Connor
I am Nobody from Nowhere and I am the Master of Nothing.
Joke. I'm Connor Stoll from Cavern Hills, the loneliest town for at least two hundred miles. I must say so myself: I am a master of several things. Netflix binge-watching, video games, photography - a hobby since practically birth – and lacrosse.
I learned a lot just by taking photos for the team during games. I learned fouls and how to score, each player's weakness and strength. I knew the team would need me the next season. I gave up my nightly video game time to sneak out to the forest behind our house, practicing every night with my brother's equipment and waking up exhausted in the morning. My mother rolled her eyes whenever I'd show up for breakfast with red eyes and a tired expression, thinking I had stayed up shooting my friends, not shooting scores.
Of course, I knew I would have to stop sneaking out soon. I wouldn't be able to focus on school if I was staying up all night while everyone else was asleep, practicing for something I wasn't even a part of.
Yet.
The first day of school changed my mind.
First, it was seeing Miranda. Gosh, she got prettier over the summer. We hadn't talked since the end of freshman year, when she left for Chicago for the school break to visit her grandparents. Then, right after American Literature, when I was shuffling through my locker, taping photos I've taken inside the door, a voice behind me made me jump nearly three feet.
"Hey, Stoll. I heard that Gardiner girl dumped you! How's it feel, being alone again?"
Preston, the meanest bully at school, liked to use me as a ragdoll in front of his friends, tossing me around like a teddy bear and bruising me like a China doll. That all ended a couple years ago, but now I guess he was starting up again.
I clenched my teeth and ignored him.
"Guess he really is a ghost!" One of his buddies said, and I clutched the locker door with my hand so hard my knuckles started turning white.
"Just like di Angelo. I bet the two of them become a thing someday." Preston snickered.
Nico di Angelo, the only openly gay boy at school, had been bullied most of his life. He used to be a friend of mine, until his mom died, and he cut all his friends off, pushing everyone away. Now people were saying the two of us would get together? No way.
"They're both meaningless anyways."
I furiously slammed my door, whipping around and throwing a punch at the boy who spoke, the shorter of Preston's three closest body guards. He yelped as my fist collided with his jawbone, and the others yelled and backed up. Preston just laughed and shoved me backwards, laughing harder as I fell to the floor. I leapt to me feet and charged them, spitting and cussing at them, but the two other jocks just held me back from Preston and the boy I punched. Before a teacher could find us, they dragged me to the double doors leading outside, throwing me out. I guess it helped that my locker was three down from the exit.
Before I could steady myself and rise to my feet, Preston grabbed my hair and slammed my forehead against the metal bars of the stair rails. I cursed and winced, holding my hand to my head, rubbing the injured spot. No one was at this exit, so no one ran to help me up as Preston's gang cackled and walked back inside. I yelled a few more cuss words in their wake, spitting out words that my mother would kill me for saying.
I managed to stand up and clear my head, though it pounded like hell. I remembered that there was a nurse's office on this side of the building. Checking my phone to see what time it was and making sure that it wasn't cracked, I regained my senses and stared at my background for a few seconds, tracing the outline of the tree and the stretching branches reaching for the sky. Being raised around a forest my whole life, I thought I had seen all of them in the area. Then I discovered this huge oak tree with perfect climbing branches. I practically lived in the treehouse my brother and I built, refusing to leave unless bribed with food.
Pushing my childhood thoughts out of my swarming head, I ran around the side of the building to a different exit, racing inside and maneuvering around the crowds of kids headed to their cars or the buses. I suddenly realized Travis's lacrosse tryouts were in just a few minutes. Panicking, I shoved open the nurse's door and ran into someone leaving.
"Woah!" A blond boy that I remembered from lunch held out his hands to stop me from knocking him over. "Careful!"
"It's Will, right? Cecil's new foster brother?" I glanced around for the nurse. I couldn't see her inside the little room.
"Yeah. And if you're looking for Ms. Smith, she just left to get some more throw up bags."
I scrunched up my nose and found a seat. Will leaned against the grey counter, crossing the end of his legs and planting his arms behind him.
"She's already out on the first day?"
Will nodded, his blue eyes a shade lighter than Travis's. I knew mine were at least ten times brighter than his, but blue eyes were common in our friend group. Chris, Cecil, Travis, Will, and I all had blue eyes. Lou Ellen had pale green and Leo had brown. Valdez's little girlfriend's were gold. All we needed were some grey eyes to finish the rainbow of natural hues.
"Yeah, there was an epidemic of the stomach bug. Must have been what they served for lunch."
I nodded. "I don't trust that stuff."
"Me neither. That's why I bought lunch from across the street." Will glanced at the clock hanging from the white wall. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be leaving soon?"
I shook my head. "My brother has lacrosse, so I have to wait."
"Lacrosse, huh? I ran track at my old school, but I don't know if I'll try out this year."
"Why not?" Will's eyes became blurry.
"Just...reminds me of my mom, that's all."
I suddenly remembered with a pang of guilt that Will had lost his mom. Cecil didn't tell us how, and Will certainly wasn't open about it.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I – I uh, ran track in middle school. It was pretty fun. Did you run long distance or sprint?"
"Long distance. I did cross country."
"Sweet. There's a forest behind my house that they use for that here."
He raised an eyebrow. "Don't you live down the street from me? I remember seeing a photo of you in Cecil's room."
"Yeah. Just next door, actually. How long ago did you arrive at Chiron's?"
"Two weeks ago."
"We were out of town that week. Visiting my grandma."
Will nodded and glanced at me longer. "Why are you here?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm here because I, uh, hit my head."
Will frowned but pushed away from the counter and pulled out a drawer. He brought out a silver square and a large Band Aid.
"Sit on the cot," He instructed, opening the silver square, pulling out an alcohol swab. I shrugged and sat on the hospital-green bed. I swung my feet like a little kid and winced as the alcohol in the cloth burned at my cut. "Sorry, but we have to make sure it doesn't get infected."
"Are you Ms. Smith's new apprentice or something?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "No, just being a Good Samaritan, that's all."
"A Good Samurai?"
He looked at me, confused. "Seriously? You've never heard of the Good Samaritan?"
I shook my head, wincing as it irritated my cut.
Will gave me a bewildered look. "Samson or Goliath? The Twelve Disciples?"
"Oh, I've heard of Noah and his boat full of animals. That must have smelled a lot."
"Have you ever even read the Bible? Just once?" He asked, looking really annoyed.
I held up my hands. "Um, I'm atheist."
Will shrugged and placed the Band Aid on my forehead, then waved for me to leave. "Get out of here, you pagan."
I laughed at his joke and glanced at the clock.
Shoot. If I was really going to do what I planned to do, then I'd have to run.
Making my way out of the school and to the lacrosse field outside, I spotted my brother and ran to him.
After a slap on the head from a 'stray' ball from Preston's stick, I made up my mind for sure.
I was going to try out for the team.
After sneaking behind the bleachers where I had made so many memories, both with my friends making smoke bombs and with Miranda making out, I changed into my workout clothes and strapped arm pads on my elbows. I realized Travis would see me and possibly stop me, so I slid on a helmet that was abandoned on the bleachers. Fortunately, it hadn't been used in a while, so it smelled decent.
Needless to say, no one recognized me. Travis looked right past me as I made my way to the line.
My turn was coming, and my heart raced. I noticed out of the corner of my eye a blonde girl on the bleachers reading a book. I turned my head to take a look at her, one of the only girls not jumping around cheering for their boyfriends. She wore skinny jeans with grey Converse and a grey V-neck. A black-haired boy passed her with the infamous Thalia Grace and her gang of archery-loving girls. He blushed and glanced at her, quickly sitting several feet away, glancing at her. His cousin was chatting with her friends and cheering for a muscular girl headed for the field.
Guess girls were allowed on the team now. Last year it started an uproar.
I didn't realize it was my turn until there was nothing but grass and a pile of white rubber balls at my feet. I looked ahead of me and saw the goal and goalie. The coach yelled a few words I didn't comprehend, then blew the whistle.
My reflexes kicked in, and I scooped up the ball and flicked the long stick, the ball a blur of white. It hit the net, and I swear that small sound echoed across the field. Preston frowned, and his friends shrugged it off. Johnson sighed and readied himself again.
I went again. Johnson didn't even have time to lift his stick.
Preston clenched his fists. His buddies froze. Travis raised an eyebrow. Coach was stunned.
I went three more times, and Johnson didn't stand a chance. He was faster the last couple of times.
Finally, I picked up the ball one more time. Just as I was about to throw it, I twisted my body and threw it jumping.
It broke the net.
The crowd went silent. Preston's eyes nearly exploded. Coach's jaw and clipboard fell to the ground. Thalia and her girlfriends were speechless, their mouths wide open. Even the girl with the book glanced up, a look of surprise on her face. The black-haired boy, I'm pretty sure his name was Percy Jackson, stood up and broke the silence, cheering and clapping.
A few boys on the team whooped, patting me on the back.
"Hey you!" The coach stepped onto the field and walked towards me. "Who in the hell are you, and where were you last year?"
I glanced at my brother. He stood stunned a few feet away, dropping his stick and gaping.
Then I removed my helmet. A gasp went through the field and the bleachers, and Preston's face turned white as a ghost.
"Stoll," I smirked, giving Preston a glare and flashing my brother a 'I'll explain later' look. "Connor Stoll."
The coach laughed slightly, slapping me on the back and waving his hand around the field at our loosely-huddled group. "Where were you last year?"
"Photography class, sir," I said, flustering slightly as a laugh went around. "It was just a hobby, sir."
"Don't call me sir," Coach said, patting me one last time on the back. "Call me Coach. You've made the team, son."
Travis gave me an excited and proud look, and a few girls on the bleachers giggled with each other and pointed several times at me. One gave me an air kiss.
I never felt so happy in my whole life.
That is, until I saw Preston's face.
Oh crap.
What have I done?