Outlines

It had almost been an entire month since Alex Gaskarth left his hometown of Essex, England. At first he hadn’t minded the idea of leaving; his mother understood how difficult it would be for him to leave during his final year of High School. She was willing to let him stay and live with his father, but Alex had insisted on coming with his mother, after her work had transferred her to a different location, he didn’t want to leave her on her own. It had only been two years since the divorce and he knew how lonely she could get, and no fucking way would he stay with his father and the blonde bimbo that he had picked up in a club a few months past. He knew that his only choice was to accompany his mother on her big move to Baltimore, Maryland. He liked the thought of a change in surroundings. He was tired of living around the same people he had known his entire life, he needed something new, but now he was regretting the move. It was September 4th, which would be his first day at his new school.

“Dulaney High School” He mumbled to himself as he tugged on a dark grey beanie. He knew that there would be nothing easy about this day. He had seen it in the movies, first day at an American High School? Things wouldn’t run so smoothly. Especially since everything about Alex just screamed out “Talk to me! I’m foreign!” If only the English accent had been lost in the move. Fortunately for Alex his mother had taken him shopping just a few weeks earlier. No longer would he be wearing a uniform to school, it was casual wear for him from now on, which was a relief; compared to the old stuffy blazer he had to bare every single day at his private school, back in Essex. Alex wore a long-sleeved blue shirt, topped off with black skinny jeans and bright green Vans on his feet. It was chilly outside and he didn’t want to be cold during class all day long. He walked slowly down the stairs of his relatively new house. He definitely didn’t mind the city that him and his mother had landed in. Baltimore was lovely, Alex had yet to find something bad about it. The house they moved into was a huge step-up from the tiny townhouse that he had grown up in. The new house was a larger Victorian-styled building. The walls were mostly painted pale beige, with the exception of Alex’s room which remained plastered with posters of his favorite musicians and bands. His bedroom was on the top floor and he appreciated the solitude that he received. He had a bathroom to himself for his mother had her own bedroom and bathroom on the bottom floor. Alex never minded being on his own, being an only child, he was quite used to the lack of attention he would receive from his parents. When he was younger they were always caught up in work, or endless fights with one another. He preferred to be on his own, listening to music or just writing away his feelings. Alex sighed heavily as he made his way to the kitchen. He could smell breakfast cooking. Eggs and bacon, he assumed.

“Good morning.” Alex mumbled to his mother while walking through the door. Mrs. Gaskarth was huddled over the stove with a frying pan in hand, cooking away happily. She was definitely a morning person, unlike her son who preferred staying up into the late hours of the night, and sleeping through the day.
“Oh hello darling” She turned and smiled at her son. “You look rather dashing.”
Alex groaned and ran his fingers through the tuffs of hair that stuck out from under his beanie.
“Mum.” He glared at her and rolled his eyes. “Thanks, I s’pose.” He sighed and took his place at the table. His mother placed a load of eggs and three slices of bacon onto the plate that sat in front of him and he began to eat slowly, thinking about the day that lay ahead of him.
“Excited?” His mum smiled from across the table. Alex just nodded, he was the quiet type, but his mother was used to it. She knew that he only meant well, the silence wasn’t a sign of ignorance, it was just the way Alex was. He always had a lot on his mind though, even if he didn’t speak it straight away.

After breakfast Alex gathered his school things and tried to calm down the nerves that were quickly rising. He had never transferred school before, and he knew that no matter what he had to make a good first impression. It was his final year after all. He took his place in the front seat of his mother’s car and they drove along the streets, but not before putting his headphones in and blasting Green Day as loud as he possibly could. Music was his one release, the one thing in the world that made the struggle of life all worth the while. Mrs. Gaskarth always understood this aspect of Alex’s life, she knew that during the angsty divorce between herself and Alex’s father, Alex always found his muse in music. She drove her son to school silently. It wasn’t very far from their house, but she didn’t want to be forced into worry of her son getting lost on his first day to his new school. She figured driving would be better, it was on the way to her work, anyways. As they drove up to the school Alex turned down his music a few levels. He turned to his mother,
“I’m supposed to go to the front office first right?” He asked her. His mother nodded and began to shuffle through her purse that was sitting at her feet. She finally found the forms she was looking for and handed them to Alex.
“Take your transcripts to the principal as soon as you can! They’ll need them right away.” Alex nodded and smiled silently.
“Have a good day love.” She smiled at her son. At this point they were parked in the drop-off zone at the front of the building; Alex had already been given a tour of the high school during the summer months, he was quite familiar with the way things worked, but the school looked different now. Instead of an empty building, Alex could see kids piling in from all entrances. Teenagers that were his age and younger, laughing, smiling and joking around with their friends, Alex had never felt so alone.
“Americans” He shuddered to himself. His mother laughed as he closed the door to the car. He stood on the sidewalk momentarily before taking his first few steps towards the entrance, behind him he could hear his mother drive away.

The school was much different on the inside than it was on the outside. It was only 8:20 and class wouldn’t begin until 9:00 but it looked as if the entire student body was already there. Alex sighed heavily as he quickly made his way towards the front office, how was he ever to fit in at a school like this? He saw that even though his mother had taken him shopping it would still take a lot of work. He had yet to spot another male wearing the same type of black skinny jeans that he had dressed himself in that morning. He sighed deeply as he pushed open the large glass doors that lead to the office. He walked to the front desk where a middle aged lady sat and typed at her computer.
“Um… hi?” Alex cleared his throat and made himself noticeable. The lady quickly glanced up at him for a short second before looking back at her computer screen.
“You need something?” She grumbled. Alex couldn’t help but take notice to how rude she was.
“I need to hand my transcripts in to…” the name of the principal Alex had formally met escaped him.
“Mr.Cassleman?” The woman offered.
“Ah yes, that’s it.” He said bluntly. The lady finally looked up at Alex straight in the eye.
“You’ll find his office to the left,” She eyed the door on the opposite side of the room. “He shouldn’t be too busy, Mr.Gaskarth, correct?” Alex nodded, worried as to why she knew his name.
“You’re the only English transfer this year” She explained “I like your accent” She smiled and pursed her cherry red lips. “After you’re done speaking with Mr.Cassleman come report back to me please.” She smiled and then continued to type at her computer. Alex nervously made his way towards the principal’s office, he knocked on the door without hesitation and within moments the door swung open, catching Alex off-guard, he jumped slightly.
“Ahh, Mr.Gaskarth, at last.” Mr.Cassleman stuck his hand out for Alex to shake. The boy returned the favour, smiling slightly. “Come into my office.” The older man smiled, Alex did as told. Mr.Cassleman was a tall and very loud man. He was slightly balding but wore a thick beard. He was dressed in a dress shirt, slacks, and a pale blue tie.
“Hello sir.” Alex offered a greeting “Mum told me that you would need my transcripts straight away.” Alex stuck out the small packet of forms he held in his hands.
“Yes thank you boy!” The principal smiled happily and took the package from Alex’s hands. “We definitely need these, just so we can keep up to date on your grading here at Dulaney. It will be helpful.” He smiled happily. “Now, Mrs. Richards out in the office will have your schedule ready, I’m certain. Don’t worry too much son, this day will be a breeze for you. If you need anything, you know where to come.” Alex nodded and thanked Mr.Cassleman for his help. He walked out towards the office once again, just as the front lady – Who he had recently learned, was named Mrs. Richards – had told him to do.

“Mr.Gaskarth” She said as he appeared in front of him, she held out a sheet of paper. “This Is your schedule for the first semester. You’ll find all the classroom numbers, along with teacher’s names.” Alex looked down at his schedule quickly, but not long enough to read it properly before Mrs.Richards began speaking again. “Now I didn’t know if you knew your way quite too well around the school, so I asked Miss.Ruocco to show you around.” Alex suddenly took notice of the younger girl who was also in the room. She had long brown curly hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a plaid skirt with white knee-high socks. She looked like the typical American school-girl, ‘great’ Alex thought to himself, just what he needed, a tour guide to cause more attention. The girl stepped forward towards Alex and stuck her hand out.

“I’m Lisa” She smiled brightly. Alex took her hand with resentfulness,
“Alex.” He stated. The girls eyes suddenly grew wide,
“Wow I adore your accent.” She giggled, “They didn’t tell me you were English.” Alex tried his best to force a smile, already he was getting too many comments on the accent, all he wanted was to fit in.
“Thanks.” He said.
“Now run along you two,” Mrs. Richards said from behind her desk “class starts soon and you don’t want to be late for your first day Mr.Gaskarth!” She winked and went back to her work.
Lisa smiled at Alex, happy to be helping out the new student and she couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was.
“So how are you finding things?” She started off.
“Good, I s’pose.” Alex sighed; this small talk would get the best of him. “Could you help me find my first class though?” He wanted to get a move on with things.
“Sure,” Lisa smiled, trying to ignore the boys rude tendencies. She took his schedule from him and read it carefully. Alex noticed a smile take place on her face,
“You’re homeroom teacher is Mr.Bennington, he also happens to be your bio teacher, and mine as well! But that’s not until after lunch. Your first class will take place after homeroom. Homeroom is just a class where you sit and, well you don’t do much to be perfectly honest, but your teacher will give you the morning announcements. After that you’ll have English with Mr. Livingston, he’s really funny, you shouldn’t have any troubles with him.” She smiled and looked up at the boy who still had a nervous expression on his face. How would Alex remember all this information? It was nothing like his school in Essex. “After English,” Lisa continued “You have history with Mrs.Ried. She’s lovely as well.” She sighed and handed Alex back his schedule. “I’ll explain the next steps after lunch, but for now, I’ll walk you to homeroom?” She offered. Alex bit his lip and nodded silently, he knew that this was just the beginning of a hectic year, and he wasn’t quite sure with how he was going to deal with it.
Lisa walked quickly down the hall, helping Alex doge other students who were trying to make their own way to class. She laughed and said hello to few, not bothering to introduce them to Alex. The other students looked puzzled to who he was, but ignored him silently. As they reached the classroom –only a few minutes away from the front entrance, lucky for Alex. - Lisa explained to him about how things worked around the school.

“I’m class president this term” She stated “So that’s why I’m the one helping you out with all this first-day stuff. No one knows the school quite like I do” She smiled, as if that was a good thing. Alex just raised his eyebrows at her.
“Class president?” He questioned her. “What does that mean?” He asked. Lisa looked at him, shocked.
“Wow you really are from England.” She laughed. “I’m in charge of a lot of the student-led work here.” She claimed “I organize the basketball games, the fundraisers, the school dances! Just about everything, of course I get help, but it’s mostly my responsibility.” She said proudly. Alex just nodded in reply, still trying to grasp the concept.
“We have something called ‘Form Leader’ back home. I suppose they’re quite alike.” Lisa nodded, assuming the same.

“Well this is your room.” She smiled as they stood infront of a door marked ‘110’
“Cool.” Alex nodded “Thanks for helping me.” He said smiling slightly.
“How about I come back before the next class, just so I can help you get there as well? I don’t want you to get lost…” She blushed slightly with a nervous laugh. Alex nodded,
“Good idea” He smiled, she really was quite nice, despite the total ‘do-gooder’ factor she had going on. Alex didn’t mind Lisa Ruocco. The two teenagers said goodbye and Lisa left Alex standing alone in front of the door.
“Well this is it” He mumbled to himself as he walked into the classroom.

The classroom looked surprisingly normal to Alex. There was a chalkboard at the front of the room, a desk for the teacher, and desks were placed in an organized fashion across the room. There were quite a few students already in their places but the bell had yet to ring, so many of the seats were empty. Alex spotted the teacher who he assumed was Mr.Bennington, Alex knew that he should probably introduce himself, being a new student and all.
“Hello,” He stated to the older man, once he reached his desk.
“Good morning.” Mr.Bennington nodded. He was a young man, not as old as Mr.Cassleman, but just old enough to have been teaching for a few years, Alex assumed.
“I’m Alex Gaskarth.” Alex stated.
“Ahhh!” Mr.Bennington exclaimed “Our new transfer, yes of course. Nice to finally meet you.” He stuck his hand out towards Alex. Alex returned the gesture,
“Am I allowed to sit wherever I want?” Alex asked the older male.
“Yes of course! But I was wondering, at the start of class would you be able to stand up and talk about yourself?”

This was exactly what Alex had been dreading the entire half-an-hour he had been at school. Introductions, not only did he hate talking in front of large groups of people, but he also hated talking about himself, but he knew he had no choice but to accept the offer. He nodded quietly.
“Great” Mr.Bennington said. Just as the words escaped his mouth, a loud ringing noise came from the P.A system. “There’s the bell then, just take a seat and you’ll know when I’m ready for you.” Mr.Bennington smiled happily as Alex took a place near the back of the room. No way would he sit in the front during the first hour, he didn’t want to look like a fool.

Kids piled in the classroom one-by-one taking their places. Alex noticed that not a single one of them looked as if they cared to be there, they were all bored and unhappy to have ended their summer vacations. Alex tried to ignore the looks that he was getting, he knew that they all could figure it out, he was not a regular at Dulaney High. It had been about two minutes since the bell rang and most of the seats in the class were filled when suddenly a very odd looking boy came running into the room.
“Hey Mister B! Sorry I’m late!” He yelled out to the teacher. Mr.Bennington just looked at the boy with an un-impressed gaze.
“Just take a seat Mr.Barakat” He sighed heavily. The boy he referred to was tall and lanky. He wore black skinnies much like Alex’s, it was nice to see someone with a similar taste. On top he wore a dark purple hoodie, but that wasn’t what drew Alex’s attention. The boys hair was spiked up in a very odd manor, and not only that, it was colored black and blonde, as if he was a skunk, or something. Alex watched the boy in awe as he took his place right next to Alex at the back of the room. Alex quickly looked away, trying not to be obvious about his sudden likeness.
“Hey” The skunk-haired boy smiled. “You look new.” Alex nodded silently, afraid to speak.
“I’m Jack” He said with a sparkle in his eyes. “Jack Barakat, but really, just Jack.” He nodded. Alex cleared his throat,
“Alex Gaskarth” He smiled slightly.
“Woah!” Jack exclaimed “Cool accent, English right?” Alex nodded, still smiling. For some odd reason he didn’t mind the attention this boy was giving him.
“I’m from Essex” He exclaimed. Jack nodded,
“That’s really cool” He smiled. Just then, Mr.Bennington stood at the front of the room.

“Welcome back!” He said to the class full of students. “Now I know you’re all very happy to be here” He said sarcastically. “But really, we’re going to make your last year great, correct?” He smiled but none of the students spoke up. “Anyways,” He said, still wearing a smile. “We have a new student this year and I’d be very happy to make him welcome.” Alex gulped, feeling a slight blush creep up his face. “Mr.Gaskarth,” Mr.Bennington said, “Care to tell us about yourself?” He smiled warmly at the boy. Heads turned towards Alex and he knew that he didn’t have a choice. Alex stood slowly and made his way to the front of the room. He stood beside Mr.Bennington.
“Uh, hey. I’m Alex Gaskarth. I moved from Essex, England.” He stammered “Because my mum wanted to travel so she exchanged positions from her job. I really like Baltimore.” He tried to fake a smile, Mr.Bennington didn’t say anything and expected for Alex to continue to talk.
“I Uh… I play guitar, electric and acoustic, and my favorite band is Blink-182” Alex nodded “Thanks.” He quickly shuffled back to his spot beside the boy named Jack.
“Blink-182” Jack whispered “Awesome dude.” Jack smiled and Alex felt a little less nervous, maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all.