My True First [18+]

Chapter 5

Tightening his grip on my hand, Tim followed me around the school premises.

I liked what I'd seen so far. The principal was Victor's friend, and the reception he gave my brother and me was warm. He assured me that they looked after the kids well, and I didn't have to worry about bullies. The wide range of extracurricular activities they offered was another plus. Tim's eyes lit up at the mention of soccer. That was one of the reasons why we were heading outdoors to take a look at the pitch.

"I can play as I did in summer, right, Liam?" my brother asked, quickening his step to keep up with me.

"Sure thing. Let's see what they've got. "
It was late afternoon already, and the school grounds were almost deserted. Tim let go of my hand and ran toward the empty pitch. I let him get familiar with the place. Hopefully, he would like it this time.

"Your son?"

A woman stood next to me and nodded toward my brother.

"Brother," I said.

"He's also new to this school, isn't he?"

I was going to ask what she meant by also, but then, I spotted a kid sitting on a bench next to the pitch. The boy must've been my brother's age, although he looked smaller. Probably the glasses and his obvious shyness were to blame.

"That's my son, Antoine. My name's Amelia."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Liam," I said.

Amelia must have been close to my mom's age if my mom was alive. Clad in a suit, she surely came here straight from the office.

"Likewise. What's your brother's name?"

"Tim. Is Antoine starting here, too?"

"He is." Amelia sighed. "Let's hope that third time's really a charm."

"Is it his third school?"

"Yeah. You see, Antoine's an only child. We cannot have more kids. He's a good boy, but his shyness doesn't help him make friends. He didn't have it easy in the previous two schools he went to. Besides, they didn't have anything for the kids to do in the afternoon, and for the parents who work—"

"It's a problem," I finished the sentence.

"Exactly." Amelia nodded. "I want my son to do some sports and make friends. Spending his afternoons playing video games isn't what I think a kid his age should be doing."

"You're right. Tim loves soccer. I hope he can play here."

Amelia smiled and pointed to the pitch, where the two boys stood next to each other. "It looks like those two can be friends."

***

"She shouldn't have done it, you know," I said to Aiden as we were finishing placing the last of my things on the shelf in my new bedroom.