Phoenix

"Remember, don't tell anyone about your secret. You know what will happen if someone finds out?" The blonde-haired woman standing before me said as she fixed the collar of my shirt and zipped up my coat as if I was a child that couldn't do it myself. I'm sixteen, I am perfectly capable of doing things on my own. But my mother still thinks of me as her little baby. "Yes, Mom, I know. You tell me every day. How could I forget?" I ask, rolling my eyes. She's said this every day of my life for as long as I could remember. I don't think I could forget even if I tried. Not that I ever would try to expose my secret. My life would be turned into a living hell, everything would change. I don't like changes, it scares me. "I know, dear. I'm just worried about you. If anyone were to ever find out that you can-" She didn't appreciate whenever I interrupted her, but I'm tired of hearing the same talk every morning. It gets exhausting. "Mom, I know, can I go now? I'm going to miss the bus." I say as the bus outside waited impatiently, honking its horn in annoyance. It was loud enough to wake an entire neighborhood. Not that there are any neighbors to wake anyway. There aren't any houses around for another mile or so. "Oh, alright, alright," My mom said and quickly ushered me out the door. "Have a good day, I'll see you when you get home." "You too, love you," I say and quickly pick up my bag and sling it over my shoulder before hurrying over to the Twinkie that everyone calls a bus. When I walked up the first step, I could see irritation written all over the driver's face. I quickly apologized and hurried to my seat in the middle of the bus. The back is ruled over by the wild teens that like to rule the bus, although, I don't know how they rule from the back. I guess it's because it's the opposite of the driver. The front is full of the little grade schoolers that are always picking their noses for some odd reason. I can't exactly avoid everyone, so I just sit in the middle with the people that don't seem to care about where they sit. As usual, no one tried to sit beside me, but in a way, I'm grateful for that. I don't have to sit through any awkward conversations or try to think of any either. And I don't have any chance of accidentally slipping up and saying something that I shouldn't. I'm fine with not really talking to anyone though. My mother has always tried to be there for me because she knows how difficult it is for me to make friends. She also doesn't want me to end up telling anyone who- Well, what I am. It would ruin her life as well. Yes, having actual friends would be nice instead of being the target of bullies; even to have friends to help me through it, but having friends could come with a lot of risks, too. I wouldn't really want anything to change, though. Except for the bullies disappearing. That would be kind of nice, but I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them. Yes, Nick and Blythe are mean, but they have feelings, too... I think. After several stops in different neighborhoods and houses, the now full bus approached Vander High. Students immediately started getting up from their seats and formed a line that filled up the entire aisle, ready to get off the cramped and smelly space.  I was ready to get off too, but I wasn't going to get up quite yet. I would probably be trampled over in my attempt to get out just like every other time that I've tried. Eventually, I learned to wait until everyone was off of the bus before getting off. It's not like it matters who's off first anyway. We're all going to the same place. Well, apart from the elementary students who went to the school across the street. Once everyone was off of the bus, I made my way to the front, ready to get some fresh air. "Grow some muscles, even the five-year-olds fight their way off better than you," The driver mumbled as I started to step off of the bus, onto the concrete ground. It's true, they can. But they're little monsters with crazy amount of energy. Besides, I would rather not fight. I'm going to get off eventually. I sighed and a puff of fog formed from my warm breath entering the chill air. People always make fun of me for my scrawny appearance. Yes, I don't exactly have the 'jock body', but I'm not skin and bones. I do have some muscle, just not a lot. Not everyone is born the same and not everyone has the same motivation to have a body like a god. I like my tiny, non-muscly self. It makes it easier for me to hide in small spaces and dodge out of crowds easily. Could you imagine a big buff guy trying to squeeze into the small space behind the folded bleachers during gym class? They would most likely get stuck and people would probably have to help him get out. I laughed to myself at the thought. That would be amusing to see. I guess a few work-out sessions every now and then wouldn't hurt, and I could probably learn a few self-defense moves as well. Then I wouldn't have to just take everything that is given to me. But in the end, it wouldn't matter. I know that Blythe and Nick are stronger than me, especially with their g**g to back them up. Even if I had the same strength as them, I'm out numbered. I don't like to fight either, the thought of hurting someone else hurts me and if I ever got angry... I would be afraid myself, I wouldn't be able to control it. I shuddered and shoved my thoughts aside, making my way to the entrance of the school once the cold wind started to break through the zipper of my coat. I love fall, the cool air that indicates that summer is clearly over, the warm spice smells in the air, the beautiful changing leaves everywhere. Everything about fall is so homey and comforting.  Apart from when the wind becomes too cold for my liking. I'm just thankful that I have a coat to keep me warm and the heat inside of the school. I inhaled one last breath of the cool air before stepping inside of the building that I would be spending the next four years of my life in. High school. I've only been here a couple months, but now, I can officially say that I don't like it. The place is usually so crowded that you can't even see down the halls. People are always doing stupid or inappropriate things that are not good for innocent eyes. The teachers are mean and strict and don't care about your problems like they say they do. The students are brutal if you don't play along with their little game of popularity or if you don't fit into their picture of how things are supposed to be. Also, the food tastes terrible. Have I ever mentioned that I love food? Well, I do. In middle school the food was amazing. They had everything you could ever want, a deli bar, a salad bar, pizza bar, and a few other delicious meals to choose from every day. I guess the high school got a budget cut on the food whenever they got these fancy new laptops for everyone to use instead of textbooks because the food they served was slop compared to last year. I have to admit, having laptops does make it a bit easier to keep of track of things and it saves time getting ready for class or catching up if you miss a day. Still, I miss the feeling of having a real text book in my hands. In my opinion, it's not worth saving a little bit of time and effort for good food. Everyone has their own opinions though. I walked through the crowds of people roaming the halls to try and make it to my first class before the warning bell. I didn't try to go to my locker, I knew that if I did, it would only cause trouble. My locker is only a place I go to whenever I absolutely have to, that place is like a bully's target zone. I'll only go if no one else is around, otherwise, trouble somehow finds me. Once I entered through the door of my first class, my teacher Mr. Heart, ushered me over to his desk. Confused, I made my way over to him. Did I do something wrong? I wasn't late and I haven't failed any tests or turned in late work. My grades aren't exactly top-notch, but I get by being average and turning everything in on time. I shouldn't be in trouble over that. Did Blythe or Nick say something and now I'm in trouble? Wait, wouldn't I be in the principal's office for something that bad? "No, you're not in trouble, Phoenix," Mr. Heart said, probably noticing the worry written all over my face. I visibly relaxed and let out a small sigh of relief. I probably shouldn't have been that worried, but all kinds of bad stuff happen to me here, so why shouldn't I be worried?  Honestly, though, Mr. Heart is one of the few nice teachers here. I'm glad he's my first teacher that I have to see, at least I get a little bit of a good start to the day. And he's one of the best looking, too. I would be lying if I said that my teacher wasn't attractive. He's young for a teacher and his looks definitely scream model, not teacher. His deep brown eyes and light wavy hair go perfectly with his toned body and tan skin. I supposed that's why most of the females in this school have a crush on him. I may be gay, but I don't like him that way. One; that would be weird, he's my teacher and two; he's way out of my league. "We have a new student coming today," He said, finally talking about why he wanted to talk to me. Although, I don't know why he wants to talk to me about a new student. "His name is Jackson Rudolph. He just moved here from Utah and I want him to feel welcome and learn where his classes are. So, would you mind showing him around today? I'm sure he would find it helpful and I would appreciate it if you did." He explained while he sifted through a stack of paperwork on his desk. "I don't mind. May I ask why you chose me to do this?" I ask, trying not to fidget at the thought of having to talk to someone that I don't know all day. "I checked all my first class student's schedules and yours is almost identical to Jackson's except for your last period and you're a good kid. So, here you are. Also, do you mind inviting him to sit with you at lunch? It would be nice since he hasn't made any friends and I'm sure he would appreciate not sitting all alone on his first day. You can introduce him to your friends as well," Mr. Heart said. I was a little iffy though, he was asking a lot. "I don't have any friends," I mutter quietly under my breath, looking down at the floor, a little ashamed. "Sure you do, I see you and those boys hanging around the school all the time. Don't lie," He said as he shook his head at me, making me feel worse. He doesn't know anything about me or those guys. We are far from friends and I don't like when people assume things just from what they've seen. They aren't my friends and they never will be. They're bullies and they wouldn't want to be my friend anyway. Not that I really have anything against them, I just don't want people like that being my friend. "Sorry, Mr. Heart," I smiled apologetically, not wanting to argue with him about it and just let it go. I would rather just go with it and go on with my day. "It's okay, and thank you for agreeing to show Jackson around. You can go head to your seat now," He said with a smile and I returned it before heading back to my seat just as the bell rang, indicating class to start.