euphoria

two

Avery's first day of school was stressful. But that was to be expected, of course. Moving from a completely different state and having to find your classes was one thing. But reminding his teachers that even though the rollcall sheet clearly stated Emily as his name, he was Avery, was something that most other kids didn't worry about. 

Of course, his new friends Sammi, Malachi, and Jake, were there to help him get from class to class, despite his protests and frequent head shakes. He didn't want to be babied in front of the school, but they seemed to have other plans. Wandering eyes met his whenever he walked down the hallway to his first period, and an uneasy knot formed in his stomach as he started to walk faster. A few whispers, though hard to understand, were passed around. Though Avery knew this was to be expected with the arrival of a new student, it never failed to make him feel self-concious. He didn't know if they were being negative, or just honestly curious. And he didn't exactly want to wait around to find out either one.

Finally, he reached his home room. After messing with his flannel and absently tugging the strings of the hoodie attached to it, he gathered the courage to walk to the teacher's desk and tell her the all too familiar information. At first, it seemed he couldn't form the proper words. But whenever he saw her kind smile, he immediately loosened up and smiled back. Rubbing the back of his neck, he finally started to speak;

'I know what the attendance sheet says, but I wanted you to know that-' He was cut off mid-sentence as the teacher just gave him an understanding nod.

'Your name is Avery. I know this. Don't worry.' She said quietly, shooting him a wink and motioning towards his new seat. He quickly went to his seat, smiling at her for a moment and letting out a breath of relief and getting to work on what was on the board. He could tell already that this teacher would be his favorite. But what he didn't know was how she had already known what he was going to say. He just passed it off as something his mom had told the school board, and carried on with his day.

In second period, French, Avery was welcomed by a familiar face; Jake. The boy who had helped him the day he moved to Florida. No matter what, Avery had always been a little flustered around him. He didn't exactly know why, because he knew Jake wasn't a bad person. He also couldn't tell if the flustered feeling he experienced was good or bad. But he quickly pushed it aside and sat down beside him, letting out a large sigh as he set his bag on the ground beside his chair.

'You seem exhausted. It's only second period.' Jake chuckled, looking at Avery and watching him as a playful smile came on his face. 'Senior year is gonna kill you.' He said with a snort, leaning back in his chair and humming quietly as the teacher started talking.

'School in general is gonna kill me.' Avery muttered with a huff, rolling his eyes and playfully nudging the leg of Jake's chair just to see his shocked expression as he almost fell to the ground. 

'Hey! Watch it.' Jake grumbled, a frown on his face as he flicked Avery's forehead. 'I almost just fell, and I don't wanna embarrass myself this early into the school year.' He complained, setting all four legs of the chair on the ground before absently doodling in his notebook instead of doing work. Avery couldn't help but peek over Jake's shoulder, silently watching him draw abstract shapes and faces before trying to focus on his own work. Once again, a fluttery feeling invaded his stomach, and he glanced up to see Jake's eyes trained on him. His cheeks quickly flushed, and he looked away from him before awkwardly clearing his throat.

'What? Are you bothered by me looking at you?' Jake teased, arching an eyebrow before turning back to his work. Avery still noticed him glancing over every so often, but never replied to his question because he didn't truly know the answer. All he knew was that he had to get through the day or else he wasn't sure he would even make it through the rest of the year.

Finally, he received relief from the bell that signaled third period. Avery fumbled with his binders and notebooks, slipping them into his bag before quickly walking out the door. Jake's voice echoed behind him, and he soon felt a sharp tug on his bag. Jake, his face flushed and his mane of hair a mess, shot him a dorky smile. 'What're you running from? You don't even know where your third period is.' He said with a playful shove, snatching Avery's schedule from his hands. 'McGroff. That's science. My third is right next door, so I'll take you.' He said before abruptly pulling Avery along by the string of his bag.

'I don't think I agreed to this.' Avery said with a nervous chuckle, and Jake just glanced back and rolled his eyes at him.

'You also didn't protest. So, let's get moving before we're both late.' Jake said with a snort, handing Avery his now crumpled schedule. 'It's room 306. Right there.' He pointed, and Avery gave him a nod before mumbling a quick 'thank you' in Jake's direction. Quickly, he went inside, finding a chair in the back and grabbing his notebook once again.

'Only a few more periods before lunch, Avery. Then you can finally breathe.' He mumbled to himself, running a hand through his curly hair and looking at the front as the teacher started to talk. Absently, he tapped the eraser of his pencil on the notebook, chewing on the skin of his lip as well. It seemed like science went by the fastest of them all, and soon enough the same bell rang, signaling freedom. As Avery looked down at his schedule, he saw that English was his next stop. And, ironically enough, right next door. 

As he walked in the hallway, he heard a familiar voice an glanced over to see none other than Malachi, an indent from his pillow on his face. It seemed that Malachi had just gotten to school, considering the fact that he was disorganized and his shirt was on backwards. All Avery could manage was a grin before motioning to his shirt, hoping he would understand.

'It's backwards, isn't it?' Malachi huffed, rolling his eyes before turning it around and smiling sheepishly as he shrugged his shoulders. 'As you can see, I woke up late. Late meaning... 15 minutes ago.' He snorted, walking into class with Avery and slumping in a desk at the back of the room.

Soon enough, Malachi was silently snoring, his arms crossed over his chest. Avery didn't know what to do besides nudge Malachi every time the teacher went near, but every time Malachi was fast asleep within seconds.

Today, Avery supposed, was a good day. But who knew what tomorrow would bring?

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i wrote this in like 30 minutes and i dunno how i feel about it. so we'll have to wait and see. lol, i hope you enjoyed the chapter.