Chapter 1

     The school loomed over me like a modern-day castle. The wrought-iron gate leading to the huge white building added to the effect.
     The cab pulled through the gate, which shut behind us, and screeched to a halt in the courtyard driveway.
     I slung my backpack over my shoulder and got out of the car. I took my suitcase out of the trunk, and as soon as I shut the door, the cab sped away, back out the gates that swung shut as it left. I figured I wouldn't be going out those gates any time soon.
     I stepped up to the front door, setting down my luggage. I reached for the doorbell, but I jumped when the door opened before I could ring it. An older woman, looking to be in her forties, was standing in the doorway. She had her black hair, which was streaked with grey, done up in a bun, and she wore a business dress that hung down to her knees. She had glasses balancing on her nose. Her face was set in a hard glare, and it seemed like that was her only emotion. She was a typical correctional school headmistress.
     "Welcome to Ottawa Correctional School, Mr. Autumn. We have been expecting you. Follow me." She walked into the building, leaving me to carry my bags myself.
     I followed her down the main hall, which had potted plants dotted along the way. Every now and then you would see a bunch of chairs or couches, usually with a table or two, made for study sessions. We passed multiple doors, most opening to classrooms which were in session.
     The headmistress held open a door to an office, and once I walked in, she motioned for me to sit down, shutting the door behind her. She sat across the table from me, and opened up a laptop. It was awkwardly silent, besides the tapping of the keyboard. I chewed on the skin around my nail, gazing around the room, trying to keep myself focused on getting registered into the school.
     I was only 16, and my parents had sent me off to a correctional school in Ottawa, due to an... accident. It wasn't my fault, though. There was a fire, and the other boy was stuck, and I moved the piece of wood, and...
     I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Last thing I needed was to get a bad reputation for not listening. The headmistress cleared her throat, getting my attention.
     "Your name is Riley Autumn, correct?" I nodded. "I see you've got quite a record here, Riley? If that's even a boys name."
There is was. The insults. I knew they were coming eventually, I just didn't know they would be coming so soon, none the less from the headmaster. I kept silent, knowing I wouldn't be listened to if I spoke anyway. I had been bullied for most of my life, so I was used to it at this point.
     "You're 16 years of age, having been sent here by your parents..." She kept mumbling about my record. "Excuse me, parent, no 's'. You lived with you're father, had no siblings, 5'11'' in height..."
     I stopped listening about halfway through. I couldn't focus, as she kept talking in her extremely monotone voice. I was daydreaming when she coughed, saying my name. I glanced up.        "S-sorry, what was that?"
     She scoffed, and I felt my face heat up. "Do you need help carrying your bags to your dorm, or will you be able to manage?"
     I politely declined, and she gave me a key. "Your dorm is room 47, second floor. You should be able to find it on your own, I'm sure."
     Noting that the conversation was over, I thanked her, leaving the office. I walked down the hall, carrying all my luggage, until I made it to the elevator.
I set my stuff down at a table, resting for a second. It was really heavy, and the building was really big. You would think they would build more ways to get to the second floor, instead of only 2 sets of stairs.
     I checked my reflection in my phone screen. My round face was splashed with freckles, and I was still pale as hell. I don't think I will ever get a tan. My blond-brown hair was messy, and my lips were chapped, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to get to my dorm room, settle in, and maybe sleep. Though I doubt I would be able to sleep. I hadn't slept well since the night if the accident.
     I was staring at the table top, lost in my thoughts, when I heard a knock. A boy, or a girl, I couldn't tell, had knocked on the table. They smiled. "Are you lost, dude?"
     They were wearing a black t-shirt, light blue skinny jeans and aviator sunglasses. The kid looked about my age, maybe a bit older, and had a kind smile. They seemed welcoming.
     I shook my head, standing from my seat. "No, I'm not lost, just a bit tired. I was actually just going." I picked up my bags, stuffing my phone in my pocket.
They stuck their hand out, and I shook it before picking up my suitcase.
     "Do you need any help?"
     Reluctantly, I nodded. They laughed, and I handed them my backpack. "If you could carry that, I'd be forever in your debt. My back is killing me."
     We both laughed and started walking up the stairs. We got to talking, and the person introduced themselves as Charlie. "You can use any pronoun for me, I don't care. As long as you don't use the same one too many times, It'll be fine. What's your name?"
     "Riley. Riley Autumn."
They nodded, smiling once again. Their smile was pretty contagious. "I like that name. I like any name that can be used for a boy or a girl. That's why I changed my name to Charlie. It used to be Chalia, but I didn't like that."
     I agreed. Charlie was a much better fit for them.
     We finally got to my dorm, and I took my backpack from Charlie. "Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it. I am forever in your favor." I fake bowed, and they giggled.
     "Hey, one sec." They took out a pen and grabbed my hand, scribbling something down on my palm.
     "My dorm number. And my phone. We need to keep in touch. You seem like a pretty cool friend. We should see each other around. Maybe go out and get a coffee one of these days? Call me if you need anything, or, if you just need help with anything, like school or relationship issues. I always answer my phone, so you should be all set. I'll see you around, eh?"
     I nodded, saying goodbye and entering my dorm. Stepping inside and shutting the door, I found myself in a mess. There was a trash can in the corner, overflowing with garbage. More trash littered the floor, and to my disgust, there was dirty laundry everywhere, dirty dishes stacked on the counter, and both of the beds weren't made.
     Looking over to the other bed, I noticed a guy sitting on it, cross legged. He had headphones in, and his black hair, dyed red at the tips, fell over his eyes as he stared at his phone. He had no shirt on, which brought a blush to my face, and skinny jeans clung to his legs, hanging low on his waist.
     I set my bags on the other bed, and coughed loudly. When he still didn't hear me, I said louder, "Hey... hey you, my roommate!"
     He finally looked up, a shocked expression on his face. He took his headphones out, and a huge grin broke out across his face.
     "Ah, so you must be my roommate! Hello! My name is Cameron! Cameron Hales!" He looked me up and down. "I like your sweatshirt."
      I looked down at myself. I was wearing a black sweatshirt with a pop band sign on it, two straight lines and two slanted ones. I had jeans on and tattered black converse. I was a mess, and I ran a hand through my hair, trying to tame it.
     "Thanks... hey, um, dude, do you mind if I clean the room? I have a thing about messy spaces, and this is just... overwhelming. "
     Cameron nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry about the mess. I am just too lazy to clean it." He cracked a grin.
     I started cleaning, not really minding the work. It took my mind off of other things, such as my new roommate, being in as new school, and the accident...

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Ok. Well.
We got this far.
If you have read this far and didn't get extremely bored with my writing, thank you
I write a lot, but this is the first time I've written a book on wattpad
I'm hoping I don't get distracted with this one
I really like it
Please tell me if there are any errors
And I will eventually update
School is almost out, I've got three more days, so hopefully I will be getting some chapters in this summer

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