“Duncan!”

My head comes off my arms and my eyes snap open a slit before I’m fully awake. A very painful, very familiar flash of light and color stabs through my skull, coupled with dull pain and nausea. I suck in my breath with a hiss, managing a low, “Yessir” through clenched teeth as my right arm curls instinctively tighter around my ribs.

“Are you kidding me? It’s the first day!”

I force my eyes completely open and glance up, toward the front of the classroom. The classroom! Realizing I'm in school, a strange mixture of relief tainted with humiliation courses through my body, heating me like a slow burn. I quickly assume a bored air, slouching back in my seat and turning my gaze lazily toward the window on my left, mumbling, “Sorry,” through split lips.

Fourth row back, against the wall, I’d gotten here at six in the morning to slump into it and catch an hour or so of sleep before school. The classroom was full: every desk was filled, save the one to my right.

Standing next to the empty desk is a delicate-looking little pixie of a girl in jeans and pink frilly top, staring at me expectantly. Her heart-shaped face is cocked slightly to one side, and she tosses her honey-gold hair over her shoulder and grins at me. I stare up at her stupidly and cock an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Duncan, for the love of- This is Melissa Applegate, the new student. She’s asked you three times if-“

“That’s ok, Mr. Leftler.” The girl smoothly cuts in, smiling at me brightly and giving a slight giggle. “It is ok if I sit here, um," she pauses to flash me a sly grin, "Duncan, I guess?”

I shrug and settle my head against the window, turning away from her.

“Fletcher, so help me…” Mr. Leftler began.

“Alright, okay, damn,” I say, sitting up straight and looking at the girl again. “Welcome ta’ Fulton High, Melissa. Please, won’t you grace me wit’ ya’ presence?” I let my gaze rake over Mr. Leftler as I  lean back against the window, closing my eyes.

“Thanks,” Melissa laughs, and I hear her slide into the desk next to mine. She starts taking out what sounds like books, notepads, lots of pencils, and then I’m not sure what else, and slowly class resumes. I relax a tiny bit and press my burning cheek closer to the cool window.

“So…what happened to your face?”

I open my eyes and roll them slowly toward the new girl, instantly on edge. She raises both eyebrows and bites her lip, staring at me with playful eyes. “Oh come on, tell me!” she whispers excitedly, resting her head on her hand, turned away from the front of the room, “Was there some other guy trying to hit on your girlfriend? Did someone attack you? What happened?”

I sigh softly and take an extended blink. “I had a…disagreement wit’ a guy who w's bigger, faster, an' a hell of a lot stronger’n me,” I reply, speaking slowly and moving my lips as little as possible, which not only reduces the tugging at my newly-healing lips, but has the added bonus of cutting conversations short.

I lean back against the window and listen to Mr. Leftler drone on about the responsibilities as well as possibilities that came with sophomore year of high school, and after a few minutes, I figure that's the end of it. Melissa apparently doesn’t mind my sarcasm, though.

“Well, why’d you pick a fight with a guy like that?” I sigh and lift my aching head from the window. Again.

“I didn’ say I picked a fight; I said I was in a fight. There’s a difference.”

“Duncan!”

I hide my flinch with an eye-roll and shoot a glance at the front of the room.

“It’s the first twenty minutes of class-!” Mr. Lefter snaps his mouth shut and seems to undergo an internal struggle. “Don’t make me send you to the office on the first day. Just…” Mr. Leftler shakes his head, “Stay awake and don’t talk. Can you just…do that?”

I lock eyes with him, keeping my face completely blank.

“Sure. No problem. Sir,” I growl in clipped sentences, waiting until he’s huffed in annoyance and turned away before I drop my head back against the window. Ignoring the girl’s hissing attempts to get me to talk to her, I stare hard across the hill in the quad and try to ignore the various pains I’d earned last night.