IV
The Latest Advent
~~~

Rita, Steve, and Gar walk into the Jump City High School and the few people that are there early don't hesitate to gawk at him.

"Omg is that him?!"

"I thought Lexi was joking!"

"That can't be him, he's taller than on TV isn't he?"

He hears people murmur a myriad of things. From him looking different than they thought he would despite the fact that he uses facecam when he streams online and that his face is clearly shown during competitions, to him being 'so pretty.' He tries hard to ignore them and just block them out, but it's unavoidable. Word must get around quickly here because Gar specifically requested that the principal not tell anyone his name for this exact reason.

Upon walking in, the three of them come to the conclusion that the school is huge and virtually unnavigable without foresight, so Gar takes a shot in the dark.

"Um, excuse me?" he asks a girl who's closing her locker. "Where's the principal's office?" She turns around and her eyes inflate.

"Uh...d-down the hall a-and to the left. L-look for t-the main office sign..."

"Thanks..." He's never walked out of a conversation so quickly in his life. The three of them hear a loud squeal as they turn the corner.

"Is this how it was like back in Steel, Gar?" Rita asks.

"Not at all. Everyone knew me there already."

"Will this be a problem?" she asks worriedly. The maternal love in her voice isn't being shy.

He shakes his head firmly with a smile.

"I'll make sure people see me for me. Not just my online profile," he replies simply. Rita smiles.

They get to the office and the front wall is all glass. You can see straight into the open area where the secretary sits.

"Hi," he says after going through the doors. "I'm Garfield Logan and this my aunt and uncle, Rita Farr and Steve Dayton. Is Ms. Lhorwik here?" he asks the secretary who's name seems to be Lily based on her ID. She's got her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail and has two clips in, one on each side of her head about an inch and a half from her center part, to keep her auburn hair back neatly. Her serene brown eyes make it clear as to why she's the first one you see when you come in here.

The office itself is all but plain. There are all kinds of awards and plaques and gold and silver medals on the walls. Awards to staff hang from them as well in similar forms. There are sports awards, preforming arts awards, but the academic ones are the most prominent. Along with a black and yellow banner sporting the school's mascot: A manticore. There's an old painting of it behind Lily's desk. The majestic beast is rearing upwards in order to flash his sharpened claws, the rich mane flowing backward, slightly overlapping his large dragon-like wings. His scorpion tail curls over his head, and it looks completely prepared to attack. Despite all this, the human face it has it the most threatening with its multiple rows of pinpointed teeth. Quite a ferocious mascot.

"Garfield? You must be the new student." Lily says after looking up at him from her computer screen. "She's at the very end of the hall. You can't miss it!" her cheery tone incites immediate comfort along with her comely appearance. 

"Thank you." Gar gives her a kind wave and the three head down the hall.

"Oh, wait!" she stops them, "I almost forgot, Mrs. Farr, Mr. Dayton, you two need visitors tags." She writes out their names on two white stickers with yellow borders that say 'Hello! My name is ________. I am visiting Jump City High School!' in bolded black lettering at the top. "Alright, now you can go!"

Gar nods to her and they head back down the hall again.

"Oh, I like your hair!" called the seemingly scatterbrained secretary. After thanking her, Gar messes with his green tips a little. He got this done a while ago and they were fading back to his natural blonde, but he still gets compliments that make his heart warm up. That little rush of pleasure always reminds him that he has to go back to re-dye them.

The hall is just as interesting as the main front office, but instead of awards, the walls are adorned with motivational posters that do nothing for students on one side, and the side with the offices each either have pictures of their occupants' kids and students or the pictures are made by those kids and students on the other. Both kinds of embellishments are stuck on the outside of their windows specifically, which are made of marbled glass. There's also a banner or a poster of some sort from what seems like the college that they graduated from. Gar can only imagine how many college posters are on the inside of the office. Bottom line: no empty wall space. There must always be something for people to look at whether it be eye-catching or just blending into the scenery. The sandy-colored walls are not to be the center of attention here whatsoever.

They reach the end of the hall and come to the door that Lily described. It even has Ms. Lhorwik's name on it et in a golden plaque on the marbled glass panel embedded in the wooden door. More of the same types of banners and pictures surround her name. Above it are school photos of a boy who seems to be her son and a picture of her and some kids whom Gar assumes are students. There's another teacher with them. There's also a banner from Stanford University and a certificate with her various degrees. She appears to have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree.

Must be a club or something. He thinks. As he goes to knock on the door, he notices that the assumed-son is in that same group photo. 

"Come in," a deep yet feminine voice calls from inside. They enter into a small, brightly lit office. Surprisingly enough, the walls here have only a few picture frames. Ms. Lhorwik doesn't seem to have much to display. Either that or everything is on the outside. Gar wonders if the insides of all the other offices are like this.

What isn't on the walls, though, is made up for by what is on Ms. Lhorwik's desk. Aside from the cliché apple that he's never seen a teacher have on their desk until now, there's photos of her with whom Gar can only assume is her husband based on the fact that in some pictures they're kissing, photos of her from her graduation, a slightly larger photo with a large portion of the school, a tin of pens and pencils, post-its, that giant, white calendar that every teacher seems to have attached to their desk, various toys for students who get fidgety, and baby photos of the boy outside on the door. Upon seeing her, there's no doubt that that boy is her son. He's a spitting image of her. His hair is the same shade of dusty brown as her's is and his eyes match her glowing hazels. You wouldn't think that there was even a father involved with his conception at all if that weren't completely impossible.

"Hi, I'm Garfield Logan. You told us to come here this morning in your email from last night?" she looks at the three of them in suspicious confusion for a second, then you can see the lightbulb go off.

"Oh, Garfield! Welcome! This morning was so hectic for me that I forgot that you were coming. I'm so sorry!"

"Haha, it's alright. I'm just glad you told me to come here and not just go right into classes." he chuckles nervously.

"No no, I would never do that to a mid-year transfer. That's just cruel. Especially since you couldn't tour the school."

"Will you be showing him around?" Rita asks.

"I'm afraid not, but I do have a student that is supposed to tour him around before classes start."

"Oh, about that, why are there so many people here? School doesn't start for another hour."

"How many students have you seen?"

"At least like twenty."

"Hmm, that's strange. Mr. Garcia must be having a unit test today then. He doesn't let students meet during lunch or after school, so many students come before school to see him on test days." she clears her throat, "Anyway, we're getting off-topic. Please sit down and we'll get started." They do as their told, with Gar sitting right in the middle between Rita and Steve. "Welcome to Jump City High School." Ms. Lhorwik welcomes them warmly.

"I'm excited to be back in my hometown." he states with a smile.

"Oh, right, I did see that you've lived here before. Welcome back then." 

"Thanks!" Gar radiates exuberance. He's struggling to stay calm and not go overboard with any of his answers or reactions. The seat's cushioning is quite comfy, and everything about this office just puts Gar at ease. He's sure that'll change eventually, but right now he intends to relish it.

They get the introductions of Rita and Steve out of the way and Lhorwik explains some of the functions of the school like how the schedule works, attendance and how absences are punished, how snow days are handled (even though snow might as well be a myth in California), and other things that are in the student handbook that he's required to know.

"Now I just have a small survey for you," she says once all of that is finished and questions have been asked. "We give it to all transfer students upon their arrival here. I'll talk with these two while you go and do it outside. Ok, Gar?" She hands him the survey and a pencil. Gar nods and stands up, making his way to the door. It shuts and he starts to look around for a chair. He ends up finding one that he failed to see on his way in.

I must be excited. I missed this big ass chair sitting right here.

He knew what she is going to talk to them about. "Is there anything that isn't on his record that I should know about him?" She had tried to email them about it before but Steve told her that it would be better for them to explain it in person. There sure are a few things that she could know, but that doesn't mean she should know them. At least, that's what he thinks. What he vehemently thinks. He can only hope that Rita and Steve don't tell her about his parents.

Regardless he begins the questions so he could rid himself of those thoughts.

1) What grade are you in?

—11th

2) Do you plan on partaking in any sports?

—No. Unless Esports count.

3) Do you plan on joining any clubs?

—Yes. I plan on joining the gaming league here.

4) Do you know anybody that goes to or teaches at this school?

—Yes. Quite a few students. I don't really know any of the teachers though.

5) Do you feel like you will have a hard time making friends?

—Not really. At least, I hope not.

6) Is there a specific reason you chose JCHS?

—I wanted to move back to my hometown, mainly to see a specific friend I haven't spoken to in years.

He hesitates to continue upon realizing how fantastical that answer sounds. It makes him seem like such a dreamer. He almost wants to erase it out of existence. But that answer is the truth so he (perhaps against his better judgment) leaves the answer as is and moves on to the next set of questions.

He looks, and bellow question six is a disclaimer, the word itself being in a font size that's larger than the text around it. Not only that, but the whole line is bolded. Gar suddenly feels uncomfortable and he hasn't even read a single question yet.

DISCLAIMER: These last 4 questions are more personal. If you do not feel comfortable answering, please write "I am uncomfortable sharing this information".

Well great. This'll be fun. He thinks.

7) Have you ever been involved with drugs, sex, or alcohol?

The hell? Do they really think kids will answer that truthfully?

—No.

8) Have you ever been convicted of a felony, been in jail, or been held by the police for any reason?

—No.

What is the point of these questions? Wouldn't they have this on my record anyway?

8) Contrary to what your doctor or anyone else may believe, do you believe you have some sort of disability or mental disorder? If so, please state it.

Gar rereads the question, hesitant to answer, and then slowly decides to plead the fifth and writes:

—I am uncomfortable sharing this information.

9) Have you been diagnosed with a mental disability or disorder?

Again, he hesitates.

—I am uncomfortable sharing this information.

10) Who or what do you think is the most important thing in your life?

—The reason I decided to come back to Jump City in the first place.

10) What is the one thing you wish you could do but you know you can't?

—I am uncomfortable sharing this information.

As it would probably get me arrested. He finishes his answer in his mind.

He looks at questions eight, nine, and ten again. A wave of anger washes over him, fogging up his train of thought for a moment. He clenches his teeth to hold himself back, still staring at those questions. In order to keep himself from tearing up the page and tossing it in fury, he folds it as quickly as possible and goes back into the office. Wiping his face clean of any emotion other than happiness.

He places the paper back on the desk as respectfully as possible then sits down in the chair next to Rita.

"Gar? Are you ok?" Rita asks.

Damn. Why is fooling her so hard? Turns out he didn't wipe enough emotion away.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just..." He looks at the folded paper and furrows his brow, "look at those questions, Rita." 

"May I?" Lhorwik slides the survey back over to her and she reads through the questions along with Gar's answers. "Ohh." She passes it to Steve and after quickly skimming the questions, he gives them back to Ms. Lhorwik. He then looks to Gar, who now has placed his head on Rita's shoulder and is looking out into space in order to calm himself. Ms. Lhorwik tries to hide her face of judgment of Gar's childlike reaction.

"I request that these questions not be shared with anyone please, Ms. Lhorwik. For the reasons we discussed it would be in his best interest that you don't mention these to him again." Steve says with brevity. She nods immediately in understanding.

"Gar," Rita pushes his head from her shoulder to get his brain back to earth. He seems much calmer now and much more attentive. "I have your schedule here, luckily it's the beginning of the fourth quarter so everything should be new assignments and lessons. You shouldn't be thrown into the middle of a big project or anything like that." 

"Alright," he says dryly. She gives him a pink paper with his schedule on it. She also gives him a yellow paper with a map, his locker combo, his locker number, and his guidance counselor on it. "Thank you," he says.

"And, Gar?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry if those questions made you upset. They told me about your situation and I can see how they would affect you. Just know that that questionnaire is just simply protocol. I'm required to give it to you. I wasn't trying to target you in any way."

"I understand." She smiles and Gar gives back a half smile.

"Ok, Mrs. Farr and Mr. Dayton, you're free to go to work. The student should be on her way now." 

"Alright, thank you, Ms. Lhorwik."

"Bye, Gar. Don't get in trouble on the first day." Steve teases. Rita kisses Gar on the forehead for her goodbye and they both leave. The door closes and he's left with the principal.

"Gar, remember, your guidance counselor is here to help if you're having any issues." He nods slowly.

"Thank you..."

"Now, I've asked one of our best students to come in and show you around the school. I believe she's in some of your classes." He fights the urge to get his hopes up for anything. Hearing 'she' makes his brain jump for joy, making the assumption that it's going to be Raven. Though he highly doubts it. In fact, he highly doubts that it will be any of his old friends. 

At least it's an opportunity for a new friend. 

"Just wait here for her. She'll be here soon." he nods as he has been doing. 'The silent yes man' as he sometimes calls it. This state that he's currently in never lasts for too long, but he can tell Lhorwik is put off by it. He was so chipper when he came in here and now he's hardly speaking. It's such a quick turn around that she probably thinks that he's bipolar as well.

Once Gar starts twiddling his thumbs, the sign that boredom will soon take over, there's a giddy yet gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," Ms. Lhorwik replies. The door's knob turns and Gar can hear the mechanism that keeps the door from swinging back and forth through the doorframe recede back into the door itself. He's abruptly overrun with the feeling of strawberries and cream, strength and passion, and a hint of silly cookie dough mix as the door opens. A feeling that he hasn't felt in a long time, yet he remembers it very well.

No. Way. The odds of this are astronomically high, aren't they??

He turns around in his seat to see who's stepping into the threshold of the office and upon making eye contact with each other, both of them go wide-eyed.

"Kori?!"

"Gar?!"

Gar jumps up from the comfy chair and holds her in a tight hug that Kori reciprocates, not skimping out on her signature strength that Gar could never forget. Neither of them expected the other at all. Kori Anders is a top student at JCHS, a cheerleader, a "retired" gymnast, and Gar's really old, really good friend. Her fiery red hair is her telltale characteristic. With it, you can spot her from a mile away. She almost didn't recognize him with the green highlights, but she never forgets a face.

"You have returned!" she says ecstatically in her odd speech patterns that Gar's missed so much. Her English isn't the best, but being born and raised in a different country until you were eight will do that to you. Gar had only known her for a mere year before he moved, but Kori's bubbly personality and friendly attitude combined with Gar's relaxed nature and amicable tendencies made for a fast friendship.

"We finally got enough money to come back! More than enough actually!"

"I have seen you online, you are very different from before," she says while messing with the thick green bangs that cover part of his forehead.

"Yeah, I kinda let them grow out," he says smiling.

"And it's green! All I wished to do was touch your hair when you dyed them!" she says, continuing to fluff out his hair. "It suits you so well!" She was always -- and still is -- an upbeat person. It's impossible for you to be in a sour mood for very long with her around.

"Are the others still around?"

"Dick, Vic, and Raven? Of course! Dick and I are dating now!"

"So that teasing was just predicting the future then huh?" he grins. Kori punches him in the arm and Gar winces in pain. There's that oblivious strength. Ow...

"Oh be quiet!" She says with a laugh. 

"Hey, you can't tell me that we were wrong." The two of them laugh again. It's been a long while since Gar has felt this genuinely good. 

"I didn't know that you and Kori knew each other."

"Ms. Lhorwik, you should have informed me as to who the new student would be!"

"I guess I should have. I didn't think it was important for you to know his name. Either way, the tour still needs to happen before the bell rings, so Kori, you need to get a move on."

"Right! Let us go, Gar!" With that, she's already out of the room, going to the beat of her own drum. Gar loves it. He hurries to get his backpack, slings it over his shoulder, and follows Kori out. 

"Thanks, Ms. Lhorwik!" he says with a wave and shuts the door. 

On their way out of the office, Gar and Kori catch up a bit, talking about what the two of them have been doing for the past six years. Kori also fills Gar in on what the others have been doing, but once they land on Raven, things slow a bit.

"So, Gar, are you aware of..." she treads carefully once they get out of the office, saying hi to Lily again.

"I saw the article," he replies.

"She has been waiting for you this whole time, you know." 

Gar nods. He knows that already just from that article alone. The thought of Raven waiting for him though makes his chest feel achy.

"I don't care if I don't get anything accomplished today. I just want to thank her. It's hard to put your own father in jail."

"Indeed. But...have you seen her since you returned?" he shakes his head.

"I know her mom contacted Rita and Steve though. They said she said I'd be suprised about how she looked."

"She looks very different from when you saw her last, I'll say that much. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised though!"

"Well, that's good to hear." Then he realizes: "Aaaand you're still taller than me... Damnit." He was so caught up in the reunion that he forgot about the one thing he hates about her: her height. He thought that he'd eventually get taller than her because he knew that 'boys get taller than girls,' but once he stopped at five feet and six inches last year, he knew that wouldn't be happening. Not while he's in high school at least. He's still got his hopes up for college though.

"Heehee!" Kori is probably the best person for him to see right now. The way she conducts herself is so positive that it's infectious. And she is dating Dick now, which probably makes her even more positive now that she's running half on 'love energy' if that's even possible. "Let us go! I shall show you around the school before class starts. Let me see your schedule."

All of a sudden, she starts beaming.

"What?"

"We share some classes! Chemistry and Gym class!"

"Oh thank God, I'd never last though gym without someone I know," he states happily. "Do you know if anyone else has classes with me?"

"Well, Raven is in our Chemistry class," 

He internally screams. 

"I believe you have Study Hall with Raven as well," 

More internal celebration. 

"Is that Jinx's Calculus class?"

"Jinx?" He's kind of surprised. Jinx is a girl he was never really crazy close with, but she was friends with Raven, so he talked with her from time to time. Her actual name is Jenny but she was a prankster when she was little so she gained the moniker of Jinx via her parents. From what he remembers, she was obsessed with pink and purple and liked to push him around and mess with him. And not just him. It applied to everyone. Even Raven and Kori at times. Her main target was usually boys, but she didn't completely discriminate. She was just more lenient on girls. "Then that must mean Wally is here too." 

Kori nods.

You can't have Jinx without Wally. They had sort of a frenemy relationship, as they would constantly claim to hate eachother but they had no aversions to hanging out with one another and being all buddy-buddy in public. But there was always this thing between them that kept them from being away from each other for very long. 

"Mhm. Oh! Speaking of him, he and Vic are in our Gym class too."

"Yesssss, more people."

She keeps looking over his schedule.

"Anyone else?"

"Uh... not in Gym, but Dick is in your US History class and...Vic and..." her lighthearted face drops, "...Terra... are in your English class." 

"Terra?" She nods. Dammit. He doesn't remember a lot about Terra. Only that she was the textbook definition of a brat as a ten-year-old. But people can change. Especially after 6 years. But based on Kori's reluctance to tell him that she is in a class of his, his thoughts are waning. "Is she still that bad?"

"She is ok sometimes, but she does not fare well when Raven is around."

"How do you mean?"

"She and Raven hate each other." Gar facepalms.

"Great."

"Otherwise she is quite nice. It is just when Raven and her start talking. She then becomes very annoying and 'bitchy' as Vic likes to describe her. So many of us have mixed feelings about her."

"Ugh. Good enough. C'mon show me where these classes are."

"Oh! Yes! I will go backwards on your schedule so I can just drop you off at your first class by the time the bell rings." She explains.

Kori leads him around the school, going from his period eight Calculus class all the way to his period one English class. He doesn't quite understand why he has a free period and a study hall, but he disregards it, deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Once they finish and Kori has taken him around, explaining a few other things to him along the way, they end up at his English class and Gar takes back his schedule so he can read it properly.

Period 1: English 3

Period 2: US History

Period 3: Chemistry

Period 4: Study Hall

LUNCH

Period 5: Computer Science & Graphic Design

Period 6: Free Period

Period 7: Physical Education

Period 8: Calculus

So because of the block schedule, the classes will be in a different order every day. Six classes a day and Fridays I have all eight.

...

I am gonna be so lost.

"Ok! I will show you your locker during lunch. Though you probably will not use it. Not many people don't."

"Eh. I guess I'll get to it when I can then." he checks his phone for the time, "Is there anything else about the school that I should know?

"Hmm, there is a turf field in the back. Softball, baseball, track, lacrosse, all of them practice there. Not all the time of course. But sometimes we'll go out there for gym. There's also a regular softball field but the grass behind it doubles as a makeshift football field that the marching band uses to practice on in the summer. There's also an indoor swimming pool, but that is reserved solely for the swim team."

"That's not gonna stop other people I'm sure."

"Nope!"

"Tch. Well, the bell is gonna ring soon and–"

"Wait, there's one more thing: Lunch! For lunch you can sit pretty much anywhere except the science block because people have labs during lunch. There is also the main cafeteria and the auxiliary gym where you can sit and actually buy lunch. I forgot to show you the aux gym but you'll see everyone going there."

"...labs?" 

"The concept is simple: science before lunch, just stay in class when the bell rings. Science after lunch, the bell will ring halfway through lunch and that's when you go to eat. We do not have to worry about that. We have lab on A days which are usually Mondays. But lucky for us last week's schedule got altered so today is an E day and tomorrow is an A day. So you get to see all of your classes today."

"I guess that works in my–" BRIIIIIINNNNGGG. "favor."

"Oh! I have got to get to class! We sit in the main hallway for lunch! See you later!" 

And with that, he's left on his own. As more and more people file into the hall as they come upstairs from the main hallway, more and more people notice him.

"The Beast" flutters around in whispers through the hall until the teacher finally unlocks the door. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and block out the people around him. After another breath or two, as if on queue, the teacher opens the door and invites the part of the class that's outside in.

Gar's hands tighten around his backpack straps and he enters the room.

~~~

Hi guys! How do you like this extra long chapter? I didn't plan it that way but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

The school is modeled after my own, along with the rules, guidelines, and even the way the school is built and organized, excluding a few modifications to fit the story. Like the free-period thing for example. In my school only seniors get it. If you have any questions about it (because I know this may be super confusing to those not accostumed to it) don't hesitate to ask me so I can clear something up. I tried to explain it as clearly as possible but I can't do everything right; c'est la vie.

Again tell me how you like this chapter and the longer chapters cuz if you do I might try and make chapters a bit longer for you guys!

Also, I know the schedule is Saturdays but I can't help it. I have to be spontaneous. Updates at least once a week. That's about as much as a schedule I'm gonna get to.

~Rae

EDIT: I've been editing this book (slowly) and I've just finished it and wow. I can't believe y'all read that garbage. It was so choppy and bad that I pity my past self. XD

Word Count: 5023