Mermaids and Vampires

4: First days

~~~~~~~~~~~DYLAN'S POV~~~~~~~~~~~

 So this is how it starts. There's a month left till summer vacation and I still have to go to school. As if it wasn't going to be awkward enough to be the new kid. I wasn't even joining at the beginning of the year. I felt like I was intruding. It seemed pointless to show up for just four weeks.

It's a long walk from my deserted, isolated street to the school. I got up at six in the morning and started walking at seven. When I woke up, my dad had already left for his first day of work. The fishing started early, sometimes it ended late. I had gotten used to it, back when I was living with him. Now I was getting used to it again. I would have to pick up Lauren from her school, cook her dinner and do most of the normal "parent" stuff.

I finally reach the end of the street and turn onto a real paved road. After a few minutes, I am at the shoreline. A long cement path snakes past the beach and goes half way to the school. I watch the sun rise as I walk. The sky is a bright morning orange.

I continue along the path until it ends. I turn down the main street and am reassured when I see another guy with a backpack walking ahead of me. Okay, I'm going the right way.

Sure enough I get to the school. I approach the front doors and walk into the lobby area. I spot the main office and go in.

There's a Secretary waiting at the front desk.

"Can I help you?" She asks.

"Um, I'm new here. I just need my schedule." I say.

"Ah, yes. You must be Dylan Calder." She says.

She opens a drawer behind the front desk.

"It's in here somewhere... ah, yes." She hands me the paper.

"Thank you" I murmur as I turn for the door.

I enter the now busy hallway and navigate my way through clusters of people. As expected, I get the stares. All eyes are on me as I pass by scores of highschoolers. I guess this is one of those towns where everybody knows everybody.

I glance down at the sheet of paper. Okay, so my first period class is chemistry and it's in... room 101.

I look at the room number on the nearest door and work my way to the right room. Here it is, 101. I try the handle. It's locked. I must be early.

I lean against the wall in front of the room and pull out my ipod. I put in one earbud and press play. Radioactive blasts through the earbuds. I close my eyes and smile. That's better.

As a few minutes go by, a line starts forming by the door. The girl behind me chats with her friend about some party she went to. A few feet away there's a couple guys who look like they would be into video games, not to stereotype or anything, I mean who knows, they could be jocks. I smirk to myself as I picture it. Maybe not.

The teacher arrives and unlocks the door. We enter the classroom. I linger at the front while everyone else takes their seats.

"Hi, I'm Dylan. I'm new, um, where would you like me to sit?" I ask the teacher. 

He scans the room, then points out a seat at the back of the classroom.

"I'm pretty sure that one's empty. My name is Mr. Peterson by the way. Oh, and this is the note we're working on today. You'll have to get the part you missed off someone else. Or you can check the school website. I try to post the lessons on there." He explains.

"Alright, thanks" I say.

He seems nice.

I head to my seat and flop my backpack under the desk before sitting down. The room is filling up with people and a buzz of conversation fills the air all around. The announcements begin with the national anthem. I tune out the rest of the stuff, club meetings, sporting events, the usual thing's you would expect to hear. After the anouncement's end, Mr. Peterson starts the lesson on the board.