Love and Lies

2

The evidently impatient honks are the first thing I hear the second I walk out of the mansion. I sigh in annoyance. Even given the fact that I'm eighteen, my parents refuse sternly to let me take driving lessons or to let me own a car. They believe that teenagers are nothing but reckless and take advantage of every situation so until I'm off to college, there will be no cars for me.

"Troy wait up! Let's take a first day of school picture." Jenna calls loudly behind me. She should be in the Guinness world record for taking the most snaps in the world. I on the other hand, am a complete antisocial person. I do not believe in taking pictures or anything, it's a perfect waste of time.

"I'll pass." I call back and head towards the black jeep whose honks have gone extinct since we stepped out and became visible to the driver.

I open the car door and set myself at the backseat. Jenna of course, takes her time before getting in. She doesn't believe in being rushed or anything of the sort. How I wish I had her life instead of mine.

The driver sets the car to drive and zooms off. I rest my elbow on the pane of the opened window and lean my chin on my elbow. Taking in the scenery that's speeding past us.

My phone starts to beep in my pocket. I unlike many others, lack a ringtone. I just think they're too noisy and disruptive. Sometimes even startling. I bring my phone up to my view and the caller ID displays 'Lewis Smith's' name.

I answer it and put my phone to my ear, "Hello Lewis,good morning." I call into the phone. Lewis Smith is one of my two and only friends. The other one being Rachel Michaels.

"Hey man good morning. Are you excited for today?" he beams in my ear. I wince and move the phone a few inches from my ear before bringing it back to reply him.

"Is there a specific reason to be excited?" my voice comes out lower than intended to be but then that is always the case.

"Are you kidding? You're finally a high school senior! You know I'd do anything to be on your shoes." he points out and I can picture a disapproving frown plastered on his face.

"Well you could have done something. You could have studied hard for the exams instead of partying away when I'd asked you to. It's basically your fault you had to spend an extra year." I tell him. He failed all of the subjects in our last semester's exams which till today, I still don't understand how is possible.

His parents couldn't agree to him spending another extra year in highschool so they moved from here, New York to London during the holidays.

"Yeah yeah make fun of me all you want. It's total deserving." he groans over the phone and I chuckle a bit.

"I'm not exactly making fun of you, I'm just pointing the truth out. Just make sure to be careful and not let all those London girls get in your head." I tell him.

"Oh you bet I'll let them." he laughs for a while before continuing to talk, "Anyways just have fun and stop being so nerdy okay? I miss you guys so much."

"We do too. Come visit during the holidays though." I tell him dismissively. Long phone calls are really not my thing and even though Lewis is my best friend, the rule counts him in as well.

"Okay dude have fun, bye." he says and I end the call without giving him a reply. He knows me very well by now and such an action wouldn't exactly make him mad.

"Aren't we there yet?" I ask rhetorically, directing to nobody in particular. "School didn't seem to be this far away before."

"Tell me about it." Jenna says and smiles at me. If Jenna could count as a friend, then that'd make three friends for me. She's one of the people I feel comfortable with and she always makes the time for me. I always make sure to share everything with her especially given the fact that both our parents are mostly ever away from home.

Which reminds me, I haven't spoken to her about yesterday's incident. Even though I know she wouldn't tell on me for keeping such a secret, she would definitely freak out and be tempted to tell one of our parents and that's going to get me in deep trouble.

I return to my previous position on the window before Lewis's interference.

*

"Let me see your schedule." Rachel asks me as I head to my very first class in the new school year. I had picked seven classes for this semester, gym excluded. So I get to have the eighth and ninth period free. Not that I'm going to stick around anyways, home sweet home.

I have my fifth period to be study hall and my sixth being lunch so basically I just have five lecture classes to attend and my last one being Spanish. They made us have to choose between Spanish and computer science.

"Here. I have Social studies, Economics right now." I tell her and hand my schedule over to her. I bring out my phone to fit my newly introduced schedule into my daily schedule. Like I said, it never gets disrupted so a few additions really don't change much especially given the fact that my life already plays on repeat.

"We pretty much have the same classes except I have gym for my fourth period." She tells me, licking on her bottom lip, an irritable habit that I refuse to come to terms with.

"Rachel stop licking on your bottom lip, it's going to smell like saliva and that's not good for someone who would want to kiss you." I roll my eyes and she slaps my left shoulder playfully.

"Let that be my, and my kisser's problem." she says and shakes her head.

We finally arrive to our first class and half the seat at the back is already filled up. I can never understand why students hate to take the front seats, it's always just so amusing.

I bring out a new notebook from my school bag and start to scribble my details on it. Adding my phone number too just in case it gets stolen or missing. The case would most likely be the former because I'm never careless with my items.

By the time ninety percent of the class is present,the crappy teacher walks in. He looks younger than most other teachers in this school. I can almost describe him as a college student but there's still that officialty look in his eyes.

He has his white button up shirt tucked neatly into his pair of black suit pants,his brown belt holding his shirt in place. His curly hair sits in a small Afro on his head and his face does look newly shaved.

He drops his bag on the desk and starts with the introduction.

"Hello. My name is Steve Harper and I'm your Social studies, Economics, teacher. I'm new here and I guess most of you aren't . But in time, I might get to know all of you if you let me." he says, pacing back and forth in front of the desk,his hands crossed behind him.

The class starts to murmur and an instant evident disapproving frown appears on his face. "I might look very innocent but I do not tolerate anything less than decorum. Trust me,you do not want to get on my bad side so just play along and be nice and we will all be fine."

The class instantly goes silent and an instant feeling of love for this new teacher settles in me. I adore teachers that can be controlling and make the students act orderly.

"Okay so today..." Mr Harper starts to say as he brings out a board marker and starts to write on the board,but trails off as he gets cut off by the door swinging open with a loud thud.

"Sorry I'm late." A girl announces on the top of her voice as she makes her way into the classroom, coming into everyone's view.