Alex

I wish I could remember the last time I was happy. The last time something, or someone, genuinely made me smile big and caused me to feel my heart race in joy and not fear.

I sat in my small bedroom that I shared with my sister and looked out as rain fell down on my sixteenth birthday. No one this morning, as I made a bowl of cereal or walked around the house, even noticed.

I sighed to myself getting my bag and my umbrella to walk to the bus stop and wait. When the bus arrived it drove the three miles towards hell where I was in the middle of my junior year of high school.

I sighed knowing that today no one would care that I had turned a year older, they'd ignore me or pretended I didn't matter. I walked into the main hallway towards the back section where my locker was and kept my head down. Suddenly I felt something in my way causing me to fall onto the ground roughly.

The sick laughter beside me made my head hurt. I knew that laugh well. "Oh someone call the janitor, trash can just fell over!" David Lester had been a bully like a type that people don't believe are actually real. They think tv make up that shit, but he was real, he and his dumb friends were real and scary.

I stood up and grabbed my stuff walking away to avoid speaking to him. I wish he would ignore me like the rest of the school, but alas I was his prime source of entertainment.

Our school was small, a small town in the state of Oregon that didn't have more than a few thousand people and only about three hundred kids total.

Everyone knew each other and their parents knew each other.

My parents were well known because of my older sister Amy who was a very smart talented cello player. She was a lot prettier than me and was even going to a special school in the city where my parents worked. They never mentioned me even though I had straight A's as well.

The bell rang for my first class and I slowly made it upstairs to my class for English. I came inside and sat down in the last seat in the very back by myself, just as I did last semester.

Just as I always did.

Our teacher Miss Poe sat at her desk and typed at her computer as kids moved into the classroom and took their seats. It was the first day back from Christmas vacation and everyone hugged and acted as if they hadn't seen each other in years. I pulled out a book and began reading while Miss Poe stood and wrote on the whiteboard about our work for the day.

"Settle down children, I know we're all excited to share what Santa got us for Christmas but right now we are here to learn." She spoke sarcastically, rumor had it that her divorce had been finalized the week before Christmas, I'm sure she wasn't in the mood for us. It was quiet in the class when the door opened and in walked a tall kid with a brown jacket and dark grey beanie on his head. He had a few brown curls sticking on the sides, wet from the rain outside.

"S-sorry I'm late it's my f-first day." He said quietly. I noticed a few girls looking at him and giggling between each other.

"Ah yes, Harry right, they told me about you." She took a paper from him and signed it giving it back. "Alright take a seat either there next to Mary or in the back next to....over there." I looked down as I knew he would choose to sit next to Mary without a doubt. She was pretty and very well known because she's the captain of the dance team and president of the junior class. Her older sister also lets her borrow her ID and lets her have parties at her house.

Not that I would ever be invited to them.

I pulled my notebook out and began writing the date on the corner when I felt someone besides my table. "Um excuse m-me?" I looked up a bit nervous at the cute guy with a very slight accent that maybe English, or maybe Irish? I had only heard him speak a few words. "Is this s-seat taken, may I s-sit here?"

English, very English.

I nodded slowly and moved my bag to let him sit beside me. Not a single word was spoken between us the whole class until the bell rang. I quickly picked up my stuff and began making my way to leave. "Excuse me?" He called out to me. The class had emptied out rather quickly but I wasn't in a rush because my next class was right down the hall.

"Yeah?" He smiled at me and I noticed our height difference.

"I w-was w-wondering if you knew where the gymnasium is?" I nodded quickly noticing he had a slight stutter. I didn't want to point it out, but it was obvious he was trying to fight it.

"I could walk you there." I offered.

His smile returned and he nodded. "Really, that w-would be great. I'm H-h-harry by the way." He stuck his hand out towards me. He seemed a bit nervous and timid but I shook his hand.

"I'm Alex." His hand was soft and he gently released it after a second. "Follow me." He nodded walking beside me as I walked into the gym. I wanted to say something, make conversation with him, make a friend before he was tainted by everyone and dragged away to the more elite kids who had cars, smoked weed, and drank on the weekends instead of staying home.

"S-so how o-old are you?" He randomly asked causing me to look up at him.

"Uh sixteen, I just turned sixteen today actually," I said shyly.

"R-really?" He let out a sigh and put his hands in his pockets. "S-s-sorry I have a s-s-stutter when I get nervous." He looked down. "I'm always n-nervous."

We stopped in front of the gym and I pointed out his teacher and where the locker room was. "It's okay, I barely noticed it." He smiled crossing his arms nervously. "But yes today is my birthday."

He looked at me and gently smiled. "Happy birthday A-Alex." I thanked him waving and walking towards my class again.

After fourth period was lunch and I was annoyed because we had lunch inside because of the rain and all the good seats were taken up by everyone. I grabbed my lunch and headed towards the door towards the gym where one of the side doors didn't work and could open. I would eat lunch there occasionally alone since I didn't have friends.

I walked alone down the hall when I heard a door slam shut and footsteps following me. I gulped feeling nervous at David coming to push me around or something. "Alex?" I stopped turning to find Harry walking over. "Hey, w-where are you g-going?" He asked me.

I held my bag of lunch I made myself and looked towards the gym. "To eat lunch in the gym, would you like to join me?" He nodded following me to sit down. It was quiet in the gym and I immediately felt weird. He probably knew I was a loser.

"S-so why do you eat lunch alone?" I sighed shrugging my shoulders.

"I guess I'm weird or ugly, maybe different than other kids." He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no one likes the k-kid with the s-stutter." He joked eating his bagel. He pulled his phone out and put on some music. The soft guitar began playing and he gently moved his head side to side.

After we ate I sat beside him, looking up at the windows on the very top of the gym. The rain was getting worse and yet was very relaxing as of right now. "How come you moved here? Or did you already live here and you transferred?" He shook his head.

"I m-moved with my parents because my stepdad got a job t-transfer." He shrugged. "W-we used to live in C-California and Florida." I nodded. "But this place s-seems more p-permanent." I looked down at his binder and noticed his schedule and saw that we had the next two classes together.

"Oh look we have study hall and science together." he looked down and smiled.

"W-well look at that, glad I have a f-friend."

I smiled at him and was glad I did too.

Thank you for reading. Xx

-k