I'll talk to you later, I'll leave the boring details to your father and myself." The three laughed and Kofi stood up. "By the way, go to the classroom just by there and use this temporary timetable."
"See you later son."
"Bye Dad," Kofi said, waving at his father before leaving the office. He walked into the classroom with the students he had been observing and felt like he had made a scene.
"Welcome, you must be Kofi. Just sit next to Xavier down there." A few snickers and giggles were heard and Kofi watched the boy look around, clearly hurt by the reaction, feeling bad for him.
"I guess it's a bad day for you, having to sit next to him," the spikey haired boy said. Kofi felt so bad for the boy he took a risk.
"Nah, my day's doing just fine. And I could should the same to your friend here." The boy quickly stood up and his name was revealed by his tattooed friend.
"Kevin, just leave it, he's not worth it." Kevin stood in Kofi's face and Kofi balled his fists, ready for a fight.
"You just made a big mistake. I'm Kevin Owens. I'm feared in this school. Just know that. You're lucky Corey here is the less violent one."
"I'm guessing he's also the one who uses the mints out of you two." The class started laughing and even the boy had a grin. Kevin looked around to see how many people were laughing and he sat back down. Kofi made his way next to the boy and sat next to him. He noticed the drawings the boy had been focusing on earlier.
"Cool sketches," Kofi complimented.
"Thanks, and thanks for sticking up for me. You didn't need to," he said.
"Of course I did! But it's nothing, honestly. I'm guessing you're Xavier. Like Professor Charles?" Kofi implied, taking a huge risk. This guy must like comics, right?
"You know about the X-Men? That's awesome!" Kofi smiled at Xavier's excite and felt like he had definitely made a new friend. He noticed the drawings weren't of actual characters, these people seemed original.
"So are these, like, people you came up with?" Xavier looked confused, but then happy.
"Yeah, I just think of things to draw and I draw them." For the rest of the lesson the two babbled on about superheroes, comics, and everything nerd, until the bell rang.
"It was nice meeting you, Kofi. Not many people are as nice," Xavier laughed, before shaking Kofi's hand.
"It was nice meeting you, and don't let people treat you like that. Honestly." Xavier smiled at this gesture and left his seat, as did Kofi.
"What do you have now?"
"Ugh, History. You?"
"More science. Catch you later," Xavier said, waving away to his new, and one of his only, friends. Kofi was on his way to the boring history class when he was interrupted by the two girls sitting in from.
"Hey, what's up? I'm Renée, and this is Paige," the blonde girl stated.
"What you did for Xavier was pretty bold. I like that," Paige mentioned, in a strong British accent. The two girls left Kofi and waved at him too on their way. What is it with people and waving at this school? Kofi laughed at his thoughts and made his way to his class. As soon as he sat down he observed the board and for the rest of the lesson, he just learnt.
Leaving the classroom, he looked around to see if anyone he had met was around, but unfortunately not. That was until a voice echoed down the hallway.
"HEY! Celtics fan!" It was no other than the 'feared' Kevin Owens and Kofi sighed in annoyance. He turned around and approached Kevin.
"By the way, it's Kofi. You called?" Kevin laughed.
"You think you're real clever, don't you? Well, it's your lucky day. Not many people stand up to me, but not you Coffee-"
"-Kofi-"
"-Yeah, that. Maybe I was too rough on that Xavier guy. But as for us, I don't need the trouble. We cool?" Kofi considered what he was getting himself into, but there was no need to be the hero, the Harry Potter who rejected Malfoy. He accepted Kevin's handshake.
"Yeah, we're cool. Just don't pick on Xavier again, okay?" Kevin pulled Kofi closer as soon as he had said that.
"Now you're telling me what to do. But okay, I'll leave him alone. But beware, Kofi, disrespect me and my friends again, there will be trouble."
Kevin left with Corey and the two headed outside. Kofi followed and as soon as he got outside, he sat under a tree near the basketball court. The two girls, Paige and Renée, returned, this time looking excited.
"Hey, I was thinking..." Renée paused as if she were shy, and Paige stepped in.
"Look, she likes you and wants your number. Wasn't hard, was it?" Kofi laughed and Renée looked embarrassed at first but nodded with a grin. He pulled out his phone and stood up.
"You have your phone?" he asked. She nodded and gave him her phone, which from the looks of it was brand new. He added his number and felt like naming himself something, but thought not to.
"There you go. Call me anytime you want," he offered. She gave him a hug and walked with Paige, clearly excited. He resumed sitting down until he was interrupted again, but this time by a rolling basketball.
"Dude!" Kofi stood up and pointed at himself, holding the ball. "Yeah, you! A guy in a Celtics jersey clearly knows how to play, come over here!" Kofi obliged and listened to the blonde boy's voice. As he approached the group of basketballers he gave the ball back to the blonde guy.
"Sup? I'm Kofi," he introduced and the group of four all looked at each other.
"I'm Dolph, this guy with the stupid face-"
"-hey bro, not cool!-"
"-is Zack and these two are Jimmy and Jey." Kofi shook all of their hands and stretched his right leg.
"I'm guessing you're the main baller? Let's see how you cope with Boston's finest!" he joked.
"I thought Boston's finest was the power station!" Dolph ribbed. Kofi nodded and laughed, bitterly, and wanted to make Dolph swallow his words. Playing basketball was in his nature, so naturally, he kept the game interesting for half of the time but one wrong step allowed Dolph to make the interception and Dolph had control of the game. Kofi couldn't keep focused and kept on double dribbling and travelling, causing him to lose his cool. Dolph grabbed the ball and scored a three-pointer before Kofi could stop him. He was so frustrated he almost walked off with his hands on his heads, shaking it in anger. Dolph chased him and stopped him.
"Timeout dude, it's okay, I lose my focus as well," Dolph explained, trying to comfort the clearly upset Kofi.
"Not like that, you're amazing at basketball! And I kept screwing up," he argued.
"Look, you're awesome at basketball as well, you gave me a challenge. Not many people can do that, so, let me help you. Join our team and I'll help you work on your focus. I was like you once; couldn't keep my cool when I slipped up-"
"-I don't have an anger problem-" Kofi laughed.
"-but I managed to solve it. So what do you say?" He extended his arm and left a hand to shake, and Kofi didn't wait five seconds to shake the blonde boy's hand. The two smiled at each other and the sweaty boys returned to the other members of the group.
"Okay, we'll be sitting at the blue tables outside for lunch, near the balcony-"
"-There's a balcony?," Kofi asked with a confused face.
"Yeah, you'll know it when you see it. Speak to you later, 'Boston's Finest'." Dolph and the rest of the group said their goodbyes before leaving Kofi on his own. He took his jersey off to use as a rag, again, and was again approached by Renée, who was hypnotized with Kofi's build.
"Oh, hey Renée, what's up?" Kofi got closer to her and she looked like she was going to faint. No words came out and she shut her mouth, realising how stupid she looked. What's the matter with you, he's not gonna be impressed by that!
"I'm, uh, fine, thanks," she responded, slowly. Kofi caught on quickly and felt like messing around.
"If you feel uncomfortable, I can put my jersey back on, if you want," he prompted, pretending to put it back on. She woke herself up and tried as hard as she could to play it cool.
"No, no, no one's uncomfortable. I was talking to Xavier and he said you just had History, so I think we have the same timetable."
"You weren't in my history class, were you?" Kofi was worried he may have ignored the presence of his admirer.
"No," she giggled, "But we were in the same Chemistry class, so we might be in Performing Arts." He searched his pocket for the timetable and realised she was right, and nodded.
"Yep, with Mr Van Dam." She looked up and down, monitoring him.
"You look super strong, and you've got the body of Channing Tatum," she praised, feeling his body. His skin was very sensitive so he quickly locked his hands with hers, braiding their fingers together. She felt her heart bounce around and barely maintained her composure, whereas he found the whole thing amusing.
"Shall we go together, m'lady?" A smile beamed on her face and she kept her hand connected to his.
"Indeed, we shall, sire."
The unofficial couple strolled to their class, holding hands all the way. Kofi looked around in awe as he appreciated the look of the hall; he was surrounded by small white pillars, an all black marble floor, the center stage looked like something from Broadway and the lighting was more professional than he'd ever seen.
"This looks awesome!," he exclaimed, "Is this where you perform?" He sat down with Renée and continued to examine the room.
"Indeed, it is, Mr Kingston. I've been expecting you." Kofi immediately recognised the voice as the one he had defended and watched the suited Xavier slowly walk onto the stage.
"Xavier? What are you doing here?" he laughed. "Also, Mr Kingston?"
"We're working on a secret spy production, The Secret Servicemen, it's getting on pretty good," Renée explained. She made herself comfortable against Kofi, lying her head against his shoulder, reclaiming the hold their hands previously possessed.
"Renée, call me a rocket scientist, but I think you have feelings for Kofi here," Xavier assumed. She tried to indicate that he needed to stop talking but he did no such thing. "Are you blushing?"
"Xavier, please." Kofi decided to make a decision.
"Hey, Renée, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house sometime, like I'll call you." Her heart pounded like a treadmill and she nodded. "As for you, Mr..."
"Woods. Xavier Woods. License to kill," he mimicked, forcing Kofi to laugh along with Renée.
"Well, Xavier Woods, License to joke, I have a few old relics of X-Men comics if you want to check them out," he suggested. Xavier appreciated the welcomed feeling and took the offer, it wasn't like this was a normal thing for Xavier.
"Yeah, sure, I'll bring some of mine."
"I hope you've not swapped me with Xavier so quickly," Renée joked and the three were hysterical at the joke. "You certainly know how to make a good impression, and make friends."
"Oh, so we're just friends?" His statement made her retract what she said immediately in a hot mess.
"What I meant was-"
"I know what you meant," he chuckled, "I'm just playing. Good luck with the performance, Mr Woods, if you fail the mission I may have to take that license away from you."
"Mission received, Mr Kingston." He headed off backstage and Kofi wrapped his arm around the blonde, clearly happy, young woman next to him and as the two watched the performance being practiced, he maintained that position throughout the whole thing. He watched Xavier pour his heart out with emotion and enjoyed his portrayal of James Bond. He'd be perfect for the next black Bond. He smiled and felt comfortable next to his partner in progress until the bell rang, which freed him of his dazed self.
"I heard you talking to Dolph earlier, I would show you where to go but I need to meet Paige, the girl I was with, I'm sure Xavier will show you," she said, looking round for the African American espionage star. He zipped through the curtain, no longer a spy, but a regular student.
"Sure I can, it's near where I sit," he proposed. He yanked his jacket from the chair and Kofi followed him, saying goodbye to Renée. The two left the hall and the bright light of sun after being in a somewhat dark room shocked Kofi's eyes, causing him to squint and rub his eyes. Xavier merely laughed at his reaction. "Yeah, that happens a lot when you first use this room. You should get used to it in a week or two." Kofi finished repairing his sight and smiled at the bizarre comment, it sounded like Xavier was talking about medicine, not a room. They took a shortcut and trimmed through the car park that was nearby, whilst doing so Kofi noticed a biker-looking dude with a crazy fringe sitting on the back of his black pick up truck with another guy, who had interestingly two tones of colour in his hair, black and blonde. The two were clearly enjoying their beers, but it didn't stop them from noticing Kofi's observing.
"Hey dude! What's up, is there some issue or something?" The multi coloured haired friend jumped out of the back and interrupted his friend.
"Ignore him, he's an idiot," the boy laughed, and he stuck his hand out. "I'm Seth, and that's-"
"-Dean. If he's gonna know my name I might as well be the one to tell him. Like I said, Dean." As Seth shook Kofi's hand, the brown haired Dean approached them and also shook Kofi's hand, very firmly.
"Kofi, nice to meet both of you."
"Kofi? What a cool name."
"Yeah, I guess. See you later, Kofi."
"Shut up Dean," Seth laughed. The two went back to drinking their beers and Xavier became present again.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't want to interrupt your introductions," Xavier answered. "You're certainly making friends better than I could." This confused Kofi but he didn't let it break his focus so he continued to trail next to Xavier until he saw lots of blue tables and recognised the blonde boy who owned him at basketball. Dolph saw Kofi from the distance and dropped his sandwich to welcome Kofi.
"Sup! You made it, and I guess Xavier here helped you. Come, sit down."
"I'm gonna go join the guys over there, so I'll see you later." Xavier left the table and Kofi patted his shoulder, thanking him for his help. Kofi and Dolph sat down in sync and Dolph resumed eating.
"Kofi, let me ask you a question. You're from Boston, right?"
"Boston's finest." The pair laughed, and they were the only ones laughing.
"Okay, Boston's Finest, what exactly made you move to this high school. Was it a friend, family, you know-"
"-it wasn't by choice. My parents saw better jobs and they took the opportunity, costing me my leadership of the basketball team." Dolph seemed intrigued and wanted to know more.
"So, I'm guessing you had a girlfriend," Dolph hinted, prompting the rest of the table to look at each other in confusion. Jimmy went to say something but didn't, as he wanted to see where this was going. Kofi raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Don't give me that look, what was her name?" Kofi reflected on 'her' and stopped smiling.
"Naomi. I had to dump her because long distance relationships never last," Kofi said, sighing strongly.
"My bad bro, I broke up with Maryse, one of the Performing Arts girls, and believe me, it was hard."
"Couldn't have been worse than the Dean and Seth Saga," Zack interrupted, "When they had their little arguments-"
"Little?!"
"-they tore wherever they were down, now they're a happy couple." Kofi looked confused, the two boys they were referring to looked as if they could have any girl the wanted in the school, but Kofi wasn't one to judge.
"This was worse, way worse. We basically broke up after my big game and her performance, so neither of us went to the celebrations. Still, we're friends now, so it's not all bad Kofi." Kofi felt comfortable and for once, wasn't miserable about Naomi. He listened and talked in the circle for a long time, losing track of time. After lunch he headed to lessons and didn't see any familiar faces, so he sat and watched the presentation on greenhouse gases. After the bell rang he left the school, only to be approached by multiple people. First was Dolph and his crew.
"Dude, we're going out this weekend to play basketball if you wanna join? Btw, I'll add you to our group chats so you can add everyone."
"Yeah, sure, I'd love to, and my number is this," he responded, writing his number on an old piece of paper, "Catch you later." He gave Dolph a fist bump and proceeded to do the same for the other basketballers. Renée approached Kofi and gave him a hug, allowing him to pick her up and swing her in his arms as she laughed gleefully.
"My house this Saturday? To study?" She looked at him and he knew the answer.
"I would love to, but do you mind if I'm a bit sweaty when I arrive? I'll be playing basketball during the day."
"No, of course I don't mind! If it helps, you can leave your shirt in the washing."
"I'll have no shirt on, but I have no problem with that," he teased. She left his hold and waved goodbye as he started talking to the final person, Xavier. "You still up for exchanging comics?"
"Of course! I mean, erm, yeah, cool. I'll go with you tomorrow. See you later, and by the way, my social media name is xavierwoods on any site."
"Cool, I'll check you out tonight- wait no check you out, I meant, oh jeez, see you tomorrow," he laughed as he dashed away from the hysterical Xavier. He noticed his fathers car and realised he had been watching the whole time. He didn't hear anything did he?
"Someone's popular, you seem to be making friends," he complimented as Kofi got in at the back and whipped out his phone. XavierWoods, ah here he is. "So how was the first day?"
"It was alright I guess, I found some guys who like basketball and this girl seems kinda cool, and this other dude likes my kinda things as well."
"Sounds good."
"Yeah, should we move now?" Booker didn't appreciate the joke, but his concentration was disrupted by recognition of the boy in the leather jacket by his truck. As he proceeded to drive he stopped by the car and the two young boys turned.
"Hey Kofi, see you tomorrow!"
"Have a nice... This is must be your father," Dean said before leaning down, but he immediately regretted it as he was welcomed with a serious look from Booker. "Oh my god, dude I am sorry for what happened yesterday, Seth, jump in the car-"
"What? Why?"
"Now, Seth! Sorry dude, I'm an anarchist, I can't help it, but you wouldn't kill one of Kofi's new friends would ya?" The two got in the car and drove away, so Booker made his journey back in his house.
"Dad, what happened with Dean?"
"So that's what his name is! The little... He made me drop all my stuff at the shop when he was playing derby wars with the shopping carts outside, probably stolen." It amused Kofi but he quickly removed the smile. He followed Xavier's account and noticed a message shortly after:
Wow that was quick! Have you even got home yet XD
lol if you want I can unfriend you
Who will I swap comics with? Besides, I'm too much of a dashing spy, I have all the gadgets to stop you.
Really considering it now
XD I'll speak to you later, going home.
Peace
The rest of the car ride was a review of the day and Kofi enjoyed explaining everything, from his intervention with the 'feared' Kevin Owens to meeting a girl who he liked a lot. When he got home, he talked to his mother about it all until he was tired and dived into his bed, removing all his clothes and swapping them for his version of nightwear- a pair of grey tracksuits and a white vest. He spent the night staring at his ceiling, smiling, on his phone going through the different messages from Dolph, Xavier and Renée. Looking back the boxes he had knocked over and the green sleeveless Celtics jersey he had used as something to wipe his tears, he realised something:
Maybe it won't be so bad at this school.