I walk out of the house and onto the street. The Second Island Road is bustling with activity; cars honking, grandmas strolling, teens on their way to school and stressed adults going to work. As I zigzag through the stream of people I suddenly see Ken on the other side of the road, waving, and I wave back happily. We lose sight of each other quickly, and while looking after him I almost bump into two young men with a stroller. I hastily apologize to them, and hurry on forward. 

When I reach the Bridge Bridge (who the f*ck named that bridge? Were they high?) I hear the sound of sirens. I walk closer to the flashing lights, and see two policewomen waving the traffic into the right lane. It doesn’t affect me since I’m walking on the sidewalk, but still… what happened? Somebody committed suicide? A car crash? A thief, stopped by the police? 

Since it’s rude to stare and I’m starting school soon I continue walking, but I really hope no one was hurt. There have been many accidents here only this year, and yet no one do anything. I really don’t get adults sometimes.

Safely on the other side, I sit down and check I haven’t forgotten anything for school. Pencils? Yes. Notebooks? Yes. Lunch money? Yes. Once I forgot the money at home, and I didn’t eat anything the whole day. I just performed so bad on the afternoon! Never again. 

Everything’s in the backpack; let’s go on forward and not be late today. The Fourth Lane is calm, no folks on the sidewalks, just a few bikers on the street and only sometimes a car or bus. I pass the bus stop, and hear someone shout my name. I turn my head to respond, and see Ken once more. Really? He? I didn’t even talk to you last semester, and now I meet you everywhere. However, it is rude to ignore it, and it have never hurt to talk to someone, so I run to his side of the street just before the bus leaves.

- Hey, Djennifer, how are you?

- Nice, how about you? The lacrosse going well?

Please  please let it be lacrosse that is his sport.

- Well, yes, and you? The art class?

HE KNEW ABOUT MY ART CLASS! I don’t know if I should be amazed or creeped out!

- Oh it is going fine. We just started with oil paint. It is very nice to work with oil, it has an amazing texture.

- Let’s hope at least. But, see you at the French class, right?

- Oh yes, see ya!

We part to our respective lockers and I see Erich. He is struggling with his locker, which doesn’t seem to open.He looks like he needs help, so I go to him and asks if he needs help.

- You want any help with that?

- No, I think I manage.

- Well, you don’t look like it’s ok.

- I AM NOT GAY!

- That… was not what I asked, but nice to know.

When he realizes what he just said, his face turns beet red. I try to comfort him but he shrugs me off, so I mind my own business and take my stuff for homeroom. Mr Brown doesn’t say much today, so we all work with homework the whole lesson. When the bell rings, I meet with Drew outside. Together we pick our gym bags, and walk to the changing rooms. 

We part at the entrance, I walk into the women’s and he into the men’s. Usually I don’t stay for long in the locker room, because the other girls are just awful, but today I do, just to see if they are talking trash about Drew already. I hear something about a party next weekend, and someone has a new girlfriend, but nothing about Drew. That’s nice, I was afraid that they already started picking on him. When I first started here, they picked on me for almost a week, but then I hit one of them in the guts and now we just ignore each other. 

In P.E. today we do an obstacle course with mats, ropes, plinths and so forth, and I actually enjoy it for once. Never knew it could be this fun with P.E.… 

A while in, some of the classmates from B comes in. They tell us their lesson has been canceled, and ask to join. In just a minute they’re active in the course. But suddenly we hear a high-f*cking-pitched screech of pain. Drew is laying on the floor, and his leg is bent in an unnatural way. The rope he was hanging in lies next to him, with the teared end stuck in the roof. He must have fallen; I pity him. On the second day, too. Everyone is looking uncomfortable at each other, but finally Ken steps forth and says: “I can take him to the nurse.” Drew steps up, visibly hurt, and leans onto his shoulder. Together they stumble out the door, and I can see even at this distance how both blushes. 

After finishing the lesson and showering I meet them back in the cafeteria. Drew has a bandage around his leg, but no cast at least. He has crutches though, so I carry his tray to the table where we all sit. When we raise to leave the the trays, Drew winces a little, and Ken immediately asks him if something’s wrong. Drew still won’t admit that it hurts, and just shrugs it off to him. While in the queue for the dropoff station, Erich sneaks back up behind Drew. He looks very suspicious, but I don’t judge him yet. Maybe I am wrong? Maybe he just has a “resting suspicious face”?

Splash! Drew’s shirt is all soaked, and Erich’s glass is suddenly empty. I put two and two together, and walks towards Erich, but he just leaves before anyone gets him. Ken and I exchange looks, and ask Drew if Erich ever hurt him. At first we don’t get any answer, but after a while, when we’re outside, Drew admits that Erich called him faggot twice yesterday. We freak out a little and tell Drew to stand up for himself and to not take slurs like that lightly, but he just says “well, it was the first day. I don’t want to get enemies the first day in the new school” and marks the conversation as finished by starting to talk about Mr Brown. That little shit. Although, I kind of get the point: you have to behave in this class, or they will push you down the ladder so hard.

Some time later, we fetch our stuffs form the lockers, and part to our respective languages. We have a substitute teacher in French, so we just sit there and talk for the whole lesson. Suddenly Ken moves his chair to me.

- Djennifer, how well do you know Drew?

- Kind of well, why do you ask?

- Well, Erich called him faggot, but is he gay for reals?

- Yes, you don’t know? He even moved here because his boyfriend was killed.

- Oh… that sucks. No pun intended.

- Yes. Hope he feels better here.

- Let’s take care of him good. Real good.

- Yep.

We get interrupted by the ringing bell, and disperse to our lockers. When you think about it, Ken is actually quite nice, why haven’t I talked to him earlier?

I walk out the gray school building, and and down the now busy street. Looking in the windows, I don’t realize that there is a barricade crossing the road, and almost bump into a policeman. He gives me a lesson it looking up, and I try to look very innocent to be able to go earlier. It works, and I keep walking, now at the other side of the road. The barricade on Bridge Bridge (I’m gonna send in a petition to change the name it is seriously awful) so I guess that it wasn’t a murder at least. 

When I get home, I start doing my homework, but get distracted by what Ken said. Is he in love with Drew? Naw, how cute. I should really focus on the maths, but it would be so nice if they got together. What should their shipping name be? Dren? Kew? Krew? I think Krew is the best. Let’s turn this into a hashtag, folks!