1. Westview high

CHAPTER 1

Nate's POV

“M..Michael Clark,”

I say to the tired-looking secretary sitting in front of the computer as I finally reach inside the hostel office after standing in the enormous queue for almost an hour.

The secretary looks up at me and then hurriedly types something on her computer. “Michael Nate Clark?” she asks after a second and I nod. “New admission?” I again nod.

“Dorm B, 69,” she then calls out to the other lady who is standing by the cupboards, fiddling inside boxes of keys. Soon enough the lady expertly tosses a key to the secretary’s desk.

“Michael, you'll be staying in Dorm B, room no 69,” she says in a hurry.

“oh..o..okay,” I nod seeing her hurry and quickly take the key from her hands, hastily walking out of the queue.

I take my suitcase and bags from where I had placed them outside the office before I stood in the line. Then I walk in direction of....I don’t actually know where. Because I am new in this boarding school and I don't have any idea where I'm going. I am supposed to be finding my dorm room now. After that, I just have to unpack my stuff and rest till tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is my first day in this school.

If you are wondering why I'm in this school, then it's because unfortunately last year I wrote a scholarship exam. I was one among the three people who got selected to this highly qualified boarding school in Texas called 'Westview High' where I'll be studying for free for the next one year as now I enrolled as a senior student. But I'm certainly not looking forward to this new high school experience.

At a point during last year, I had honestly thought to drop out of school when things became too difficult for me. I barely survived my previous high school which was only a few blocks away from home. And I honestly had no plan to enroll in this school, which is thirteen hours away from my home in Oklahoma.

It was my parents and my older sister, Anna who forced me to this. Of course, I tried to protest but there was no use. The fact that I'll get a good sum of scholarship amount every month didn't help me.

My life has always been trouble. It was never easy for me. Of course, it was to a little extent. But that was until Alex left.

Alex was my big brother. He was nice, caring, protective of me. He was always there for me. He once even punched a boy from my middle school and broke his nose for making fun of me. Alex loved me so much. I loved him too. But he left me alone all of a sudden. I was 15 then and he was 19. It was a car accident. Now it's almost three years since that but I am barely out of shock.

I was always called and referred to as the 'stutter boy' and it makes me feel sick. I can't get used to it or stop minding it. It really hurts me. Okay, I agree I stutter while speaking. I tried a lot to stop stuttering. But I couldn't do anything about it. And it worsened after Alex's death. I don't really know what to do about it anymore. But I am not stupid or anything. Why do I have to be called the ‘stutter boy’ when I actually have a name?

Only a few people in my previous high school knew my real name. I was like a toy to all those bullies in school, who would call me 'hey stutter boy, c'mere. Go buy us a soda and some snacks from the vending machine' or 'stutter boy, have you finished the assignment I gave you yesterday?' or 'M..m..mi..michael..w..w..what's up?'

Now you might have got an idea, how horrible my school life was. But I don't actually stutter that much. I don't really know what satisfaction they all get by making fun of me and following me behind, fake stuttering. Sometimes I even get punched and kicked around. But still, after everything, I managed to somehow maintain my grades.

Anyway I have made a decision for this new high school. I'm not going to talk to anyone. I am going to stay mute so that they won't find I have this speech deficiency and won't call me stutter boy again. I can't take it anymore.

I am here just to study and I am not going to indulge in any other things. I don't look at this school as a place to start new beginnings or a place to make some nice new friends. Because I know that won't happen. I know, in the end, I am just going to make a fool out of myself. People aren't nice.

Hmm..now I need to go and find my dorm. But Where's it? I look at the key in my hands and at the number written over it. okay, I am not going to make a dirty comment about the room number but looking at it, I feel like I'm walking my ass into some new trouble.

After walking around for about ten minutes, I’m finally able to find Dorm B. I walk up the stairs, struggling with my big suitcase and bag.

Finally, I reach in front of room 69. I take a deep breath before pressing the key into the hole. I just only have one wish that my roommate is someone nice. After taking one more breath, I slowly push open the door.

But there’s no one inside the room. The room is almost empty. I mean there is furniture but there isn't any other luggage bags or anything. Seems like my roommate hasn't arrived yet. Good! I can unpack my stuff in peace and afterward rest peacefully.

Or it's really good if I don't have a roommate. But I have one another big problem. I am afraid to be alone in the dark. At home, I usually sleep with my bed lamp on. But if there's someone in the room, I am okay to sleep without light.

This fear also came to me after Alex's death. We used to share one room and I used to sleep hugging him. When suddenly he was gone, I was scared to be all alone. Anna moved to my room and stayed with me for a year. But then she was married off and was gone.

I start panicking unnecessarily if suddenly the lights go off. But it's okay. I can quickly reach my phone and turn on the flash. Besides, I have a lamp and a lot of candles with me. So I don't mind if I don't have a roommate.

I look at the black clock sitting on the wall opposite to me. It shows 5: 10 Pm. I look around the room and it looks not bad. It's larger than I expected. And it looks pretty elegant and fresh. The floor is tiled white and the walls also are a clean white. I guess they paint every year.

There are two beds both wrapped with clean white bedsheets. There's a little space in between the beds and a small bedside table sits in the end, leaning to the wall. I can place my bed lamp there I guess. To the left corner are a big black table and two black fiber chairs. On the other side, there are cupboards and shelves to place our things. I smile looking around. I like the room.

I walk towards the bathroom. It has a cheap black fiber door but it actually looks good and matches with the black and white theme of the room. I open the door and inspect the bathroom. It's really clean and nice for a dorm bathroom.

I walk back and start unpacking my stuff, one by one. I guess I can take the cupboards and shelves on the right as my roommate hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully, he won't mind taking the one on the left.

It took me about two hours to unpack and arrange everything. I did it slowly as I had enough time and I didn't have anything else to do. After I am satisfied arranging the things, I place my empty suitcase and bags in a corner and take a t-shirt and shorts from the cupboard, walking towards the bathroom to finally take a shower.

I close the door and look at the bathroom mirror, smiling at my reflection. I have long and slightly curly light brown hair with baby blue eyes and dimpled cheeks with prominent cheekbones. If I didn't stutter, I think people would have called me cute or handsome. But I stutter and I am nothing but a weird nerd to people.

But my Mom still says I am cute. And Alex used to call me 'cutie.' Like when he comes back from school, he would yell 'Hey! I'm home. where's my cutie?' and I would run down the stairs, giggling. I know how childish it all sounds but I really miss it all.

I step into the large stainless steel shower after taking my clothes off and turn it on. I shiver a little as cool water flows down my hair, forehead, chin and down my bare untanned chest with barely noticeable abs.

After about twenty minutes, I step out of the shower and throw on the t-shirt and shorts I earlier took from the cupboard. I step back into the room and look at the bed on the right. I had already picked that bed and my phone and laptop were lying on it. I walk to there and sit on the edge, looking around and studying the room once again while my hands press on the mattress, checking it’s thickness. Very soon I’m plopped down on my back on the warm, comfortable mattress with my laptop on my stomach, searching for some movie to watch from my downlo*ds as I’ve nothing else to do. And I end up watching Iron Man again.

Sometime later, a bell rings out of nowhere, almost startling me. I look at the clock and see the time 8 Pm. That might be mess bell for dinner. Anyway, I'm not going. I'm not hungry.

An hour later, I'm bored. I put my laptop and phone aside after setting alarm at 6. I turn my night lamp on and the lights out before lying back again and pulling the covers up, shifting to my side and curling up, waiting for sleep.

Tomorrow won't be that bad. Maybe it's actually time for new beginnings.