Self Sabotage

Taking the leap

Edward parked his newly purchased Chevy Camaro into the school parking lot. The Volvo was now chilling in someone else's backyard, nothing more than a memory of his past that he wished to avoid. He didn't need the extra space now, anyway.

There were a few students milling around the lot, and he caught a few eyes and fleeting thoughts as he walked in, carefully avoiding the light under an oversized hat and a pair of biker gloves that he quickly removed once he made it into the establishment. Summer school, he figured. The morning air was cool and refreshing as the noon heat hadn't settled yet, and he walked into the headmaster's office.

Principal Hayes looked up from his coffee mug and gestured for Edward to sit at one of the chairs in front of his desk, and Edward complied.

"Good Morning. I'm guessing you're the transfer?"

Edward nodded, "Correct." He put his documents on the desk, presenting them to the man before watching him stiffly from his seat.

"Relax, Mr. Masen, you've already been accepted. We just needed to go over a few things." Principal Hayes said, putting on his reading glasses as he pulled out the printed application form. Edward slouched a bit in his chair, but it looked so awfully fake he could hear the man's mental sigh.

"It says here you have no current guardian or caretaker. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir. I was emancipated a year prior and deemed fit to live on my own." Edward had rehearsed this conversation hundreds of times in his head, memorising every detail he deemed necessary.

"Alright, and you don't have any financial difficulties?"

"No sir."

"And it seems you have a clear history, no bad behavior."

"I try to stay away from trouble."

Edward could hear the disbelief in the principal's mind but the man didn't voice his qualms. It seemed he had suspicions, but no evidence or reasons yet.

"Alright, you can sign these forms."

Edward signed a few documents, shook hands with the principal and then he was dismissed to roam the premises to get familiar with the environment.

He listened to the wafting mental voices as they lamented the way they had to study during vacation times. The teachers were just as exasperated, increasingly so as the heat of the air kept steadily rising. Soon enough, to the relief of everyone, the bell rang and the students spilled out of the classrooms hurriedly, scattering around the halls.

A few eyes landed on him and he could hear the teenagers thinking about this and that, some rather scandalous thoughts involving him made him almost shudder. It was nothing new, teenagers were teenagers. He didn't know if he was a teenager. He always felt seventeen, even if he wasn't. He didn't know and he didn't want to think about it. He stopped walking to momentarily check over the map of the school he had captured on his phone.

"Hey, check out the new guy." A plump girl with thick framed glasses and a bob cut whispered to her friend from across the hall.

"Who? The broody one?" Her friend, a tall platinum blond girl in a colorful pastel get up questioned.

"I think he looks dreamy. I'd totally trade off ten years of my life to get a piece of that." Edward could see snippets of some graphic images pass her mind.

"Oh, I think he saw us." The blond said, nudging her.

Edward tried not to glare, and kept his face as neutral as possible. When the plump girl waved he decided to approach them.

"Hey." He started, looking between the two.

"Hi, wussup? I'm Kat and this is Jules," she introduced awkwardly. "You're new here, right?"