CHAPTER 2: Billy

I'm sitting at the back of the class, thinking this might finally be a year without my classmates acting like obnoxious idiots, unlike literally every other year of my life.

I was wrong. Bulk and Skull (not their actual names), are throwing pencils into the ceiling, trying to see which ones stick. (Admittedly, its an interesting experiment to see which pencils are sharp enough to get stuck in the ceiling. But it's still distracting.)

Bulk and Skull are the kind of kids who try to be the "bad boys" of the school but just wind up looking like juvenile delinquents. I'm fairly certain almost nobody at this school likes them, and their choice of nicknames doesn't help their reputation, either.

I honestly don't understand how people can be so idiotic. (Note: when I say "idiotic" I'm talking about behaviorally, not academically. I really cannot speak for their academic abilities.) And while this is a gross overgeneralization, the vast majority of these kids are the more "popular" ones. (I hate to use that term, as I have friends who are popular, but its the blunt truth.)

Sitting right next to me is a couple - a boy and girl who are disturbingly overly attached to one another - on Snapchat, laughing at something I presume to be illegal. (I haven't personally seen anything illegal happen in this school, but rumors run wild here at Angel Grove High.) I know next to nothing about how Snapchat works, but from what I've heard its just a breeding ground for school drama.

In fact, I've tried my best to stay away from any social media due to school drama. It's all pointless; we're going to be leaving for college (or to work at McDonalds, depending on your intellectual capacity) in a few years, and by then I highly doubt you'll care about who's dating who or who got suspended for doing drugs in the locker room.

So that's why I stay away from social media, though I do have a hobby of posting DC and Marvel fan theories to Reddit. But that's a topic for another day.

"Hey, can you stop that?" a kid next to me says. Judging on the hostile look on his face, I am 54% certain he wants to kill me.

"...I'm sorry?" I say timidly. I'm trying to be as polite as possible.

"Stop doing that."

"What?"

He proceeds to imitate me by violently fidgeting in his chair. "Stop doing that."

I feel a wave of embarrassment crash over me. "Oh… I'm sorry."

He just looks away, irritated. I wish I could explain why I fidget so much, but quite frankly I don't even understand it. It just feels weird to sit still for so long. It's just comfortable, I guess.

As Bulk and Skull continue to throw pencils into the ceiling, I finally see Ms. Applebee, our English teacher, walk into the room. If I were her, I would've given them a Saturday detention for this, but then again I'm not an underpaid middle-aged woman, so I probably don't have the best perspective.

"Farkas, Eugene, please sit down," Ms. Applebee says. I can see the embarrassment in their faces from being called their real names. They timidly sit down. I would like to tell you that I take no pleasure in seeing them humiliated, but that would be lying.

To summarize the day, I didn't get much homework on the first day, but I do have to write a personal essay in English over what we did over the summer. And I'm actually quite looking forward to it, as I always like a chance to let my creative side out.

My friend Kimberly doesn't agree.

"I can't believe she's assigning an essay on the first day," Kim complains during lunch. Zack, Trini, and Jason are also there.

"Would you rather be doing a bunch of random worksheets?" I ask.

"Yes, I would. At least I know how to do that." Kim is very smart, but really blows things out of proportion a lot of the time. That said, I really don't understand how she could PREFER worksheets, but I suppose everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

With all of that said, I suppose I might as well contribute to the "How to be a Power Ranger" guidebook that we agreed to make yesterday.

BILLY'S RULE #1: Prioritize school over everything else. The less you're behind and worried about school, the easier being a Ranger will be.

I look over and see Jason in distress, like he's struggling to tell us something. Zack also notices.

"You okay, dude?" Zack says.

"Yeah, its just…. I'm sorry for what happened yesterday."

We're all confused.

"...for what?" Kimberly asks.

"I panicked. I shouldn't have scared you all."

"We were scared because of a giant Sphinx monster, not because of you." Trini says, focused on doodling in her sketchbook.

Trini is a weird person. She's kind of a hippie, and barely talks, usually having her face buried in her sketchbook. Her art style is one of the most unique things I've ever seen, even if I find some of her drawings awkwardly disturbing. She's nice, though, and is the only friend I had before we got this new job.

Jason is still a bit insecure. "I wasn't a good leader."

"As if you ever are," Zack jokes. "You were fine. Alpha was just being stupid."

Jason nods. He's way too hard on himself sometimes.

I guess I might as well explain how this unlikely clique came to be: Jason and Zack have been best friends since fifth grade, both being athletes. (Though Jason is more into it than Zack is.) Kimberly, being a cheerleader and running track, was always also closely associated with that sector of the school. Trini and I had developed a friendship over the past few years, mostly due to being awkward introverts.

To put it in simple terms, we were all in the right place at the right time. One thing led to another, and now we're a team.

And I can safely say that being part of this group has been the best thing that ever happened to me.

That leads to me to my second rule to being a Ranger:

BILLY'S RULE #2: Value your friends. Especially the new ones you'll make.

Lunch ends (too early, in my opinion), and we go back to class.

The rest of the day is stressful, mostly due to sitting at the back of the class while people are acting out in the front. (Yes, I could sit in the front. But I find it less stressful in the back. Don't judge me.)

After a few hours of daydreaming, we're dismissed, and I feel a rush of relief. I'm finally done with Day #1 of sophomore year.

Actually, I'm not. My mom is late.

Some kids in my grade can already drive (Jason and Kimberly turned sixteen over the summer, and got their licenses the day of), and some are doing driver's ed. I turn sixteen next month, and have no plan on being in driver's ed. In fact I'm kind of dreading it.

My parents want me to learn how to drive soon. I honestly am terrified I might accidentally kill someone (or myself). I really don't think a fidgety, anxious kid often lost in his own world should be able to drive.

Then again, I've driven a giant blue triceratops robot. So maybe driving a car might not be so bad.

But then again, I also crashed the Zord more than a few times. So maybe driving vehicles just isn't my thing.

While I'm waiting for my mom, I decide to brainstorm ideas for my English essay.

Which also makes me wonder how Kimberly is doing on her essay….