Popping His Cherry

Nightingale(2)

Nigel's Pov

The first day of high school.

Translation hell.

I was going back to meet bullies from middle school.

Even worse they'd be bigger, stronger and meaner.

High school was the impeding doom I couldn't avoid. I considered changing school but finally decided against it.

The bully you know is better than the bully you don't.

I figured it was better to just accept the fact that I was going to go through hell in Middleton high than transfer to a new school get my hopes up and be disappointed.

So here I am on the first day of school.

I look around and see friends hugging, laughing and recounting summer memories.

I spent my summer indoors working on my first love, software programming.

Of course I had the ridiculous idea of changing my appearance and working out to get muscles.

Two days at the local gym over exerting myself and a week in the hospital taught me something: it's not as easy as they make it look like in the movies.

After I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be turning into a ripped, ab having bodybuilder I spent the summer actually enjoying myself.

I got out of the pickup I got from all my savings and with a little help from my parents.

They are truly the best. My dad is the older version of me right down to the love of comic books and anything Marvel related.

My parents are living proof that there's hope for me after all.

My mom loves my dad despite all his quirks and the fact that he was, is and will be more interested in superheroes than the super bowl.

At least he likes something the whole family can watch.

That was always my mom's response when my aunt Carol always asked why she never got rid of 'the geek'.

Needless to say she wasn't a big fan of my dad or me for that matter.

Okay we're getting off track here. I pick up my bag pack and make my way to the school.

I groan as I notice Nolan Drest and his friends standing in front of the door talking. Even worse is the fact that his girlfriend Sonia Wilkins is there with him.

Hurray! It's the whole welcoming committee.

A small piece of me would like to say that I was hopeful they'd change but I'd be lying.

Someone doesn't bully you since preschool and stop in high school.

A place where bullying is basically accepted as normal.

"Hey look it's Nigel the Nightingale. How did you spend you summer, rescuing the world perhaps? What's ypus superpower anyway? Boring people to death?"

At this pointI should probably explain the name. In first grade we had a career day. We got to dress up like we were going to our dream job. While other kids dressed up like doctors, firemen and accountants I came dressed as a superhero. Nightingale.

Hey don't judge, the definition was our dream job and I was only six, being a superhero was my dream.

The teachers thought it was sweet, the bullies, not so much. Nolan has been reminding me constantly about how lame and impossible it is.

Superheroes are incredibly ripped or fast I'm neither of those, I'm scrawny and slow.

Several times of being too slow to get away from Nolan's antics has taught me that.

"So guess who passed out at the gym after lifting 50 grams for only five minutes?"

I could have died at that moment from embarrassment. I should have known Nolan would find out. The gym is practically his second home.

If he spent as much time studying as he did worrying over his looks and reputation he'd be at the top of the class.

"Why the Nightingale of course! He couldn't lift weights to save his life."

That came from Sonia, she's so annoying, I wonder if one day she'll realise that she has no actual friends.

Her bestie, Bree has slept with Nolan more than Sonia has.

Her so called twinie, Mirabel told everyone that Sonia got an STD from Nolan.

Her sister from another mister, Tanya took a video of Sonia singing and posted it on YouTube.

Sonia's voice to put it kindly, sounds like a cat in heat getting hit by a screeching car.

After all this she fails to see the truth. She has no friends.

At least I know the truth, she's living in a fantasy world.

In reality, she's more pathetic than I am.

I know I have no friends so I don't have any expectations, one day she's going to need help badly, then she'll see she has no one to count on.

"Listen I don't want any trouble, I'll stay out of your way, you won't even know I'm here."

I knew it was a long shot asking Nolan to just leave me alone but I had to try.

"You must be high, Nightingale, I'll be seeing you, a lot."

With that promise/threat he left with his friends, leaving me alone, at least for now.

Another semester of hell has just begun.