Chapter Text
“Do we have to move?” That was the first thing I said when I found out we were moving back to my hometown.
“Tia Carol?”
“Yes, Jackson?”
“Am I in trouble? Is that why we’re moving?”
“You aren’t in trouble… It’s just— Frank?..”
“A change of scenery goes a long way. We just think it’ll be good for you to get away from Portland.”
“Right. You were born in Kingsmont. The town is pretty small, it’s local, and you can make some good friends there. A big city just isn’t what you… What we need right now.”
“We found a nice place for you to go to before school starts, and if you want, we can find a doctor too.”
They knew how I was in Portland, and they figured the best way to help was to move. It wasn’t long until we arrived in Kingsmont, and I had to start over. Restart with everything. Restart myself, or I was supposed to.
He woke up that morning, his head slightly throbbing, and his vision blurry. Already off to a bad start today. Slowly, he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes and grimacing at the killer headache he had. “Jackson! School starts in twenty minutes!” He heard from downstairs.
“I know!” He felt like shit, but he couldn’t deal with that yet, he was already running late. As fast as he could, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and got dressed. Carol and Frank were standing around the table, looking up at him as he came down the stairs.
“Good morning, Jackson. Excited for your first day?”
“Sure.” He said quietly, grabbing his hoodie from a chair at the table.
“What’s your plans for this year, senior?”
“I don’t know, just get good grades I guess…”
Carol just smiled at him, Jackson could pick up the barely audible sigh that escaped her mouth. “That’s a start.” His tío said with a grin.
“You hungry? I can make something if you want to eat.” Maybe if his headache wasn’t so bad, he would’ve been hungry. But the thought of food made him want to puke right now.
“No, thanks.”
“You aren’t hungry?”
“I’m already running late. I wanna be there early for my first day…”
“Right, right. That’s perfectly fine, cariño. We should get going then.” Carol said as Frank stood and grabbed his keys.
“Just let me make sure I have everything I need, I’ll be right back.” He went back up the stairs, entering his room. He hadn’t been here that long, but the room was already messy and disorganized. He opened one of his suitcases he still hadn’t fully unpacked yet. With slight reluctance, he moved clothes out of the way, digging for the bottom.
The main thing he left Portland for stared him back in the face. Carol and Frank didn’t know he still had it, or what was left of it anyway. He intended to keep it that way.
With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and then stuffed it into his backpack. He went back down the stairs. Carol and Frank weren’t at the table anymore. They must’ve been waiting for him in the car. He hurried outside, getting into the backseat of the car.
The drive wasn’t long, and before he knew it, he was in front of Jeanes High School. He didn’t expect to have to start fresh for his senior year, but it wasn’t like he was leaving anything behind. Not much at least. Before he opened the car door, Carol stopped him. “Before you go, we just want to say how proud we are of you. We know how hard this can be, and we’re proud of all the effort you’ve put in.”
He nodded, forcing a smile. He wondered if they could tell how fake it was. “Okay.”
“We love you, kid. Have a good day, alright?” Jackson got out of the car, looking at the large building in front of him. With a sigh, he walked up the steps, bracing himself for a long day.
He stared at the schedule in his hands. They couldn’t have at least given me a map? He sighed, looking around to see if anything on his schedule was around here. The school he went to in Portland was a lot bigger, so maybe if he wandered around for a bit he’d find his classes quickly. Not like he had the energy to do that though. Yeah, he needed help. He took another look around, his eyes landed on a blonde boy who was standing near a row of lockers, he slowly approached.
“Excuse me?” He said, tapping the guy’s shoulder.
The blonde turned his head, looking at Jackson. He was taller, a lot skinnier by width at least, but Jackson could tell he had a little muscle on him. He was met with the other boy’s bright blue eyes. “Hey, what’s up?” He had a smile on his face and looked more than happy to help. “You okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m just kinda lost. Do you know where room 12-A is?”
“12-A? Hey, I actually do! That’s where I’m headed too. Just follow me.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“I’m David, by the way.” He said holding out his hand.
“Jackson.” David shook his hand with an enthusiasm he’d never even seen before. It was almost uncomfortable to even breathe the same air as someone like that. His life must’ve been great.
He followed the blonde around for a minute. As they walked, people waved and showered David with attention. He could feel the stares he got from other students. The guy must’ve had a reputation, a good one. They entered a classroom, and a large group of people immediately waved David over. They were all probably popular, they looked it too. Some didn’t look as nice as David. Hell, he didn’t know David’s true nature either.
He sat down in a seat close to the wall, leaning his elbows on the desk. The late bell rang, and it made his ears ring. His headache from earlier returned in full force. The teacher of the class started speaking, but he couldn’t fully pay attention. His headache was killing him, and he started getting that anxious, nauseous feeling. He didn’t know why. It just happened, and he hated it. It always happened when he didn’t have it for a while. He could feel eyes on him, or maybe it was just his imagination. He could feel the sweat in his palms.
He was snapped out of his daze when he heard another bell. He was confused when he saw other students leaving. But then he realized that class had ended. Hesitantly, he stood up and left the room. The halls felt a lot more packed than they probably actually were, and his head was pounding. He pushed open the bathroom door and went into a stall. Immediately, he opened his bag, looking for it.
He felt better after, way better actually. It always made him feel better. Just for a little bit though. He walked out of the bathroom, taking in the hall before him. It seemed less crowded, and everything felt slower. He just stood in place for a moment, taking a deep breath, a sudden sense of calm washing over him.