Roller Skate || Alex Gaskarth a.u.

Chapter 2: Exits And Entrances

Alex

The minute he had pulled up on to the curb outside the school, Kate--no, what was her name again?--Kit, had jumped from his truck and had legged it down the front of the school towards some dude in a grubby flannel and with a bad haircut.

Guess he wasn't going to be making friends with her anytime soon.

He parked Stella in the school's parking lot and swung his backpack over his shoulder, wiping his greasy hand in his ratty jeans before heading to the office to meet Principal Yann.

Alex didn't want to admit it, but he was damn nervous. The prospect of public school had always been a scary thing for him, even when he was a kid. Maybe it was because of the way he dressed in clothes that nobody else wore, or maybe it was because he wore a lot of black eyeliner, but something about him just didn't belong in a place like public school.

But it was time for change.

His mom had finally saved up enough money for this, and she had decided that if he was to go to college, then public school--where scholarships were a possibility--was where he needed to go.

This didn't stop Alex shaking as he walked baby-steps up to his first class (English with Mr.Carter) through the empty corridor. Turned out school started at a quarter to nine, but he had an excuse today, so he was okay taking his time.

Alex felt his lips tremble as he pushed the silver handle of the door down and stepped inside.

Upon him entering, about twenty pairs of eyes looked up at him.

He cringed, not too fond of all the attention he was getting, and he searched desperately for a teacher.

But instead of an old man with a beard he was expecting, Alex found a man in tight trousers clutching a Shakespeare book, staring at him with curious eyes.

"Who art thou?" boomed the man, placing the book down on a student's desk and slinking slowly through the gaps of the desks, eyeing Alex as if he were a bomb.

Alex swallowed.

"I-I'm sorry?" he asked, his voice an octave higher than usual.

Someone snorted in the back row.

"Who art thou?" repeated the man, now approaching Alex.

Alex racked his brains, thinking back to what he had learned about the old English language with his old tutor.

He took a wild guess.

"A-Alex Gaskarth?" he stammered, and then tight-trouser man raised an eyebrow.

"Do thy question thy name?" he asked, but he sounded full of humour.

"I-I uh..." Alex trailed off, aware that everyone was watching his every move, including that girl, Kit.

She was the one he noticed the most.

The man laughed and patted Alex on the back.

"Alright, alright. Stop looking like I'm going to eat you, kid. Gaskarth right? The newbie? Yeah, you look like it. Right, take a seat beside Kit there, and open your book to chapter two. We're kicking off the year with Shakespeare." said the tight-trouser man (who must have been Mr.Carter).

Alex nodded mutely and sat down, avoiding Kit's gaze and the bad haircut guy's glare.

He took out his book and his battered notebook before scribbling down notes for the rest of the class.