Chapter 2
Hmm I didn't know coming to a new school would actually be benificial. I wonder if ill ever see that girl again though, I never even told her my name. What was hers again?
"Red…" I said aloud to myself, pondering the name. I stared after the girl running down the sidewalk tripping every now and then as she headed to her class. So far this school had been a drag since Saturday when I got here, doing nothing but walking and riding around the two-hundred acres of woodlands that surrounded the school and watching TV in the dorm without barely saying a word to anyone. For some reason nothing here really caught my attention, but that girl, something about her makes me want to know her.
I jumped as my phone ringing in my pocket interrupted my thoughts. I reached my hand in my pocket and pulled out the little silver razor to look at who was calling. The phone was vibrating in my hand as an illuminated blue light with "Mom" on it flashed on and off. I frowned.
My mom was the new assistant principle here at "Asheville School" and that's why we had moved here in the first place. I hadn't been too thrilled about the whole thing with leaving all my friends, my life back in California, and my Dad most of all.
"So bro, what ya gonna do?" I looked at Cole as he lit up a cigarette and put it in this mouth. Cole and me had been bestfriend's since grade school and he was always there when I needed to talk or just, forget. I looked out the window as we drove towards my neighborhood from the grad party we'd just come from, Cole was always taking me to college parties; he says it's the best way to get hookups in the future. Personally I could care less but he's my best friend so I go and watch him drink and hook up with drunk girls, I was never the hit and run kind of guy.
" I don't know man" I clenched my jaw trying not to think of my parents. My mom and dad were yelling at each other again last night, I could hear them even though I had Nine Inch Nails blaring over my radio. " Apparently I have to move with my mom to North Carolina, she got a job offer. We leave in like a week."
"Well why don't you just stay with your dad?" Cole glanced over at me, smoke streamed out of his nose and drifted around in the car.
"Phff I wish, mom's got custody over me remember? Ever since that night when I was twelve and my dad got drunk after that big blow out with mom and came home threatening to kill her. He would never lay a hand on me… That's not what she told the judge though." I shook my head at the last part as I looked back out the window, holding back my anger.
"Yea I remember that. That was a pretty shitty year, you were always busy with those court days and getting sent back and forth to your grandparents. I was stuck with Mason that whole year." He pulled out another cigarette and offered it to me but I just waved him off.
"Mason?" I looked at him curiously. Mason was known as the biggest pot head in the neighborhood, he'd been in and out of jail so many times, you'd think he had a jail cell reserved for him. I never knew Cole had ever hung out with him so this was news to me.
"Yea, it's because of that asshole that I'm doing this" he said gesturing to the cigarette in his hand and at the console that had a few blunts sitting on it.
I'd never really questioned Cole on the habit he had picked up while I was gone, I just always figured he tried it once and took up on it. I looked at Cole, really looked at him and saw that so much was different. The plump, fizzy blonde headed kid I grew up with looked nothing like the Cole now. His face was skinny, his body lean and built from working on cars the past couple of years. His hair was a darker dirty brown and it hung in a disheveled mess around his face. And there were four little scars across his knuckles where he had clipped some senior that was messing with me when we were freshmen.
Even though his appearance was different he was still the same old Cole to me. I smiled as I replied, "Your still the same Cole, just mislead by lung cancer. But hey who said we would live forever?"
We both laughed. I looked out the window and realized we were parked in front of my house. "Okay well I better get goin. Hey thanks man, you've always been there for me and you're like a brother to me."
"Back atcha bro" he smiled and held out his hand in a fist. "Keep in touch?"
I placed my fist to his as I replied, "Of course, just be ready for a load of drama" We both laughed again as I said my last goodbyes and headed into my house.
I heard him honk before speeding off and I smiled pushing my iPod ear buds in my ears. At least some things never changed.
I was debating whether or not to answer the phone. Figuring I didn't want to get into more trouble, I flipped open the phone and raised it to my ear.
"Yeah?" I said in an annoyed tone. The last thing I wanted now was to talk to her.
"Where are you Stark? You were supposed to be in the office ten minutes ago. Don't think you're going to skip mister because you'll have another thing coming." She said, tapping her foot on the floor by the sound of it.
"I got lost" I lied, recalling my last few seconds with the girl. I knew where the office was, I just wanted to ask her so she would stay longer.
"Stark you better be in my office in five minutes standing in front of me or you will never see the light of day till after you're graduated!" My mom screamed. "Whatever" I muttered, too lightly for her to hear. "What was that?" My mom asked, annoyed. "Nothing, I'll be there. Bye" I said, and hung up on her.
I thought about skipping but I wanted to be able to go around campus, outside of class. Maybe I might see that girl again…I closed my phone and stuffed it back in my pocket-watching the place where she had disappeared out of my sight around a corner, half expecting her to come back around it- and turned to walk to the office.
I walked along the sidewalk leading to the administration office-a few hundred feet away- kicking stones and little sticks in my way. I stopped in front of the double doors that lead to the front office and took a deep breath. Okay whatever happens keep you're cool. No yelling. I'll use the excuse I need to go to class if I can't stand her anymore. If I yelled at my mother I'd just get house arrest or something. I let out my breath and walked into the office and had to squint my eyes as a rush of light hit me in the face. I scanned the room seeing a chubby lady sitting behind the front desk typing on the computer and on the phone, two kids were sitting in the two red leather seats closest to me, and finally, unfortunately, the blue tented glass to the right of the room that was my mom's office.
I walked over to the door to her office and raised my hand in a fist to knock on the door but it opened before I had a chance, revealing my mom's agitated face looking me up and down. She was wearing a blue turtle neck sweater, a plaid skirt, and heels-which were tapping the floor.
"Well at least your dressed properly and right on time" she said, smiling as if we hadn't gotten in a fight not even ten minutes ago.
"Yup" I said, popping my lip on the "p" as I side stepped around her into the room. I didn't want to see her reaction so I walked to the velvet chair that sat adjacent to her wooden desk and plopped down in it, slouching to stretch out my legs.
"Gees Stark you'd think you were raised in a barn. Can you at least sit properly please?" My mom said, walking around her desk to perch in her chair and face me.
"Fine. Can I just have my schedule and go to class"-I paused- "Please" I grunted, sitting up in the chair and leaning forward with my hand outstretched. I'd rather go to class than start a conversation with her right now. I guess she didn't catch that hint and I moaned and threw my hands up as my mom started the one topic I really didn't want to hear or speak of, ever.
"Aren't you ever going to be happy again? With me or anything anymore?" My mom asked, holding out my schedule to me with a concerned look. Yeah like I needed a guilt trip. I grabbed my schedule and instantly started to scan it, avoiding her question. I needed to calm myself and not yell so I inquisitively looked down at the little blue sheet of paper that held my classes.
The first thing I noticed was my councilor's name that was "Mrs. Young" and I gasped, looking up at my mother. At that moment I completely lost my self-control. "You're my councilor!" I said, furious, as I stood up-my book bag flung to the floor-staring at my mother with fury in my eyes. I can't believe it! Now I can't do anything without her knowing. Hasn't she done enough already! My mother opened her mouth to say something but I spoke up before she could.
"I don't want you're damn excuse. I want to live my life without you watching me every second of the day. You've already forced me to come here and to give up all my friends, not to mention Dad!" I yelled at her, I could have cared less at this point.
"Stark don't you us-"
"No! I have a right to use "this tone"- I bent fingers in quotation marks- when you ruin my life even more than you already have. Especially since I don't have Dad now doesn't mean I'm going to come crawling to you when I need to talk to someone." I said, without any mercy. My mom flinched as she looked at me horrified and speechless. She looked down at her hands-that were fumbling- and looked back up at me.
"Stark…I'm sorry." My mom said gently.
"Yeah well…it seems a little too late for sorry now doesn't it?" I said, bending down to pick up my bag and throw it over my shoulder. I looked down at my mother; she didn't say anything and looked away. I shook my head and turned to walk out if the office but paused at the door to look back over my shoulder at her.
"When you talk to dad and fix the things that are causing you to ask me what's wrong, you can come talk to me. Till then, you're only my assistant principle, Mrs. Young." I said, and walked out of the room without another word or fleeting look at her.
She'll get over it. Time is what we need. Time…I looked down at my schedule again, this time avoiding my mom's name to see what my first class was.
P.1 Chemistry: Room 101, Mr. Marshall.
Hmm well at least it's a subject I like. Maybe it'll get my mind off things. I looked up at the registration desk to see that the chubby lady I'd seen when I had walked in was staring at me curiously. She probably heard me and my mom fighting. She looked away as soon as I looked at her. I walked up to the desk and she looked back up at me, warily.
"Um sorry but do you happen to know where Chemistry for eleventh grade is in room 101 with Mr. Marshall." I asked her, smiling. She looked at me bizarrely and paused for a moment before she spoke. I let my smile drop to a half frown.
"You mean fifth formers? That's what eleventh graders are called here at Asheville School." She said, a bit harshly.
"Uh yeah...that. Do you know where this class is?" I asked, handing her my schedule. She took it reluctantly and scanned it for a moment. Man what's her problem? She handed me back the paper and pointed a finger at the door behind me.
"You go back the way you came from the bridge and go to the big oak tree, then head past that and around the hall to you're left and it's the last door on the right." She said, looking back at her computer.
"Okay thanks" I said, heading out of the building. She didn't say anything back so I kept going out the door, to the sidewalk where it split in two. One towards the Library, the other towards the big oak tree. I turned on my heel and went in the direction of the big oak that I could see, even from where I was a few hundred yards away. I could still make out the little purple flowers at the base of the tree, the squirrels fighting over acorns, and the green leaves tinted by black high up in the branches as I walked up to the tree, where I came to a stop to stare up at the almost never ending branches that reached towards the sky.
I pulled out my phone and flipped it open to check the time. It was seven forty five, so it was only fifteen minutes after class had started. I put my phone back in my front pocket and started walking towards the hall that was straight ahead. Hey wasn't this the way that girl…Red went? Hmm I wonder if ill see her after class then. I followed the hall as it turned to the left and scanned the room numbers on the right side of the hall.
93…95…97…99…101. Ah. I folded my schedule and stuffed it in my back pocket as I grabbed the door handle to walk into my first class at "Asheville Boarding School."
