Falling Out of Line

When I got home, I was immediately greeted by my dad and dad asking me how my day went. I laughed, it was pretty funny how they acted like the parents I saw on sitcoms. I didn't think they actually existed, parents who care about how your day went and if you made friends and stuff like that. It was yet another thing I was starting to love about my life.

"Well," I started. "I made a lot of friends. You saw that boy this morning, Lewis. He's incredibly nice and we actually have some things in common."
They grinned at me. This was all so fun to them. "Did you make any other friends?" Cory asked.
"I did. I met a girl who seems really cool, and I met Lewis's friend Naran, and then I was attacked by creepy females who think I'm cute, and then I met a guy who was willing to rescue me from them. I hung out with Lewis, Naran, and the girl Cambree during lunch. We're allowed to eat in the courtyard, but no one seems to do that but us, so we had it all to ourselves, and it looked amazing. Oh, and the food didn't suck, and the teachers are kinda bitchy - wait am I allowed to say that? Sorry." I stopped talking.
They laughed. "It's okay, just don't make a habit of it. We're glad you had a good first day." Sean told me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"We wish you the same luck for tomorrow." Cory gave me a hug.

They were kinda cheesy, but it was nice.

***

The next day, I found Lewis and Naran in the computer lab. I'm not even sure how I wound up at the computer lab though - I was still getting used to this huge school. I said good morning and stood next to them as they worked on a computer. Lewis looked up at me and smiled, then looked behind us. I felt some eyes watching us, and I know he noticed, but I didn't pay any attention to it.

"So, what are you guys doing?" I asked.
"We're trying to print out a bunch of flyers for Ms. Dale, but the printer's acting up." Lewis told me.
"Did you check the paper?"
"Yep."
"Ink?"
"Yep."
"Check the toner and all that jazz?"
"Yep."
"Did you plug it in?"
"Duh, the light is on."
"Okay, but did you plug it into the computer?"
He stared at me.
"You know you need to take one of the Ethernet cords and hook it up to the printer, then connect it to the computer, right?"
They both stared at me. I sighed and did it for them, and the printer started working.
"Man, I feel like a dumb-ass." Naran laughed.
"I used to make that mistake all the time at my old school."
Lewis nodded. "How have you liked the school so far?"
"Well, I've only been here for a day, but it's cool so far. I keep getting lost though. I think I was trying to find homeroom when I found you guys."
"I'm sure Lewis would love to be your tour guide for a while. I've got to head to class. See you later." I waved as he left.

Lewis kept his eyes focused on the printer.
"So, can you help me find homeroom?" I asked him.
He mumbled something that I assume was a positive answer, then collected the papers from the printer.
"I have to stop by the office first. Wait here."
"Wouldn't it be easier if I just followed you? It's less work for you to keep walking then have to turn around to come get me."
He sighed. "Tyler, I'm trying to give you a chance at being popular here."
"And I told you I don't care about that. I have friends - that's good enough for me."
"KK has already decided to recruit you."
"Who?"
"Kailtyn's Klique. Kaitlyn and her friends. They want you to be friends with them and join the jocks group so you can be popular."
I laughed. "I am NOT athletic, so I can't be a jock. And Kaitlyn and her friends scare me."
"So, you seriously don't want to be popular?" He asked me for the hundredth time.
I sighed and put my arm around his shoulders. "Just walk me to homeroom."

He blushed and nodded. He picked up the papers and his backpack. We walked down the hallway, and again the eyes were on us. This was ridiculous. Lewis is not a leper, so why is it so absurd for me to be friends with-

"Watch it, fags." A gruff voice with a hulking body knocked into us. I glared at the guy.
"Hey!" I shouted. He turned around, and I suddenly felt the presence of some guys standing behind me. Lewis had frozen on the spot, staring at the ground.
"Got something to say to me?" The guy who bumped me smirked.
"Yeah. Watch where you're going."
"Maybe you should spend less time with your boyfriend and start watching where you're going."

I was about to give a comeback (which was bound to pop in my head at any moment) when Kaitlyn walked up and wrapped an arm around the idiot. She used her free hand to hit him in the chest and glare at him.

"Don't bully the new kid, babe. He's my friend, and you are going to be nice to him." She narrowed her eyes at him.
'Babe' growled at me, then looked at Lewis, who was still staring at the ground. "Well what about the other fag?"
"Don't call him that." I barked at him.
"I wasn't talking to you, new kid!"
"You were making fun of my friend, so yeah, you are talking to me. Anything else you wanna say to me? How bout an apology for bumping into us, or an apology for spewing your homophobic ignorance all over us."
"What did you say?!" He stepped forward but Kaitlyn squeezed his arm. He stopped and looked down at her.
"Play nice, babe."
"But he started it!"
"I did not!" I yelled.
"He's new here, Jordan, cut him a break. If he wants to be friends with... with..."
"Lewis." I finished for her.
"-Lewis, then let him do it. He can be friends with whoever he wants to."
He stared at her for a long time, then rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

She grinned and kissed his cheek. He smiled at her. The two guys standing behind me walked over to his side. He glared at us one last time before walking off with his friends. Kaitlyn winked and blew me a kiss before running off with him.

Lewis breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at me. "See? I told you you'd be better off without me."
"Not if it means I'd have to be friends with assholes like that."
He smiled. "Sit with us at lunch then?"
"Sure."

He walked me to homeroom and then ran off to his room. I saw Kaitlyn and her friends instantly, and even though I was grateful for her getting her boyfriend to back off, I was still kinda scared of her.

"Tyler!! Come sit with us!" She patted the seat next to her. I sighed and went over to her, sitting down in the free seat. Her friends immediately scooted closer and leaned in, as if I was going to give some amazing speech.
"So, Tyler, the girls and I were talking, and we've decided that you are just too adorable to let you wander around on your own."
"Wait, I'm what?"
She giggled. "You're a sweetie-pie, and cute to boot. But as the new kid, you won't survive very long on your own."
"Well, Lewis did warn me of that."
"You do have a grace period, meaning you don't have to join a group right now, but when you do, I hope you choose us."
"Us? Wait, aren't there just girls in your group?"
"Well, yes, but we're also friends with other groups-"
"Like your boyfriend's?"
She frowned. "I'm so sorry for Jordan's behavior. He's been extra grumpy lately."
"Yeah, because you won't sleep with him." One of the girls, blonde hair in a pony-tail, said absentmindedly.
Kaitlyn glared at her, and the girl shrunk down in her seat. "Ignore Amy, she's on probation."
"Probation?"
"She keeps getting strikes against her, and if she keeps it up, she's out."
"Of your group?"
Kaitlyn nodded. "We like Amy, but she's such a smart-mouth."
"Sorry, Kaitlyn." Amy said in a soft voice.
Kaitlyn didn't say anything.

Our homeroom teacher started talking and everyone went about their own business. I saw Jacob talking with a couple a guys a few seats away. He waved at me and I waved back. He waved again, like he was waving me over to them. I looked at Kaitlyn and her friends who were busy texting. I got up and went over to Jacob, sitting in an empty seat next to him and another guy.

"Sup, Tyler?" he asked me. I shrugged. "This is Danny and Ben." I said hi before they started to ask me random questions. It was a little like how Kaitlyn's group were questioning me yesterday, only not as intrusive and a lot less scary.
"So, you hang out with Lewis, right?" Jacob asked me.
"Yeah... so?" I stared at him.
"Well, I just wanna say thanks for being his friend."
"Huh?"
"Lewis is a nice guy, but as you can tell, he's not very... well-liked here. I tried being his friend, but it didn't work out. We get along fine, but we have nothing in common, and he hated tagging along with a group of people he had nothing in common with, so we just stopped talking. But you're giving him another chance, and I really appreciate that."
"Oh, it's nothing, really. I don't mind being friends with him."
"Make sure he knows that, then."
I nodded.

The bell rang and everyone got up. Jacob nodded his head at me in that respectful 'bro' way and left down the hall.

Classes for the day were so boring, and the classes that I had Lewis or Naran in weren't any better. For some reason, they hardly talked to me in class, but they talked non-stop to each other. I saw how Lewis was so silly and relaxed around Naran, just being himself. I was just starting to notice how different he acted around me: tense, shy, quiet, sad. Why did I make him feel that way?

When the bell rang for lunch, I found them in the hallway on the way to the cafeteria. I ran up to them and stopped them.

"Hey guys." I said.
Lewis immediately directed his attention to Naran.
"Hey, Tyler. We heard it's gonna rain today, so we're just gonna eat in the caf."
"Okay."

I followed them to an empty table at sat with them. A few minutes later, Cambree and two of her friends joined us. Jacob and his crew walked in and gave me the same bro nod before they went to their table across from us. Kaitlyn waved at me from her table on the other side of the cafeteria. It was amazing how many friends I had already. How come I could be at a school for years and not make any friends, but go here for two days and already have friends on every level of the social ladder?

"So, new kid," Cambree took a bite of her sandwich and looked at me.
"Tyler."
"Right, Tyler, so how do you like it here so far?"
"Well, it's only been two days, I've made friends and enemies. It's great." I grinned sincerely.
"Tyler almost beat up Jordan." Naran smiled.
"Aw no way! Tell me what happened!!" She leaned over the table.
"It's no big deal. He was bothering us, so I told him off. Well, sorta, Kaitlyn did call off the wildebeest."
"Awesome. It's about time Jordan got knocked off his pedestal." She nodded.

We kept eating in a comfortable silence. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Naran and Lewis start talking again, silently arguing about whatever. I looked at Cambree, who was looking at a phone her friend put in front of her face. They giggled, and Naran shoved Lewis. I know it's silly, but the thing I want most from my new school is a best friend, someone who isn't going to judge me or cast me aside for being... me.

I sighed. Even Cory and Sean were best friends before they got married. I don't need to be that close to my friends, but I still wish I had someone to stay with me for years to come.

"Uh, T-Tyler?"
I blinked and turned my head to Lewis.
"There's a party on Friday, and well, we aren't exactly invited, but Naran and I were gonna crash it. Do you... wanna come with us?"
I was being invited to crash a party? Better than staying at home on a Friday night.
"Sure!" I grinned.
He looked surprised for a second before smiling big too.
"Party crashing? I'm in." Cambree said before tossing the last of her grapes in her mouth. She and her friends got up from the table. "Send me the details." She waved her phone in the air, then walked off with her friends out the cafeteria.

I can't wait for my new social life to start.