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Devon woke up without much enthusiasm, still feeling his face sore, but at least the swelling had significantly reduced, leaving only a large red and purple mark with a hint of green.
Charlie had mentioned that his paperwork for the new school was all sorted out. As soon as they knew he was arriving, they took steps to handle everything, and being a small town, enrolling him midway through the year wasn't too complicated.
So, Devon mentally prepared himself over the weekend for his first day at the new school. All eyes would be on him not only because he was the new guy but also due to that big bruise on his face. The downside was that many would come up with their own speculations and spread different rumors throughout the school. But at that point, he didn't really care. If they wanted to say he was a delinquent who just got out of reform school, so be it.
After getting ready, he left his room and headed to the kitchen. His mother, Amy, was preparing breakfast, and Charlie was sitting at the table sipping coffee while reading the newspaper. Both looked at him as soon as he entered.
"Good morning, Devon," greeted his mother. "Take a seat, and breakfast will be ready in a moment. I also left your lunch for school on the counter."
Devon looked at the paper bag on the counter and smiled a bit. He was starting to like this place; it was pleasant, and it seemed like he wouldn't have to endure shouting every morning. He took a seat at the table, and Charlie lowered the newspaper to look at him. Devon noticed that Charlie was wearing his police uniform. It was strange to see him like that after seeing him dress so casually before.
"Good morning, Devon. I hope you have a good first day at school," Charlie said, still speaking with a certain awkwardness. However, Devon realized that Charlie was just shy and had trouble starting conversations, but he was trying.
"Thanks. Good morning to you both," Devon replied.
Amy placed breakfast in front of him, and he quickly started eating. He discovered that his mother's cooking was simply delicious, and he could eat without stopping. Amy also took a seat to have breakfast, and the three of them ate in silence.
After about twenty minutes, Devon stood up to leave his plate in the sink and fetch his backpack. They had already explained to him how to get to school. There was a school bus that passed relatively close to the house and would drop him right at the entrance.
"I'm off," he was about to leave the kitchen when he heard his mother calling him.
"Devon, wait."
He stopped abruptly and looked at the couple who were also looking at him. He furrowed his brow, confused and a little nervous. Had he done something wrong?
"Is everything okay?"
Amy smiled excitedly and handed him something. Devon furrowed his brow even more but approached to take what his mother was offering. It was a small box, not larger than his palm.
"What's this?"
"It's your welcome gift," Charlie spoke up.
He opened the box and found a key inside. At first, he seemed confused, but he quickly understood what it was.
"It's..." He couldn't even finish his sentence.
Amy and Charlie smiled. The woman more than the man.
"It's outside."
"I thought we were going to buy it next weekend."
"Well, we decided to give you a surprise. Besides, you don't have to pay anything. It's a gift, although Margo chipped in to buy it. So, don't forget to call and thank her later."
Devon smiled, showing his teeth, and approached his mother to give her a hug.
"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Charlie."
Charlie bent down a bit to pick something up and handed Devon a black helmet.
"I don't want you going around without one of these."
"Understood, Sheriff."
He took the helmet excitedly and rushed out of the house. There was the motorcycle, and it was much better than he had in mind. He was planning to buy a simpler one since his budget wasn't that high, but it was a Kawasaki. Completely black. He smiled even more if it was possible and got on.
"It has non-slip tires," Charlie's voice was heard from the entrance, "but you still need to be careful."
"I will. See you later."
He waved and started the motorcycle after putting on the helmet. It was much better than he expected.
The trip to school was quick, and maybe later, he would take a detour to explore the town and continue testing his new motorcycle.
Fortunately, there weren't many students yet. He still had to go to the coordination office to submit his documents and get his new schedule. Finding the secretary's office was easy, and she didn't even try to hide her surprise when she saw the big bruise around his eye. First, she looked at him with panic and then with disgust. She probably already knew who he was and the reason he was at this school.
Devon smiled with some discomfort.
"Here you go," the woman said, handing him his schedule along with a map of the place. "At the end of the day, you need to bring back this sheet with the signatures of all the teachers you'll see today."
"Very kind."
Devon turned hastily to leave that place. He would have loved to stay with the helmet on or at least wear sunglasses. But with the excitement of his new motorbike, he had even forgotten about the bruise on his face.
Now he had to face his new classmates. There were more people than when he arrived, and just as he expected, he quickly noticed the murmurs and curious looks. It was a small town, and in that school, there were no more than five hundred students in total, compared to his old school with over two thousand students. It was a really large school. And this one was too small.
He looked at his schedule for a long moment, then at the map, and finally at the hallway. Realizing that he had no idea how to get to his classroom, he sighed and decided it was better to keep walking and ask someone who didn't seem to be looking at him with fear.
He walked just a couple of meters until he saw a girl leaning against a wall looking at a camera. Devon was a photography enthusiast, and just for that, he decided that this girl seemed nice. He approached her cautiously so as not to scare her, as she seemed very focused on her things.
"Excuse me," he called softly.
The girl raised her gaze, and her face immediately showed great surprise. It was obvious that she knew he was the new guy; it was evident in such a small school.
"Yes?" Her voice came out a bit shaky, but she cleared her throat.
"Sorry, I'm a bit lost and don't quite understand the map. I'm looking for the advanced French class." Devon showed her his schedule.
The girl nodded and took the sheet to look at the room number. Devon immediately noticed how the girl's cheeks began to turn an intense shade of red. He found it adorable.
"It's not far from here," she returned the sheet. "If you want, I can accompany you. My class is nearby."
"Oh, that's kind of you." He smiled. "I'm Devon, by the way."
"I know," she replied almost instinctively, but her cheeks turned even redder,
and she cursed herself internally for not thinking before speaking. "I mean... everyone here knows your name. You're the new student, and well, gossip spreads faster than the plague."
Devon let out a laugh.
"I figured."
"I'm Angela. Angela Weber."
"A pleasure, Angela."
Devon noticed that Angela was really making an effort not to look at the mark around his eye, and he internally thanked her. She really seemed like a very nice girl.
"Likewise, Devon."
They began to walk in silence; it was strange but not really uncomfortable.
"Do you like photography?" Devon dared to ask.
Angela looked at him confused but remembered the camera in her hands.
"Oh, that. Yes, I really like taking photos. I'm in the journalism club. Do you like photography?"
He nodded.
"Yes. I have a camera at home, and I really enjoy taking pictures of people more than landscapes or things. People have a unique beauty."
Angela smiled.
"I guess so. But I prefer taking pictures of everything I see."
They stopped in front of a classroom.
"This is it," Angela told him. "Your next class is algebra, and I'm also going to that class. If you want, I can see you here after class, and we can go together."
Devon nodded with a big smile. Truly grateful to that girl.
"I really appreciate it, Angela."
"It's nothing. See you later."
Devon said goodbye with a wave and entered the classroom. He went to the teacher to hand over the signing sheet and looked around the classroom. There were some students, but they were all busy with their own things and hadn't noticed him yet.
"That seat is free; you can take it."
Devon looked where the man pointed and nodded before heading to his new seat. He liked French; in fact, he liked languages in general, and he wasn't bad at it.
After a few minutes, the classroom filled up, and the class began. Unfortunately, the teacher made him introduce himself to everyone in French. However, many were surprised by his good accent and pronunciation.
Margo's father was French, and for a long time, Margo lived in France before moving to the United States and started teaching French to high school kids. That's why Devon learned a lot of the language, thanks to his father's wife because since he was a child, he found the language fascinating and asked her to teach him. Of course, Margo was very willing to teach him.
Devon felt that the class was very calm, and although he occasionally felt the looks on him, he didn't pay much attention. Besides, the topic they were covering was straightforward, and the class went even faster.
At the end of the class, he packed his things in his backpack and went out into the hallway where he saw Angela already waiting for him. The girl greeted him with a smile and a wave.
So both headed to their next class, engaging in a pleasant conversation. Unfortunately, algebra was the only class they shared, and they didn't meet again until lunchtime.
Angela approached him with her lunch tray in her hands and directed him to a table that was almost full.
"Hi, guys," Angela greeted with some excitement. "This is Devon. I met him this morning."
"Hello," he greeted with some discomfort. Several pairs of eyes were staring at him with much curiosity, and it was very uncomfortable.
He took a seat after Angela did.
"I'm Jessica," a blonde girl introduced herself. Besides Angela, she was the only girl at that table.
"Hello, Jessica."
The girl smiled and began to twirl a strand of hair around her index finger. Was she trying to be flirtatious? Well, that girl would be greatly disappointed when she found out that Devon wasn't interested in girls at all.
"I'm Mike," introduced one of the guys. He was blonde and seemed a bit annoyed, but Devon didn't understand the reason.
"I'm Erick," the last guy introduced himself. He had black hair and slanted eyes.
Another guy approached, introducing himself as Tyler, but he spoke something quickly with Mike and then left.
"Devon, why do you have a black eye?" Jessica, the bold one, asked.
Everyone looked at her alarmed for such an imprudent question.
"Jess!" Angela scolded her.
Devon just let out a laugh while drinking his juice.
"What? We're all curious about that," she played the offended one. Although it was true, everyone was very curious.
"It was a fight I had at my previous school. That's why I'm here." He didn't want to tell them his whole life story, and that explanation was more than enough.
"So, you're a troublemaker, huh?" Erick joked, but everyone looked at him badly. "Sorry."
"No, it's okay. I guess that's how everyone labeled me there. The guy I fought with ended up unconscious with a broken cheekbone, so no one wanted to see me around."
"Did you get expelled?" Angela asked this time. Although her tone was cautious and gentle.
"No. Not really, but my father was fed up with me getting into so much trouble, so he sent me to live with my mother."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
The conversation changed, and Devon stayed on the sidelines while listening to them talk about their classes and what they did over the weekend or what they wanted to do the next Saturday. Sometimes he spoke, but he still felt like an intruder.
It had been too much social contact, and he preferred to be alone for a moment before going back to classes. Plus, he needed to put some ointment on his wound and take his painkillers because he was starting to feel the pain again. So, he stood up taking his backpack. Everyone looked at him with curiosity.
"Are you leaving?" Angela asked with a somewhat sad tone.
"Yes, I'm going to the bathroom to put some medicine on the wound before the next class."
"Okay. See you later. By the way, I think your next class is with Jessica. It's geography, right?"
"Oh, that's my class," the blonde hurried to say. "I can take you if you want."
Devon avoided sighing tiredly and instead nodded with a smile.
"Good. Is it okay if I meet you at the cafeteria entrance when lunch is over?"
"Of course," the girl sounded excited.
Devon turned around and hurried to walk; he knew more or less where the bathrooms were, so he had no problem getting there. However, he was walking looking at the floor, and he had just gone out the door that led to the backyard when he bumped into someone with his shoulder.
He raised his gaze slightly annoyed and with a furrowed brow when he met intense golden eyes that were also looking at him with some annoyance.
It was a somewhat strange feeling.
"Sorry," mumbled Devon and continued his way in silence and in a hurry. He didn't want trouble on his first day at his new school.
Edward Cullen remained stunned for a moment and turned to look at the boy he had heard was named Devon Gray. What was that feeling he had when he saw him?
He didn't think much more about it and entered the cafeteria to meet his brothers.
I feel like the chapter is too long hahaha I'm sorry if it was very boring but I promise it will get better.
Anyway, I love Angela so much and it made me want to make a fic with her 😭 she's so cute