The World Below [DNF]

Chapter 5: The new kid

"Hey! You must be George, it's nice to meet you! I'm Karl and I'll be your humble servant today."

George felt a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Karl practically sparked with energy, but he seemed like a genuine nice guy and reading people tended to be one of George's better qualities.

"Yes, that would be me. Nice to meet you too, and comforting to know that I have someone showing me around in this maze."

George figured he'd probably would've found his way around the school on his own, but giving off an arrogant first impression wasn't his goal. He liked to play the underdog and would rather have people underestimate him than the other way around.

"Great! We got loads of classes together but yeez man, you got also got math classes for decades. Lucky for you that high school's soon is over. Sorry man but I would consider dropping out if I had your schedule." Karl said with an apologetic smile after examining the schedule.

"Well, I suppose numbers and equations is one of the few things that actually make sense to me. So, I don't mind math that much" George answered. Trying to reveal as little as possible to this boy he just met. Favorite subjects might seem like a casual  topic. However, he preferred to know more about others than they did about him, even if it might seem like minor things. For some reason it felt reassuring knowing that nobody had some sort of catch on him. So, in an attempt to change the topic from himself, he tried to find out more about the school and his guide.

Karl was more than willing to tell him everything he wanted to know. He got informed that the school was located in one of the calmer areas of LA. Karl told him that he moved there a couple of years ago and found good friends quickly. He even said that he'd be more than happy to introduce him to them, although some of them would more often then not skip school entirely.

Karl tried to assure him that they were good people, just not very interested in school. He went as far as inviting George to join them in the skatepark after school. George couldn't really blame anyone for ditching school, that was after all something he'd been doing most his life. Even though George didn't skate, he accepted the offer, hoping that Karl's friends would be similar to Karl because he'd really grown to like the brunette and his openness, despite them just meeting.

The first class of the day was algebra. George might've agreed to give school another shot, but that didn't mean he was planning on giving it more energy than the bare minimum. Before the class, Karl kept talking about the school, giving him some insight in the different social groups that was bound to exist on all schools. George got the impression the Karl and his friends seemed to be a bit of outsiders, which was totally fine with George. Karl showed him his locker, gave him some details on where to go when his first lesson was done. Karl then led George to the classroom where algebra would take place before he had to leave to get to his own class.

When the teacher opened the door, George found a seat in the back of the classroom. Trying to stay as anonymous as possible, although the shy glances and curious looks did not go unnoticed. George was aware that he'd be the center of attention for a few days before hopefully fading into the sea of student, so the glances didn't bother him.

The teacher introduced herself as Ms. Baker. She looked to be in her forties. The brown hair was tightly pulled back into a bun and she wore a simple blue uniform accompanied by a strict expression. George got the feeling that she would definitely not be his biggest. Following authorities wasn't George's favorite thing and she seemed the thrive of the respect her presence had over the class.

Books were placed on each table and he schemed through it. Although he hadn't touched a math book in ages, it still seemed familiar and somewhat oddly comforting. The lesson began with a quick explanation of the current chapter they were working with.