Ryan Ross stood in front of his mirror for nearly fifteen minutes that morning. He hadn't felt very nervous about high school. He knew where his classes were, he knew who his friends were. He had had no reason to panic.
He wasn't necessarily panicking while he stared at his thin reflection. He just didn't want to leave his bedroom. He'd much rather sleeping in and listening to music than making the long and incredibly boring walk to school.
So his mirror was acting as a barrier. It was framed with white plastic and hung on the back of his door. He never really used it. He typically would peel himself off his bed, throw on whatever clothes didn't smell bad, and brush his hair in one stroke and leave. Today had been different. Today had brought a lot of pacing and long pauses and trying to drag out putting on pants for as long as possible. And now, the staring.
He had plenty of time to get to school. He'd woken up early. Spencer, one of his only friends, had come up with the bright idea to arrive at school early and catch up. Spencer had been on vacation the entire summer, leaving Ryan to lazily sit in his room for three months.
Finally, Ryan gave up his charade of standing still. He grabbed his backpack, an old asparagus green rucksack. The color had faded since he first bought it in sixth grade and straps were slowly falling off, but he still carried around. He opened his door slowly, trying very hard not to wake his family. It was six in the morning after all.
He managed to slide down the stairs without making too much noise. He walked into his kitchen for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should leave a note for his mother. He shook his head and grabbed a water bottle of the fridge before he walked outside.
It was a warm September morning. He'd dressed properly for the weather. A gray t-shirt hugged his waist and his legs were covered by faded blue skinny jeans. He wore beat up old black Vans that didn't make the twenty minute walk any easier. He was relieved when he arrived at the parking lot of his school. The building in front of him was big and flat, with only two floors. To one side of the school was a football field. He shuffled towards the bleachers, searching for Spencer. Ryan found him sitting in the very top corner of the metal seats, headphones on and tapping on his knee.
"Hey." Spencer looked down with a surprised expression. He took off his headphones and rested them next to his bag. He stood up and walked down towards Ryan.
"Didn't think you would actually show up." Spencer smirked. He leaned and the two exchanged a hug.
"Great to know you have so much faith in me. Now tell me all about Florida."
They sat in that top corner of the bleachers for the next hour or so. More students arrived on campus. The majority of them walked into the school itself, but a few copied Ryan and Spencer's idea of staying outside. Spencer's tales of his vacation were not the most exciting. The story was basically about him visiting different beaches and theme parks. Ryan zoned out at one point, staring at the field in front of them.
"Ry?" Spencer asked, tapping him on the shoulder, "You okay?"
Ryan nodded and turned back to his friend.
"I'm kind of out of it this morning."
The morning bell sounded then and the two boys gathered their things and walked into the small school. They had to part their separate ways and head off to their respecter home rooms. Ryan almost felt sad that he had to leave Spencer so soon, the thought slipped his mind as he bumped into someone.
All he had noticed about the person was red hair and a fedora, but he could tell who it was.
"Hey Patrick," he greeted, handing the boy the notebook he had dropped.
