September 2, 2014- 12:15 PM

As I sat in Guidance, my gaze kept drifting toward Kid. There was an inexplicable pull that drew me to him, something that made it nearly impossible to look away. It wasn't just his presence that captivated me; it was the way he'd complimented my name, calling it beautiful. The sincerity in his voice had lingered in my thoughts, leaving a lingering warmth that I couldn't quite shake off.

I let out a soft sigh, barely audible but enough to catch Ella's attention. She glanced over at me with a look of concern, her eyes reflecting the same empathy she always showed her friends. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, her touch grounding me in that moment.

"What's wrong?" she whispered gently, leaning in so only I could hear.

"It's nothing," I lied, attempting to mask the turmoil churning inside me. The truth was, I was grappling with confusing feelings I couldn't yet articulate.

Why do I feel like this? Do I like him or something?

The classroom buzzed with the usual chatter as teachers arrived to escort us to lunch. Unlike the elementary school side, we didn't have a designated cafeteria, so we gathered in our classrooms to eat.

Today's lunch was pizza, one of my favorite foods, but I found it hard to enjoy. Despite my usual enthusiasm for pizza, I barely touched my slice, lost in a haze of thoughts. My frequent sighs seemed to wear on Ella's patience. After my third sigh, she picked up her pencil and threw it lightly at me.

"Oww...," I whimpered as the pencil made contact, "That hurt!"

"Why. Are. You. Sighing?" Ella asked, her voice tinged with irritation and concern.

"I told you, it's nothing," I repeated, but my voice lacked conviction.

Ella, determined to get to the bottom of it, grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me out of my seat. I stood in front of her, feeling vulnerable under her intense scrutiny. After a moment of realization, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked directly into mine.

"Feldt," she began with a softness that belied her stern tone, "Forget about it. I don't want you to get hurt again. Understood?" I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. Her words hit me harder than I expected, and I could feel myself breaking down inside.

Ella enveloped me in a warm hug, her arms wrapping around me in a gesture of reassurance. "Shhh... It's okay," she murmured, her voice soothing as she rubbed my back in slow, rhythmic circles.

Alice, having noticed my distressed state, approached us with a worried expression. "Feldt, what's wrong?" she asked, her tone full of genuine concern. Ella shook her head subtly, signaling Alice not to discuss it in the classroom. Alice, understanding the unspoken message, gave me a sympathetic nod before returning to her seat.

Viridi and Aphrodite, who had been chatting animatedly about a new TV show, noticed my upset and paused their conversation. "What's wrong, Feldt?" they inquired with friendly concern. Ella intervened, saying, "Not right now, you guys." They responded by coming over and offering me a comforting hug, their presence a small balm to my frayed emotions.

As I tried to compose myself, I noticed Ella glancing over at the boys sitting in the corner of the room. I could guess what they were discussing, but I chose to ignore it, focusing instead on trying to move past the emotional turmoil that had disrupted my day.

I began to learn more about the boys in my class. Most of them had medium to dark-toned skin with either fades or short afros.

I discovered that Will is the grandson of the man who owns the school, and he's incredibly wealthy. Gordon is an artist with a talent for creating detailed drawings, while Eric is just a regular guy.

Then there are the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Coming from a wealthy Japanese family, they are the epitome of symmetry, from their amber eyes to their pale skin and perfectly parted auburn hair. When I first saw them, I had to use all my self-control to avoid freaking out in front of my classmates.

Aaron stands out as the smartest boy in our class and also an athlete. His dark skin and smooth shape-up make him quite popular with the girls, particularly those in our class.

Jerome, the only Hispanic student in the school, has light skin, dark brown eyes, and sleek black hair. He's also pretty well-liked by the girls here.

Setsuna, who has light skin, chestnut brown eyes, and untamed dark hair, clearly despises school. Apparently, he's only here because of a girl named Ella, who I think was the one who welcomed me earlier.

Among the basketball players, they've all been on the team since elementary school.

James and Jay are also twins, with dark skin and bald fades, but they don't look identical. They're probably fraternal.

Java, with his dark skin and bald fade, shares some similarities with Aaron but is known as a bit of a ladies' man.

Mike, who sports light skin and a short temp fade, has a reputation as a player and has been involved with numerous girls.

Wade has medium-dark skin and, apparently, the worst shape-up in the class. He seems to attract trouble just by walking into a room.

Kenny is our resident fashion model. His temp fade is sharper than William's, and he has medium skin and chocolate-brown eyes. I admire Kenny for pursuing modeling as a guy, though he seems nice overall, he can be quite rude at times.

The boys were discussing joining the football and basketball teams when high school starts, but I wasn't really interested in that. My attention was on why Feldt was upset.

The other boys must have noticed my distraction because I could hear them hooting and hollering behind me. I turned around, raising an eyebrow. William chuckled and placed an elbow on my shoulder.

"Look," he started, "all the girls in this class are very beautiful, but keep your hands off of Feldt, okay?"

"Why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Let me explain—" William began.

"There have been a lot of rumors about her in the past year. Some things are best left alone," Aaron interjected. William picked up where he left off. "She was bullied pretty badly last year."

"Who would bully someone that cute?" I murmured to myself. William must have heard me; he nudged me and snickered.

"You're not wrong about the cute part," he whispered, glancing over at her. "A guy who dated her last year said the same thing."

"So, she's dating someone?" I whispered back, feeling a bit disappointed. William sighed and face-palmed.

"Dated. Past-tense."

"I hate to be nosy, but why did they break up?" I asked, feeling awkward.

Aaron shrugged. "I don't know the full story, just that they broke up and her ex isn't allowed back at CCA."

"His whole class isn't allowed back, actually," Gordon added. I turned to him. "Do you know what happened?" He nodded and motioned for me to come closer.

"His name was Tamaki. In my opinion, he wasn't worth the drama last year." William and Aaron chuckled at this. Gordon continued, "He was known for being charming and charismatic, especially around the ladies. They started dating in January and broke up by April."

"They dated for such a short time?" I raised an eyebrow.

Gordon nodded. "Don't quote me, but I blame Mimi for the breakup."

"Mimi?" I asked.

"Mimi was one of the toughest girls in school," William chimed in before getting elbowed by Aaron and Gordon.

"Ouch! Was I wrong?" William moaned.

"Not wrong, but...," Aaron mumbled, trying to hide his blush, "she was pretty fine."

"Anyway," Gordon went on, "Mimi apparently liked Tamaki, and she spread a lot of nasty rumors about Feldt to her class, ours, and the class below us. One rumor was that Feldt was pregnant, but I doubt any of the girls in our class even had their periods yet."

I covered my face to hide my snickers as Aaron and William laughed.

"You're out of pocket for that," Aaron said, still chuckling.

"Anyway," Gordon said, "Mimi had a few girls from her class and ours involved in a plan to 'teach Feldt a lesson,' or whatever Danny said last year."

Gordon seemed to read my mind and added, "Danny was a guy who always got in trouble in our class. He got expelled with a few others last year because of this whole mess." My eyes widened in surprise. "It got that bad?"

Gordon nodded. "Skipping some details because it got pretty graphic, Mimi got expelled after everyone she involved ratted her out, and that happened three weeks before graduation."

"And what about Tamaki?" I asked.

"I don't think Tamaki got in trouble at the time, but he's basically banned from CCA events. Even alumni events are off-limits for him."

I sat in stunned silence, trying to process everything. "You mentioned it got graphic? How graphic?"

The boys fell silent, so quiet that I could hear the conversations of others around us.

"Let's just say the silence speaks volumes about how violent it was," Gordon said. "To wrap up, Feldt finished last year studying from home. Her mom would pick up and drop off her work and even collected her class color T-shirt from Spirit Week. I remember signing her shirt and a get-well-soon card at the same time."

I felt a pang of sympathy for her.

I glanced around and noticed one of the girls staring directly at us. She narrowed her eyes, turned away, and resumed her conversation with Feldt and her friends.

"This is getting depressing," William said, leaning back in his chair. We all agreed with a nod. William then shifted topics. "Who's thinking about trying out for the basketball team?"

"I'll consider it," I said, still trying to compose myself.

"Alright!" Aaron exclaimed. "New team member!" Eric cheered. I smiled as they all celebrated the possibility.

"By the way, we should probably come up with a nickname or something for you," William suggested. I tilted my head in confusion. "Is there something wrong with my name as it is?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not really, but it might be a bit awkward to keep calling you Kid all the time."

"Okay, then. What do you suggest?" I asked.

The group fell silent, and I noticed that Mrs. Robinson, who had been listening to our conversation, decided to chime in. "How about the name Kevin?" she proposed. We all turned to look at her. The room fell silent, and I could tell Feldt and her friends were also listening.

I nodded. "I'm fine with that."

The boys cheered, and Mrs. Robinson smiled. "Do you have any suggestions for a last name?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Not really."

"What about Lewis?" one of the girls sitting by Feldt suggested. I recognized her as the same girl who welcomed me earlier.

Mrs. Robinson looked back at me. "Are you okay with that, Kevin?" she asked. It felt a bit strange to be called by a different name, but I nodded.

"I'm okay with that."

The rest of the class began to chatter excitedly as we continued with lunch.

The rest of the day flew by, and soon I was heading home on the subway with Ella, Alice, Miriam, and Chris. As the train glided through the city, I watched the buildings blur past, which helped to soothe my mind. The pleasant memory of our earlier stop at Chipotle also contributed to my relaxation.

My commute followed its usual routine, but with an unexpected twist. We decided to detour to the mall to browse a bit. I ended up buying a pair of earrings adorned with quirky skull designs. After that brief adventure, everything else went smoothly. We disembarked at the station near my neighborhood, caught the bus, got off at the stop close to my street, and walked home. I waved goodbye to my friends as they headed to their respective homes.

I finally reached my house and trudged up the brick pathway to the front door. My mom was on the porch, engrossed in one of my old teen magazines. She looked up with a warm smile as I approached. "Hello, my love. How was school today?" she asked, her gaze full of interest.

"It went well," I said as I settled beside her on the porch swing. "I stopped by the mall with Ella and the others before coming home. There's a new kid in my class today."

"Oh?" My mom closed her magazine and turned her full attention to me. "What's his name?"

"Kevin Lewis. He moved here from across the country."

There was a moment of silence as my mom's expression shifted to one of curiosity. "Would he be from Nevada by any chance?"

I looked at her, puzzled, as she gestured toward a house down the street. I squinted and saw a moving truck parked outside, along with a silver car sporting Nevada license plates.

"I don't know. I never asked him," I muttered to myself as my mom and I observed the movers unloading boxes and furniture.

As we continued to watch, our new neighbors emerged from the house and got into their car. Two of them were striking: tall girls with blue eyes and blonde hair, one slightly fuller than the other. But the third person caught my eye...

It was none other than Death the Kid.

My heart skipped a beat as I processed the sight. There he was, in the flesh, looking every bit as composed and intriguing as he did in school. I exchanged a glance with my mom, who looked as surprised as I felt. The realization that our new neighbor was someone I knew—and that he was moving in so close—left me both astonished and curious about what the future might hold.

The evening settled around us as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, and I couldn't help but feel that today's events were just the beginning of something significant.