Bad Timing

I

Change by the Lightning Seeds blasts through the speakers of my step brother's Mercedes Benz.
"You know, most people don't like their eardrums to bleed before first period," I comment.
"It's called taste, Claire." Todd fires back. He has one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding his phone.
"I was commenting on the volume, not the song," I rebuttal but it's not worth it. Todd would rather crash the car than please me. Thank God it's not a far drive to school.
"Whatever," he huffs and looks up from his phone.
I look out the window as we pass the expressway that leads to the city, sometimes I wish we could just veer to the right and go there instead. As if Todd would ever want to spend more than ten consecutive minutes with me.
Todd parks the car in spot 294. The same as any other day.
"So 3:00?" I ask.
"When does it ever change, Claire?" He deadpans and walks away.
Right.
I thought the angsty step brother was just a cliché from books and movies, clearly I was wrong.
I walk to English by myself, per usual. I don't have many friends here anymore. My best friends graduated last year and it never crossed my mind that I would be nearly friendless my senior year.
I sit in my usual seat as the other kids pile into the classroom.
"Morning everyone. So let's pull out Odyssey and discuss our reading from last night-," Mr. McGregor was about to go on but was interrupted by a late comer, something Mr. McGregor is not fond of.
"Sorry to interrupt I was just transferred," the boy speaks with a deep tone.
He has chestnut brown hair but lighter brown eyes, he doesn't stand too tall, maybe just an inch or two taller than me and I'm average height.
"Oh well then I guess that's ok. Your name?" Mr. McGregor asks.
"Ross. Ross Adler," he says and Mr. McGregor looks at the seating chart.
"Ok Alder, take a seat behind Miss Dyer in the middle row," he says.
The new kid strides right up my row and looks at me as he passes before taking a seat behind me.
For the next 20 or so minutes I try to focus on what Mr. McGregor is trying to say but I can only focus on the sound of the new kid beating his pencil on the desk.
The teacher stops talking eventually and we are supposed to do a writing assignment. The drumming doesn't stop. I sigh loudly hoping he gets the message. He doesn't. The next thing I know the bell is ringing and I have not even a paragraph of my assignment done.
As I walk to second period I spot Todd. He's at his locker with his girlfriend, Marlena, and all of his friends. He glances briefly at me but my presence goes unnoticed and he continues to talk to his friends.
That's how it usually is between us. Our parents had only met this time last year. My dad and his mom were both dropping us off and his mom accidentally rear ended my dad, funny how they got married nine months later.
In all honesty, I think Todd is insecure. Insecure about my dad's role in his life and how his mom could just remarry and adjust to two "strangers". I think that's how he views my dad- a stranger. Me? I'm more of a pest. I wasn't expecting the two of us to be friends but I was expecting something better than this.
I was never upset at the thought of my dad marrying someone else other than my mom. In fact, my dad has never been married. Him and my mom met senior year of college and dated for two years. She got pregnant and I wasn't even born before they broke up. My dad assumed the role of main parent- that doesn't mean my mom did nothing- she did a whole lot. I just don't see my parents in that way, I never have. I see my mom and dad as best friends who had a baby.
Todd on the other hand, his dad left just over a year and a half ago. Apparently, he had this whole other family. A wife and three kids in another suburb. Todd's mom found out and when it came down for Todd's dad to choose which family...he didn't choose Todd. Yet somehow, he's angry at his mom for remarrying so fast. Yeah, I don't get it, but I don't try to with Todd because I don't think I ever will understand with him.
The day speeds by and finally I reach 7th period, the newspaper, The Lake Forest Times, if you will.
The new kid is here. How?
You have to take Advanced Journalism before you can even apply to be on the newspaper, so, unless that class can be taken in 24 hours, he shouldn't be here.
"Guys, we have a newbie here, Ross Adler. He was E and C at his last school so he's gonna be on the paper too," Mrs. Justin says.
The new kid comes and stands next to me as I try to do my work.
"You're in my first hour, right?" He finally speaks.
I look up from my computer and into his piercing amber eyes. I feel something react inside of me, as if I just went down a rollercoaster.
"With McGregor? Yeah," I smile at him, "I'm Claire by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Claire," he winks and walks away. I look around the room to see if anyone else noticed the encounter but they were all too busy talking to their friends.
I sigh and get back to my story.
Promptly at 3:00 I reach Todd's car.
"You're late," he huffs.
"No I'm not," I say back and get in the car.
The drive is loud, Todd is blaring his music.
When we arrive home we go straight up to our respective rooms, he slams his door and I leave mine open.
I decide to work on my college apps, they aren't going to do themselves.
I open up my laptop and the screen is already staring back at me.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
As if I could get in. Yet somehow I'm putting my time and effort into this application.
Todd enters my room unannounced.
"I'm going out. Tell my mom and Spencer I'm not going to be home for dinner," he says while looking at my computer screen.
"Ok," I respond but he doesn't leave.
"You want to go there? Good fucking luck, Claire," and with that snide remark, he leaves, slamming my door shut.
"Thanks," I say to myself before continuing to type.
It's not until I'm in bed when I hear Todd trying to sneak back in through his bedroom window.
"Fuck," I hear him utter.
I walk into his room and unlock the window to open it, then I help him in.
"It helps if the window's unlocked," I say.
"Right. Thanks," he says and I leave the room.