Chapter 5: Equipment, Training, and the First Day of School

The morning began with a bang. A loud, irritating noise that woke me from a deep sleep.

"HEY MAN, CAN YOU GET THIS TRUCK OUT OF MY FRONT? I HAVE TO GO TO WORK..." a man's voice echoed through the street.

"SORRY MAN, WE'RE HERE TO MAKE A DELIVERY..." another voice replied.

I stuck my face out the window and saw John Lawrence, the grumpy neighbor, yelling at a delivery man.

"HEY MAN, CALM DOWN!" I yelled, trying to calm the situation. "I THINK THIS DELIVERY IS FOR ME."

I ran over to them, still groggy from sleep.

"Ham? Boy, did you repeat what I said about not getting into trouble?" John asked, his tone sarcastic.

"What are you talking about, old man?" I replied, rolling my eyes. "You're the one causing trouble with the delivery guy…"

I turned my attention to the delivery man. "Hey, bro, the delivery is for Clark, right?"

"Yes, that's right, young man. Are you him?", the delivery man confirmed.

"Yes, please bring it to my apartment," I asked.

"Is that what you bought, kid?" John asked, looking curious.

"I bought some pesos," I explained. "I need to renew my body and also train."

"He smiled. "That's good, kid. Having a strong body sure helps with a lot of things."

"Stop calling me kid," I demanded, my voice irritated. "It makes me feel like a child. I'm already 15 years old…"

"He grimaced. "You brat, your parents didn't teach you to respect adults, did they?"

"Sure, old man," I replied sarcastically. "You haven't even told me your name yet. What am I supposed to call you then?"

"My name is John Lawrence, kid..." he replied, rolling his eyes. Then he got into his car and drove away.

"Tchi, what an idiot," I muttered. "Then he asks for respect, what an idiot..."

"After a few minutes, everything was delivered. I signed some papers and could finally start my training. But first, I needed food. Lots of food."

I spent the last five days training hard, preparing for the start of classes. Monday came quicker than I expected.

To be honest, I never really liked school. But I knew I had to go. After all, who would get the chance to start their life over in another world when they were young?

Arriving at West Valley High School on my bike, I saw a crowd of teenagers and children.

"This sure smells like high school," I thought, a smile on my face. "A new life awaits me here."

As I cycled through the crowd, I noticed a lot of girls looking at me.

"Hm, am I really that handsome or that ugly?" I wondered. "Usually it's just one of the two that makes people stare at you so much."

I locked my bike and headed to the school office. Or at least I tried to, because I got lost on the way.

I asked a group of girls where the administration office was. They were very friendly and took me there.

"Thank you, girls. You saved me," I said.

"You're welcome. If you need anything, you can come and see us," said one of the girls, who was blonde.

"Tchi, Cindy, you slut. I saw him first...", another girl muttered, with a jealous tone of voice.

"Hey, calm down, Michele. I was the one who helped him...", the blonde replied.

I found that situation funny and went into the administration office.

"I knocked on the principal's door. Knock knock knock..."

"Hello, come in," the director said.

"Hello, sir. I'm a new student. I'm starting my first year," I said.

"Ah, yes, my boy. You're Clark, aren't you?" the director asked.

"Yes, Clark Filessia," I confirmed.

"You can call me Lopez. Here is this paper for you to give to your teachers. Your office is on the second floor, room 26, on the right side. Your locker is on the second floor too, number 467," the principal said, handing me a paper.

"Thank you, Mr. Lopez," I said.

As I was leaving the office, I bumped into someone.

I looked to see who it was and was surprised. It was Samantha LaRusso. She looked a year younger than she did at the beginning of the series. She's beautiful...

"Samantha, are you okay?" the director asked, concerned.

"Oh, yes, director. I'm fine," she replied.

"Is everything okay over there?" I asked, offering my hand to help her up.

"Yes, thank you," she said, accepting my help. "And I'm sorry for coming in like this and bumping into you."

"Don't worry about it," I replied, with a smile.

Samantha looked at me curiously, intrigued by the new student.

"Director, who was he?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. He's the new student. He'll be starting the same year as you, Samantha. His name is Clark," the principal replied.

"Hmm, his name is Clark...", Samantha thought.

After a few minutes of searching, I found my room and my closet.

I knocked on the classroom door. Knock knock knock...

"Who might you be, boy?" the teacher asked.

"Hello, teacher. I'm a student in this class. Here's my paper that the principal asked me to hand in," I said.

"Ah, yes. The principal informed me that we would be having a new student. Classes have already started, you're a little late... But that's okay, it's your first day," the teacher said. "Just a moment while I introduce you to the class."

"Class, today we will have a new student. His name is Clark Filessia," the teacher announced.

"Hi," I waved to the class. "You can call me Clark. I hope I get along with you guys."

"Okay, Clark. You have a chair in the back. You can sit there," the teacher said. "Let's continue the lesson now. The human capacity for adaptation..."

Two hours later...

"Man, I really don't miss school," I thought. "Sitting here listening to someone talk is boring. But what can I do? I'll just have to get used to it again..."

The boy sitting next to me is Eli, and the other one is Demitri.

When class ended, I went to my locker to get some books and was about to leave for the courtyard, when I heard someone calling me.

"Hey, newbie! You've barely arrived and you're already the talk of the girls. What do you do that's so different?", Demitri asked, with an amused tone of voice.

Eli didn't say anything, he just watched.

"Maybe it's my hair, man," I replied, shrugging.

"Yeah, your hair is really cool. Maybe I'll do the same with mine," Demitri commented. "By the way, I'm Demitri. This guy here is Eli."

I held out my hand to them. They both shook it. Eli hesitated a bit, but eventually shook it too.

"Clark," I introduced myself. "As you already know. You should get rid of that Ox-Lick hair, brother. It looks weird on you," I joked to Eli.

"Hahaha, you're right," Eli replied, laughing. "So, are you going to the cafeteria too?"

"No, I'm just going to take a walk around. First day, I want to see the place," I explained.

"I see. Then we'll go to the cafeteria together another day," Demitri said.

"Okay, guys. See you around," I said goodbye.

I took a walk around the school, trying to familiarize myself with the place. I got to the top of the school and found a quiet spot with a beautiful view.

"Hmm, there's no one around here. Great. First day, I'd rather be alone," I thought.

"What was that? Are you shy of people, new kid?" a female voice asked.

I was startled and looked back. My eyes widened for a second.

"Are you kidding?" I thought. "It's Tory Nichols!"

She was sitting behind a door.

I smiled at her and said, "Sorry, I was just looking for a place to get some rest. A new school sucks."

"She gave a mocking smile and said, "You're right. No one comes here. Only I stay here during the break. So, what's your name, new kid?"

"My name is Clark," I replied, extending my hand to her.

She looked at my hand for a second and then squeezed it.

"I'm Tory," she said.