Gifted

Part 82: Ian Matthews

When I was in middle school, I was bullied very badly. So badly to the point where my mother decided to pull me out of school and homeschool me for a few years. She knew I was an easy target. I was shy, scrawny and pale. I was an ugly kid. I looked like every nerd that would get beat up in a high school movie, especially because of my dorky glasses. But, the real reason that I was picked on was because everyone had something that I didn't: powers.

I live in a world where people who fly, run at superhuman speeds, or can see the future are considered the normal ones. I was born with no ability at all, so all my life I have been tortured for it. My parents both had powers. My mother could manipulate time while my father could talk to animals, but, I couldn't do anything. That was something that other kids my age were never forgiving for, being different.

I was sixteen-years old when my mother finally allowed me to give 'real school' another chance. I honestly didn't want to go back, but I couldn't convince her otherwise. It was the spring semester of my sophomore year. Everyone had already made their groups and I didn't know anyone. As I stood at the front of my homeroom classroom, I saw some familiar faces, some who had ignored me in the past, and some who had tortured me.

"Today, we have a new student." the teacher said motioning to me as she sat at her desk.

"He-hello e-ev-ery-one." I stuttered. Some of the boys in the back row snickered. "M-my-n-name is I-I-an." I forced my name out. "I-an Matt-hews." I said.

"Wow. His first name's only two syllables and he took like half a minute saying it." said one of the guys that I recognized from middle school. That guy never beat me up, but he was very fond of putting me down verbally. The teacher didn't seem to hear him and I wasn't going to make a big deal about it.

"Ian Matthews. It's nice to meet you." the teacher said. "Ian, where did you go to school before here?" she asked.

"Oh-um-I was h-homeschooled." I stammered. My heart sank as the class burst into laughter.

"Everyone! Be quiet!" the teacher commanded. The laughter eventually died down. "Very good. You can sit down now." she said to me and I did as I was asked. After class was over, three of my classmates came up to me. I recognized Ken, Elizabeth and Casper from middle school. They were part of the people that had ignored me instead of bullied me. Casper had problems making friends too, but he still had powers, so even he ended up in a group eventually.

"Hey, Ian. It's been awhile!" Elizabeth greeted me.

"So, what's being homeschooled like?" Ken asked.

"Is it better than regular school?" Casper asked.

"Um... it's alright I guess." I said quietly. Though there were only three of them, it still felt like I was in a crowd.

"I wish my mom would homeschool me. I hate going to classes." Ken joked. I laughed weakly.

"Everyone! Please remember to do the reading! Your parents don't buy those textbooks for nothing!" our teacher said. As I got my stuff and prepared to leave, but the teacher stopped me. The rest of the students cleared out leaving just me, the teacher, and a girl that I had seen in middle school, but never really talked to standing near the teacher's desk. This girl hung out in the same group as Casper, Ken and Elizabeth. She had long red hair, and dark green eyes. Her name, from what I remembered, was Nora Evans.

"Nora, will you please show Ian around the school? It's his first day, so I think it would be good if you let him know where everything is." the teacher said.

"Of course." Nora said smiling at me. "Hi, Ian. I'm Nora. I know we went to middle school together, but I don't think we ever hung out. But, that's ok! I'll show you around." she said. She was so kind. Looking back, I couldn't remember a time where she actively ignored me. I guess she had been indifferent to me because of the group she was in. My heart fluttered as I realized how beautiful her smile was. "I hope that we can spend more time together in high school. You're welcome to sit at my lunch table anytime. I saw you talking to some of my friends earlier, so I'm sure it would be fine." she said. "Come on, I'll show you where everything is." she said. I followed her out of the classroom with my heart beating like I had just run a marathon.

As we walked down the hall, Nora pointed out where everything was, the nurse's office, the principle's office, the computer lab, etc. I had almost forgotten how big schools were. My head spun and I felt a bit overwhelmed, but somehow walking beside Nora was calming.

"Those boys in the back were real assholes. Don't listen to them. They were just jealous that you didn't have to go to real classes for years while they were stuck here." she said to me. That made me smile. But, my smile quickly faded as I realized that this girl had no idea why I was being picked on.

Nora and I had never interacted long enough for her to see what was truly wrong with me; my lack of ability. My heart sank as I figured that Nora's kindness would only go so far. Once she found out what a freak I was, she would certainly not want to hang out with me anymore.

"Thank you for saying that." I said quietly. I realized that when I was speaking only to her, I didn't stutter like I did with other people.

"Oh my god! You don't have to thank me! It's true!" she said cheerfully. "You're way more polite than the other boys in our class." she said. My heart fluttered. I felt my cheeks burn. "So, Ian! Do you have any siblings?" she asked.

"Um...no I don't. My parents didn't want any more kids after... me." I said. They didn't want any more failures was what I meant.

"Oh, I see. Well, that's lucky to be an only child! I have a sister and a brother so I have to share everything!" Nora said. She didn't seem to notice my stumble in words.

"I guess. I still wish I could have had a sibling though." I said. "But, even when I was younger and I begged my parents, they wouldn't have it. I was really lonely, so they got me a dog instead. But, they expected me to take care of it, and I guess I got lazy, so eventually I gave it away to my aunt and cousins." I explained. I wondered why I was telling her all of this. She seemed interested. She was so easy to talk to.

"Well, you don't have to feel lonely anymore!" Nora said. "All you have to do is make lots of friends! Then, it won't matter that you don't have any siblings!" she said. I was silent. "And, I'll help you, of course!" she said. I looked into her eyes and felt my heart lift. She looked down at her phone that she had been keeping in her pocket. "Oh, wow. We gotta go! It's almost time for P.E!" she said. My heart took a nose-dive. This was that moment when Nora would see me as I truly was.