A New Start

Chapter 2

Connor's alarm blared in his ear. He groaned and rolled over, hitting the snooze. Might as well get ready, he thought to himself. He threw on a pair of jeans and a random shirt, pulling his black hoodie on over top of it. Connor grabbed his satchel and slung it over his shoulder. He slipped on a pair of shoes before heading downstairs. The rest of his (dysfunctional) family was already sitting around the table.

"Connor, come eat with us!" Cynthia said to Connor, her eyes full of hope.

Connor ignored her and grabbed an apple out of the basket on the counter. He then walked out the door, slamming it behind him. Connor put his earbuds in and turned his music all the way up before walking to school. He got there sooner than he wanted to. He looked around at all the kids waiting outside for the doors to open. Zoe was talking and laughing with all her band friends. Connor saw the Hansen kid with that asshole, Kleinman, by the doors. Connor strolled over to his normal spot, the wall farthest from the doors and people. He pulled his phone out and opened a mindless game until he noticed everyone heading inside. He groaned and followed the crowd.

Navigating the hallways was hell, to say the least. hundreds of kids trying to walk through relatively narrow corridors, some of them standing in the gODDAMN MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY TO TALK. Connor was reminded daily of how much he hated people. 

After homeroom was over, he made his way to English class. It was one of the very few classes he didn't completely hate. He took his seat in the back of the room and zoned out while other students filed into the room. The teacher walked up to the front and began class as soon as the bell rang. 

"I hope you all did the summer reading. Can someone tell me what they thought of the book? Connor?" he said, smirking. Everyone turned towards Connor expecting him to say he didn't read it. 

Connor rolled his eyes and stood up. "Six Of Crows was a book that dealt with the part of fantasy worlds no one thinks about: the slums. It dealt with things people'd rather avoid, like gangs, gambling, prostitution. It deals with orphans learning how to get by. The book also had very complex, diverse characters from all different nationalities. It also had themes of racism, with how the Fjerdans acted towards the Grisha. It deals with abusive parents and disabilities, too. Wylan's father obviously abused him for his not being able to read. Because he wasn't how his father wanted him to be, his father was cruel to him," Connor's voice faded as he finished the last sentence. He sat back down and played with the tassels of his signature black hoodie. The class, teacher included, gawked at him. Except for one girl. 

"Uh, well, that was, uh, very insightful," the teacher said. "Quinn? What did you think?"

The girl who didn't seem surprised by Connor stood up. "I think that Connor was spot on. Another thing about the book was that it didn't follow conventional romance plotlines. When Inej told Kaz she would take him with armor or not at all, Kaz didn't automatically change for her. Because that's not something people should do. That just sets the relationship up for failure." Connor thought he heard her mutter, "I should know," as she sat down. The teacher continued on with his lesson.  The bell eventually rang and Connor ran into Quinn at the door. 

"Oh, hello, Connor," she said, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She had a surreal airiness to her voice. 

"You didn't seem shocked that I read the book. Why?"

Quinn smiled. "We shouldn't judge by a person's reputation or appearance."

"How come I've never seen you around? You new or something?"

Quinn shook her head. "I've always been here, Connor. You're just now opening your eyes to your surroundings."

"Hey, Kleinman, let's go!" someone yelled.

"I'm coming, relax!" she yelled back. "Goodbye, Connor."

"Kleinman?" Connor whispered.

- - -

"Hey, Hansen!" Connor called as he walked the halls after lunch. Evan spun around. Upon seeing Connor, he started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Connor quickly folded the letter into a paper airplane and threw it at Evan before walking off. Evan just stood there, processing what had just happened. He picked up the paper and unfolded it, surprised to see his letter. Then he saw the note scribbled on the bottom.

Maybe we have more in common than we thought. Text me. (Phone Number)