Open-Minded

Chapter 1

I watch the trees as we pass them, watching the way they mesh together into a giant green and brown blob. It's not exactly interesting, but it's a distraction. Concentrating on something other than my thoughts.

I hate letting my thoughts run free, that leads to remembering. And I can't let that happen. That would mean it happened.

Jax moves in his seat to get more comfortable, bumping my leg and thankfully saving me from the deep hole my mind was about to crash into. I position myself closer to the door, resting my forehead against the window. “Sorry,” he says. “small car problems.”

I can't fight the smile that works its way onto my face. “It's cool, don't even worry about it.”

“Don't worry Jax, they'll be out of this car in a minute.” Aiden says as he pulls into the long line of cars dropping off their kids at the high school.

“Lovely,” Matt says sarcastically. “first day of high school.”

I laugh. “At least you haven't been to four different schools in the span of 2 years.”

I lean my head against the window again as Matt chuckles. “People just don't like you, huh, gay boy?”

I roll my eyes, unable to hide the grin on my face and look at him. “My boyfriend doesn't like it when people call me that, Matty Boy.”

His eyes glare at me and I laugh at him. “Okay boys, knock it off before I kick one if you out.” Aiden says.

Link chuckles from his seat crunched in between Matt and Aiden and turns to Aiden, his phone resting in his hands. “It would have be Danny you were kicking out. He's by the door, and Matt’s in the middle. And we all know you would never kick Danny out.”

Aiden rolls his eyes as we pull up to the front of the school. I push the door open and grab my backpack as both Jax and Matt follow. Matt grabs his backpack and Jax hops back into the truck, he and Link finally being able to spread out more in the small one row truck. “Have fun on your first day, Matty Boy.”

Matt makes a move to punch him, but Jax slams the door shut and flips him off. Link throws his head back in laughter while Aiden slowly creeps out of the line. I grab Matt's arm and drag him along with me. “Come on. You don't want to get suspended your first day, do you?”

“It's tempting.” He responds with a toothy grin.

I roll my eyes and lead him into the school and straight to the office, ignoring my fellow students.

I started at this school the first day of the school year last week, but Matt was still under a suspension from last year when he was in middle school, so he couldn't attend high school until his suspension was up. Although it’s a Friday and the last day of the week, Aiden wanted him to begin getting comfortable and out of the house as quickly as possible.

I open the door to the office, holding it open for him to step through, before watching as it closes behind us. Separating me from the other students in this school.

I proceed to turn around to face the receptionist, Matt already leaning against the wooden counter to look at her. It only took her a few minutes to print off his paperwork and hand it to him. The second his hand touches the paper, he turns and leaves the office. I follow him out.