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Normally, we would definitely win the championship after this season as the defending champions. Normally, I would be on the court right now, sinking baskets. Yes, normally... Because normally I wouldn't be sitting on the bench with a broken forearm, watching the rest of the team actively work to ensure that we completely mess up after a great season.
But what was normal?
For me, it was normal to always be lucky in all respects. For 16 years, I had more than just hit the jackpot when both height and all other physical characteristics were distributed. I had already reached 180cm. I was muscular, dark hair that hardly needed any styling. I did well in school and just about everything in life went according to plan. Until my mom came around the corner and announced that she and dad had a new job and we would move to the other end of the USA. Since then, things went downhill. Not just figuratively speaking, no, I even managed to rush out of the house and kiss the floor two weeks before the championship. As if the embarrassment itself wasn't enough, my arm also had to decide that the floor was stronger...
“They can't be that damn serious...” I grumbled, glancing at the scoreboard. 23-34 in favor of the opponents was shining at me in bright letters, and I felt as if the scoreboard was mocking me, because at that very moment the number increased to 36. But I didn't just mean my teammates in front of me when I said that.
“Damn it!”
After three of four quarters to be played, as it was common in basketball, this was just ticked off. My colleagues played as if they had already accepted the whole thing and I didn't have the strength to take it with humor now. I was nudged from the side and looked into the brown doe eyes of Derek. This blond shaggy head was half a giant and a good friend, but just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
“Don't worry about it, next year we'll get the thing back and then it'll really be about the scholarships,” I heard him say at that moment. His expression seemed encouraging and I didn't question the fact that he meant it exactly as he said it.
Nevertheless, I let out a sigh, saw my team of the last two years approaching and signaling the end of the last break, and got up.
“I can't stand this any longer.” I mumbled to myself, picked up my things and headed for the exit. Yes, I felt many eyes looking at me. Some might even have understood my displeasure, others were disappointed that I was now mentally abandoning them.
But what did they know?
The last game was over. My parents still couldn't quite understand my displeasure, which is why I hadn't paid much attention to them this morning.
What could they possibly imagine? They could never get enough themselves, at least that's how it seemed to me. One last look at our current house only reinforced my impression. Damn it, we had a house, not a small one, no... we even had a damn pool in the backyard and the parties in it were awesome. So why did we have to move? Did they really need more luxury? I just didn't understand it. And they didn't understand that I didn't want the basketball scholarship so that I could go to college, but so that I could get better at basketball, but they didn't really understand sports. How could I hope for understanding?
For my last week of school, I had decided to take the bus. At least I would have a few minutes of peace before I arrived at the rather outdated school grounds. Yes, it was not the most beautiful school, that was for sure. But I didn't really care about that, the people were okay and wasn't that more important than any status symbols?
Now I was standing there, as I hadn't in a long time, waiting for the bus. I had my backpack on. Normal white sneakers, dark, knee-length jeans, and a dark blue shirt. I didn't need anything more. It was warm and I never gave much on any brand clothes. It was simply not necessary here. I was accepted as I was and I liked that. Even better, since I was mainly responsible for the team scoring, I was not only popular with my teammates. Rather, I was popular with all the students.
“It could have been too good to be true,” I muttered to myself with a sigh. I let my head fall back and felt the sun's rays pushing through the dense leaves of the tree. Shortly afterwards, I was able to get on the bus and immediately knew why I had actually turned my back on this stuffy means of transport that smelled of old sports socks.
– Memo to myself. I'll reconsider taking this ride every day.--
For 20 minutes, I had to endure this musty smell. But basically, this was the least of my worries.
On the bus, I could see Derek and Mason waiting on the other side of the street. As expected, Derek seemed in a better mood than Mason. Unlike Derek and me, Mason had to be on the court for the last game. Even worse, he was supposed to take my position, which I had already argued with the coach about before the game. He was our center and he was great at it, so why should he suddenly be the point guard? Nobody could understand that. Even the blond guy would have been the better choice, because unlike Mason, he could have scored a point or two, but that wasn't my decision to make.
Meanwhile, I had arrived at the two of them and what can I say. The sight literally invited me to tease them. The way Mason hung his head, his light brown hair hung down to just below his eyes, which looked anything but attractive, more like a beaten puppy dog. Not that I have any comparison pictures in my head.
“Now stop burying your head in the ground, the girls won't be able to see your pretty blue eyes, although with your hair length increasing exponentially, that's soon going to be a thing of the past anyway.” I tried jokingly, punching him on the shoulder with my unscathed left hand.
“What? No comment about Friday? Are you just going to smile your way through this, or how should we interpret that?” Mason replied, also puzzled.
What had he expected? Which brings us back to the words at the beginning, because normally I would have been angry, normally I would have accused him of playing sloppily. Only I had the weekend to calm down. Neither I nor she could change the way the game turned out.
“I could blame you for this, or the stupid wood paneling, which was smoother that day than on other days. But what good does that do us? To be honest, I don't feel like spending the last week in this state in a bad mood.” I put on a forced smile with my last words, but that didn't stop the two of them from understanding the words exactly as I meant them. I slowly got moving, because I didn't want to be late for class, even in the last week.
“What?” came the simultaneous reply from both of them. It sounded a bit like that to me too when my parents announced their idea. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it. ‘You've got to be kidding us,’ said Derek, who was the first to find his voice, followed by, ‘Are you staying for your graduation? What about the team?’ from Mason.
Derek to my left and Mason to my right both looked as if they were looking for signs of a joke, but unfortunately I had to disappoint them.
“Unfortunately not, my parents have a job offer that they really want to accept. I can't attend classes when I'm over 600 kilometers away.” My bad mood couldn't be hidden, and the team? I couldn't even mention that right now. They would somehow manage... and yes, 600 kilometers is not at the other end of the USA, but that's how it felt to me at first. Besides, I didn't know exactly which corner of Florida I would end up in, I hadn't expressed that much interest.
“I don't get it, like this couldn't have waited another two years. Did they even ask you what you think? How long have they been planning this?” As we all know, Mason went from being amazed to being in attack mode not much later. He'd gotten himself into enough stupid situations that way, but I just shook my head at this one. Now it was like this, and to be honest, I didn't want to think about it anymore.
Derek, meanwhile, just nodded in agreement with Mason's outburst.
“What should I be able to change about it? It is now as it is and now stop asking questions, we can also explain that after school, let me now first in math make sure that none of you imbeciles gets the first bad grade for next year.” I ended the discussion and sat down at my place. How quickly will the rest of the school find out that I'll be gone soon? With the two chatterboxes, I strongly suspected that this was the case at the latest after the lesson.
-:Qu(ee)inn(i):- So how Pat and Patterchen are behaving, did you tell them?:-
The telltale beeping in my pocket gave me a bad feeling, but when I read the name, I knew it wasn't the case. I just let my cell phone slide onto the table, as if I was looking for something else. I caught the unobtrusive glance of Derek and Mason, and I could understand Quinn's message.
-:Lukas:- Well sweetheart, I had to go sometime. I couldn't have known that it would be the end of the world. :'x:-
Was it mean to make fun of it? Sure, but what do you call that? Gallows humor? At least I could still maintain that.
-:Qu(ee)inn(i):- That's probably because they haven't yet understood that there is such a thing as internet access in Florida and they don't have to learn Morse code to keep in touch with you.:-
How could someone type so fast? I quickly scanned the words and couldn't hold back an amused snort. She definitely knew how to cheer someone up. Even though you wouldn't think so at first glance, when you saw her in person. You could describe her as a typical doll. Blonde extensions, even though she often claims that it is her real hair. I had known her for years and could say that it was definitely not the case. She also paid excessive attention to looking good and not appearing to have too much make-up on, but often that was exactly the case. The more she put on her face, the more natural it looked again. You'd think she'd be good at art, but no. Face painting seemed to be an art form all its own... Only in character was she definitely a 10, at least after she found out what advantages a gay best friend had. She didn't tell me all of them yet, though...
“Lukas Johnson, would you be so kind as to explain to the rest of the class why math is so entertaining?” Mrs. Monroe's loud voice rang out, and I looked up, caught, as expected, standing barely a meter away from me. She was always good at sneaking up on people.
I was always good at math, but that didn't mean that the teacher liked me, because unfortunately that was not the case at all. What had I done to her? Personally probably nothing, but after my outing she had it in for me especially. But I would never see a connection, that would be completely stupid...
“No, I wouldn't. I'm not a gossip, you'd have to try the room upstairs. Aren't those the rooms for the school newspaper? They like to blabber more out of the box.” I heard some students around me draw in their breath sharply. Well, what should I care about the old woman? I knew she didn't like me. She also knew that it was mutual. And what could she possibly do to me in the last week? I didn't know if the entire teaching staff had heard about it by now, but I assumed that they had. I had asked that it not be widely spread until after the last game, but I had already been approached about it several times last week. As if the teachers didn't have anything better to do.
“Just because this is the last week before the holidays doesn't stop me from sending you to the principal for your first time, do you understand me Johnson?” God, how much better could she have phrased that? I definitely had the class giggling on my side after her wording. Yes, I had never ended up with the principal for any abnormalities, but...
“QUIET NOW” I didn't even have to say anything, she had apparently realized what she had said.
For the rest of the math lesson, I had taken my cell phone off the table again, I should still have a little decency.
As soon as I left the classroom, I knew that it must have already made the rounds. Here and there I felt a few glances on me, from others you could hear quiet whispering, but no one addressed me. I was glad about that.
It was enough that Mason and Derek still looked as if they had seen a ghost even after math. Quinn, on the other hand, was Quinn, and the broad grin on her face could only have been caused by the old Monroe's statement, and so it was.
“Honestly, Lukas, how could you upset poor Mrs. Monroe like that?” she stood before me, reprimanding me, almost holding her sides with laughter. Apparently she'd been holding it in the whole time. Poor thing.
“Seriously, as if our generation still saves itself for marriage, what does she dream about at night?”
Mason had apparently found his words again.
“You guys are pretty funny sometimes. But I don't think any of us want to take a closer look at her mental movie.” I shook my head to try to get rid of the thought.
“By the way, did you guys know that there are no sports classes today? Except for the basic physics courses, of course.”
As usual, it was Derek who had to bring up academic topics again. To me, however, his words meant that I was now free, as our sports trainer had left it up to me whether I came to class every time or not. I didn't have many absences, so the few hours didn't bother me at all. Only Mason and Quinn were annoyed, because they had to stay until the end, and you could see and hear that.
“What bad luck that I'm off duty now.” I let a little schadenfreude sound with it, because that's how it was. In a way, I was glad that I could leave now. That way, I didn't have to wait for other classmates to ask me about my whereabouts. On the other hand, it was a strange feeling to have day 1 of 5 behind me.
“Oh yes, so unlucky, then you can organize a farewell party for tonight and I'll take care of...”
I didn't even let Mason finish. “No, definitely not today,” I interrupted him. “But there will be one. On Saturday. And yes, don't look so irritated, just because I'll be at a different school next year doesn't mean that Friday is the cut-off. Besides, my parents are already in Florida for the weekend doing something, I wasn't listening too closely, so there's nothing standing in the way.” At least I was able to make a few children's eyes light up again with that statement. Apparently it also came across that I didn't leave immediately.
We left it at that. We said goodbye for today and I left the school grounds. There were definitely some advantages to finishing work early, but I was feeling rather that it was more of a disadvantage for me. Firstly, I would have to wait forever for the sewer that is called a bus, which is why I decided to just walk home, which, by the way, wouldn't take that much longer than the bus. The traffic was just hell sometimes. Secondly, and this was the much bigger problem, my mom. Unlike Dad, she didn't have to work until after lunch today, which meant that if I didn't waste a lot of time, I would run into her, and that wasn't exactly something I wanted.
So I decided to get something to eat. This morning, I had neither the time nor the desire to take something from the kitchen, I would have had more than enough options at school, but now it was like that.
With a filled bread roll, I came out of the bakery. It wasn't that busy. On a Monday, at 10:45 a.m. My eyes fell on a bench in the park across the street. It just made a lot more sense to eat while sitting comfortably and watching people like some creep who actually felt the need to stroll through the park at this time of day. Yes, well, mostly older people or pet owners. Yes, deliberately not dog owners, because there were really people here who walked their cats in the park! It was amazing what you could see when you had time to waste.
However, when I looked at my watch, I realized that it had only been 15 minutes. 15 minutes that felt really long to me, no matter how I looked at it. My mom would luckily disappear by 12:30, but what about me? I would be home in 20 minutes at the latest.
With a sigh, I got up. I threw the napkin from the bun into the trash can and made my way home.
And as I had already thought, my mom's car was still there.
I quietly opened the door to our house and could already hear her clattering around in the kitchen. She was probably packing something to eat or preparing dinner, what did I know.
I tried to quietly make my way to the stairs, but they then put a spoke in my wheel. The creaking of the first steps had given me away.
“Lukas Schatz, is that you?“ my mom called in a friendly voice, and I immediately heard footsteps approaching.
“Yes, we had a sleep-out,” I turned around on the stairs and went to meet her. Her worried expression didn't exactly make the whole situation any less bizarre. So I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and let the whole thing wash over me.
“You have an outbreak? And then you're at home and not out with your friends?” she asked in amazement. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun. Apparently she was already ready for work, which meant she still had a lot of time... This forced small talk didn't make the whole thing any better.
“Quinn and Mason still have physics and I didn't want to wait for Derek until after gym,“ I would have done.
She sighed and ran her hand through her perfect hair, which was absolutely not her style and obviously signaled a change of subject.
“You've been avoiding us for a month.” A nod from me had to suffice as an answer.
“It can't go on like this, Lukas, there's still a lot to discuss and...”
“What and?” I interrupted her? ‘It might also have been nice to have been involved in this planning from the start. Then you would have also heard what I think of this idea!’ I didn't raise my voice, just a hint of disappointment in my voice. I hadn't chosen any of this.
“I know and I understand you too.” She sat down with me. Everything about her always seemed too perfect. She didn't get angry or condescending. No, always on the nice side, but still... It didn't change the facts.
“There was no other way. Now it's a bit tight to explain all this to you, but we'll talk about it at dinner. Ok?“ Had she just pushed the whole conversation back again?
“Mm-hm,” I agreed with her almost silently. I didn't trust my voice enough anymore.
“Luk?” I raised my eyes to her, not having noticed that I had lowered them.
“Your dad will arrive tomorrow and start with the furnishing of the living rooms. I'll follow him on Friday.” It almost sounded as if the whole thing would be over faster than I had first assumed. Without waiting for a reaction from me, she continued. ”I have four weeks off before I have to start my new job. We want to manage the move in that time. I know that you probably want to stay here as long as possible. So your dad and I have agreed that you can stay here for the whole time, if that's okay with you.” Phew, there it was. The long-considered reprieve. As I understood it, that was still four weeks from Friday or even Monday. So enough time to do a lot with the house free of parents.
“It's okay,” I swallowed the lump that had formed during the conversation. ‘I'd just like to go up now.’ With a silent nod, my mom dismissed me from the conversation and I ran upstairs, almost fleeing.
Four weeks, if I had to leave, then it would be four absolutely, awesome and unforgettable weeks. As always, I threw my backpack directly under my desk as I entered my room. It was only now that I got around to looking at my cell phone. The usual suspects were lit up, but our class chat was also almost exploding. I could pretty much guess what the topic was there. I dropped backwards onto the bed and wanted to click through the messages.
When I opened it, the chat had already jumped to the first unread message, and as I had already suspected, I was the subject.
I quickly scrolled through the more than three-digit number of messages. It was okay. Apparently I had been dealing with the topic for a while. They didn't have the chance and now had to explain themselves at length. At least this also explained why my private mailbox was overflowing.
I dropped my cell phone next to me on the bed. I didn't feel like answering everyone, and it was also a bit cumbersome to type with the splint. My eyes slid over to my laptop. Of course, it was difficult for me to reach my desk from here, but that didn't stop me from trying. In the end, I had to get up after I had already supported myself on the floor with one hand between the bed and the desk, only then I had no working hand to lift the laptop off the table.
I stayed at my desk. I put together a small flyer with the most important data. And then I put it in the class chat. A picture of the last pool party served as the background, just so that I could write on white text blocks.
: -Lukas: -
It was a great time, let's make the farewell even better.
Pool party, every Saturday for the next 4 weeks.
Drinks on site!
Is this actually more the responsibility of the 11th and 12th graders? Definitely. Am I at the same level as them because of my position in the team and my older appearance? Also definitely. And it was also clear that the rest of the team would show up, which in turn meant...
I have to shop.
Yes, I'm spamming you a bit today. There might even be another one. But everything I don't post today will probably come next week.
Maybe you can leave a comment and say how you like it? Unfortunately, I have no experience except for a few RPGs
There were still a few small hurdles that I had to overcome during the week, but I was really looking forward to the party getting closer and closer.
On Monday evening, my parents and I had a rather long and very disturbing conversation. Unfortunately, I had to admit that it was quite plausible and understandable. The company my dad worked for was no longer doing so well. Although his position would not be cut, the company that was now buying it out would benefit more from employing him there as a training manager. And the offer was quite... better. Even if this meant that there would be no more storm-free weekends...
And mom? Well, as a tax consultant, she just had to apply somewhere and then she usually had no problem finding a new job.
One of them is studying, the other is good at handicrafts, and I just wanted to play basketball. It was clear that there were two different worlds colliding.
Even at school, opinions were divided. There was nothing I could do about that. Above all, Coach Edison was so... phew... semi enthusiastic. He had planned two more years with me. I couldn't help his disappointment.
So I avoided him for the rest of the week.
At least until today.
Friday. As every year, all students gathered in the gym.
A teacher was bid farewell. The 12th grade and last but not least, or in my opinion unnecessarily, me too. But that was the procedure every time a student left. At least that's what they said, because it hadn't happened in the last few years.
Our couch even apologized for his reaction, which almost made me sentimental. All in all. I had survived the last week. Without any major complications. And now my plan was to spend the last four weeks here celebrating, possibly the last two or three of them playing basketball if my arm was fit enough again by then. Fortunately, I now only had a splint that I could take off if I wanted to. Thanks to physiotherapy...
“What's the plan?” Mason asked me after we had left the hallowed halls. I already knew what he wanted to get at, because we had already touched on the subject this morning.
“Well, the same as always. You and Derek are setting up the sound system for tomorrow. Quinn and a few friends want to come by and hand out some decorations. TK and I will pick up the drinks order. And then we can chill a bit until the party starts tomorrow,” I explained the process, and it was the same as always. The same roles as the last few times.
We were still on schedule when TK appeared behind them. Quinn was long gone, but that was nothing unusual.
“I'm here,” the older one grumbled. He had already stopped playing in a fixed position this year. Basketball had been just a hobby for him, because it had been clear to him for more than two years that he would study law and that would be the case after the summer. For the 190-pound man, this was also the last day. TK was also one of my closer friends and when it came to drinks... We both had fake IDs, but he usually didn't need it. It wasn't particularly surprising either. Especially since the last year of high school, he felt he had to shave every day to avoid looking like the next terrorist, his words, not mine. At least he also came from, phew, let's say the eastern countries. I kept forgetting exactly where. Until the last day, apparently.
“Well then, let's go,” I replied immediately and we set off.
Two hours later, we were the last ones to arrive at my house, but that wasn't a problem, after all, Quinn had had a duplicate key for ages. My parents always said that at least they could be sure that someone wouldn't lose the key. In my defense, It happened about twice in 10 years... per year. Most of the time he was lying somewhere on the basketball court, or in the locker room, or... the list would be too long.
“Guys, it's warm and we only have non-alcoholic drinks here. I hope the beer didn't get warm on the ride or why are you only just back?” Sarah. Quinn's evil twin and not necessarily my favorite person, but now and then Mason and she got into each other, so I had to deal with it. She looked just like Quinn and was also a damn good friend of hers, but I seemed to lack the synapses to recognize any positive qualities in her. In contrast to Quinn, however, she was tall at 170cm, almost 15cm taller than Quinn. Isn't it usually the case that short women are more prickly? Exceptions prove the rule.
“Now we're here.” TK mumbled the words more than he actually said them. We had to pick up his dad's car trailer from the garage, which was in the other direction, so it took a while. It was only officially morning. If my favorite idiot wasn't currently playing on-off relationship with her, she wouldn't be there at all today...
I let my eyes wander over the garden and saw that they were almost done with the decorations. Background music was already playing too, so it wouldn't take long before everything was ready to go. In no time at all, the tap system was set up and we gathered at the pool covered with air mattresses.
I floated on the water, looking up at the sky and listening to my friends' conversations. Plans for the next year. Appointments for the next few weeks, but I only had it in my head that it was only four weeks for me. What came after that was still a big mystery to me.
“I canceled the family vacation for the next two weeks, can I crash at your place if necessary?” I looked to the side, almost startled, because I hadn't expected to be addressed. Derek already had a second beer mug for me in his hand and held it out to me immediately.
“Sure, I'm fine with that. At least we won't both be hanging around alone in the evening. You didn't have to do that,” I replied, taking the beer, even though I had to sit up for it.
“You're only here for four more weeks and I didn't want to spend half of it on another continent. They understood perfectly.” We both smiled at his words. In the meantime, everyone here, except Sarah, had offered to let me spend the last two years of school with them. This was also Quinn's first reaction, as you know, she knew before everyone else. Somehow, though, my parents weren't open to any suggestions.
They were really cool about pretty much everything, but when it came to this, they were stubborn. Even Quinn's parents had tried talking to them. Without success.
“If I could, I would stay here,” I said sadly, looking into my mug, and Derek did the same. Today we all just wanted to enjoy the calm before the storm.
And that's what we did.
The next day came faster than expected. The night before, we had all said goodbye and now, around 5 p.m., the first people were already reappearing. But in the next hour it would get a lot more crowded. So far, the music was still playing more as a background. It wouldn't get louder until around 7 p.m. It was good that it was quite isolated here. Last year we never had any problems with the parties, which was another reason why it was now common practice to party here.
It wasn't long before Quinn joined me by the pool. She looked like she didn't plan on going home alone tonight. I could already guess who the lucky guy was, since she and Jake had been flirting for a while. I didn't have much to do with him, but he seemed all right for a change, but who knew... after all, when it came to choosing a man, she had a knack for picking the wrong one.
“You look pensive.” I heard from the side. She looked at me quizzically, and trying to find excuses was useless with her anyway.
“Well, how could it be any different? I plan to enjoy the evening, but... somehow the big cloud is still hanging over my head, even if I could at least understand why I'm not allowed to stay here. Otherwise, they never had any worries, especially since they know exactly what's going on here in the time when they're not here. There was never any reason not to be honest. They don't have a problem with any of this, but if I prefer to live with one of you, it's an absurd thought for them... I don't get it.” I blurted out. I had been chewing my teeth out on this thought ever since I had found out about the move.
“To be honest, I can't understand it either. Even my parents think that they have become a bit strange since the plans for the move. After all, they didn't come to Dad's birthday last week either.” I just nodded silently. I had blamed it on the fact that they were now under some stress, but Quinn's dad and my mom had been friends since high school. I hadn't received an answer as to why she didn't want to come at that point either; they were at home...
“Speaking of enjoying the evening, here comes the perfect distraction.” At the words, she was already grinning. I followed her gaze and could only silently agree with her.
Ethan Harris, a year above us, blond, blue-eyed, about my height, absolutely hot and someone who was up for anything, just definitely unsuitable in terms of relationships, although I wouldn't say I was suitable either. “I think the evening could be quite good.” We clinked our glasses in agreement. It often came down to Ethan and me having something, but it would never have been anything serious, which didn't mean that it wasn't good anyway.
A few rounds of pool beer pong later and I found myself in my room again, naked, with Ethan in front of me, who was just about to get rid of his swimming trunks. I clipped the splint off my right forearm, not wanting to ruin the moment with the hard part.
“We should use the remaining time,” his voice sounded a bit excited, but I wasn't particularly surprised, since I had already sensed in the pool that we both had the same thing on our minds. ‘Shut up,’ I growled at him, pushed him backwards onto the bed and sealed his lips with mine. There was no question that he knew how to kiss. He moved his hands nervously over my body, from my shoulders down, towards my stomach and back up to my shoulders. With light pressure, the blonde let me know what he wanted. In that respect, we harmonized quite well with each other.
I let go of his lips and kissed my way down his neck. He had no problem with love bites and I liked to suck quite hard on his neck and earlobes. My healthy hand was propped up next to him, giving me support so that I didn't lie completely on top of him. Still careful not to touch his center, I kissed my way down. I played around his left nipple with my lips and let my teeth lightly scrape over the stiff skin. The quiet gasp that escaped him only fueled me further. I pushed my hands even further down. Slowly, I gently moved my right hand between his legs, which he willingly let fall apart a little, and it slid gently up his thigh and back again. My face was now dangerously close to his twitching desire. Every time he twitched towards me, I lightly kissed his tip. Ethan let his hand slide down to the back of my neck, he was probably a bit more impatient than I had originally assumed. “Come on, I'm ready,” I heard him pant and felt him trying to direct me a little further down. “Yes, yes, Mr. Impatience.” I let him go through with it, his words only drove more blood between my legs, now that I knew which direction it would go today. I finally enclosed his excitement with my lips. Ethan buried his hand in my hair, he was never rough, but he set the pace a bit. I let myself be guided by his movements and listened to his moans, every time I had my head a little further up and played around his glans with my tongue. The telltale twitch made me let go of him, and I slowly pushed myself back up. His lips met mine firmly. Shortly after, I felt him wrap his arms around me and we turned around, thank God the bed was wide enough now that I was the one who landed on my back.
“Drawer,” my voice was barely recognizable, but Ethan would have known where to reach even if I hadn't said it. I heard the condom packaging tear, took the lubricant myself, and wet my fingers with it. I carefully circled his entrance and slid a finger into him, just as he had said himself. He was actually prepared. Impatiently, he pushed the condom over me and withdrew from my finger. My hands found their way to his hips and held them more in position. The next moment, I already felt him slowly pushing over me. “Fuck, you're hot.” My voice had gone down in a long drawn-out gasp, and he too moaned impatiently. He leaned on me with one hand while the other stroked up and down on my chest. He looked sexy, with a few strands of hair hanging in his face. He raised and lowered his hips evenly, with my hands doing more of a supporting function. I myself felt my orgasm approaching more and more. With every movement of his, the blood pushed deeper into my excitement. I let my hand, which was still wet with lubricant, move forward to his cock. This twitched immediately when my fingers touched his tip. I sat up and pushed us a little way forward to the edge of the bed. Rhythmically, I sank my pelvis even deeper into him. He put his head on my neck and bit me a little on the neck with each time that I pushed my pelvis up. The bed only supported our movement more. My hand encircled his excitement in the same rhythm and my thumb repeatedly rubbed over his glans until the delicate drops became more. I heard him moan against my neck and shortly afterwards I came in him myself.
Firmly embraced, I let my upper body fall back onto the bed, pulling him with me. We lay there, breathing heavily, sealing our lips with a now much more tender kiss.
“We should go back to the party,” his hoarse voice broke the silence. He had a dazzling smile on his face as he slowly rose again. “Mm-hm” I agreed with him without saying a word. I tied the condom and let it fall carelessly to the floor. I reached over to the fruit towels and threw some to him as well. Shortly thereafter, the stains had already been removed. Only the disheveled hair and the marks on our necks hinted at what we had been doing. Although I'm sure everyone already knew anyway. After all, it wasn't the first time that Ethan and I had ended up in bed.
Before we got dressed, Ethan came up to me again, his grin was pretty wide, before he grabbed my neck and pulled me towards him again. One last kiss and we were already leaving my room again.
We were already only wearing swimming trunks when we left the pool and that's how we arrived back at the others.
Mason and Derek didn't comment on the whole thing. Only a telltale grin showed that they knew very well what we were doing. And Quinn? Well, she wasn't any better herself. At least we hadn't seen her or Jake again for the rest of the evening.
During the next week, Derek more or less moved in with me. During the day, we were usually out with the others and in the evening, it was either gaming or watching some action comedies. Anything with The Rock and Vin Diesel flickered across the screen and, as so often, he tried to convince me of superhero movies. Unsuccessfully. I would probably never be as hyped as he was.
Unfortunately, the four weeks went by way too fast and, contrary to plan, Derek stayed the whole time, and Mason and Quinn joined him from time to time. It also happened quite often that the three of them were alone at my house, especially when I had to attend my physio appointments. Unfortunately, I should still take it easy when it came to sports. Ball sports were apparently too hard on the forearm, annoying.
We were always lucky with the weather at the Saturday parties, when it rained it was only for a short time and then it stopped. Ethan had come back every time. Pun intended, of course. So I assumed that it would be the case today as well.
Mason had insisted on barbecuing for lunch, so that's what we did. We were all sitting together on the patio, listening to the grilling.
“He does it over and over again,“ Quinn said with a laugh.
“If he wasn't grilling for 40 people, but only for 4, he wouldn't be under so much time pressure.” My eyes fell on the vast amount of packaging that was now piled up at the grill. Why did he make so much? So that at least 10% of it was edible in the end. The first sausages looked more like charcoal briquettes. In his defense, what he served was actually really tasty, it was just a long way to get there.
“Stop grumbling, I can hear you!” he shouted from the grill.
“It's not gossip if we only tell the truth,” countered Derek.
But it didn't take that long before we had everything from chicken to steaks, ribs and bratwurst in front of us. We raided the refrigerated shelves in the supermarket for the salads, which was perfectly adequate.
In the last few weeks, no one had mentioned the move anymore, and my parents hadn't gotten in touch very often either. They were ready earlier, but I didn't want to leave any sooner. But now it was slowly but surely within reach.
“Everything okay?” Quinn eyed me skeptically, but a shrug from me seemed to have been enough of an answer, at least her sigh suggested that. “We'll come and visit you in Miami often.”
“Just keep rubbing it in that it's really at the very end of Florida... it's only worth coming by plane otherwise you're on the road for 12 hours...” Yes, in a way I was also excited to see more of Miami, but to live there? I felt out of place at the mere thought of it. I had seen pictures of the house, but I wasn't sure if the property was still considered a house or if it was more of a villa. It was huge, again with a garden and pool, but on a completely different scale. Mason and Derek were of course immediately hooked when they saw the pictures, even though I wasn't so sure how it would all work. At least my parents only worked during the week, which meant they were home more often than not...
“I'm sorry, maybe you should just take it as it comes? Do you already know which school you'll be going to and what could possibly happen to you there? You're athletic, you look good, your character is top notch. Honestly, I can't think of anything negative.” I listened to her words, but the knot in my chest only tightened further. It was clear that she only mentioned good things; after all, she was also my best friend.
“Oh, I don't know which school, I haven't felt like talking about it yet... and... I'm a little concerned about my sexual orientation.”
“Oh.”
“Yes oh, here it was just so, except for a few stupid sayings and the old Mrs. Monroe I never had any problems. But I have that shit in front of me again and man. I have no idea what to do.” Now she looked much more worn down, well, now she could probably understand where my head was stuck.
“To be honest, I hadn't thought about that. Only now that you mention it, I can understand you quite well. But Miami is supposed to be quite open-minded when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. Do you want to come out right away?” My shrug only earned me a snort from her. But what did she want to hear? I didn't know myself.
“Can someone help bring the tap system forward?“ Mason's voice saved me from the situation. I just didn't want to think about it anymore, so I was really glad that I now had the perfect opportunity to avoid the conversation.
“Coming,” I called to him, only to get a reproachful look from my friend, but duty called, or something.
That evening went without complications again. Admittedly, I had often retreated a bit, and from inside I could watch the celebrating crowd quite well. It was a pretty colorful bunch. Different grades, different hobbies, and yet everyone celebrated together. At least I had never uninvited anyone and that was always well received.
Would it be similar in Miami? Would I even have time to party? And would I be accepted as I was? I had many questions and didn't get any answers. My parents had been acting very strangely in the last few weeks, which is why I had little interest in talking to them about it, but unfortunately I wouldn't have a grace period starting Monday. They would be there tomorrow night, and then it was just a matter of packing the rest of my things and starting the 12-hour drive, if I felt like it.
I spent the rest of the evening in my room, safe in the knowledge that Derek would take care of everything.
The next morning, I was rudely awakened when the warm body next to me pulled the blanket with it as it got up. “You're probably leaving already?” I asked the blond guy who had already stayed overnight last week.
“Mm-hm” he sounded just as tired as I felt. ‘That'll be missed,’ I mused, thinking back to last night. ‘You're the one who's moving away. Maybe we'll see each other from time to time.’ He became a bit more talkative. ‘Maybe,’ I agreed with him and turned to face him. Just then, I could see him grabbing his shirt and putting it on. We never talked much, it was a miracle that he had slept here at all, but I had the feeling that he only did it because I was leaving.
“Have fun in Miami.” One last kiss, then he left and I felt kind of empty.
It was just after noon when my parents' car arrived. Way too early, since they had said they wouldn't be coming until the evening. Shortly thereafter, I heard the key in the door, and in the next moment, the door opened.
I was now home alone anyway; my friends had already gone home in the morning. Even Derek had to show up at home again.
“Lukas?“ I immediately heard my dad's voice echoing through the hallway. Some of the furnishings are already missing, which makes it a bit echoey, a strange feeling.
“I just made myself a pizza, I didn't know you were coming.” My mom came up to me and gave me a hug. “Everything's fine, honey, we ate on the way anyway, only your father wanted to sleep a little longer, we have to be back in Miami by 3 p.m. tomorrow, so we have to leave quite early.” she chattered away. 3 p.m. meant that we probably had to leave in the middle of the night, that was really great foresight.
The three of us were sitting at the table as I ate my pizza and I let the stories wash over me in silence. I just wasn't interested in finding out more about the neighbors or what leisure activities they had discovered for themselves.
“I'm meeting up with Quinn and the others again later. It's enough if I'm ready to leave around midnight, right?” I asked. I had slept until recently and it wouldn't bother me to sleep through the whole journey.
“Yes, have you got everything you need?” I nodded in answer to my mum's question. I had already done it last week, but I didn't need to explain that to her; if I had forgotten something, then I was just the unlucky one.
An hour later, we were all gathered in the ice cream parlor. We weren't all sober yet, and the idea of eating ice cream right now didn't make everyone happy... except Quinn, of course, there was hardly a bigger sundae.
“Honestly, I have no idea where you put it all,“ Mason said, expressing what everyone was probably thinking.
“That, my dear, is called genetics, and I am blessed with it.” And the next spoonful of ice cream disappeared into her mouth.
“If I didn't know you, I'd think you were pretty arrogant.” Mason and Quinn were often like cat and mouse. I had been wondering for a long time why the two of them had never gotten together, but anything could happen. Maybe once they realized it themselves...
“Quinn is arrogant, just like you, stubborn. Nobody else can mess up a basketball game like that and not even see in retrospect that it was their own fault,” Derek now chimed in from the side.
“Ouch, that hurt,“ came from Mason, who theatrically clutched his chest.
I listened to the conversation and realized once again that I will miss the three of them quite a bit.
“You're idiots.” With his mouth full, the words sounded pretty mumbled, but in the end everyone laughed at Quinn's statement, because yes, she was right.
Unfortunately, this day also flew by. The sun had long since set when we arrived at my house. It was already past 11 p.m., and the queasy feeling was slowly but surely gaining the upper hand in me.
Two arms closed around me from behind, and I felt the uneven jiggling of the petite body.
“Hey, if you start crying now, I'll feel bad too.“ My voice broke.
“I'm not crying, I'm just shaking.” Quinn mumbled against my back, not raising her eyes. I turned in her embrace and saw that Derek and Mason also looked quite depressed. “You guys suck. This isn't making it any better,' I complained, feeling a lump in my throat myself. Derek just shrugged, clearly not wanting to talk anymore either. A moment later, Quinn pulled them both into the embrace. It was a strange feeling, as it was usually not our style. Only special circumstances required special measures.
“I should go inside, my dad was already at the car when we arrived,“ I interrupted the moment.
“You'll let me know as soon as you've arrived safely in Miami, right?” Mason sounded quite determined. A good 12-hour drive was no walk in the park either.
“Sure,” I just replied. Very reluctantly, I broke away from my friends and went inside. I could hardly talk myself, and I was getting sentimental, but who wouldn't be if they had to give up their whole life?
When the door had fallen shut behind me, I leaned my head against it and felt a tear running down my cheek. Now it was time. I sensed my mother's gaze resting on me, wondering if she could understand how I was feeling? I had no answer to that.
“We'll be leaving soon, if that's okay.” she said. Obviously, my dad was already at the car as if they were in a particular hurry to get away. ‘Hm, on my way,’ I just answered.
I ran back to my, now old, room. Everything was stowed away and in the car.
Armed with my power bank and a pillow, I voluntarily took a seat in the back seat.
“Believe me, you'll like it too,” my father tried to cheer me up, but I just snorted at him.
Music on, head down, if they wanted something from me, they were out of luck.
---I hate you--- echoed in my head, but I wouldn't say it to them.
The ride was very quiet. Every now and then I fell asleep for a while, but in the long run it was just really uncomfortable. So I was all the more relieved when we finally arrived. There had only been a short break and yet it was already past 1 p.m. We had now completed a journey of almost 14 hours.
“So honey, maybe you should just take a look around first, your room is up the stairs on the left, in case you want to rest a little longer.” My mom had been trying to get through to me the whole way, but I really didn't feel like talking. She would understand, and if not, it wasn't my problem, after all, I didn't have a say in the matter.
Without saying a word, I got out of the car and looked at the huge building in front of me. Had they somehow won the lottery? It was even bigger than it looked in the photos. I felt downright overwhelmed. Besides, it was just boiling hot here, but what did I expect in Miami in August?
I walked slowly, looking at the white building. Large glass fronts led around it and from here you could already see the pool behind the driveway. “Was that really necessary?” I didn't think much of the excessive luxury. It did have a rather threadlike aftertaste, but I pulled out my cell phone and took a picture myself.
Before we left, Mason had insisted that we set up a WhatsApp group for the four of us. Being the imaginative lad he is, he named it 'Graham'.
A short time later, the photo was in the chat with a short message.
: Lukas: I've arrived, or I'm dead, I'm not sure exactly yet. o.o
I put my cell phone back in my pocket and followed my dad inside.
As my mom had described, I went up the stairs and inspected my room. It was way too big again. I didn't have that many furnishings to make myself comfortable. Yes, I liked space, but it was too much for me. Maybe I was just looking for things that bothered me, who knows, but right now I felt completely out of place.
When my mom's voice broke the silence, the day was completely ruined for me. “We are invited to the neighbors for coffee at three. Their daughter should also be in your grade, maybe you'll get along?” I wasn't sure if I would have had a choice at all with the way it was phrased, but I assumed that I had to go there.
“Ok.” was my short answer. There wasn't much time left, but I started to take a few of the boxes out of the car with me, just in case I got the whole thing a bit homely after all...

We arrived at the Carson family's house right on time at 3:00 p.m. The properties in the area were so large that it really was a 10-minute walk, and at least the noise pollution would be kept to a minimum.
Melinda, as Mrs. Carson introduced herself, was a tall, elegant-looking woman. Her hair was brown and reached down to her hips, but I couldn't understand how she could stand being in a jumpsuit in this weather. It was certainly loose, but it was already too warm for me in shorts and a shirt.
“I'm glad you made it, I hope the drive wasn't too exhausting.“ Her voice was very pleasant, not so high and yet quite feminine. Another thing on the list of things that made me feel out of place here.
“Yes, we got through just fine,” my mother replied.
The vibration of my phone distracted me again.
:- Mason -: What bank did your parents rob? That's crazy.
:- Derek -: Well, you do get a little jealous.
My friends' comments were, Quinn's message hadn't arrived yet on Whatsapp, hmpf.
“Or Lukas?”
“What?“ I asked, perplexed, having completely drifted off and missed everything.
Judging by the look on her face, my mom was a little annoyed.
“Melinda offered that Naomi could give you a ride sometime. Her friend Alex also plays basketball. That way you might make contacts a little faster.” Did I want that? At the moment, I just wanted to be left alone.
“If it turns out, sure.” So I let it wash over me. As I was able to determine, Naomi wasn't there today, which didn't bother me. Nevertheless, I let her mom talk me into her number, determined not to contact her anyway.
A little later, I tried to extricate myself from the situation. ”I'm pretty tired, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to go home.”
“All right, darling, see you at dinner.” A nod from me was enough of an answer for her.
Admittedly, it didn't take long before I dozed off on my bed. Apparently the journey was a bit more exhausting than originally thought. A quick glance at my phone told me that Quinn was now available again.
:-Qu(ee)inn(i)-: It looks really great
:-Lukas-: It's too big and too warm and my mom is already trying to get me to socialize. As if you can't have a few days to yourself here...
Yes, it may have sounded a bit whiny, but it was the truth.

In the days that followed, I had a lot of chats and phone calls with Mason, Derek and Quinn. I also didn't miss out on gaming. I hadn't yet taken up the offer of Mrs. Carson's daughter showing me around. I was currently doing everything I could to avoid other people.
So today too. Sure, I was on the basketball court, which was about 20 minutes from my new home, but it was only 4 o'clock in the morning and you rarely met anyone at this time of day.
“You know, if you were a few hours later on the basketball court, I wouldn't be so tired and you wouldn't have to play alone,” Mason complained at the other end of the line.
“You don't have to answer it,” was my simple response. My cell phone was on the bench next to the court, thanks to the headset I was able to shoot some hoops and talk on the phone at the same time.
“Could be something important. What the hell are you doing alone anyway?”
“Practicing three-pointers... and I'm not important?“ Yes, he was right. Playing alone was kind of semi-optimal, but you could still practice.
“You're point guard, if I'm not mistaken, you're mainly responsible for normal throws and lay-ups... and for the game...” he sounded pretty grumpy. I could understand that a little, but he still answered again and again, it wasn't the first time in the last two weeks that I had called him at this ungodly hour.
“Yes, sure. But there are a few more students here and I assume that it won't be that easy to get into the team, so everything has to be just right.” And that's what I trained for. At least I now had more than enough time to do sports.
Basketball training, going for a run, swimming, weight training. I was able to keep myself quite busy, even though my parents weren't particularly thrilled about it. If it were up to them, I should be fitting in more with the community... but I didn't want that, at least not yet.
“You're turning into a workaholic, the air down there isn't good for you.”
“Maybe.”
“Seriously, why don't you write to the little one, after all, she obviously offered it herself.“ Mason tried to steer the conversation in a different direction once again.
“Her mum gave me the number, not her, and besides, I'm still not sure how open I can be here.” I tried to make my point clearer and once again missed the shot.
“Damn.”
“Then you'll just have to stop coming out for a while if you feel uncomfortable with it. Missed again?” Mason was clearly very empathetic... not. For him, there was almost only black and white. But it was okay, I didn't know him any differently.
“Well, I also feel uncomfortable when I have to hide, and in the other way, I'm probably already the outsider here anyway, when I see how ostentatious everyone is.” At every corner of this district, luxury was literally screaming at me, and me? I couldn't even part with my old clothes, even though my mom had been trying to persuade me to go shopping for days.
“Luk? You're looking for faults, stop it. It'll only drag you down further.”

His words hit me a bit, but he wasn't the one who had to leave his familiar surroundings.
“I'm not looking for faults. I just see everything realistically... And basketball is important to me. I want to be good at it, but when I look at all the statistics for the school, that alone speaks against me. If someone still has a problem with me being attracted to the opposite sex, then I don't stand a chance.” I felt like the main character in Everything is Upside Down 2 when doubts suddenly arise. Before, I didn't feel like I wasn't good enough...
“The team at the school consists mostly of the 12th grade, with only a few exceptions proving the rule. Then, in recent years, they have repeatedly failed at the Miami States. As far as that's concerned, Columbus is simply better positioned and yes... I don't think I'll ever be able to take the point guard position here. Just because it was enough in North Carolina doesn't mean it will be here. If I'm at least accurate at the 3-point line, maybe I could make it as a shooting guard. But that's hard enough.” I could complain at a high level, at least since the move, otherwise only Quinn got such comments, but that was mostly based on men's issues...
“Why do you talk yourself down? Coach Edison has always raved about your abilities and he has already produced two professional basketball players. We've won pretty much every game with you as the playmaker, even though we often weren't the favorites. You don't need to try out as a shooting guard because you're already great at one position.
And if they have a problem with you being gay, then they don't deserve you and I'll take you home again!”

Was I happy that Mason was trying to build me up? Definitely, but once the doubts started gnawing at me, I didn't assume it would be that easy to stop them.
“Hmpf,” I just snorted into the mic, knowing how much Mason could rely on his opinion. Unfortunately, it didn't change the general situation.
We talked about other things for a while before I headed back home after a few failed attempts.
A quick detour to the bakery and I was standing in the kitchen with a package of rolls and other baked goods. I didn't want anyone to think I was a bad son...

The next few weeks passed by as well. My parents tried to talk to me more often, but I always managed to wriggle out of it. I also avoided Naomi. I had seen her on the street once and said hello, but I didn't feel like dealing with her any further. At some point she must have come by, but unfortunately I was out and about at the time. Oops.
In my opinion, I had enough free time to do sports.
However, I couldn't avoid shopping with my mom in the end.
She had asked me to at least 'adapt' to the whole thing in the beginning and maybe she had been able to convince me of it. After all, I felt pretty out of place here anyway. So my wardrobe now consisted of clothes that I wouldn't need myself. Admittedly, they didn't look bad, rather the opposite, but I hadn't given much thought to such things.
I had already gathered everything together for the next day and so I still had enough time to gamble in the evening. I wouldn't be able to sleep well that night anyway, because a sense of excitement was spreading inside me and maybe, just maybe, I wondered if it wouldn't have been wise to meet a few people beforehand.
At least I could see that there were quite a few things to do here. It was only five times the size of my hometown...
Deeply absorbed in shooting or optionally slaying zombie-like creatures, I had completely blocked out time. I was all the more shocked when I suddenly felt my dad's hand on my shoulder, which also had consequences for the game, because my character was now lying on the ground and was no longer really playable.
I looked up at my dad and took off my headphones.
“Dinner will be ready soon, but before that I have something for you, consider it a small compensation for all the trouble.” The smile on his face usually meant something good.
Even though we had nothing in common in sports, we got along great. I also got almost all of my appearance from him. Dark hair, green eyes and quite good genetics when it came to muscles. But in contrast to him, I did a lot of sports, which is why I already looked broader than he did. I also hoped that it would be similar in size. At almost 1.90m, he was still quite a bit taller than me, but I was only 16 and already 1.82m.
Slowly I followed him downstairs and when we arrived in the garage I almost fell off my chair. “This is yours,”
he held out the car key. Yes, I had had my driver's license in North Carolina for a while and was allowed to drive on my own towards the end. Apparently that was also possible here in Florida, but your own car and one like that?
“Seriously, should I come with you because you sold my organs or something like that? This is all a bit excessive here.” I was a bit perplexed and overwhelmed. After all, there was a Ford Mustang v6 coupé in neon green/black in front of me. None of those new, rounded models, but still one with charisma.
My dad just laughed...
“No, but there have been some changes in the last year and now nothing stands in the way of a new life. You are welcome to keep your organs.” He seemed happy and me? Well, maybe I was a little corruptible in that regard... but there was also a Mustang...
The next moment I was already sitting in it and started the engine. It smelled good, sounded good and I would have loved to drive off immediately, but dinner put a spoke in my wheel.
“Sure, not a new car, but the models aren't really new anymore either. But hardly ever used,” my dad explained to me on the side. But I didn't care if it was new or not. It was more or less my dream car.
null Lukas: I think I'm for sale.
I commented on the photo of the Mustang and put my cell phone back in my pocket.
Of course, my mood at the dinner table was much better than it had been before.
So now I was standing in front of the mirror. Black, short jeans... I actually liked wearing slimshorts, but I had this nasty voice in my head that thought it looked gay, even though it was total nonsense. A white polo shirt and yes... smartwatch and white Nikes.
In itself it was my style, but not quite.
: I feel subtly distorted...
I commented on the picture, which I put in our Whatsapp group, and then went downstairs. Yesterday we had a long discussion about what my parents could have done to earn so much more. We all agreed. They were replaced by aliens. It sounded the most logical of all things.
Today is the first day of school and I woke up way too early, but I was also a bit excited, since it was my first day. Even my parents weren't awake yet. Dad wasn't because he didn't start work until 8:00 a.m. and it was only a 15-minute drive. And mom, well, she had flexitime between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., so I didn't know when she had to go to work.
For me, 7:30 a.m. was on the schedule today. With the car, maybe a 20-minute drive, but I couldn't sleep anymore since 5 a.m. So now I was sitting down in the kitchen and looking for something to eat, since I had more than enough time. A glance at the clock told me that the magic 6 had not even been exceeded.
So I still had an easy hour before I had to leave. Most likely I would just be there much earlier than necessary. Fortunately, my phone vibrated the next moment, which gave me some distraction while I listlessly poked around in my cereal.
:-Qu(ee)inn(i)-: But it suits you ;D Good luck on your first day null Keep us posted
:-Derek-: It'll be weird without you null
:-Lukas-: I will do But hey, at least you still have each other. Maybe I should have contacted Naomi after all, now that I think about it, I feel a bit stupid...
:-Qu(ee)inn(i)-: Don't worry. They'll like you, there's no way around it.
:-Lukas-: Let's hope so... and don't forget to wake up Mason, otherwise he'll oversleep again ;P
:-Derek-: Sure, I'm only up this early to personally escort him ;D
Besides, I still spent my time with some pointless games and slowly made my way towards the school around 6:30.
Of course, I was there way too early. It had taken me about 25 minutes to drive there, but I still had enough time to take a closer look at the surroundings.
In the end, I landed on Miami Beach.
A large white/yellowish main building, it reminded me a bit of a modern prefabricated concrete tower block with its high window fronts. Most of the blinds were down, but it didn't surprise me, the way the sun was beating down on it already.
And otherwise, there was probably everything here. A huge football field, soccer, an indoor swimming pool and also a large sports hall, which of course was more interesting for me. All in all, there were many more possibilities here than in Graham. In addition, the location by the sea was of course really extraordinary, at least for me. The large palm trees and all the other greenery made the place look quite beautiful.
“You look a bit lost, new?” I was interrupted in my mental tour. A young girl was standing next to me. I would almost guess that she was my age, but she could even be a little younger. However, she was also quite tall, estimated to be over 170 cm and had red wavy hair. Definitely dyed as bright as it shone. She seemed quite friendly, though.
“Yeah, first day. The school is even bigger than I thought.“ I replied with a smile. She seemed quite open-minded, just addressing me like that.
“All right, what year are you in? Or maybe you already know which class you're coming to? I'm Sarah, by the way.” She was obviously curious, too.
“I'm Lukas and I'm in 11th grade. However, I don't know which class I'm going to. I only remembered room 2.14.“ I explained to her and held out my hand in greeting, which she accepted.
“Oh,” why did that “oh” worry me right now?
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly.
“My condolences. You either have math or physics, or much worse, both with Mr. Hunter. He would have rather been a professor and he lets his students feel that and yes, the 11th grade is... interesting.”
“Well, you just have to get along with the teachers, but you're not making me hopeful that the students are any better.“ She was obviously not in the 11th grade. So she was probably younger, but if she already thought that way about the grade, what would become of it?
“Well, Mr. Hunter's class is that of Alexander Warren, an athlete and yes, difficult.” Alexander Warren?
“Does he play basketball and is he with Naomi Carson?”
“Yes, exactly, do you already know him?” Her expression now reflected clear discomfort, which I didn't quite understand, but I had expected that it wasn't necessarily tension-free in such a large school.
“No, I've just settled in here for the first few weeks. But Naomi is something like my neighbor, even if we haven't really had anything to do with each other yet.”
“Oh, um, then you'll probably get along with people just fine.” Did it just seem that way to me or had she already pigeonholed me? At least that's how it felt. She just left without saying a word. Did I have to worry about that now? Possibly...
I now walked into the school building myself. I quickly realized that 2.14 was called that because it was on the second floor. But I had already suspected that. When I arrived in the classroom, it was still clearly empty. There were just 10 students and the teacher there.
When Sarah told me about the wannabe prof, I had somehow imagined him differently. Now there was someone standing in front of me who was in his mid-30s, had black hair, an undercut, and a generally modern appearance. Well, if math wasn't one of my favorite subjects anyway, it probably would be now.
“You must be Lukas Johnson.” He raised his eyes just above the class register. His eyes were dark too.
“Yes, exactly, I'm a bit early. It's still quite manageable, Mr. Hunter.”
“I don't expect many more students to arrive today. Not after the event this weekend.“ He sounded quite annoyed about it, but I couldn't quite believe that he was serious about it. After all, the class size was 26, if I had it right in my head.
“What event?” You had to know what you had missed.
“The ex-quarterback celebrated his graduation, it's just as well that it's up to me to write a paper on the last topic today. But it wouldn't be very fair to you,” he mused, but I didn't care whether we were writing a paper or not, math couldn't do me much good there... Although it was quite mean, though I could understand it a bit.
“What subject?”
“Stochastics”
I just shrugged. “Well, if it's nothing.”
“Find a seat, I'll think about it again.” He gestured with his head to the rest of the class. A few students were still coming, but on the whole it was manageable. Even Naomi, who I knew from seeing, was not represented.
With my opinion about the test, I probably wouldn't necessarily make friends, oops.
Relaxed, I walked to a free seat, which was quite in the middle. Yes, normally I sat further forward, but somehow I was a little uncomfortable.
“Don't guys like you usually sit further back?” I was approached from the side. A boy, looked quite slim and somehow aggressive. His medium-length brown hair hung down a bit carelessly. They could definitely use some styling, but I should probably refrain from comments like that.
“You know, you're the second one today to label me. Is that kind of thing a thing here?“ Did I sound a bit annoyed? Maybe... But who wouldn't be?
“Wow, you don't have to take that the wrong way.” How else should I have taken it? Once again, I had this dull feeling that I was really out of place here.
“How should I, as a guy like me, take this otherwise? I have no problem with anyone, but apparently I must be radiating something to be labeled like that.” I exhaled and just put my things on the table.
“Sorry man, that was not okay. You're new and can't help it if there are all these idiots. Since tomorrow at the latest, we won't exchange many words anyway. Hey, I'm Noah, and we only have time to explain everything today, so just come with me during the break.” I raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of mood, but silently agreed with him with a nod, as the lesson started just then.
“Well, my dears, since you have turned up in such numbers today, it hardly makes sense, but I would like to introduce you to your new classmate. Lukas Johnson. Would you tell us something about yourself?” Mr. Hunter had already started talking, and I sensed that everyone present was looking at me. Well, that could be fun...
“Sure, I'd be happy to. So I'm Lukas, 16 years old and I'm from Graham in North Carolina” and would much rather be there. ‘Oh yes, I played basketball at my old school and yes, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.’ And I'm gay, but I held back on that. Even though the school spirit was supposedly open to everything. It just didn't feel that way.
After that, he handed out timetables for the school year and explained the course of events in general terms. The procedure was not much different from the one we had in Graham.
“Now that we've got that cleared up, I've decided to set a test on the last topic. We had covered stochastics. So subject-related stuff was off the table. I'll pass out the papers.” An indignant murmur went through the crowd. Apparently they weren't math fans either.
The test itself was absolutely no problem. We had also covered the topic, but I was done with the sheet quite quickly. There was nothing on the back either. My gaze slid cautiously over to Noah. He was still stuck on half of the tasks. Apparently he sensed my gaze on him, as he looked up from his paper himself. He looked at me questioningly, but I could only turn the finished sheet a little. My handwriting was neat and, judging by his fading writer's block, he understood what I was enabling him to do here.
The rest of the lesson went without a hitch and I packed up my stuff again. All school matters had already been settled last week, which is why I was able to fully participate in class today and didn't have to run from appointment to appointment.
“You saved my ass.“ I heard Noah's voice behind me, quite relieved, as we left the room.
“No problem, but normally guys like me certainly don't do that.” Of course, I couldn't resist a dig in that direction.
“Oh, yeah, I get it... but normally guys like you aren't good at stochastics either.” His voice changed from annoyed to teasing. I actually thought he was quite nice so far, but I thought the same about Sarah, which turned out to be a bit strange.
I just snorted with amusement and followed him to his locker. Apparently we had music next. Which was one of the electives, but I had absolutely no desire for art history and the like, which is why it was music.
“How come you already have all your paperwork?” he asked me on the way to the next class.
“I was here last week. I was given the choice of whether to clear everything today or earlier,” was the simple answer. He kept talking like a waterfall afterwards. What subjects we had in common, what was for lunch, which teachers were good and which weren't, but I couldn't remember all that at once either, especially since he spoke damn fast.
“Oh yes, and tomorrow, as soon as Naomi or Kelly get hold of you, you won't have any contact with most of the class anyway, provided you're good at basketball, although that could be dangerous with Alex. But it would be something like social suicide if you don't jump on the bandwagon.” He also quickly noticed that I was looking at him questioningly.
“Well, film and theater and everything else doesn't go with those who are interested in sports, it's just typical cliquishness. Don't tell me it was different at your school?” Now he was the one looking at me questioningly.
“Well, the school was significantly smaller than here. I wouldn't say that everyone was friends with each other, but you still had contact almost every day.” Which wasn't even a lie. Sure, you had more contact with some than with others, but I couldn't think of anyone who was excluded at our school.
He laughed... and I stood there like the last idiot, because I absolutely couldn't understand the reaction.
“Wait, are you serious?” I nodded briefly and his facial features went wild.
“Damn, man, I'm sorry to hear that. But it's going to be a little different here...”
“I've come to fear that myself.”
The rest of the time went by pretty much the same. Greetings, introductions and at the end a preview for the school year. Mr. Hunter remained the only one who apparently had the class in his sights so much that he wrote a test. The more I learned about my classmates, the more I could understand it.
Meanwhile, we were on our way to the cafeteria.
“Well, you can say that the food selection is pretty awesome. There's actually a little bit of everything.” And that was true. It was definitely a better selection than in Graham, but I ate a lot of different things anyway, so it wasn't that complicated for me. It was obviously different for Noah. He seemed really picky about his choice.
In the end, we both had something with noodles. Noah because nothing else was decent and I because I could eat noodles every day. Plus fruit and I had also got a coke.
“What about the club activities? Unfortunately, I haven't been told where to sign up for them yet.”
“We can go down after dinner, they're on display downstairs in the lobby. I don't want to be a killjoy, but basketball, football, and soccer are quite popular.” That wasn't anything new to me. I had already informed myself in advance.
“Let me worry about that. The tryouts are public and everything else will be fine. You can chase me with the rest. Although I might take a look at the swim team.“ Thanks to Mason, I was a bit more confident about myself again, at least on a sporting level.
“Then good luck with that. Just be careful not to fall out with Alex or Sean, they're the only two who were already on the team in the 10th and unfortunately they're in our class...” How many more times would I hear the name Alex? No idea, but slowly I had the feeling that I should have accepted Naomi's offer. But it was too late now.
“You're not the first to associate the name Alex with something bad,” I realized and saw, similar to Sarah, how his expression changed.
“Well, to put it nicely, he's an ass, but if you look at it on a deeper level... Then he's one of the main reasons why there was room for a new student in our class at all. Actually, there were 26 of us and therefore, according to the school rules, we were at full strength,” he began to explain. ”What exactly happened?”
“Um, I think it's better if you don't know. After all, you want to be on the team and you'll have to get along with him for better or worse. Maybe the summer helped him or something.“ That wasn't exactly a statement I could work with, but Noah didn't look like he was going to talk about it anymore.
“All right...” was my brief acknowledgment that we could leave the subject alone for now.
Noah used the lunch break to introduce me to everyone in the class, at least those who were there. In my opinion, those would have been enough if I could believe what the others said. Whether I would get along with the 'elite', as Noah so nicely put it, would only be seen tomorrow. Until then, I had to wait and sign up for the various activities. We did that too.
Noah had also added me to our class's WhatsApp group. However, it was immediately archived because it was spammed all the time.
Nevertheless, I was happy to come home after school. Now I was floating on an air mattress and gave my friends an update.
:-Lukas-: A brief summary... Out of 26 students, 15 were there today because of some party or something. Most of them don't speak well of the class and our math teacher is hot ;D So day one survived. I think it will only be difficult tomorrow... And how are you?
Derek: Sounds pretty good so far, even though it's really weird that so many people are missing. And about the teacher... Yuck
:-Qu(ee)inn(i)-: Tze bleh... is there a picture? And yes, here... Nothing much has changed, except that some people apparently only just realized that you're gone. You're missed. Especially by the teachers, who's going to keep the grade point average up?
:-Qu(ee)inn(i)-: I can't do it alone xD
:-Mason-: Coach Edison really wants everyone to take part in the tryouts o.o
:-Derek-: Right, that's lousy
:-Lukas-: I don't have a picture today yet, but I'll try to remember. As for the grades, yeah, please keep pushing those two idiots. Otherwise they'll mess up. But hey, maybe you'll have more time soon if you don't play basketball anymore xD
Was the last thing I said a bit mean? Probably, but I assumed that the two wouldn't get into trouble. Coach Edison usually liked them... So I worried more about myself...