Sunset Nights and Midnight Highs

Two: Pencils

Quinn decided he despised cars.

He pulled into his new school parking lot; his knuckles a sickeningly white shade as he gripped the wheel in a deathly grip. Trying not to tremble, he put his banged-up vehicle in park and sat back, exhaling heavily.

"It's a new beginning. Nothing else."

Taking a deep sigh, the tall teen laid his head against the steering wheel. He pried his fingers from the wheel and placed a palm over his heart, sensing his heartbeat. It was irregularly fast, thumping against his skin almost painfully so.

"Deep breaths..."

"It's a new beginning.."

"Nothing else."

Quinn banged his head against the wheel until the idea stuck into his head. He refused to go into school acting like a coward. He needed to look like he didn't give a fuck in order to establish that he wasn't easy prey. He refused to go into another year of getting bullied and harassed.

Rubbing his sorehead and preparing himself, Quinn opened the car door and stepped out to greet the already shitty day.

"Ay emo, ya new here or somethin?!"

Scowling, Quinn turned to face the voice of annoyance. He was met with an acne-faced asshole, blonde hair hanging over his droopy eyes. Or at least that's what Quinn saw him as. He sure didn't look all that menacing, so why was he talking like that?

"Yeah, what about it," he said flatly, turning back to his work.

Snorting, the boy placed his hand on Quinn's desk, earning snickers and giggles from the various kids sitting in the class before the bell rang.

"This is my desk."

Sighing and turning to face his new provoker, Quinn glared at him through his choppy blue bangs.

"I don't know if you're blind or just stupid, but the sign said there are no assigned seats. Go sit your ass on another piece of plastic," he replied bitterly. Laughing heartily, the blonde-haired bitch turned away and slowly made his way to another seat.

"Alright alright, you win. Jeez, you're a salty emo freak, good to know."

Quinn rolled his eyes as he felt the gaze of his peers fall on him, trying his best to play it off.

"This is a new beginning. Just let them know that you'll fight back. Don't let them call you out. You're a strong, independent, bad bitch."

Smirking at his own internal monologue, he shook his head and turned to his sketchbook, brushing off the comments he heard being thrown about the room about him.

"This beginning just got a whole lot harder."

The chatter from people in the halls distracted the boy as he tried desperately to fight his way through the masses of people, scanning the classrooms for the correct one as he rushed by.

"Room 227..."

He had no idea where this room would be, much less how to find it. Even though the school day had just ended, he intended to stay behind for the art meeting that was scheduled. Quinn had managed to make it to all his classes, only barely getting a tardy for algebra. Despite his struggle to find his classrooms, he refused to be late for art.

The one place he would make his new escape. Even if he couldn't watch the country sunset anymore, even if he couldn't stroll through the peaceful suburbs, even if he couldn't lay in the forest, he could find a new place to make his own. He would live in this haven, making it his own and nobody else could take that from him.