Genuine

First Day

Everyone's always so excited for the first day of school. They act like their sad that they have to start all the boring classes of the new year. When in reality, they woke up an hour too early with butterflies in their stomach excited about the new year.

They put on the clothes they picked out the day before and spend way too much time fixing and playing with their hair. I'm not just talking about girls, trust me guys do it too. There's no gender to wanting to look good.

I've always been excited for school. I did the same things but all of that changed when... Well, when my parents died.

Everything changed when they died. I guess not everything, just me. I changed. I changed everything about myself; my hair, my clothes, my personality. I'm not the happy Scott everyone in Arlington knows. No, I'm not happy.

I've lost weight since they died. That's what happens when you stop eating and work out religiously. I know, I know bad habit. If it makes you feel any better, i'm eating more. I'm not eating as much as I should with all the working out I'm doing but I'll get there.

I braced myself for the day as I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed downstairs. I dropped my backpack by the door and walked into my kitchen.

Lauren was sitting at the counter reading the newspaper making me snort. "You read the newspaper now?" I asked as I poured myself coffee into my thermos.

"Y-yeah," she looked at me surprised, "You seem better." she pointed out and I shook my head taking a sip of the bitter coffee.

"Just putting on that fake smile everyone seems to always fall for." he said and she frowned at him. "What? Disappointed that I'm not magically okay? I'm not." I said grimacing at the coffee. I hate coffee.

"Scott, I know that it's hard. I understand, I lost them too." she sympathized and I laughed bitterly.

"Save the 'I'm here for you speech', I gotta go." I said about to walk out of the kitchen when she grabbed my arm.

"I want you to eat this apple okay? You really need to be eating-" I grabbed the apple from her and walked out of the kitchen before she could lecture me on that too. I picked up my backpack and walked out to my car without saying goodbye.

I drove to school blasting the radio but didn't hum a note. I stopped singing too when, can you guess? Yep when my parents died. Don't get me wrong, music is the only thing keeping me going right now but there was no way in hell I was going to sing again if my parents couldn't hear it.

I pulled into the senior parking lot and almost audibly groaned at what I saw. A straight couple was making out next to a truck like they hadn't seen each other all summer, when in reality they were probably doing that exact thing in the back of his truck last night.

I pulled into an empty spot in the back of the lot and turned off the car. i waited a second and rested my head on the steering wheel. I took a deep breath and braced myself for all the fake "how are you"'s I'm about to get. After a few minutes when the five minute bell rang, I got out with the stupid apple in my hand.

I walked through the empty parking lot and into the hallway, throwing away the apple at the first trash can I saw. I pulled the folded schedule I got in the mail out of my pocket and headed to my first class.

I had history first, if you were wondering. I walked into the classroom and the room immediately got quiet. I looked around and everyone was staring at me with sad eyes. Great. I thought and sat down in the back corner.

Slowly but surely people started murmuring and half of them lost interest. "Hey, Scott!" I looked up when I heard a girl's voice call my name. The girl, Kirstie I think her name is, hopped over a desk dragging someone behind her.

She stopped when she got in front of me and I saw the person she was dragging with her. I think his name is Mitch, he was in choir last year different period but I heard he had an amazing voice.

"Hey, my name's Kirstie and this is Mitch." I got the names right. I put on my fake smile and braced myself for the phrase. "I heard that your parents died. I'm so sorry, that's really sad." I looked at Mitch and he looked so confused. "Oh! One sec, i'll be right back." she said before leaving Mitch behind. I felt bad for him, he was obviously dragged over here by her and now she just left him there.

"Oh I'm sorry about her. Jeremy Lewis just walked in, so she got a little distracted," he giggled shaking his head. His giggle made my lip twitch upwards and I creased my eyebrows confused that something had actually made me smile.

"I'm sorry about your parents." Scott sighed he was hoping that maybe he would be different but he was just like the others. Asking hollow questions, saying sorry about people he doesn't know. "I know that you're probably tired of hearing that. I was too when my mom died. She died of cancer last year so it's just me and my dad. I know it's not totally the same but..."the bell rang cutting him off and he hopped over the desk.

     "It does get better." He said as he sat down one row over. "It's never the same but you learn how to... deal with it."

     "That's what everyone keeps saying... it's hard to believe them when they haven't gone through anything like this." I said and he nodded.

     He was about to say something else but the teacher started his introduction cutting him off. He turned his attention away from me and I sighed.

     Maybe he wasn't like everyone else.