chapter 3. John Hawkins

The day has come. Finally, the day has arrived, but I don't feel any better, more exciting, or exhilarating; in fact, the idea of going back to such a dull location makes me want to throw up.

Despite having options that were far more exclusive and catered to the upper classes, and those that featured a magnificent library, a large playground, multiple additional subjects to take, a ton of clubs to join, etc., I picked the Not So Famous, John Hawkins Public High School.

And the explanation is straightforward.

it's because I simply don't require my school to be any of that,

I just want to finish high school as quickly as I can, if at all possible. without any interruptions or focus.

So why would I need friends, social interaction, joining clubs, and other such stupid things?

I'm not suggesting that these activities are pointless for all students; I'm just stating that they are pointless for me in particular.

Now that you know you can see why I chose John Hawkins. They do have clubs, but they aren't listed in the daily digest or the newspapers, and they do have a library, but it's just your standard neighborhood library.

This was my decision because it's as typical as they come.

And the people here are most likely members of middle-class societies.

Probably competitive, diligent, and unimportant.

And once more, because I don't intend to make friends, they are something about which I have the least anxiety.

Despite the fact that it's nearly hard to blend in as the new kid today, it's the first day and I don't want to look at all noticeable.

As usual, I'll be sporting the plain black T that is typically at the top of my clothing rack with some black pants and some sneakers.

I have lots of clothing and footwear. Not because I'm a fashionista or anything, but rather because I had to act normally.

I spent all the money my parents left me on shopping for a while, but everything I bought was in dark tones. Dark blue, white, black, and black all over again.

But as time went on, I understood that the more I pay attention to and act upon my inner ideas, the more obvious my emotions become. And I didn't want anyone to have any preconceived notions of me.

Due to this, I went shopping again and bought all the clothing that was displayed on store mannequins.

So no one is looking at me funny.

I mix and match my clothes so that I appear like the average person.

To be really honest, I don't really care what other people think of me, but I also don't like to draw attention to myself or get talked about, so in a way, I do care what other people think.

I can't afford it since I am more aware than anyone that the more people talk about you, the more engaged you get in their lives, and vice versa.

However, it is becoming late.

I water my plants, grab my headphones, put on my favorite music, and then I go.

I have to walk a little bit farther than I used to to go to John Hawkins (or JH), but I am totally fine with it; in fact, it's one of the reasons I chose this school.

In order to be alone and avoid using public transportation, I wanted to walk more. Even while I can't entirely eliminate using public transportation, I can at least lessen it. Consequently, I did.

After a considerable distance of walking, I arrive at the bus stop and board the vehicle, which drops me off a short distance from the school. I then resume my walk towards the building.

The school is the same as it appears in the images; it is a sizable, dark-blue, navy-colored structure with the words "WELCOME TO THE JOHN HAWKINS PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL" printed in bold.

I look at the large sign for a moment before focusing on the front door. I enter the school gate knowing that's where I'll be spending the upcoming year.

–

It's 8:20am, the first class begins in 10 minutes.

But I don't have to worry about being late because a new student goes to the office and then the principal's office first for the formalities and information. And so I do.

The principal calls someone to his chamber after completing all the necessary formalities. Someone knocks and enters in about five minutes.

A tall, glasses-wearing man enters the space.

He greets me and says,

"Dear Mr. Miles: William Hudson here. I've been eager to get to know this year's new student. I'm so glad to have met you! ", he adds with a dapper smile.

"It's lovely to meet you too, Sir, good morning."

"I'll be teaching you math in addition to being your homeroom teacher, making me also your math instructor. I hope you find my topic interesting." He smiled warmly as he stated.

He seems to be not too awful.

"I guess I'm alright with that," I reply. despite the fact that I barely passed.

Then he told me where my classes were and gave me the key to my locker. Then I was instructed to go with him to the class.

In comparison to how it appeared from the outside, the school is rather large. It is roomy. The room has light blue and white walls. It's actually rather lovely.

I go up to the third floor with Mr. William.

He turns right and keeps going straight.

I now understand that the school has many windows, which gives it a bright appearance. I bet it cheers up a few in the group.

"Alright, here we are. For the next two years, Mr. Miles, you will create memories in this room."

I can hear the pupils as we are standing close to the classroom.

We enter once Mr. William slides the door open.

There is class going on. A teacher is inside, and a whiteboard is behind her. "The theory of relativity" is written in capital letters on the whiteboard. It's physics.

I can feel all the eyes on me as we enter. With the exception of a few brief comments made here and there as usual, the class is dead silent.

When Mr. Williams grins at me and says, "This is your new classmate Jun Miles and he will be studying with y'all for the remainder of your school years or so I hope," I don't turn to face the pupils.

"And so I hope you all can make friends with him and keep him company." Go ahead and introduce yourself, he says after pausing.

I then turn to gaze at the class at that point. The sun shining through the drapes makes the classroom look lovely and sunny. And the folks, I assume, seem alright. Everyone is looking at me in anticipation of my words.

"Hello, my name is Jun Miles, and I've come from Howard's. Nice to meet you all."

That's it, I see. The standard, dull introduction of the new youngster is what we are used to, and I have no interest in changing it.

From behind, I can hear two individuals cheering as the others are conversing.

"Okay Jun you can go take the seat next to Elias at the end by the window."

I say, "Thank you" and I take the seat at the last bench at the corner.

At the very end of the classroom, it is the last bench. It is close to the window, which means that when the sun is at its highest, it will shine directly in my face. I abhor it. nevertheless, anything.

The youngster is visible seated on that bench. As I pass him, he smiles and has black hair and glasses. I don't say anything in response.

I then raise my chair and take a seat. His gaze on me is palpable. I then felt compelled to look at him and return his smile, I try to avoid eye contact by acting as though I'm taking something out of my bag, but all I could get out was a pen. yes.

Then we both turn to face the front.

The lesson has begun again. The teacher is lecturing, the students are paying attention, they are making jokes, and they are doing all of the other things that take place in a typical classroom. I simply wait until class is over while playing with the one pen I have.

I squint at the window as I wait for the next teacher to arrive. It shows the school's playing field. Football players and cheerleaders practicing together.

They are incredibly good at football, so I wonder-

"Hey!! Ava Addams here! I'm glad to have you, new boy!"

I turn. It's a female. Brown eyes, short hair, and average height.

She approaches me too quickly for me to avoid being little startled.

However, it was the individuals she brought along with her that really confused me, not her.

Three further individuals were behind Ava Addams and were all grinning oddly as they all turned to face me.

And then I wondered to myself, "Am I gonna get bullied here from the first day?"