V
Going Back To School
~Luca~
A week after the incident at the Mall, and Emily having another Heart Attack with my using my energy once again to keep her from getting hurt, I woke up one morning feeling different.
Not that I could immediately remember everything about my life different, but I just felt... smaller. Well, a bit smaller.
All I knew for certain was that my clothes were now a bit bigger than they should have been.
Looking around my room, I found that everything seemed to have stayed to same size, so maybe I just shrunk?
I decided to go into my bathroom and look in the mirror.
When I did, though, I found something fairly shocking to say the least.
I was no longer my 19 year old self with chiseled features and was standing at the height of 6 foot 3 inches.
I was now a scrawny little kid who, despite being tall for my age, looked like he was probably a nerd who played video games in the basement of his parents house than doing anything productive.
It was odd to see how I looked like in High School when I was supposed to be an adult who graduated several years before.
Grabbing a pair of clothes I hadn't gotten rid of since High School, I decided to go check up on Emily.
I pulled out my phone, typed her number and called her.
"L-Luca?" Came a voice from the other side of the phone.
"Hey, Em. I...I need to talk to you. Something happened this morning and I need some help." I replied.
"H-Help? From m-me?" She paused. "W-Where do you want to meet?"
"I'll be stopping by your house. I should be there shortly." I told her. "Just don't freak out."
"W-Why would I freak out? What's wrong?" Emily asked. I just sighed deeply.
"You'll see." I said before ending the phone call.
Taking one last look at the mirror, seeing the black clothing combined with the blue jeans I wore in school, I snapped my fingers and vanished from my room.
When I reappeared, I was standing just behind Emily who was on her computer looking up what appeared to different things on Spirituality and the possibilities of powers brought on from being more Spiritually advanced.
"None of that's real." I tell her, causing her to jump from shock. "At least, from what I know."
"L-Luca!" She exclaimed in her usual slightly higher-than-a-whisper tone. "I-Is this what you mean when you said you'd be here shortly?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. Well, then there's this..." I say, gesturing to my body. "...that I'm dealing with."
Emily looked at me for what felt like an entire hour before she spoke.
"Y-You look younger..." She stated, obviously noticing that, yes, I now looked like a 15 year old. "H-How did this happen?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I woke up this morning like this." I told her. "From what I could guess, this is because of my limited energy after everything that's happened."
I didn't mean to sound like I was angry with her, but sometimes my words just come out that way.
For a moment, she seemed hurt, then she just nodded.
"I-I'm s-sorry..." She whispered a little softer than normal.
Looking at her now, I realized that it wouldn't be much of a problem if I hugged her since we were around the same age.
I could go further... I thought to myself. ...And I wouldn't get in trouble for it.
However, then came the ever present voice of reason.
'If we did that we wouldn't be any better than the pieces of shit in this world.' It argued. 'That's obviously a no-no for us.'
I just sighed in response. Sometimes, I could be a serious killjoy.
Instead of giving in to the hormones that plagued my body around that age, I did something I rarely did for anyone...only because it's something that bothers me when it happens around or to me.
I touched her...
Well, I hugged her to be exact.
For a moment, Emily went stiff before latching herself to my still taller frame as she cried. Heart wrenching sobs.
Cries that would make any who weren't narcissistic to feel bad.
Again, I just waited for the moment to pass, allowing her to take comfort in my body's heat.
When she was done, Emily took a step back, whipping back a few tears before smiling at me weakly.
"I-I'm sorry for that." Emily began. "I know you don't e-enjoy doing that for people."
I nodded a bit before looking her in the eyes.
"You're my friend, Em. I would do this for you whenever you needed me to." I said. "Though, let's try not to make this a habit."
"Emily?" Someone's voice rang from outside her door. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
Emily and I shot our gazes towards the door which was slowly opening. The head that peaked through was Mrs. Brooks, Emily's mother. The short, dark red haired woman's eyes widening for a moment as she looked at both her daughter and I.
Obviously, I didn't walk through the front door so I wouldn't have blamed her if she thought I climbed through the window.
"Luca? Is that you?" Mrs. Brooks asked, opening the door further and stepping into the room. "You look like you did four years ago..."
I nodded.
"H-How is this possible?" She asked me, to which I told her the same thing that I told Emily.
When I was done explaining how I woke up that morning looking like this, Mrs. Brooks called Nico into the room.
Nico proceeded to saunter his way into Emily's room, looking at his mother and sister before training his eyes on me.
"Luca? Did you seriously make yourself younger just so you and Emily could be together?" He asked.
All I could do was shrug at his question. After all, I still had no idea just how far my power went.
There were times I could do things subconsciously, times I could do them consciously and other times... I don't know. All I knew was... I could do a lot of things.
"Nico, would you mind getting Luca some clothes. I imagine he doesn't have any clothes that fit him at home." Mrs. Brooks asked her son. "Emily, why don't you go with them. I believe Luca will probably be attending High School again until this wares off."
Both Nico and Emily nodded their heads.
It was a little weird how I could no longer tell if something was up. Almost like my power was on standby mode or just shut off.
However... I began to think. If my body and mind went back to how I was in High School, then... I'll need to meditate again...
It was fairly odd to think about how I used to be in High School or even as a child. Yeah, I could do quite a few things then, but it wasn't until I was 16 that things really changed in regards to my power.
When I began to meditate after an incident involving one of the voices that plagued my mind...
A little over an hour later, I found Nico, Emily as well as myself in front of a clothing department in our town's mall.
This place brought back terrible memories since a week earlier, Emily and I had been attacked here.
I really didn't want to be here, but here I was, looking for new clothes.
"What kind of clothes should you get?" Nico asked me.
I just shrugged and told him I'd probably just get the same clothes I generally wore. Simple long or short sleeve shirts, jeans, pants and a few black jackets with or without a hood.
That's what I was used to wearing, though now that I was younger, I couldn't go back to my job as a Dishwasher, though I could continue my other job as a freelance programmer, which luckily paid a lot more than my part-time, minimum wage "job".
"I-I don't think you should get those clothes!" Emily whispered, reminding us of her presence. "Y-You should get something different! Maybe something like those..." She pointed over to a fancier clothing store.
Of course they would make me look like some rich kid, but I was going to a public High School. I didn't need to look fancy.
I was about to tell her "no'', but quickly noticed a determined look in her eyes. I could trick her into believing I picked out fancy clothes, however that would be far more time consuming than just picking them out.
"Fine." I said, causing the girl to give me a small smile that sent my heart and mind racing a million miles a second.
It was around six 'o clock in the evening when we had finished picking out different things for school. Since I was starting of in the middle of the year, I would evidently need to make more of an impression on my classmates.
In Emily's mind, from what I read, she wanted me to look like a King which was something she seemed to think of me as.
Now, I am far from a King or anything like that.
I absolutely hate authoritative figures since most that I've seen have abused their power.
That's just one reason why I dislike the Police Force and Government.
Hell, even people at these schools abuse their very, very limited power far too much.
So, here I was, getting ready to go back to all of the things I hated about society.
The grind. The torment of being around people who's lives seemed far to easy. The constant desire to scream at everyone to just leave. Me. Alone.
"I think you look good in that." Emily said after I had changed into one of my new outfits. "It suites you."
Nico had left in an effort to leave us ''love birds'' alone. From what I could vaguely sense, he was at the Video Game Store playing something I doubted his mother would have approved of.
Shrugging, we went to grab Nico and head back to their place.
"Alright, well I'll just send these back to my house." I told them as we stepped through the door. Within a moment, all of my stuff had been sent to my office leaving the new guitar Nico wanted and Emily's new stuffed animal of a bear cub.
From what I could gather, she only wanted it because it reminded her of her Spirit Animal.
Perks of having the ability of reading minds, I guess.
"Alright, well I better be going." I said to Emily as she and I stood in the doorway.
"A-Are you sure? W-We could make you a place to sleep on the couch..." Emily tried to suggest, but I shook my head.
"Nah, it's alright. After all, I'm never far from my house if I just use my power." I replied, giving her a smirk.
"O-Okay." She said, blushing heavily due to my smile.
Just before I left, I stepped forward and hugged her for few seconds, then kissed the top of her head.
As Emily looked up to me, I made sure the last thing she saw was the smile on my face.
Not just of happiness, but of mischief.
After all, I knew she wanted me to stay there and kiss her more.
That just made what happened even more fun.
When I got home, however, I returned to my natural ''resting bitch face''.
Not wanting to cook anything for dinner, or do anything else, I went straight to my bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up to my phone being vibrating on my nightstand.
Begrudgingly, I looked over to see the Caller ID was one I recognized all to well.
After all, this person was my best friend going on 20 years.
"Ugh...It's literally two in the morning, Maria. What's going on?" I asked.
For a moment, there was no reply. Just silence.
Then, the person on the other side began to freak out.
"LUCA, I'M 15 AGAIN!" Maria exclaimed, causing the blood in my veins to run cold.
Again, there was silence.
"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, WALKER?! I SAID I'M 15 FUCKING YEARS OLD AGAIN!" Maria screamed.
That's when I asked the most prominent question in my mind.
"How do you know that? You've never been able to see yourself." I asked. "You're blind."
Dick move, I know, but honestly? How did she know?
"Ha ha, very funny Dick." She mock laughed. "Just trust me when I say, it's like I'm back in High School again." A brief pause. "Look, can you just come here right now? I need you to see this."
I let out an exasperated sigh.
"Yeah, just let me grab my clothes. Before I show up, I'm going to have to tell you that I'm 15 as well." I said, ending our call before she could start asking questions.
As I got dressed, I continued thinking about what Maria had just said.
So, it's not just me? It may not even be because I overdid my power last week. I thought. Though, if it happened to Maria then... what's happening to us?
By the time I was done, it was almost 2:43 AM.
Taking a moment to look down at myself, I disappeared from my room and into Maria's house, just outside her door.
After a few rhythmic knocks, Maria opened her door to reveal that yes, she was now a bit younger than before. Not shorter, probably, but the slightly pink shade to her once tanned skin made it fairly clear she looked exactly like she did all those years ago.
"Luca?" Maria asked as she reached up and hesitantly touched my face. I nodded towards her.
"Yeah, it's me." I said, smiling awkwardly.
It was a little weird how both of us were young again...well, younger at least.
"Here, go ahead and sit on my bed. I assume we have a lot to talk about." Maria suggested as she stepped aside.
For the next few hours, Maria and I talked about what had happened to us.
Maria began with telling me how she'd begun having these dreams about the world being hit by thousands, maybe even more, asteroids.
These asteroids, she says, gave her an odd sensation as if they were far more ancient than anything she'd ever seen.
Then, this morning, she had a dream of being surrounded by a hundred or so crystals that had been left behind by the impact of an asteroid right by her.
Maria wasn't able to see them from her own eyes, but she could sense them. She felt as though the colors could speak to her.
For a moment, I felt a sense of Deja Vu as she spoke of her dream. It was as if I'd seen something, or heard of something like that, yet I couldn't quite place as to where or even when.
I told her of my past week, having to heal Emily as she had her heart attacks, waking up yesterday looking like this, and going shopping for new clothes since I was more than likely going to have to enroll in school...again.
She listened carefully until I was done, then turned her attention towards her door.
"Shit." She hissed and before I could ask what she was talking about, Maria's door opened and in came her mother.
"Maria, honey, it's time for... breakfast..." Her mother began, looking directly at me, then at Maria, before returning her gaze towards me.
"Luca? Maria?" She asked, to which both of us nodded. "Oh my God what happened to you two?!"
Mrs. Kennedy surged forward and began to inspect each of us as if the reasoning behind us being 15 years old was physical.
Due to her over-reaction to Maria and I, everyone in the house was now awake and looking at what was happening.
Let's just say things didn't settle down until later that morning after everyone had been given a chance to ask what ever questions they wanted and Maria and I were able to tell that all that we knew of the situation.
"Well, then that means you get to back to school with your sister." Maria's father said. Mr. Kennedy was always a hard-ass when it came to...everything.
He was one of those men you'd see on TV with the overly large muscles and deep voice.
His bald head reminded me of either a cancer patient or a biker.
Honestly, it didn't help his image since Mr. Kennedy always wore a leather jacket that gave him an extremely bad vibe.
If you didn't know the man, you'd say he was a danger to others, which while being true, that didn't mean Maria's father wasn't also a kind person who cared for people deeply.
"But, Dad!" Maria tried to fight back, however Mr. Kennedy just rose his hand.
"Don't make me say it again, Maria." He said, causing her to look down to the floor and mumble.
"This makes you only a year older than me!" Madison exclaimed, jumping up and down. For a moment, her wings shot out from her back and appeared to be doing some kind of dance along with Madison, but when they hit her father, she brought them back into her. "Sorry, Daddy."
For the rest of the day, Mrs. Kennedy took Maria and I over to the High School in an effort to sign us in for classes.
While we were there, the Principal, Mrs. Devine, looked directly at Maria and I as she seemed to get a sense of Deja Vu.
She ended up walking towards as Mrs. Kennedy was signing papers.
"Do I know you two?" She asked, a little perplexed. "I feel as though I've seen you two before...?"
"No, Maria and I just moved here." I said, extending my hand to the woman I hated most on the faculty here.
Mrs. Devine was a cruel, ignorant woman who took pleasure in ruining the lives of her students.
Plus, she was like us.
Mrs. Helen Julius Devine was a Psychic.
"Well, you may call me Mrs. Devine. I'm the Principal at Lorian High." She said, shaking my hand.
"Mrs. Kennedy, are these your children?" The Principal asked.
"No, these two are my Niece and Nephew, Maria and Luke Redfield." Mrs. Kennedy said. "Their parents are in Japan working on a new AI for the military, so they left these two with me until they got back."
"May I have their transcripts? I need to verify what classes they've taken." The receptionist asked.
Mrs. Kennedy looked directly at me.
'Can you forge some papers or something? I don't have anything with your names on them.' She thought to me.
I nodded, moving my left index and thumb over my right index finger and popping the joint slightly.
With the small pop, as Mrs. Kennedy reached into her purse, she pulled out a small portfolio containing the forged documents.
At least I can still do that. I thought.
Mrs. Devine looked over to me, noticing the small bruise on my finger.
"Are you okay, Luke? Your finger seems to be hurt." She asked.
I nodded my head, reaching behind my head as I laughed.
"Yeah, sorry. I was trying to move my bed in Aunt Kathrine's house and accidentally smashed it in between the wall and the bed frame." I told her.
"Well, you should be careful. You may not be able to write your essays in class if you hurt your hand too much." The receptionist called over, handing Mrs. Kennedy our schedules. "Here. You can go look around campus at your classes. The library will also be open in a few minutes so you can grab your laptops and get your student ID's."
We thanked the receptionist and left. We walked over to the library, grabbed our books and left.
"That went better than expected." Maria said, opening her laptop before she began setting it up so it would be easier for her to use.
More than likely, she was going to set it so it would read to her what she wanted and be activated using her voice.
Man, technology has advanced a lot. I thought.
"Well, thank you Luca. That was some quick thinking you did back there." Mrs. Kennedy commended.
"Anytime, Mrs. Kennedy." I took a moment to think. "I'll be going since it's starting to get late. Don't want to overstay my welcome."
I waved to Maria and her mother before vanishing from view.
When I reappeared in my room, I walked downstairs and made myself a cup of tea before I got to work on a new security software for the company I worked for.
The company itself was praised for being one of the top Video Game and Computer Hardware developers in the world. Another thing it was known for was being home to different teams who bought failing companies that manufactured electronics and turned each company around, so to say those who worked there made good money was an understatement.
I was actually the youngest to be hired there at the age of 17 when the games I made for PC became very popular.
The Dio Institute of Technology, or the D.I.T., contacted me after coming across a game I had made during my spare time in Middle School and published the game my first year in High School.
The game itself, in my opinion, wasn't anything that needed to be praised, especially since it was my first time making something, but evidently people liked it and asked that I make more, or update some things for it.
So, I did just that.
I made new, improved games while also continuing with different parts of some of these games.
When they contacted me, and I accepted the position given to me, I began making far more money than anyone in High School, or even College.
In fact, I probably could have dropped out and been completely fine, though my mother wouldn't have liked that.
After several grueling hours of work, I finally managed to not only drink all of my tea as well as a few more cups of tea, but I had also managed to complete the software.
Looking at my watch, I could see that it was close to 11 PM, which meant I would need to go to bed shortly if I wanted to get up at 4 AM and get ready for school.
I slowly slunk into my room, not caring to change out of my clothes or close the door and instead slammed my body onto the bed.
Normally, I would have just stayed in my office and slept on the couch, but tonight wasn't going to be one of those times.
It's as if my body had subconsciously remembered my routine from when I was in school.
When I woke up the following morning, I grudgingly changed out of my wrinkled clothes and into the suit and over-coat I had purchased two days prior.
I combed my unruly hair backwards, put hair spray on it, then brushed my teeth before grabbing a bottled water from my fridge, stuffing it into my backpack, and taking off towards Emily's house.
I had to leave my truck behind since it would have been hard to explain why I was 15, had the license of a 19 year old, and was driving without an adult present.
Sometimes, I just hated the way society handled things...
As I walked to her house, I couldn't help but to look up at the moon in the early morning sky.
The bright, silvery-white glow it emanated gave off a sense of peace and tranquility...
Something I wasn't used to in my day-to-day life.
By the time I reached her house, it was almost 6:30, which gave us a little less than an hour to get to school.
I proceeded to knock on their door and wait for a response.
"Luca? What are you doing here so early?" Emily's Dad asked as he wheeled himself back from the door.
"I just came to pick up Emily for school, sir." I replied. Just then, Mrs. Brooks walked into the hallway and looked over to Joseph and I.
"Ah, Luca. Are you here to take Emily to school?" She asked, to which I nodded.
"Yep. Is she ready?" I asked. For a moment, Mrs. Brooks' eyes flashed with a mischief before she seemed to block her thoughts from me.
What's going on? I thought to myself.
I then looked down to Joseph to find that I wasn't able to read his thoughts, either.
He didn't even have an ability...
So, how is he able to block our telepathy? A voice came from inside my mind.
I just shrugged slightly.
"Why don't you go up stairs and check up on her? I image she'd be more than happy to see you again." Mrs. Brooks said. Nodding, I trudged up the stairs and towards Emily's room, still thinking about my not being able to read their thoughts...
Almost like how I was before High School. Before everything that happened...
Long before I began to meditate and get stronger.
Standing before Emily's door, I rapped my knuckles on the hardwood frame, waiting for her to either reply or open the door.
After a few moments, I knocked again. Still no reply.
For a moment, my mind wandered to Emily having a heart attack again...
So, with the adrenaline of an Olympic Sprinter, or someone being chased by a group of gangsters with knives, I threw Emily's door open and ran inside.
"Emily!" I screamed, however as I did so, I failed to notice Emily was in the middle of getting dressed.
To be a little more specific... she was putting her bra on...
Both she and I stood there in silence, completely dumbfounded by my own idiocy.
Then, Mrs. Brooks rushed upstairs in what I believe was under the assumption that Emily was now having a heart attack.
"Luca?! What's wrong?! What's happen..." Mrs. Brooks began, however she quickly noticed the predicament we were both in. "Oh... Well, you two have fun now."
Before either Emily or I could say something, Mrs. Brooks went back downstairs laughing to herself.
Slowly, I moved my head back towards Emily and found that, thankfully, she suddenly had her clothes on.
I breathed out a sigh of relief. Though, for some reason, part of me still felt... disheartened? Almost as if this part of me had been secretly wanting to see the young woman still half-way naked.
I really need to grow up. I thought to myself. At least when I'm 19, I don't always think AND feel like this!
Both of us stared at one another with beat red faces before the alarm on my watch went off, letting me know we had 30 minutes to get to school.
"I...W-We should get going..." I said, turning away from her and walking downstairs. After a moment, I could hear her soft steps on the wooden floor as she followed close behind. "Later, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks."
"Make sure she gets home right after school, Walker." Mr. Brooks said.
"See you two after school!" Mrs. Brooks exclaimed.
Emily and I didn't say anything as we walked to school.
Despite the time, the sun was being blocked by a few stray clouds. It gave the day an almost serene feeling even though today was going to be hell for me.
In all honestly, I wanted nothing more than to go back home and sleep for another few years.
Just as Emily and I reached the school building, my phone began to ring.
I looked down at the caller ID to find my Dishwasher Job calling, more than likely wondering where I was.
"D-Do you have to take that?" Emily asked. I realized that she had wanted to talk to me, but was interrupted by the phone call.
I nodded my head slowly.
"Yes?" I asked, already know who the caller was.
"Mr. Walker, are you coming in today or are you going to be a 'no show' again?" My boss, Enrique, inquired.
"Yeah, I forgot to say this earlier, but I quit." I told him. For a moment, all I could hear was the bustling of the 0 Period students rushing from one class to the next.
"You're quitting? Just like this?" He asked me, to which I told him I was. "You realize this will go onto your Employment record?"
"Yeah, if it does then I'm suing you." I replied. "I'll also be suing the company because of all the things I've had to endure since beginning this job. You need to realize this, Enrique, I didn't need this job. I just had a lot of time on my hands and was bored, however every time I tried to file a complaint against a co-worker, or even file a work safety hazard and violation, you ignored and even laughed at me. When I told you I needed time off to see the doctor because of a medical problem caused by this job, you again just laughed at me." I paused, allowing him time to catch up.
"B-But you're the only dishwasher here!" Enrique exclaimed, causing me to just scoff. "The restaurant will go under without you here!" He paused for a moment. "I-I'll give you a raise!"
"No need, Enrique. Also, don't bother sending in that check. You could probably use that 800 bucks to keep the restaurant open for another couple of days." I told him before I ended the call.
As I looked around at the crowd of people listening to me, it looked as though they were shocked.
Then, a large, burly kid walked up to Emily and I.
I recognized him as one of the guys who tried to rob both of us.
Also, one of the people who tried to hurt Emily...
I clenched my fist as he walked towards us, wearing a fake smile as he regarded Emily.
"Ah, Emily. It's good to see you again." He said before looking at me. "Who's your friend here?"
"H-He's Luke Redfield..." Emily whispered, scooting herself behind me.
I, on the other hand, stared this guy down.
It was almost like this guy was the complete opposite of me.
While I wore all black clothes, or in this case an all black suite, he wore an all white suite with what appeared to be a white scarf.
His hair also seemed to compliment this as instead of my black hair, his was completely white.
Then, I looked into his eyes...
They were a sick, poisonous green that sent shivers down my spine.
How could someone look so completely different? I thought to myself.
As I thought this, his eyes flashed with hatred for a moment before returning to how they were before.
"Ryan, man, leave these pieces of shit alone. We have gym right now." One of the other attackers from the other day said.
The guy looked directly at me and for a moment it seemed as if he realized who I was. Sadly, this soon passed as the school bell rang and everyone left to go to their classes.
"B-Bye Luca." Emily said, waving to me before disappearing in the crowd of people.
I stood there and watched as she left. When I looked down at my watch, I noticed I was running late so I decided to book it to my first period.
Just before the bell signaled the start of 1st period, I was able to get inside my classroom.
"Who might you be?" A woman asked from behind me.
I turned around to find myself staring at a young woman, possibly in her early 20s, who had black hair and grayish-beige eyes.
Like me, the woman wore a more formal attire which consisted of a black blazer, a white button up shirt, black formal pants and finally a pair of black shoes with small wedge heels.
"He must be Mr. Luke Redfield." Another woman said from behind the class. I looked at the woman to see that she was none other than my old English teacher from when I was in school. "Mrs. Devine said he would be coming in today. Though, he does remind me of a boy I had a few years ago..."
This woman's name was Ms. Grace. She had a last name, Victorian I believe, but she preferred to be called Ms. Grace like some kind of Elementary school teacher.
"Do you know anyone by the name of Luca Evens Walker?" Ms. Grace asked, to which I shook my head.
"No. Are you Ms. Victorian my Advanced English Literature teacher?" I questioned.
Ms. Grace nodded her head.
"That would be correct, although I'd prefer you to call me Ms. Grace. My mother's name is Ms. Victorian." She told me. "Ms. Holloway here is our Student Teacher this year. If you have any questions, you can ask either her or I."
"Thank you, Ms. Grace." I said.
"Why don't you give the class a short introduction to yourself?" Ms. Holloway said.
I could feel my palms start to sweat as I remembered another part of Ms. Grace's class was presentations. We would occasionally have to step up in front of class and present our short stories, essays, and other written projects given to us.
After taking a deep breath, I steeled myself as I came up with some story for Luke Redfield, brother to Maria Redfield.
"Well, my name's Luke Redfield. My sister and I recently transferred here from Japan were our parents are developing an AI for the Military." I said as calmly as I could. "I'm pretty much just your average Sophomore with far too much time on his hands."
I looked around the room, waiting for the ever present questions people always had for the new kids.
"Does anyone have any questions for Luke?" Ms. Grace asked. Immediately, several hands rose up from across the room.
"You." I said, pointing to a girl next to the window.
"Are you single?" She asked me.
"Yep and I have way too much money to burn." I replied. "You." I then pointed to a girl in the front row.
"Do you have a job?" The girl asked me.
"Yeah, though it doesn't pay a whole lot." I told her.
"How much do you get paid?" The girl inquired.
"Eh, a little less than 10 grand a month." I replied as if 10,000 dollars was nothing.
Immediately, there was a collective gasp throughout the room.
I then pointed to a boy in the back of the room. If I was going by his appearance, I'd say he looked like one of those nerds who played on his computer all the time.
"What's your job? Also, how did you get such a high paying job at, I'd say, 15 years old?" He asked me.
"I'm a Computer Programmer for a company a lot of Tech enthusiasts know of. As to how I got the job, well if I told you, then I'd have to kill you." I said with a serious face. I then cracked a smile before chuckling at the tension. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I received the job because the company found a game I made in Middle School and wanted to hire someone with the amount of experience I have."
"Any other questions?" Ms. Grace asked.
"Yeah. How much can you lift, bro?" One of the jocks asked.
"Dead lift or Bench Press?"
"Both." He replied.
"Dead lift, I can pick up around 800 pounds. Bench Press, I can probably do around 750." I told him.
"AND YOU LOOK LIKE THAT?! HOW ARE YOU NOT A BODY BUILDER?!" A guy exclaimed from the back.
"Eh, you know us Scott's-Irish Italians. We're skinny, but strong as hell." I joked.
Silence filled the room.
I probably shouldn't have said all of that. More than likely, by the end of the day, there's going to be a lot of rumors spread around about me. I thought to myself.
"Any more questions?" Ms. Grace asked once again, this time, however, no one asked any. Seeing as no one was going to ask anything, Ms. Grace looked at me. "Do you speak any Italian?"
"Scilicet (Of course)." I replied, however I did a double take. "Scusa, intendevo 'Ovviamente' (Sorry, I meant 'of course')."
"Wasn't that Latin?" Ms. Holloway asked.
"Yeah, I can speak a few different languages." I told her. "Latin and Italian happen to be a few of them."
"Cos'altro puoi parlare (What else can you speak)?" Ms. Holloway asked.
"Un peu de français (A bit of French)." I replied. "Ísos elliniká (Maybe Greek)."
"Nihonjin (Japanese)?" Ms. Holloway asked.
"Hai (Yes)." I told her with a small bow.
"Wow..." A girl in the back said. "You're really fluent in quite a few different languages."
"Forse dovremmo continuare un'altra volta (Maybe we should continue this another time)?" I asked.
"Se hai tempo (If you have the time)." She replied.
"Why do I feel like both of you are hitting on one another?" Ms. Grace asked as she stepped between Ms. Holloway and I.
"Probably because of their dialect, Ms. Grace." The Nerd said. "Some of those languages are generally considered to be languages of romance, especially to woman born in America."
I turned my attention towards my classmates and found that a couple of the girls were looking at me in a way I wasn't very familiar with.
They were... interested in me.
Whether for my money or because I seemed like a "romantic person", I don't know.
"Okay... Well, Luke, you will be sitting in the back left, right next to Ms. Claire Greenwood." Ms. Grace said.
I proceeded to take my seat next to Claire who, for the rest of class, kept her eyes on me as if analyzing me.
I hate school. I thought to myself as Ms. Grace began her lecture on Edgar Alan Poe.