Forgive Me || Alex Gaskarth a.u

Chapter 1

The car pulled to a stop in front of the school, my eyes never leaving the building.

Students piled inside left and right, all chatting amongst themselves. I just sighed and slumped in my seat, dreading having to go in there myself. I was so out of it already that I jumped in my seat as my mom placed her hand on my shoulder.

"You'll do great, honey." She encouraged. I sighed and nodded, placing my hand on the door handle to push it open, my bag's strap clutched tightly in my other.

"Try to make some friends too," Mom added as I stepped out of the vehicle. "I'll pick you up here at one thirty."

"Thanks, Mom." I smiled. She nodded and drove away down the road.

Taking a deep breath, I turned around and headed towards the large brick building. Nobody looked at me as I walked in and nobody cared to help me find the front office. Luckily, it was located where most would be, in the front of the school.

I walked up to the receptionist desk, where an old lady with cat-eye glasses and gray hair sat. She seemed disinterested in everything around her as she tapped somewhat harshly at her keyboard. I had to clear my throat to gain her attention, it felt a bit awkward for me to just say hello.

She looked up at me and raised one of her eyebrows, silently asking me what I wanted.

"Um, I'm new here, and I need my class schedule." I said shyly.

"Around the corner, all the way down. It's the counseling office desk."

God, she sounded like Raws from Monsters Inc.!

"Thank you," I replied before swiftly turning on my heel to go to the other desk. So far I wasn't a fan of this school's administration.

I followed the lady's directions, and came upon another large desk with different rooms all around it, their doors closed. Two rows of chairs were set up back to back down the middle, others pushed against the walls. I approached another woman who was typing something on her computer, but she looked younger, and didn't seem as bitter as 'Raws' over there.

"How can I help you?" She asked me kindly, a smile on her face.

Yup, definitely better than Raws.

"This is my first day here, and I was wondering if I could get my class schedule?" I asked with a small smile.

"Of course! What's your name?"

"Alexander Gaskarth." I replied.

The lady nodded and started tapping away at her keyboard, the sound of a printer turning on soon followed.

I used this time to look around the office more, it actually being decently decorated. There were a few potted plants scattered about to fill up empty space and some "school spirit" things were hung on the walls. It was cosy, to say the least. My eyes snapped away from one of the plants when I heard a door open.

Out walked a girl, who looked about my age, followed by a man that was bald. He had a gray beard though, which looked weird. But I read the plack next to his door, seeing he was the principle, so of course I didn't dare to comment. Not that I would've if he wasn't the principle, I don't have the balls to.

The girl never took her eyes off the man dressed in a suit and tie, as her fingers fiddled with her sweater sleeve. She took her bottom lip between her teeth, as if she were nervous about something, and listened to whatever the principle told her. He was speaking in a hushed tone, so I couldn't hear.

Not that it is any of your business anyways, Alex.

"Here we are!" The lady behind the desk startled me.

My eyes immediately went back to her, as she placed a couple sheets of paper in front of me. One had a list of all my classes and the other was a map of the school. Perfect.

"Thank you," I said and she nodded.

I turned to head out and saw the girl from before leaving the counseling office. The principle disappeared back into his private office, the door once again shut.

I followed in the girl's footsteps and left, looking down at the map in my hands to find the correct hallway my first class was in. History was first, which would probably be the most boring one I had. I just sighed nonetheless and walked to class with the map's guidance.

This school was huge but I knew I'd be able to find my way around eventually.

I got to first period a bit early, but the door was open so I stepped into the classroom cautiously. I saw a man with a red pen tucked behind his ear sat at a desk, making a note of some sort. He looked up at me as I approached him.

"Can I help you, son?"

"Yeah, um, I'm your new student." I muttered.

"I take it you're Alexander?" He asked, I nodded.

"I go by just Alex if it's easier to remember, sir."

"Alex it is then." The bell rang above our heads, slightly echoing off the walls. "I'm Mr. Crawford, please take any seat you like."

I nodded again and turned around as he stood, immediately heading towards the back of the room. I took a seat at one of the back desks in a middle row, watching silently as other students filed into the room. Mr. Crawford uncapped a dry erase marker and started to write something out on the board.

Figuring it'd be some form of notes, I reached into my backpack and pulled out one of the empty notebooks I had.

By the time the tardy bell rang, nearly every seat was filled. The only one left open was the desk in front of mine. I preferred this over somebody tall sitting in front of me, though.

Mr. Crawford turned around and clapped his hands, telling everybody good morning as he went to shut the door. Just in time though, the girl from the counseling office slipped inside. She kept her head down as people started to whisper. Mr. Crawford hushed the class and walked back over to the board.

"Killer." Some guy towards the front coughed into his hand, causing the class to start laughing.

What?

The girl ignored him, and walked up the row I was sat in, taking the seat in front of me.

"That is enough, kids." Mr. Crawford snapped. "Now, like usual we will start with attendance."

But what did that kid mean by "killer"?

"Alex Gaskarth?" Our teacher called out.

"Present," I said just loud enough for him to hear.

"Willow Grace?"

The girl in front of me just raised her hand slowly, as she slouched in her chair. The guy from before whispered something to the people around him, them all snickering quietly.

"Parker," Mr. Crawford warned and the laughter seized instantly.

I heard the girl sigh and then she rummaged through her backpack, pulling a notebook out of it like I had. But this wasn't some brand new notebook, it looked possibly a bit ratty and old. I don't think it was a regular one either, for she flipped it open and it folded over the spinning on the top. The girl suddenly had a pencil as well, and she flipped to a specific page. I couldn't really see what was on the page, except for some shaded in background.

A sketch book maybe?

This girl could quite possibly draw.

"Alright," Mr. Crawford clapped his hands together as he finished calling out names. "Who can tell me the date of Abraham Lincoln's death?"

I sighed and leaned my head against my hand, my elbow on the desk, as I began to doodle meaningless crap on the lined paper in front of me.

This was going to be a long fifty minutes.