✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

11. Networking for Dummies

The bus wasn't crowded, but that didn't surprise Tess at all. On the way home yesterday it had been packed leaving the school, only for people to get off one by one each time it stopped until she was somewhere near home. She was a little tired by the time she reached the stop this time, only just making it on time, so she realised that it was just a little too far to get there by a brisk walk all the way. She filed that mental note away for future reference, and nodded to one of the seven people currently on the bus. She didn't know any of them; they weren't in her year, or were people she'd barely run into in the past, but she thought that she would have to make a new friend if she wasn't going to spend every day's bus ride focusing on her phone.

"Tami," he said. "You new here?"

"Tess. Tess Naylor. And not quite. Just moved to the other side of town. Turns out none of my friends are on the Palmerston route."

"Easier than a new school," Tami hazarded with a shrug. Tess suspected they might have some history in common. There was something about the way he'd looked at her the day before; a casual glance that hinted at shared experience. She was confident that he'd been through the stresses of starting at a new place, but she didn't want to draw attention to it.

""Yeah, tell me about it. My parents have moved once or twice a year for almost as long as I can remember. New country, new language, all that jazz."

"That must be difficult. But this time is different?"

"New house, same school. At least I have the same friends. I'm not abandoning school and starting over somewhere with a different syllabus. You know almost every country has different ideas what order you learn stuff in? It's like everywhere I go, I'm always behind. I didn't want to move this time. So my parents moved and left me behind."

It seemed like Tami didn't understand that at all. She didn't blame him. But it created no end of things to talk about. As a conversation starter, being left behind by her parents was probably near the top of the league. But when she thought about that, she realised that today must be the day. They would have packed up and left their keys with the realtor now. Right now, her parents would be waiting at the airport for their flight to leave. If she didn't reach out to them right now, their next contact would be an international call. And then there would be nothing they could do to help her, even if they wanted to. It was a sobering realisation.

That was a feeling she couldn't explain to Tami. He knew the feeling of starting at a new school, that much was obvious. She asked him where he had moved from, half expecting to hear of some exotic-sounding town in a middle-eastern country she'd never heard of before. But Tami, it turned out, had travelled all the way from Mule Butte, Nebraska. The rest of the journey was spent comparing their experiences since they'd moved here, and the different places they had lived in the past. Tess had been to a lot of exotic places, but knew little about the cultures beyond what she had picked up in school. But Tami could make even the most mundane anecdotes somehow interesting, keeping her on the edge of her seat. She decided that she would call that one a draw.

By the time the bus arrived at school. Tess was happy to have a new friend. No matter what happened, at home or in school, she would have someone to vent to before she got back. That would make anything easier to tolerate, and she was glad that she had made the effort. And then they arrived at school, where right away they found Spike and Ashli deep in debate. That was another coincidence, but one that Tess would never have noticed before. Ashli was a cute girl, the kind that every guy noticed, but she seemed too wrapped up in her own hobbies to care about other people. The guys noticed her, and then gave up just as quickly. She was in some of Tess's classes, but had never offered more than a name.

It wouldn't have been notable; Spike seemed to know just about everyone in school, whether they were in the same year or not. The only reason she paid attention to the person he was talking to today was Tami's words on leaving the bus. He knew Spike, of course. And he quickly reached for his girlfriend's hand, showing her that he was there. As they walked away in the direction of their first class, Tess felt oddly jealous. She'd been talking to Tami all that time on the bus, and he hadn't thought to mention a girlfriend. She was happy for them; they both seemed like nice people. But she was starting to realise now that almost everyone she knew had someone else in their life. She was the exception, and all because she didn't have the courage to say how she really felt; or perhaps because she didn't even know herself.

"I didn't know you knew Tami," Spike said with a shrug. He didn't know what was bothering her, but there was no way he could have guessed.

"I don't. Just... he lives near me now. It's good to have someone to talk to on the bus, right?"

"Better than being alone. He's a nice guy. Loyal friend." Tess just nodded, not sure what she should say now. She was getting used to a new home, a new place, and a new friend too. But she still didn't know what she needed to say to her best friend, or the guy she really couldn't stand to lose. She shook her head, and reached for Spike's hand. But, as always, she realised that she had no idea what he was really thinking. If he wanted to be more than friends, Tess wouldn't have any way to know, and that bugged her more than anything someone else could say. Still, as they talked, she hoped that sooner or later some kind of happiness would find her.