Danny Clark is a Nobody

Chapter Ten

"Damn, Blake is rubbing off on you."

"It appears so. But Sam, you should talk to her. The silent treatment isn't helping anybody."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

After that, I had stopped eavesdropping. It was safe to say that I was very awkward during dinner. I had no appetite, as I still wasn't really used to the abundance of food everyday. I hadn't wanted to upset anyone, though, and I ate what I could, which was very little compared to them. Freddie had asked me how I was doing, to which I had responded with an apology. James had talked animatedly about his night with his girlfriend, and how scary her mother was. After pleasant conversation, my little meltdown was forgotten, I hoped.

This morning, Sam had made pancakes. He had been clearly excited about school tomorrow, which confused me. Why in god's name would anyone enjoy going to school? Apparently, Sam wanted me to meet his school friends.

I heard a knock on the door. "Come in." I said. James entered, "these are the tests Sam had when he was a sophomore. I thought you could use them as revision later on." He handed me the stack of papers, and I placed them on my desk. "Thank you so much. This was very considerate of you. I promise I'll study well and get good grades." I smiled at him.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. Dad told me about how well you do at school. It's very impressive." James said. "Thank you." I said quietly.

James sat on my bed, and sighed heavily. "You know, first days at new schools are always the scariest." He said. "Everyone stares, whispers. I was terrified when we had to transfer to a new school. I was also a sophomore. I remember being so anxious on my first day, I almost threw up." He chuckled. "Don't worry, Danny. You'll be great. Maybe a few people will look at you curiously, but that's just teenagers being the little shits that they are – no offence." He added quickly. "None taken." I laughed.

"I'm sure once you're settled in, you'd be loved and popular. You're a very loveable person." He smiled warmly at me. "Tha-thank you." I said, blushing shyly. "Dinner's ready, by the way. Mariam made my favourite dish ever. Biryani." James said, his eyes glossing over as if he was imagining the meal in his head. "I'll be down in a minute." I said, as I reorganised the papers he had given me. Sam's grades were excellent, except for a few bad grades that were all in the same subject. I guess Sam wasn't too fond of math. The highest he got in the subject was a C+. James muttered a quick absentminded "okay," apparently too preoccupied with his hunt for Biryani. I heard his footsteps disappear downstairs.

After I organised the papers, I put them in separate folders. I walked downstairs to find 4 people already waiting for me. "Sorry to keep you waiting." I said sheepishly. "It's okay. Let's dig in." Michael said, and immediately James attacked the plate of rice. He piled his plate high and Sam rolled his eyes at the desperation in James's expression. He really wasn't kidding when he said Biryani was his favourite.

"James, calm down." Freddie laughed. James narrowed his eyes at him, and continued at his high pace. Michael chuckled at his son and piled rice onto his plate, as did Freddie and then Sam. I, however, wasn't hungry. I was too nervous to eat. "What's wrong, Danny? Do you not like Biryani?" Michael asked, frowning at me. "No, no. It's not that." I said quickly when James eyed me with a look of deep betrayal. I added a few spoonfuls of rice, and started eating, forcing the food down my throat.

As the others talked avidly and James went in for thirds, I tried my hardest to keep the food down. I guess Freddie noticed my nausea, as he asked, "Danny, do you feel sick?" I shook my head. "I'm fine." I said unconvincingly. He eyed me suspiciously, but then was dragged into a conversation with Sam. I excused myself a few minutes later, and went up to my room.

My phone vibrated against my thigh. Will had texted me.

Will
bro

Me
Hey

Will
this is either a major coincidence
or u go to my school

Me
Explain

Will
apparently some guy named danny is coming to school tmr
he's like a legend to these ppl istg
they're saying all types of shit abt him
tell me, is your last name clark?

Me
...

Will
NO WAY
THIS CAN'T BE REAL
DPWM BRO

Me
I'm not even kidding
Shit, what are they saying about me?

Will
umm nothing much. hey, btw, have u killed someone and ended up in juvie for 4 years?

Me
Oh, god.
Please, tell me you're joking.

Will
what? u didn't expect us to find out?

Me
One day, I will find your twisted humour hilarious. Today is not that day.

Will
chill man, they just think u were put in boarding school for causing too much trouble
...
were u?

Me
Fucking hell

Will
language, little guy
u don't wanna end up back in that all boys boarding school, do u?

Me
I'm glad you can find joy in my suffering

Will
sorry, sorry
but fr, like u don't have to answer my question, but why didn't u go to school with ur older brothers

Me
I'm not really comfortable telling you the whole story yet, but it's complicated

Will
aight aight i can respect that
just know that ppl r saying that ur hot asf
and a "bad boy" LMFAO

Me
I've suddenly become very sick
Gosh, I don't think I can go to school tomorrow

Will
too bad
bc i wanna see what u look like
and i wanna know if u can guess what i look like

Me
Will, please don't do this to me.

Will
NOPE

Me
I hate you.

Will
ilyt <3
ughh daddy's home
gotta go
cya at school, bad boy

Me
See you later, I guess

I groaned and covered my face. Tomorrow was going to go horribly, I could feel it. At least I have one friend there, even if he is a total ass. And I have Sam.