Population 801

"There's gotta be some sort of mistake!" Kellin said to Marge, the office lady. "I didn't sign up for music! I don't take music classes! I don't do music!" It turns out he had been so distracted today that he had forgotten to look over his schedule properly until Justin asked what his class after lunch was- he was less than thrilled to find out that he had been put in a music class.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Quinn, but you need to take a music class in order to graduate at the end of the year." She said with a blank expression on her face, staring at her computer screen. "Photography classes don't count." She looked up at Kellin over the rim of her glasses and he glared at her.

"Why do I need music? I'm gonna be a photographer- not a singer. It's pointless." Kellin fumed. Sure, he wrote lyrics for the guys and he sings in the shower but he's not serious about it and this class is taking the place of his photo editing class.

"I don't make the rules, Kellin. Now you better hurry to class, or you're going to be late." She handed him a pass and sent him on his way. Kellin muttered 'bullshit' under his breath as he left the office and headed towards the music class. The guys all took their music requirments in Freshman year, so he knew that he wouldn't have any of them in this class. He wasn't too keen on the idea of being in a class he didn't want to be in with a bunch of people he didn't want to be with.

He walked through the door and immediately all eyes were on him. He recognized all the people in the class, from Austin to Josh to Jenna to Vic. Vic? His heart dropped to his toes when he made eye contact with the stranger. Vic was quick to look away and it confused Kellin beyond measure. Why did he seem to hate Kellin already? All Kellin did was run into the kid. And what was with the butterflies in Kellin's stomach?

"Ah, Mr. Kellin Quinn. How nice of you to attend my class." The teacher known as Mr. Tarson called out when Kellin entered. The music room was big- easily the size of two normal classrooms- with three tiers filled with chairs. The walls were painted with a strange mural and the ceiling was slanted so that the sound traveled forwards. The red plastic chairs look exceptionally tacky when paired with the deep blue carpet.

"Sorry..." Kellin muttered under his breath as he walked to an open seat. He choose one behind Vic, just to see if he could make him uncomfortable. He was determined to get to the bottom of this newcomer, whether Vic wanted to answer his questions or not. Kellin pulled out his notebook as Mr. Tarson handed out the class rules- the sixth set that he'd been handed that day.

The class droned on, Mr. Tarson reading over the rules at an excrutiatingly slow pace. Kellin sat and doodled in his notebook while tuning out of the class. Music classes always seemed pointless to him. Isn't music supposed to be about self expression? Why should some dude with a comb over be able to tell him what about music is right and wrong? His photo classes were the same way. You can't give people a way to be creative then give them rules and restrictions. Creativity shouldn't have boundries.

Kellin's eyes wandered away from his drawing to look at the boy in front of him. Much to his surprise, Vic was zoning out as well, writing something in his notebook. Curiosity got the best of Kellin as he craned his neck to see what Vic was writing. They looked like lyrics at first glance, and as he kept looking and reading his suspisions were all but confirmed. Kellin was reading Vic's lyrics to a simple tune in his head when a voice startled him.

"Would you like a magnifying glass?" Vic spoke up, not turning to face the younger male. Kellin tried to stutter out an apology but his mouth wasn't forming words. "It's okay. Like you said earlier, you're just curious." Vic turned to look at Kellin and he saw a faint smile tug at Vic's lips. It wasn't the kind of smile that said, 'I think we could be friends', it was the kind of smile that said 'I really just want to be left on my own'. Kellin knew that smile, he saw that smile many times in photographs.

"I know it probably creeps you out. It's just I'm not exaggerating when I say that we haven't had a new person in this town since before I was born." Kellin said. Vic simply nodded his head. "I mean, of all places in the world, why Denning? What possible reason would you have to move here?" Vic got a distant look on his face, almost as if he were looking through the pale boy instead of at him.

As if on cue, the bell rang for the end of class and Vic bolted from the room, not bothering with an answer or even a goodbye. Kellin sat in his chair, dumbfounded. Why was this kid so mysterious? And come to think of it, why did Kellin care? He's always been fine with the four people he had and no one else. He didn't need anyone else. He sure as hell didn't need this sulky stranger who obviously didn't have the time of day for him.

"Mr. Quinn!" Kellin shot his head up. Why did everyone insist on calling him that today? "Were you planning on being late to every class today? Because if you are, I'd appreciate it if you did your loitering elsewhere." Kellin shot his teacher the 'do I look like I'm in the mood' look and walked to down the tiers, out of the class. He had one more class until school was out and he was more than ecstatic.
- - -
"Maybe he's some freaky alien!" Jack said when the five friends piled into Jesse's SUV. "Like, he was sent here to infiltrate our small town so that he could eventually just take over the whole world!" Jack spoke like he was on a movie trailer and the friends couldn't help but laugh at him.

"I still think he's a ghost." Gabe said beside him. "Probably the ghost of someone who lived here years ago and now he's haunting the whole town."

"My money is on mass murderer." Justin spoke up. "Running from the law, he comes to hick-ville Michigan to lay low."

"Or maybe, just maybe, he's an actual human being. A real person who moved here like people do. We are still a town just like every other town." I said from the passenger seat. Vic had been the topic of conversation between every member of the school today and Kellin couldn't help but feel bad for him. Kellin hated being the conversation piece at the dinner table, he couldn't imagine having to be the center of attention in the whole school.

"Well what fun would that be?" Jesse asked. Laughter erupted in the van and Kellin couldn't help but wonder what Vic's laugh sounded like. Or what his smile looked like. Or why his eyes always seemed so sad and distant. No one in Denning had ever looked like that. Everyone here was joyous and upbeat all the time- as if the town bred mutant happy-humans. Vic was different though, he was a mystery.

"Speaking of-" Jack said pointing out the window. Kellin followed his finger and saw Vic walking home alone. It was in the same direction as his house and so Kellin thought 'why not?'. He instructed Jesse to pull over and after many confused questions from his friends, Kellin was allowed out of the car. He ran up to Vic and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Sorry if I scared you... I saw you were alone and, well, my house is this way too so I figured you could use the company." Kellin thought that maybe he was talking too fast and he felt his palms start to sweat. Why did he feel so nervous?

"Oh. It's okay." Vic said. "I can walk by myself." He looked down at the ground and continued walking, not wanting to make conversation.

"Why do you do that?" Kellin asked, sounding like a two year old for a second.

"Do what?" Vic questioned.

"You always insist on being solitary, then you avoid eye contact. Let me tell you, Buddy, solitary doesn't work around here. There aren't a lot of people here which mean's everyone is all up in everyone else's business. I don't know how it is where your from, but-"

"San Diego. I'm from San Diego. And I really appreciate what you're trying to do, uh..."

"Kellin." I reminded him.

"Right. I really appreciate what you're trying to do, Kellin, but you're right. I'm solitary."

"You weren't always though. I can tell. I can see it. I'm good at seeing details." I explained. It was true, too. The golden specks of light in his eyes showed that he used to have a happy look to him, and the faint way he smiled showed that he used to smile all the time, and now he was struggling to hid his emotions.

"Well it doesn't matter, because I am now. Sorry Kellin. This is my house. Bye." He said quickly before scurrying up a pathway to the front door of a house that I remember belonged to an old lady. There was something strange about that boy, something strange about the way he was constantly holding something back, but constantly fishing for Kellin's attention. He wasn't like everyone else here, and that intrigued Kellin. And just like a photograph- if it interested him, he was going to stop at nothing to unveil everything there was to unveil about it.