"Wake up, honey. It's time for school."

David woke up as Julia gently shook his shoulder. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock beside his bed. The digital numbers glowed remorselessly: six o'clock. It was much earlier than David was used to. He sat up and looked around his room, still dark in the early hours.

"Why was it so early?" David managed to say around a yawn.

Julia stood up, heading to the door. As she walked, she turned on David's light. "You have five minutes to get dressed, or you won't have enough time for breakfast."

David looked around the room once more, reacquainting himself with the mess he had left the night before. Matchbox cars littered the floor next to bright orange tracks. Dirty laundry sat in a pile next to the closet, while dinosaurs were scattered amongst green army men. Stifling another yawn, he picked his way to the closet to get a fresh set of clothes for the day.

"Hurry up!" Julia announced from the kitchen.

David quickly changed before walking into the kitchen. As he sat down, Julia placed a plate in front of him. Fluffy, golden pancakes had rested on a small pond of syrup. Warm, melted butter crowned the stack and dribbled down the sides. David quickly devoured the whole stack, as only a teenage boy could.

Julia ruffled his hair. "Now get cleaned up and find your backpack," she said as she grabbed the plate and started cleaning up the kitchen. David finished getting ready, excitement and nervousness mixing within him.

The drive to school was quiet, filled with a thick tension neither of them could dispel. Julia battled her own mixture of emotions—anxiety, hope, and a touch of sadness—while David stared out the window, trying to distract himself from the knots of nerves tightening in his stomach.

David looked outside, a kid raced their car on a skateboard, jumping and swiftly swerving past obstacles on the sidewalk, never once disturbing those around him. He never seemed to need to kick for speed and was easily kept pace. David was enamored by the sheer impossible talent he held.

"David, we're here." Julia cut into his daydream, the kid and skateboard vanishing altogether. "Have a good day at school. I love you."

"Okay, Mom." David's voice had the barest hint of a tremble as he left the car. "I love you too."

David's nervousness came back in a rush as he entered the bustling hallways of his new high school. The sounds of lockers slamming, laughter, and hurried conversations filled the air, creating a symphony of chaos that made his heart race. He set his backpack down and searched through it quickly, panicking when he wasn't able to find his schedule. It was the first day, and he was already lost.

"Are you okay? Did you lose something?" The calm male voice startled David.

David looked up from his backpack and had seen a man in his mid-40s with groomed, short black hair streaked with gray. Warm brown eyes peered out from behind thin-framed glasses that he constantly had to push back to the bridge of his nose. He wore a blue-striped button-down shirt and pressed khaki pants. The man took a step back to give David some room before introducing himself.

"I'm Mr. Thompson, the school counselor," he offered.

"Oh, I'm David," David managed to stutter out. "I lost my schedule and don't know where I'm going."

"Oh, that's an easy fix. I'll take you to the main office, and we can get you a new one."

David quickly zipped his backpack up and followed Mr. Thompson, keeping his head down while trying to avoid the other kids' stares. As they had walked in, Mr. Thompson talked to the secretary sitting behind the desk.

"Oh, David, what's your last name?" Mr. Thompson inquired.

"It's Carter."

"David?" A familiar voice sounded behind him.

David turned around and saw Michael in the office. A wave of relief washed over him as his face immediately relaxed at the sight of a familiar friend. David's tense shoulders eased, and a genuine smile spread across his face, momentarily pushing aside the anxiety of the first day.

"Hey, Michael!" he said excitedly. "Why are you here?"

Michael pointed at a set of new band-aids on his shin. "School nurse," he replied matter-of-factly. "What about you?"

"I need a new schedule," David said, embarrassed.

"Like this one?" Mr. Thompson interjected, handing David a sheet of paper.

"Let me see," Michael blurted out, taking the sheet before David could even reach for it. "We have the same homeroom!" Michael threw his arm around David's shoulders.

"Well, looks like you are with a friend, so I'll be off," Mr. Thompson said before excusing himself from the room.

"Let's go to class together, David!"

David nodded to Michael, and they had both walked through the hallways looking for room 104. The hallways seemed to stretch endlessly, each corner revealing more unfamiliar faces. David couldn't help but feel like everyone was staring at him. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that everyone felt nervous on their first day.

"There it is!" Michael pointed to a door. "Room 104."

They entered a large, open room. One corner was covered in large paper sculptures and surrounded by lockers. Tables and chairs crowded the middle of the room instead of desks. They had to walk down a set of stairs onto the concrete floor of the studio. David didn't recognize some of the contraptions that were scattered around the edges. Large oven-like devices stood next to small circular tables connected to larger horizontal wheels underneath them.

The loud din of the hallway was replaced by a quieter, more controlled buzz that echoed faintly in the large room as everyone found a seat. At the front of the room stood a bald man with twinkling brown eyes and a neatly trimmed goatee, next to a chalkboard that had read Mr. Langford.

"Welcome to homeroom," Mr. Langford called out, his clear voice silencing the students. "I know this is the art room and it seems kind of relaxed in here, but I won't tolerate any funny business." He let the words linger in the air. "I'm just kidding. This is homeroom; as long as you aren't loud, you can talk amongst yourselves."

David was stunned, like most everyone else, but after gathering himself, a small smile crept across his face. There was something about Mr. Langford's easy going manner and the twinkle in his eye that suggested this class might actually be enjoyable. David hadn't been able to quite put his finger on it, but he had a feeling that this teacher was going to make the school year memorable in the best way possible.