And cause I've got so much written waiting to post...
Chapter 5: Initiation
I watched intently as August pulled up the coordinates for the hovercar. I still found the self-driving cars unsettling. As we lifted off the ground, I settled back and prepared to be whizzed about hundreds of feet in the air trusting to a set of codes to not mash me into a telephone pole.
“We’ll drop off December first, and then we’ll get you situated at the school.” August said. Her seat swiveled around so that we were all facing each other. “How’s that sound?”
“Dreadful.” I said, because I know I’m horrible at lying.
She just kind of looked at me for a full five seconds, trying to figure out if I was joking or not. “What’s wrong?”
“I hate to sound like a five year-old, but I don’t wanna go to school.” I said, keeping an eye on the oncoming traffic.
“Toughen up champ.” December chucked me on the shoulder. “Look at this way…free crayons.”
Her mom gave her a hard look. She just grinned back, completely at ease.
“Why not?” August asked, giving me her best concerned-mom look.
“I don’t put much stock by an education.” We had queued up in a line in front of a large spiral building.
“Well, it’s kind of necessary.”
“No, not really.” I said doggedly.
“Plus it’s required by the state.” August settled back in her seat. “No luck bud. Maybe you’ll meet a cute girl.”
“Maybe you’ll get slapped.” December offered.
“Is she annoying you?” August asked, apparently on the verge of issuing her daughter a gag.
“Yeah.” I said. “It’s refreshing though.”
She sighed, obviously at her wit’s end to understand teenagers. Our hovercar had reached the front of the line. December leaned across and kissed me on the cheek. “Have a good day bro.”
I scrubbed furiously at my cheek. “Ugh, that’s disgusting.”
“No kidding, you taste bad.” She said, and cheerfully catapulted out of the car and onto the platform. She sauntered through the open doors, her knapsack flapping behind her.
I loved this chapter, free crayons. XD And I understand being refreshed by the annoying and stuff oddly enough.
It made it worse. A heck of a lot worse. We ended up sitting in a room full of teachers who were trying to comprehend my situation.
“Are you sure that you’ve never been schooled?” A balding old guy with goggles leaned in intensively.
“Oh, sure I have. I got schooled on videogames like way back.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously unaccustomed to dealing with idiots. “Let me rephrase that…have you ever been educated?”
“I educated myself.” I said defiantly.
He shook his head. “No, that’s not how it works.”
I settled back in my chair. “No, that’s not how it works…up here.” I corrected them.
Another teacher broke in. “You, like, know your ABCs, right?”
“I can rap my ABCs.” I gave her a lidded stare. “Can you?”
Finally, the main man, presumably the principal broke in with the final say. “I have a headache. We’ll deal with this later. Put this guy in the normal set of classes for now.” And that was it. And nobody took a note to review me later. I love the system.
Sounds like a legit adult "I have a headache *ends discussion*"
The kids in my class stared at me like I was from another planet. Life had been discovered in three neighboring systems, but I didn’t look remotely like an alien, even with my metal limbs (which none of them had seen even). The introduction hadn’t helped.
“This is Nathan.” The teacher had said. “He has never set foot inside a classroom before, so don’t beat him up or anything.”
I refrained from standing atop a chair and yelling “IT’S NATE ACTUALLY.” The thought did cross my mind, though.
The person sitting next to me kind of gave me a cocked look that let me know I was her new science experiment, and I felt something wash over me. It made me want to convulse. Unfortunately for me, only half my body was programmed to properly convulse, so it’s kind of an awkward sight. I stifled it.
The teacher kind of left me out of every exercise till the lunchbreak, and then called me over before I could make good my escape. “Nathan, can we talk?”
“I think you just successfully demonstrated your ability to do so.” I said.
She didn’t get my sarcasm. That was okay. As long as people didn’t get my sarcasm I’d be okay. Once they did, it’d be kind of wasted.
“Look, how do you want me to treat you?” She asked.
“To ice cream, preferably.”
“You can get some of that at the cafeteria.” She waved her hand.
All of a sudden, school seemed worth it.
“I mean, how would you like me to integrate you? How much of the material this morning did you understand?”
I shrugged. “I was doing okay up till ‘guys, this is Nathan,’ and then I kind of lost it.”
“I’m going to give you a truckload of books to take home. How does that sound?”
“Wonderful.” I said, imaging the stacking and fire-starting possibilities that many books presented.
“All on this.” She held up an electric device.
That presented a lot less possibilities.
She held up a paper manual. “This’ll help you get the hang of it.”
I brightened back up. As long as I got to burn something.
“Okay, I’ll transfer all the books by tonight. Be back here by one, Nathan.”
“It’s Nate.” I said.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said, but didn’t make a note.
I had forty-five minutes left to locate lunch. I hurried outside, and instantly got dragged along in a current of bodies that could only be compared with the rapids in the Grand Canyon. I was squeezed, buffeted, and ultimately spit out into a side room to escape the crush. I adjusted my glove as I stood there in the semi dark, trying to compose myself before facing the horde again. Then I noticed a kid who was sitting in the corner staring at me cold and hard.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this was your cell.” I said, and left. I don’t try and understand people. I dare them to try and understand me.
Nausea? Or heavy perfume....there's barely any difference between the two I guess.
And a pyromaniac...I love this kid.
I wanna know about the kid in alone in the corner now... O-O
X'D![[y]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/WYWPH2VRo26pOFDid7QZ.png)