I'm New to This

“So you’re from America?” one of the boys crowded around me asked. I nodded bashfully.

“Yeah,” I said.

“So?” another one asked. “What’s it like?”

I was a bit surprised at the question, but it made sense.

“Well, it’s different depending on where you are,”

“Yeah?”

“Y-yeah, I guess.. I mean, where I lived it was just rainy and snowy. And really cold.” I said, deciding it’s best to keep it simple. Most of the boys made faces.

“Sounds awful,” one blurts. I just shrugged.

After a moment or two, a few girls joined the group, one coming up to my left, the others emerging near the middle.

“Hello, boys. What’s all the fuss about?” one of them asks with a smile. She looks around until she spots me, finally eyeing me with curiosity. “Who’s this?”

“I--” once again, before I can answer, Liam cuts me off.

“This is Felix!” Liam says, patting me on my back. “He’s from America.” he adds, smiling wilily and raising his eyebrows in over-exaggeration. Smiling small, I raise my hand in a half-wave, meek sort of way, then let it drop.

“Hey,”

Then, suddenly, the girl standing to my left gasps. Everyone looks to her, including me, because she’s staring at me. Before I can say anything, she pushes my hair aside and grabs my ear.

“Look at this!” she exclaims, her smile growing in that girly-attraction way.

My cheeks begin to darken.

“Whoa! I didn’t see those!” Liam exclaims, grabbing my other ear. Hastily, I recover my ears from their grasps. Trying to change the subject, I think of my laptop.

“Hey, you any of you guys know where I can get an adaptor or something? Because you guys have different outlets…” I say, beginning strong but growing ever-meek as I end it with a look to my feet. Here I was, thinking that I had asked a pointless question, but Liam saved me again, quickly interjecting.

“Uh, yeah, you can probably find one in a touristy shop somewhere in town.” he says leisurely. I think about this for a second, then decide I’ll have to get my dad to take me.

“Alright, I guess I’ll check them out sometime,” I say, chewing over my words. Then, suddenly, Liam’s body does this sort of jolt, as if he’s just realized something drastic.

“I could take you!” he said hurriedly, only afterwards realizing the rashness in his words. However, I seem to ease his worry when I accept his offer.

“Okay. You know Australia better then me, that’s for sure.” I say with a little half-laugh, which sort of triggers the group to laugh as well. And that sort of freaked me out, but I just assumed it was because I was new and exciting. I guess.

… … …

When the school day finally came to an end, I was happy. Unlike my first class, people began to stare as word of me got around. Then people started coming up to me and talking to me, asking me weird questions like;

‘Are you a girl?’

And ‘Wow, aren’t you skinny?’

And ‘Did you live on a ranch?’

I don’t know where half of these questions came from, but I tried to answer them all… to the best of my abilities, at least.

So when the end finally came, I hurried to the parking lot where my dad was to pick me up. Before I could get there, though, I was caught by someone.

“Hey, Felix! So you wanna go get that thing? I was thinkin’, and I thought maybe you’d like to see the town? I know it pretty well, ya know, so I could be your guide.” Liam blurted all at once. I stood still for a moment, having to back track and collect everything that he had said. Finally, I thought it over.

“Um, today? You mean, right now?” I said, pointing down at the floor as if it helped. Liam scratched his head in a obviously nervous way and I tried not to smile.

“Well, yeah.” he said simply after another moment’s pause.

“Um, alright. I have to go tell my dad, though, cause he’s out there waiting,” I said, starting to turn for the outside. I watched as Liam processed this, then sparked to life.

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, I’ll come with you!”

As I turned, I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath. He was like a little kid.