Kit’s POV
It was almost painful to watch.
Back in our cabin Roland was almost a completely different person than he was anywhere else. Sure, he was still anxious and clearly didn’t love talking but he was relaxed at least. Yet the second we left this morning all of that was gone.
I watched as his shoulders hunched and his eyes never left the ground. It was an exact match to how he acted yesterday as we got supper, thankfully no one was rudely shoving him this time at least.
We were in separate classes because I was two years old than him apparently but I still made an effort to try and find him every time we switched periods. I was unsuccessful.
Classes weren’t that bad I guess. I mean I hated sitting through them but the people weren’t horrible and the teachers we decent at their jobs so there wasn’t much to complain about. The classwork was on par with what I had been doing back at the center so I wasn’t even really worried about the homework at this point.
With that weight off my chest, lunch was the only thing on my mind. I had missed breakfast because I was following Roland’s lead and turns out he doesn’t put himself through the hectic lunch room more than he absolutely has to.
The lunch rush wasn’t as bad as dinner had been. I guess the staggered periods helped.
I knew I shouldn’t expect it but I caught myself looking more than once for Roland but after accepting that he wasn’t there, I found an empty table and set my trey down. I didn’t even get halfway done before people began filling the table.
For a while no one said anything and I slightly begged that not everyone in this camp was a raging introvert, then by some small miracle, one of them spoke.
“You’re that Kit Richards kid right?” One of them asked, barely looking up from their trey, their voice just as unimpressed as their face seemed to let onto. Her hair was black and nearly touched the middle of her back while a thick black wing for eyeliner was the only makeup she wore. Her shirt was a simple black one with a skull on it and she had on black leggings.
“That’s me,” I said about as confidently as I could while giving an awkward smile. She only hummed.
“How did you get into AP classes already? I had to study for months before they allowed me into a single AP class. Did you bride them or something?” I had at least seen this girl before. She was in my AP lit class and sat in front her, I only recognized her from her strawberry blonde hair and light pink sweater.
“I was put in them without a choice. My cabin’s therapist said it was because of my previous test scores.”
“Smarty pants,” She all but sneered as she turned back to her trey.
“Don’t mind them, they’re bitches to people we don’t know but refused to sit somewhere else. I’m Evan, that’s Hailey,” he pointed to the AP classes bitch, “and Sage. I saw you moved into Cabin 8.”
Evan was a bottom. That was the best way to describe what was sitting in front of me. A light blush covered his cheeks but was slightly covered by his long Justin Bieber bangs. He wore a shirt from Heathers and his nails were painted a dark blue.
“I mean I moved into the cabin by the lake with the dead tree in front of it. I didn’t know they were numbered.”
“You got the weird roommate right?”
My breath caught in my throat as I glared at rip-off Barbie.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I scoffed as I went to stand up. These kinds of people weren’t worth my time.
“You know, the weird one. Doesn’t talk, never eats in here, always looks like he’s about to have a heart attack?”
“What’s it like living with him? I know it’s only been a day but I have in him English. He choked badly the first day. He was called on for reading and completely froze. It was so bad she had to call on someone else. Does he talk at all alone? It’d be really weird if he didn’t.” Sage didn’t bother looking up from their food.
“Is this how friends usually work in this shit hole,” I asked before I had a cache to stop myself. “You pick on a random kid who hasn’t done a damn thing to you and hope they join in?”
“Who said we wanted to be friends with you,” Hailey asked with an impossibly fake smile. “We’re just making conversation with the stranger who sat at our table.”
“If you didn’t want me here you could have just said that. You don’t have to bully a kid who isn’t even here to defend himself.”
“Like he would,” Sage mumbled with a roll of her eyes.
“Bullying is a serious offense here,” Hailey said, her fake smile still very much in place. “We would never intentionally hurt someone. We were just asking about a fellow camper. Maybe Evan is interested in him.”
Evan only blushed again as he tore his eyes from the three of us in favor of staring at the table.
“Whatever,” I scoffed as I got up from the table. “Just do me a favor and stay away from both of us. I hear skank is contagious and I’d rather stay clear.”
Hailey scoffed as I left but I didn’t bother turning around.
The second I left the cafeteria I let the sigh leave my lips. I was really hoping to find a friend group by the end of the day.
Damn.
Roland’s POV
I tried not to hate him, but by lunch, all everyone was talking about was Kit.
‘Did you see the new kid? He’s hot as fuck. I’m getting with him by the end of the week.’
‘He’s in AP classes already? How is that fair?’
‘That new kid is ripped. We need him on the basketball team before the baseball kids get to him.’
‘Sucks he got stuck with the weird guy, he’ll never be as popular as he could have been with that guy around.’
All day that’s all I heard and I hated it.
It’s rude to hate Roland. Where are your manners?
I felt the urge to sneer. My manners are just fine. These other kids were the ones with no manners. It’s rude to talk about people when they aren’t in front of you; they should no better.
“Roland,” a harsh voice scoffed out. My heart stopped beating for a second as I looked up at the teacher leaning over my desk. “Mind repeating what I just said?”
This man, I did hate and I didn’t care that it was rude.
He was the math teacher for my grade and seemed keen on making my life a living hell. All he did was speak loudly, call on me, and make the most annoying sounds with his pen. He’s had it out for me since I got here.
“Can’t come up with anything,” he asked dumbly after a while of us just staring at each other. “Should’ve known,” he scoffed as he stood up straight and walked back to the whiteboard. “As I said, homework today is page 124, questions 2-26 even.” When his eyes landed on me, my soul crumbled knowing exactly what was about to happen. “Roland, you do 1-26 odd and even.” Just as the last word left his mouth the bell rang.
No one waited for him to dismiss them, they never did which just caused a loud, stuffy whirlwind of people all headed towards at all once leaving many pushed against each other or the doorframe. I need saw the need to rush, it was the end of the day, there was nowhere we have to be any more so I just sat there until the last person left.
“You waiting for something?” Mr. Thomas sighed as he stared at me. My hands itched for something to fiddle with. “If this is about your homework suck it up. If you aren’t going to pay attention in class you need to learn the material somehow.”
It’s rude to leave mid-conversation! Don’t you ever do that again!
I pray she’ll forgive me this time.
I stood up without a care in the world.
“All I’m asking is you take a note or two in class. Can you do that?” I didn’t answer as I walked out of the classroom, not bothering to glance back at him as I left.
After waiting for so long the walk back to the cabin was quiet and quick. The cabin however was not quiet.
I sighed to myself as I opened the door.
Kit was there on his bed, books and papers littered his space in an unorganized mess while the pencil in his hand tapped the paper he was studying every other second. One hand was buried in his hair and his face looked as if he were trying to figure out how to fix something.
I didn’t disturb him as I closed the door and sat down on my bed. My back leaned against the headboard while my knees were tucked closer to my chest.
“You aren’t going to start your homework,” Kit asked wearily as he eyed my discarded bag beside my nightstand.
I only shook my head as I laid my head on my knees.
“Why not? It’s better to start right after school since your brain is still ready to learn. Besides, you’ll have less motivation to do it after your session.”
“It’s boring,” I sighed as I tucked myself farther into the bed frame.
My past foster families had never liked that excuse but it was the truth and it’s rude to lie. I can’t help but brace myself for the lecture but to my surprise Kit only laughs.
“It really is,” he admitted before looking down at his book. “Me and my friends back at rehab had a game to make us work though, in case you wanted to try it? Well less of a game really, more of a bet I guess.” I don’t answer but my fingers pinch my hand.
Gambling was bad. My dad said it was the root of all evil. He said the worst thing a man could do is gamble his life into debt whether we were gambling with money or cars that we might not be able to fix, he said there was no faster way to make yourself hit rock bottom.
“We used to all start at the same time and worked until we were done. The best person in each subject then had to go back and check everyone’s and whoever had the lowest score had to go raid the vending machines. It might not have been fun but the promise of snacks after made it feel a bit better and we had a good chance of passing classes too so it worked out.”
“Be hard with only two people,” I mumbled though I still had no interest.
“Maybe but at least it’d get done. Come on and try it, regardless of who wins, I’ll get snacks, this time only though; next time you’re going down.” Like I could afford snacks.
My head shook against my knees without a thought as I sunk farther into the headboard.
“Maybe some other time then,” he reasoned but I could hear the doubt in his voice.
My session with Andrew came not too long after that.
Disappointment flooded my body when I realized no broken appliance lay on his desk.
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