Like a Ghost

Ch. 4 - Scheduling Error

By third period, Parker was starting to realize the karma of wondering just how bad something could be. His first period was math, which wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for a couple of things.

1. The teacher was an old bat who reminded him uncannily of a turtle.

And

2. He was stuck sitting next to the rude group of boys from earlier who appeared just as happy to see him as he was them.

Parker hadn't wanted to sit by them at all if he could help it, but the only available seats were right next to those assholes. Not only that, but neither Simon nor Fiona were anywhere to be seen. He seriously hoped he hadn't imagined them. As he sat down, he could've sworn he heard one of the boys say something about how he stunk and it took everything for Parker to ignore them.

Second period was a bit better. He spotted Fiona the moment he walked into the history class, chatting to a boy he'd never seen before. Upon noticing him, she shot up and waved him over frantically. Parker let out a breath of laughter, immediately making his way over. "Parker!" She squealed, motioning towards a seat next to her. "This is the Parker I was just telling you about." She explained to the boy beside her before motioning to the boy. "And Parker, this is the always late Hedge."

At this, Hedge seemed to bristle. "Hey! I'm never late!" Fiona pat the boy's head as Parker sat down. "Of course you're not." She responded as if this would pacify Hedge. It might've too if she hadn't then stage whispered to Parker. "Laaaaate." Hedge jerked away from her, seeming to pout. In an attempt to distract him, Parker gave Hedge a smile. "Nice to meet you Hedge. I'm Parker." Hedge was about to respond when two boys brushed past them, heading for the back corner. The trio was silent as they went past before Fiona finally scoffed.

"Ugh. Those guys seriously need to be knocked down a peg or two." She huffed. Parker offered a shrug, glancing back towards the two with a frown. "Who are they again?" He asked softly. Fiona glared back at the pair before returning her gaze to Parker. "That's Joseph and Lenard. Everyone in his little group refers to Lenard by his last name though." Parker arched an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" He asked. Fiona shook her head as if deciding that it was too horrible to say. Hedge let out a breath.

"It's King." He murmured in a hushed whisper. Fiona let out a growl. "As if he needs anymore of an inflated ego." She huffed. Parker frowned, wondering what made her so anti-Lenard. Well, other than the fact he was a prick. There had to be more to it than that though. He glanced towards Hedge who made a motion to say that he would explain later. After another moment, Parker reached over to pat Fiona's arm. She gave him a weak smile as the teacher clapped their hands together.

"Alright class!" The man exclaimed. "Turn to page 328 for me and we can go over your homework." Parker groaned softly as he pulled out his back. Perhaps he might be exempted from that one.

By third period, he felt far too tired for PE. Parker ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. He kind of wished he had a PE credit already so he wouldn't have to take this damn class. It was just his luck that he ended up with every single person in that group of douches. It was starting to get a little weird how there were always a couple of them in his classes. Parker was starting to think there was some sort of creepy scheduling error.

The only saving grace was that Simon also appeared to be in the class as he found out after meeting the coaches and getting gym clothes. Parker spotted his friend across the room as he pushed open the door to the locker room. The poor guy was struggling with his shoes on a bench across the room which made Parker feel a little sympathetic as he made his way over.

"Hey Simon." Parker greeted with a smile. Simon glanced up quickly, appearing startled at the greeting but recovered once he realized it was only Parker. "Oh, hey! I haven't seen you since this morning. How's your first day been?" Parker let out a breath as he sat beside Simon and slipped off his own shoes. "Do you want honesty, or a feel good answer?" Parker asked, causing the other boy to hum thoughtfully.

"Can you work out a compromise between the two?" Simon finally asked. Parker hesitated, thinking carefully before he replied. "I don't think I want to drop out of school completely." Simon stood, having worked his sneakers back onto his feet.

"Fair enough." The locker room door opened, startling the two as Lenard and his followers entered. Simon gathered up his things to shove them in a locker before motioning towards the door. "I'm going to go ahead and leave for now. Meet me out there when you're done, okay?" Parker pointedly ignored the glances from the other boys as he stood. "Yeah. I'll be out in a minute." Simon grinned, already heading towards the door. "Alright. Just as a warning, the coach is a slave driver." Parker let out a groan.

"That's just what I need right now." Simon shrugged. "Good luck!" With that, the boy turned and left the locker room. Parker watched the door for only a moment before turning away from the little group and pulling off his shirt. Best to get out of here as soon as possible. It felt awkward considering he hadn't had the best first impression with the other people sharing this particular space. Forcing himself to relax and ignore them, he reached for his gym shorts, only to be startled by a touch that sent his heart tumbling down a flight of stairs.