Although this is listed as Chapter 01, it would be a good idea to read the prolog of the story just to get the introduction of the main character, Steve Smith.
Thanks again to my editor 'Romantic1' for helping me polish this into a presentable story.
It was Monday morning on the first day of school. The start of my senior year. I had just backed my Jeep into a spot off in the corner of the student parking lot. As I surveyed the scene I saw the jocks all parked together in one section flaunting their letter jackets. Some of the more preppy kids had all their expensive German import cars huddled together closer to the teacher parking area away from the rest of us lowly masses. A few other cars were scattered around the parking lot. No doubt the nerds and geeks were already indoors kissing the asses of their favorite teachers.
I continued to sit in the driver's seat of my Jeep. I quietly tried to collect my thoughts and even attempted a brief moment of meditation to calm my nerves and find my center. Although I had experienced so much over the summer and became more of a man in two months than I ever thought possible, I was still nervous because now it was back the grind of the real world.
Just as I finished exhaling a deep breath my phone rang. When I looked at the caller I.D. I smiled when I saw it registered Ashley's cell as the caller.
"Hello," I said as I answered my cell.
"Nervous?" She asked in a calm and relaxing tone.
"How'd you know?" I said with a half-hearted chuckle.
"I figured." She paused. "Look, you have nothing to worry about. Just be true to yourself and don't worry about what anyone else thinks, says, or does. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy your senior year after all." I sensed her sarcasm, but also the sincerity of her attempt to get me to relax.
"Calm. Cool. Collected. Confident. Comfortable. Casual," I said as if it was a religious mantra. "Not nervous."
"Good," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. "You wearing the outfit I recommended?"
"To the tee," I said.
"Excellent. You have nothing to worry about. Now don't be late." Just as she said that the first warning bell rang. "I guess that's your cue. See you over fall break lover," she ended her call with a kiss and then hung up.
My well-worn hiking books hit the pavement with deliberate thud. For pants I wore a pair of khaki cargo pants and for a shirt I had an untucked button down shirt over a tucked in white undershirt. I had a pair of aviator sunglasses and a vintage Jeep hat my step dad Mike had given me when he gave me the keys to the CJ8 Scrambler. This outfit, as recommended by Ashley, not only reflected my rough and rugged nature but also felt super comfortable. It was the prefect representation of the new me. A far cry from the jeans and t-shirts I wore as a junior.
As I got halfway across the parking lot, I spotted a familiar face leaning against one of the poles outside the main doors to the school. Jenn had been my first real kiss. Her long red hair was hanging down just past her shoulders. She had on a strapless pink floral dress and her sunglasses were perched on top of her head. She looked at me with a rather smug expression.
"Jenn. Long time no see," I said as I walked up to her.
"I'll say. You pretty much kissed and ran," she said in a mock serious tone.
"Ah, about that," I began to say.
"I'm just teasing," she said with a twinkle in her eye, "but you do know how to leave a girl hanging and spoil her summer." She gave me a coy grin letting me know she still thought fondly of our kiss the night of my birthday.
The old me would have laughed, turned around, and walked into school side-by-side with his friend oblivious to what was going on between the lines. The new me had a different idea.
I took a step towards Jenn, closing the small gap between us; I leaned down, brushed her hair over her shoulder, and gave her a soul searing kiss that blew the inexperienced tongue lashing she had received on my birthday far away.
When I broke the kiss and took a step away, Jenn was standing frozen with her eyes closed and her lips still puckered. When she finally snapped out of it and looked at me I smiled.
"Worth the wait?" I asked her giving her a coy smile of my own.
"Uh, yeah," she said stumbling over her words.
"Well, we better get going before we're considered late on our first day of school," I then stuck my elbow out as an invitation to link arms.
Jenn took the cue, and we linked arms and walked into the high school building arm in arm.
+++
Later that day I made my way towards the cafeteria for lunch. The morning classes had been more about housekeeping and catching up than anything educational. I received many compliments on my new look and more than a few winks from the girls. I smiled and thought to myself that I need to find a way to thank Ashley for everything she's done for me.
Being the first day of school everyone had reverted to the same old cliques from our junior year. This left me without a definitive location to sit down.
"Hello Stevie," I heard a distinctive female voice say from behind.
"Hello Rachel," I said in a rather stern voice. "And by the way, please call me Steve."
"Okay, Steve," she said emphasizing my name sarcastically. "I guess the new look deserves a new name."
Rachel was pretty much the queen bee of school since she was the head cheerleader. Tall, skinny, blonde, and dumb as a rock. Cliche, I know. She was hot, she knew it, and she flaunted it.
Much to my surprise and my relief, I spotted Jenn sitting at a table across the room.
"Excuse me," I said as I walked away from Rachel without giving her much of a second chance. I didn't need, or want, her kind of drama in my life.
"Steve!" Jenn exclaimed nearly jumping out of her seat as I walked up to the table. "You just starting your lunch?"
"Yeah. Second period lunch. You?" I asked.
"First. We are just finishing up," she let out a somewhat depressive sigh but then cheered back up. "We've got few more minutes," she said. "Go grab your food. We'll hold you a seat." As I walked away, I heard her and her friends giggle. No doubt the subject of the kiss I gave Jenn had been a hot topic already.
When I returned to the table I was able to sit next to Jenn, and for first few minutes we talked about our summers. I prudently neglected to mention my sexual education from my not-really-a-cousin cousin. I did more listening then talking. Something Ashley stressed to me. When I spoke, I was concise and deliberate with my words making sure not to talk too much or use words that didn't fit the tone of the conversation.
When the bell rang the group of girls excused themselves, and Jenn gave me a pleasant smile before catching up with her friends.
For the next few minutes I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet. I figured I was on my own, which was nothing new, so I enjoyed a moment of serenity in the middle of my school day. This moment to myself, as I thought ahead, may be more important in the middle of a busy semester than right now on the first day of school. In the past I found it very difficult to find a place and time to meditate or at least center myself while at school.
'Having a half hour to myself during lunch might just be what I need,' I thought to myself. As I continued thinking I went off into my own little world.
"Steve, right?" An unfamiliar male voice snapped me out of my daze.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry," I apologized. "Lost in thought."
"Didn't mean to interrupt," the guy said. As I looked him over, I tried to recall his name.
"Doug?" I asked half sure I was right.
