Here & Now

Chapter Two

I observed kids rushing around, emptying their lockers, carrying books and chatting to their friends. I began following signs leading towards the Principal's office, Mom's voice echoing in my head. When you get to school, make sure you head straight to the Principal's office. The school was a lot larger on the inside than it looked from outside. I felt like a grain of sand on a beach full of tourists. The familiar feeling of insignificance overwhelmed me. I fought it. It was too early to start having doubts, I hadn't even started class yet! After what seemed like a dozen rooms I finally reached the one I was looking for.

Plastered across the door was a sign saying: Principal Ribbon's Office. After entering, I was greeted by a portly lady with freckles and curly grey hair wearing rose colored lipstick. As I moved closer to her I noticed she smelt of citrus. Our eyes locked when I placed my hand on the desk.

With a wide smile she said, 'Can I help you, young man?' The high pitched nature of her voice caught me by surprise. She would make a fantastic soprano opera singer, I thought.

'Um, I'm new here. My name is Aiden Lewis. Today is my first day.'

'Aw, how lovely!' she sung.

'Please take a seat to your right, and I'll let Principal Ribbon know straight away.'

'Okay, thanks,' I replied, taking a seat and pulling out my phone. A message from my Dad popped up on the screen. Hey kiddo, if I got my dates right, today will be your first day at your new school. I hope you have a good day, and I'll give you a call tonight. Luv Dad x.
At seeing the message I shoved my phone back in my pocket. Dad made a point of treating me more like a friend than a son. He shared more with me than anyone else. Sometimes we'd spend full afternoons listening to old rock CDs, discussing the complexities of each instrument and how, together, they created magic. But things were different now.

I heard the door open and shut loudly. I looked up and a student about my age exited the Principal's office. The boy had jet black hair that sat in a way that covered half of his moon-tanned face. He had gone the whole nine yards, with eyeliner, black skinny jeans and a tight Metallica t-shirt. He summed up his emo look with a spiked bracelet. Hey! This is the type of kid I could be friends with, I thought. We looked at each other for one moment. His deadpan expression didn't fool me—there was pain in his eyes, pain he didn't want anyone else to know about. I wasn't a psychic by any means, but I knew because I've been through my own share of pain. Most recently, the incident between my parents. Wondering if it was my fault or if I could have done anything to stop it from happening. Both my parents had re-assured me that this was not the case, and Mom seemed to be coping pretty well. Dad, on the other hand... sometimes I had walked past his room and heard him sobbing. I think he really loved Mom, even though she had called off their marriage.

I heard my name being called, which awoke me from my thoughts.

'Aiden, is it?' said a gruff voice.

'Um, yes sir,' I turned to find the source of the voice. A figure stood there with perfect posture like he was called to attention from a commanding officer.

'Come in,' the man said, holding the door open for me. The man in front of me was bald, the only hair on his face his large mustache, which covered his mouth and rolled up at the ends. I walked into the office. A quick glance around the room revealed a large number of medals. Without staring too much, I recognized that they looked like war medals. I took a seat in the chair that faced his desk, the man returning to his own seat. He took a deep breath.