Love is an ambiguous thing, for different people it's different things.

That's where this story begins.

The mediocre and destitute fleeting feeling of an actual relationship is basically all we associate with love in this day and age and we all need somewhere to escape that to.

To see that true love for ourselves.

What better way than to read a love story?

    The sky was an azure blue as the clouds rolled by in a hurry. The black and yellow pavement zipped as the bus made its way down the road. The bus was filled with shouts of joy and anguish as the first day of school was upon us like someone pulled the rug out from underneath us. Just yesterday, I was sitting at home playing on my computer like a normal boy would do with their free time.

    The worst part about this whole thing?

    I transferred from my old school. All of my friends, my reputation, everything was gone in an instant. Mom says change isn't always bad but I'm not too inclined to agree with her.

    "HEY! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU AROUND HERE BEFORE! ARE YOU NEW?!" A velvety voice yelled. I turned to my right to be greeted by a girl with long brunette hair, wearing a vibrant clementine shirt with a television character plastered on the front, her arms were covered in a black and white spiral pattern from the long sleeve shirt she wore underneath; along with a pair of ripped navy blue jeans.

             "Yeah, I just moved here last week," I replied, my face turned to the window. The cars dashed by in a hurry as the day stopped for no one.

    She sat down next to me, the leather crunching as she made contact with the seat underneath.

    "How do you like it so far?" She gestured outside.

    "Like what?" I asked.

    "The city? The beautiful buildings that reach the heavens, the rustle and bustle of the city folk carrying briefcases and looking pompous on their way to their dead end jobs?" She spouted, looking into my eyes.

    "Well, uh, I do like the city," I kept my head turned to the window, trying to get her to lose interest.

    "Okay, I can accept that," she got up dramatically before heading to the front of the bus to talk to a group of students.

    Is that how everyone is here?

    I turned my focus back to the world outside as the bus made its way onto the school grounds.

    The parking lot was filled with a rainbow of cars. The teachers got out of their vehicles, rubbing their hands through their hair, wishing this would end once more.

    The bus skidded to a stop along the side of the school building. The teacher pulled the lever to open the doors. Everyone hurried along in through the door to escape the freezing cold morning breeze.

    "WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE! WE WELCOME YOU BACK TO ANOTHER WONDERFUL SCHOOL YEAR HERE AT GREEN MEADOWS HIGH SCHOOL! NOW TODAY IS-"

    I stopped paying attention to the announcement and sat down on a bench that no one had occupied. I unzipped my backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

    That piece of paper was my schedule.

    The first class of the day was and is always going to be Homeroom. Homeroom is where you go everyday before the beginning of your classes and usually just hang out before the weight of the school day slowly comes down on you. My home room teacher was Mrs Swiler in room 252.

    I grabbed my backpack and headed to the room by the sign on the wall. The students around me ignored me as they were either in a panic to get to their classes or they were talking with friends in the middle of the hallway; impeding everyone's path.

    After a short walk, I stumbled upon the door to a near empty room except for a singular girl sitting in the back right corner.

    "Ah, hello, young man!" A middle aged woman walked up to me and greeted me with a handshake. She wore a standard white button up top with a long gray school appropriate skirt.

"Hello, Mrs Swiler," I returned her gesture and shook her hand.

"Might I get your name?" She asked politely.

"I'm Wyatt. Wyatt Adams." I responded, in case she had another student by the name of

Wyatt.

    She searched through the sheet on the clipboard until she stopped on a name with her pen.

    "I have you right here... You'll be seated right over there, next to her," she pointed to the open seat next to the girl in the back.

    "Thank you, ma'am," I grasped the straps on my backpack and walked to my newly anointed desk.

    I adjusted my backpack onto the chair to where it holds onto it by the straps and grabbed my notebook and pencil out of it.

    I looked over to the girl next to me. Her long, jet-black and viridescent hair cascaded onto the desk around her book as she flipped the page. Her glasses were bigger than the usual frames you'd see but it was in a cute way. I stared at her for a moment,

    "Can I help you?" She was staring right back at me with an annoyed expression.

    "Um, no, I was just,"

    QUICK! Think of something, Wyatt!

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Wondering what book you were reading?" I improvised.

    "It's called," she turned the book around to her.

    "None of your business," she lowered her gaze to the bottom of the book, "written by Leave me alone," she opened it back up onto her desk and resumed her reading.

    "Never heard of that author," I tried to resuscitate whatever hopes of conversing I had but to no avail.

    The class quickly filled up with students as the ever looming threat of the bell grew closer. The students ran in, chattering with one another with only a few of them giving me a glance. By the time the bell rang, the students had made themselves comfortable in their seats and began conversing as if they had known each other for a lifetime; which is probably the case.

I looked around; trying to find anyone to talk to but everyone had already started talking to other people. The only person who wasn't was the girl next to me. Although she was beautiful, she was extremely rude so I don't really feel like dealing with that as of right now. I'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

    "Hello students!" She tapped her pointer on the desk.

    The students quieted down and paid attention to the front of the class.

    "I'm Mrs Swiler, I will be your homeroom teacher for the remainder of this year. I want you to all get along and enjoy your time here so make sure you have fun," she sighed wistfully.

    "BUT NOT TOO MUCH FUN! OR YOU'LL FALL BEHIND ON YOUR STUDIES!" She warned us, playfully.

    The class chuckled a little in unison.

    "That damn bell should be ringing anytime now so prepare your things and head to your first class when it does."

    As if on cue, the bell dinged throughout the entire building. All of us picked up our backpacks and supplies as we went out into the hallway.

    My first class is... History. Room 106. Great.

    I turned around and made my way down the staircase, slipping between students lounging on them as if nothing was happening around them.

    What is it with these kids chilling in these hallways?

    I tightened my grip on the straps of my backpack and sprinted down the hall, expertly weaving between bodies, trying not to be late to my first class of the day.

    I dashed through the door of 106 right as the bell rang. I put my hands on my knees and breathed heavily.

    "Are you okay, young man?" A man with silver hair asked gently.

    "Yeah, I just," I let out a heavy breath, "ran here."

    "Ah, well, have a seat," he ushered to the open desks.

    I quickly scanned over the area to find a familiar face.

    "How did you get here before me?" I mouthed to her, walking over to her.

    "I don't know," she sighed as I sat down next to her, "did you really need to sit next to me in this class too?"

    "It seems like we're going to be seeing each other a lot so I'm hoping we could at least be on friendly terms?" I said.

    "Fine, but I'm not your friend," she lowered her head onto her arms on her desk.

    "Why can't I talk to anyone else?" I pondered.

    History was about what you think it is on the first day. Syllabus and all, expectations about the class, introducing ourselves, the usual.

    The day went by slowly as I adjusted to the flow of the day, the locations of the classrooms, and then finally, the best part of the day, PE.

    "Okay, um, this is getting weird," I said to the girl who I have yet to learn her name.

    "Yeah, it is. Are you stalking me or something?" She asked, her face as neutral as ever.

    "No, we just share a lot of the same classes," I chuckled nervously.

    She thought for a moment before speaking,

    "My name is Astrid. Everyone calls me Ivy though so I'd prefer if you did too," she spoke to me like a normal person for the first time.

    "My name is Wyatt. I'm sorry about the first impression. Do you mind if we start over?"

    She nodded before walking away.

    As PE went on, I found myself talking to other people too. A guy by the name of Leo, who was a bodybuilder, whose build towered over my own, with a head of spiky fiery red hair.

Another girl came up to us and started chatting too.

    "Hello," she gave a curtsy bow.

    Me and Leo looked at each other confusedly.

    "Oh, I'm sorry. Where I'm from, it is customary to bow when introducing yourself," she got up and straightened her shorts, "I'm Kendall, princess of the Caso Islands, but here, I'm just a regular student like you," she spoke so eloquently, like royalty. Which makes sense.

    "I'm Wyatt," I held my hand out for her to shake it.

    "What is this?" She gestured to my hand.

    "This? One of the ways to introduce yourself here is to shake someone's hand. Like so. Leo?" I held out my hand to him.

    He fist bumped me.

    "No, can you just-" I held out my hand and shook my hand.

    "OH!" He shook his own hand.

    I smacked my hand against my forehead.

    "Do you get it?" I asked her.

    "I believe so," she said.

    I held out my hand. She grabbed it and shook it.

    "Well done," I complimented.

    "I guess I need to learn a lot more about this country," she walked away, talking to herself.

    "Anyways, Leo, did you see-"

    Leo and I chatted PE away. Leo was the first friend I made here albeit if he isn't really that smart, he seemed like a genuinely good guy.

    I was worried that I wouldn't make any friends here. I'm usually reserved just because I've had bad experiences with people in my lifetime but my mom and dad reassured me that it'd all be okay.

    Until it wasn't.

    Until I lost my parents, my best friends that day.

    I shook my head to clear those thoughts to hear the bell ringing, dismissing us from PE. I waved goodbye to Leo, who returned the gesture emphatically.

    Thanks, Leo.

    I paced down the sidewalk and entered the bus that was waiting for all of the students to arrive.

    "You gotta be kidding me," I said as I walked to my seat to find Ivy in it.

    "Oh, what the-" She stood up.

    "What are you doing in my seat?" I asked her.

    "Your seat? I was assigned here," she responded.

    "So was I."

    Our eyes both grew wide with realization as we learned that she had assigned both of us to this seat.

    "Whatever. Do you get off before me or after?" She asked.

    "I have no idea."

    "I don't know why I asked. I'll sit by the window and I'll let you know when it's my stop. Just get off if it's yours."

    "Yes, ma'am!" I set my backpack down in my lap and pulled out my phone. I started watching this new TV show that I was binge watching for the past week and a half. It's called "Beyond The Veil" and I'm so addicted. I looked over to see Ivy watching it with me.

    "Are you okay, Ivy?" I asked.

    "Uh, yeah," she looked back at the window nervously.

    The bus ride was quiet and peaceful as I finished the season finale of Beyond The Veil on my phone. Ivy watched the entire episode but I decided not to interrupt her or waste precious time I could be figuring out what happens to Neir and Sasha.

    The bus came to a stop at the bus stop that was a few blocks from my house. I flipped my backpack onto my back and got up. Ivy grabbed the arm of my jacket.

    "Sorry," she let go of my arm, "I just wanted to know the name of the show you were watching," she asked, sheepish.

    "It's called Beyond The Veil, I think you'll like it," I told before I walked through the open doors.

    I looked at her on the bus as she pulled out her phone immediately after I had gotten off. I smiled to myself and walked home.

    "MOM!" I caught myself.

    My parents weren't home. They never will be. I miss them. I set my backpack on the hook on the back of the front door.

    This place is mine. I don't know why or how but I've been able to live here without anyone trying to place me anywhere even though I'm only in my first year of high school. I enjoy the peace and seclusion except for when I want to share how my day went to my parents or when I want to hear about their day.

    I cooked myself dinner, which was usually instant ramen because at night, I can't bring myself to leave this place. I washed up the utensils and placed them in the dish rack. I brushed my teeth and got into my pajamas.

    I closed my eyes and drifted away into a better place than here.