Beyond Average [COMPLETED]✔️

Chapter 6-

This past week has been fairly uneventful.

That is, if you consider a few visits from new neighbors and a couple of trips to the local stores uneventful.

School starts up again here tomorrow, and it is safe to say I am nervous. Basketball try outs are coming up and if I don't make the team it is like my passion is over. Basketball is what kept me going, it has always been my motivation.

Mom took Zoey and me school shopping yesterday. There is only one way to describe it- everything is different in Clifftown (yeah, just discovered this is the name of our stupid town).

I guess I am just a city kid lost in a rural world. But that's ok. It's ok to be different.

I hope.

Evan surprised me with a call last night to wish me luck, and I appreciated that very much. I miss him, and surprisingly I miss Mia...
But there was one thing he told me that was interesting. He suggested I play other sports too because the more I do the more people I will meet. You know what? That was the first time I felt like maybe I don't want to meet new people. Maybe I am scared to get all the attention as the 'new-boy-who-plays-basketball-and-twitches-a-lot'. Or not. Maybe  it's the opposite. Maybe I don't want to be ignored, because I was hardly ever ignored by my friends back home.
All I do know is I am lying in my bed, simply dreading tomorrow....
----------------------------------------
"ASHER! ASHER! ASHER!!"
I slowly open my eyes and find Zoey jumping on my bed.
"Zoey, not now. We have to get up early for school tomorrow."
"That's now, Silly! It's time to wake up for school!"
I roll my eyes.
"Why are you so happy?" I ask.
I scan Zo and she is wearing her favorite purple and pink dress.
"I'm meeting Jamie and her friends at the bus stop! Come on!"
"You're in middle school.."
"Yeah, but I paid attention to what the new people told us. They said that there is one bus for us both and that the middle school is in the same building, just a different section."
Great...
"Why are you so moody?!"
"I don't want to go, ok?!" I yell.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous..." I sigh.
"I know, Asher. Just get up. The only thing to fear is fear itself."
"Very patriotic..." I moan.
I can't resist Zoey's smile.
"Ok, I'm coming."
I jump out of bed and throw on a Villanova t-shirt, plaid shorts, and my Jordan's. I throw my hair into a messy spike. For the first time in a while I clasp on the הי necklace Dad passed down to me, and rub it between my thumb and index finger before tucking it under my shirt.
I run into the kitchen, grab a pop tart, and run out the door with Zoey.
"Why didn't you eat breakfast?"
"I did." I lie. I don't want to gross my sister out, but if I eat while I am nervous I'll vomit...
We walk to the bus stop and I am surrounded by little kids.
I grunt and wink...shoot now I look like a perv..
"Everyone this is Asher and Zoey Westman. They moved here from Philadelphia." Jamie tells them.
"Hi! Welcome! I'm Cookie." One girl says.
I'm sorry, but I hold back the laughter for that one.
Everyone else kind of just smiles and waves.
I wink again. Is this a new tic? It better not be. Can you imagine, walking into class all "Hey, I'm Asher." Wink wink, they'll think I'm one of those guys who are all 1 blink yes 2 no...actually I think that's coma patients not creeps looking for sex..but you never know what people are thinking and this example shows my point so whatever.

As soon as we get to the school I am legit LOST. Not like actually, kind of like I don't have anyone to walk over to and hang out with before class starts because I don't know anyone. Except Todd...
"Hey, Villanova. I would of given you a ride but.."
"Oh. It's ok." I shrug.
Then I wink. NOOOOO!!!!!
Todd smiles.
"What do you have now?"
"Uh,..English." I respond.
"I have math..But I'll see you in health." Todd laughs as he peers at my schedule.
I smile.
"Sweet. See ya."
"Wait, you said English?"
I'm face to face with one of Todd's friends who is double my height.
I actually look up to respond!
"Yeah, you too?" I ask.
"Yeah, come with me. I'm Mike."
I smile.
"I'm Asher. Nice to meet you."
We walk down a long hallway.
"Todd told me you are his new neighbor."
"Yeah, I'm from Pennsylvania. This is all new to me."
"Well basketball isn't I see."
I look down at my nova shirt.
"This is true."
"So you like Villanova? Which church are you going to?"
"Uh, I actually just lived in Philly so hometown association. I'm Jewish."
"Oh, sorry. I just knew people who went there and.."
"No, that makes sense." I respond as my arm twitches.
Which reminds me, where are we going to go to synagogue here?...
We get to class and I am shocked that after the bell rings there are only 10 students in the class. My school in Philly was much larger.
"I don't recognize your face." The teacher tells me.
The teachers must know everyone here.
"I'm Asher Westman. I'm from Philadelphia."
Can I just have a button to repeat this line every time someone asks? My goodness!
"Welcome, Asher. I'm Mrs. Miller."
The rest of the day goes by pretty slowly. Until lunch.
"There you are!"
I spin around.
"Hey, Mike, Todd."
"Hi, Asher. Want to sit with us?"
Wow. This school is beginning to feel normal!
"Yeah, sure."
I plop down at their table with three guys who are there already.
"Hello, I'm Kevin." A guy with reddish hair in a Kentucky t-shirt greets me.
"Hi, I'm Asher."
"I'm Chris."
"I'm Zach."
"Villanova? I am super into college basketball." Chris tells me.
"Seriously?! Me too!" I exclaim.
"Oh yeah, Asher plays ball like us."
Everyone smiles.
"Alright! New kid plays too!" Zach laughs.
"Yeah, I've played varsity since freshman year."
"Sweeeeet." Mike responds.
We spend about twenty minutes discussing basketball, and it feels like I'm one of them. In fact, I don't even tic once!
That is until...
"Hey, Cutie!" Some girl wearing French braids, a flannel shirt and shorts approaches me.
"This is Maya. She's my cousin." Todd rolls his eyes.
"Yeah! So you're new here?"
She sits herself on my lap.
"Yep."
Wink wink wink
Fudge.
"Ooh, what was that!"
"Nothing."
"You just winked at me." She giggles.
"No I didn't."
"Did you wink at my cousin?!"
"Eww no! I mean not eww. I didn't wink ok!"
Everyone looks at each other.
Man, everything was going really great and my stupid brain had to screw it all up!
"So are you lying or.."
"Maya, I didn't wink!" I cry.
"Whatever."
Brrrring!!!
Great, there's the bell...
"Dude what was that about?" Mike asks me as soon as Maya runs off.
"Don't worry about it, Maya is such a flirt. You probably just had dust in your eye, she loves to blow something out of nothing."
I sigh in relief.
THANK YOU SOMEONE OUT THERE!!!
"Yeah, I get allergies sometimes." I explain (lie).
Man, Mom would be so disappointed about me. I was open about it in the past...I would explain it in the past...But something about this new place makes it scary to explain the things that were easy to explain in the past.
It's like my life turned upside down and I honestly don't know what to do.