It was a brand new school year and Jack was nervous as he adjusted his tie. He was starting high school and his parents had decided to send him to a fancy Catholic school called St. Hallvard. He never really cared for religion, but his parents were devout believers. They had just moved to Centerville, New York over the summer, after his dad had gotten a job in the area. Apparently, it was a really good position.

To Jack though, this sucked! He didn’t know anyone here! All his friends were back home in Colorado! Not to mention, this town was boring. The only place that had anything to do was the mall, even then a good chunk of the once popular stores had closed. Still, at least they had a Porter’s Books there and it had a good selection of manga! He was obsessed with anime and manga, he practically lived and breathed it! “Black Wings Kaminari” was obviously near the top of the list, and the sequel story “The Second Prophet” would be getting an anime adaptation next year. All in all, a good way to pass the time.

Jack went downstairs from his bedroom to see his family. They were the stereotypical all American household: his mom Beatrice, his dad Peter, his little sister Amy and himself. He got to the kitchen where his mom was making lunches for everyone. Breakfast was on the table, just some cereal and juice. His dad was sitting there in his suit, checking the news on his tablet, while his sister was happily eating her food. He sat down and poured himself a bowl.

“Morning Jack,” Mom said. “Ready for your first day of high school?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be I guess. Do I really gotta wear this stupid tie? It feels like it’s choking me,” he responded, trying to loosen it.

“It’s part of your uniform sweetie. All the boys have to wear ties, while the girls have to wear skirts. Would you rather wear a skirt instead?” she asked, jokingly.

Jack blushed a bit and rolled his eyes. “Yeah right, like I’d ever be caught dead in a stupid skirt! Only a sissy would wear those!”

“Watch your tone young man!” His dad said in an authoritative voice. Amy giggled at this.

“Ooh, Jack’s in trouble!” Amy said in a sing-song voice.

Jack just groaned and ate his breakfast in silence. Meanwhile visions of himself in skirts danced through his head, though he tried to shake them off. This had been going on for years now, and he still didn’t understand why. All these urges, the jealousy of his little sister and the pretty things she got to wear, confounded him. He just wanted to be normal, why would he want to wear dresses? Those were for girls, he was a guy! He wasn’t supposed to want this! 

So as usual, he pushed the feelings down and tried to focus on something else, like imagining his new school. He wondered what it would be like? He’d never been to Catholic school before, probably filled with nuns and priests and all that. It sounded boring. But who knows? Maybe he was wrong! Maybe he could make some new friends! He didn’t have long to dwell on these thoughts as it was time for him to catch the bus.

On board, everyone was dressed exactly the same, with the only difference being the colors of their collars. He was a freshman, so his was red. Others had orange, green or blue collars, those must have been the other grade levels. He managed to find a seat and planned to stare out the window for the whole ride. He didn’t even notice when someone else sat down next to him.

“...Are you listening pal?” A voice came from next to him.

Jack suddenly looked over. A slightly older boy with an orange collar was sitting on the seat with him. “Oh good, you’re alive,” the boy said.

“Oh, um, sorry. Guess I must have zoned out there. Can I help you with something?”

“I asked if it was ok to sit here, but I’ve kinda been doing that for a few minutes now. Name’s Neal Gates, what’s yours?”

“It’s Jack, Jack Halden. Nice to meet you Neal.”

“Same with you Jack. First day at St. Hallvard huh? You must be nervous.”

“A little bit I guess. I don’t know anyone here. My family just moved to Centerville over the summer. I still don’t get why we had to come here, we were getting along just fine back in Boulder. But my dad insisted his new job was better and worth moving all the way out here! Ugh, it’s stupid.”

“Boulder? You mean like, Colorado? Wow, quite the trip! Sounds like you haven’t made any friends here yet. If you’d like, I’ll be your friend!” Neal said, smiling.

Jack finally took a good look at this guy. He was tall, maybe almost 6 feet if he was standing up, and was rather handsome looking as well. He had light brown hair that was cut short, though Jack could imagine him rocking it longer. Without realizing it, he started to blush at the thoughts. Neal noticed and smiled.

“Like what you see?” He said with a smirk.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I-I don’t know what came over me!” Jack blurted out, trying to reason with it.

Neal just laughed. “Don’t worry about it pal, no shame in admiring perfection! Besides…” He looked around real quick before leaning in to whisper in Jack’s ear. “I think you’re cute too.”

Jack froze as his face turned a bright shade of red. His brain was stuck in a loop, trying to process what just happened. Did this guy just call him cute??? What? But, how? What?! Meanwhile, Neal started laughing even harder!

“Oh my gosh, you should see your face right now! Oh you’re just too precious! I think I’ll keep you,” he said with a big grin.

After a minute, Jack finally managed to find his voice again. “This, this isn’t funny! And what do you mean by keep me? I’m not some stray cat you found on the street, I’m a person!”

“Too late, you’re mine now! Don’t worry, you couldn’t be in better hands! I’ll help you make some friends, find your way around the school and keep the jerks off your back. I’m not really that strong, but I’m tall and that’s usually enough. Trust me, stick with me and you’ll learn just how good this school can be!” Neal gave another grin, though this one seemed more genuine than teasing. Jack had to admit, he had a cute smile.

“Alright fine, I guess I could use a friend here. But like, were you seriously flirting with me or just teasing?”

Neal didn’t say another word, just kept smiling as the bus pulled up to the school. What was with this kid? Who was he, really? And why was he so damn charming?! We disembarked and headed up to the school. The place seemed fairly normal, besides the cross on the outside. Typical for this kind of school, Jack assumed. He pulled his schedule out of his backpack, which had his locker number and combination written down on it. Neal was peeking over his shoulder, looking at it as well. He smirked before whispering in Jack’s ear: “Need some help cutie?”

Jack jumped about a mile into the air and let out a small yelp! “Gah! Would you stop doing that?!”

Neal just laughed once more. “Oh this is just too cute! You’re so fun to tease! Anyways, I can help you find your locker and stuff. I know this place like the back of my hand. I could even show you where the detention hall is!”

“Why would I need to know that?” Jack asked, confused.

“A pretty boy like you? Something tells me you’ll be spending some time there,” Neal said with a wink.

“Neal, what are you doing?” A voice came from behind them. The two looked over, a rather short but stern looking girl was standing there. She was wearing glasses and had curly, red hair down to about the middle of her back. Otherwise, she was wearing a standard school uniform with an orange collar, like Neal’s. Neal smiled at her.

“Stella! Good to see you girl! How’ve you been?”

She held up her hand. “Don’t give me that, we just saw each other last week. Now answer my question, what are you doing to that poor freshman?”

“Oh Jack here? Just offering to help is all. I figured he could use someone to show him around. I remember how scary and confusing the first day can be, so I wanted to offer my services. Nothing bad, honest!” He gave a smile, but the look on this girl’s face told Jack she wasn’t buying it.

“Neal please, you’re practically humping his leg. Back off,” she said in an exasperated tone.

“Aww, spoilsport. Why can’t you let me have my fun?” Neal whined.

“Because I know you by now, and you’re freaking out the new kid. Let him be.” She turned her attention to Jack. “I’m sorry about my friend here, was he harassing you?”

Jack was impressed. In under a minute, this girl had put Neal in his place. She must be really tough. “It’s fine, but thank you. We’ve just been talking since the bus ride over. No harm done. Is he always this, extra?”

Stella laughed. “Oh you have no idea. Neal here is the biggest flirt in the entire school! Which is saying something from a place nicknamed ‘St. Horndog’.”

Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Really? People actually call it that?”

“Mostly the girls, but yes. But Neal is the horniest of them all, and he doesn’t discriminate. Girls, boys, in-between, doesn’t matter. He’ll flirt with anyone he thinks is cute.”

“Come on Stella, you know no one can resist this! Not even you!” Neal posed seductively.

Stella raised an eyebrow at this and looked him over. “Grow some boobs and we’ll talk,” she said dryly.

“Aw, you’re no fun. Can’t you at least pretend to like me for a minute?” Neal complained. He had been reduced to nothing more than a petulant child, begging for his parent’s approval. It somehow made him even cuter in Jack’s eyes.

“I’m Stella by the way, Stella Jones. And you’re Jack?”

“That’s right, Jack Halden. I’m new in town. Nice to meet you Stella,” he shook her hand.

“Ah, so more than just a freshie, a new kid in general. Well Jack, I suppose you could use some friends here. And if you can get past the flirting and the teasing, you could do worse than Neal. I’ll be your friend as well, if only to keep him from crossing the line,” she shot Neal a glare.

“Hmph, no fun!” he stuck his tongue out at her. 

Jack blushed, Neal was acting really childish but somehow, it just made him even more adorable! He shook his head. No, he couldn’t keep thinking like this! He’s a boy, he’s supposed to like girls! That’s just how these things worked. No way could he have a crush on Neal! (...Right?) At the very least though, he had made a couple friends already. Maybe this school wouldn’t be so bad after all!

The three of them quickly exchanged numbers, before Neal took Jack to find his locker. Stella had to get ready herself, as it was a new school year and all. She warned Neal to behave and told Jack to let her know if he steps out of line. Honestly, Stella was even more of a mystery than Neal at this point. Just what kind of power did she hold over him? Even with that power, she still called him a friend. Still, perhaps now wasn’t the best time to dwell on this.

“Well hot stuff, it’s been wonderful getting to know you, but I have to get to class. My mom will kill me if I’m late on the first day! See you at lunch, I’ll save you a seat,” he said with a wink. He placed a finger under Jack’s chin and leaned in close. Oh shit, was he about to kiss him? No no no, Jack couldn’t have his first kiss with a boy! Not like this! But Neal simply smiled and slipped away before their lips could meet, leaving Jack dumbfounded.

His mind was blank, but his feet moved on autopilot as he walked to his classroom. He found an empty desk and sat down. What had just happened back there? Had he really almost kissed a guy? Why didn’t he try to run, or resist? He just stood there and was gonna take it! It was sheer luck that Neal had pulled away before it actually happened. The worst part was, he kinda wanted to do it again…

He was shaken from his thoughts when a hand touched his shoulder. “Hey, are you ok?” A voice asked. Jack looked up at the source. It was the teacher, a young man with long, black hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“Huh? O-oh, yeah I’m fine. I uh, guess I got lost in my own head a bit. Sorry.” Jack said sheepishly.

“There’s no problem, just need to make sure you’re ok and that you’re in the right place. What’s your name?” The teacher asked.

“Oh um, it’s Jack Halden sir.”

This got a chuckle from the teacher. “You can drop the ‘sir’, that’s much too formal. You can call me Mr. Strongwell, or Rudy. Mr. Rudy if you absolutely must. It’s nice to meet you Jack,” he said with a grin. Little did Jack know, this was gonna be the start of a very interesting year.

Chapter 1 End