Chapter 2: "Parents ain't around enough"
(from Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean)
***
Liam tapped his fingers on the dash as he drove down that wide street with houses lined at both sides. It was like passing through an arcade of columns, slowly leading him to a house of worship. He didn't know why he was so nervous all of last night and this morning- or why he insisted on wearing his favorite maroon t-shirt with the buttons that made it a step above casual. But he didn't bother to try and figure out why, instead he weaved through these suburban roads, not needing a map to tell him the way to Caleb's house.
As he pulled up he saw him lounging out by the curb- a pair of white converse digging into the asphalt while his hands stayed pressed into the freshly cut lawn. He caught Caleb's face as the car came into view and he swore he could see a smile form, teasing those bright white teeth in between his tan skin. Caleb stood up and walked towards the car as Liam yelled out from the open window, "Hey man, sorry I kept you waiting."
He shook his head, "Not at all. I came out like half an hour ago just to enjoy the sun." He smiled and pointed towards the two- story oversized house, "Been kinda cooped up there these past few days."
Liam nodded, "The view outside my bedroom window is someone else's bedroom window. I know all about craving being outside." He reached over and rolled down his dark tinted windows, letting that cool morning breeze flow through. Caleb did the same before resting back into the stitched up leather seat as they drove off.
"Are you nervous about your first day?" Liam asked, cutting through the silence that fell over the two boys as they neared the school. He could see a blank look stretched over Caleb's face as his black hair danced through the breeze.
"Not as much as I thought I'd be." He looked over, "My last school was just fine. I mean, yeah it sucks I couldn't finish it off with the few friends I did make, but I'm sure this one is the exact same."
Liam shrugged, "Trust me it is. It's the same group of stuck up kids who hold onto these four years like it's gonna mean something when we're older.
"Guess I won't be seeing you at the next pep rally."
Liam chuckled, "They couldn't pay me to go to one of those things." Caleb watched as the boy bee-lined towards the edge of the parking lot underneath a shade of trees. It was far off from the rows of cars that pieced themselves together like dominos, as if Liam wanted to be as held off from the rest of the student body as possible.
Caleb watched as the Rearview High student body unfolded before him like groups of similar species that only congregated with each other. It was like any other high school and the cliques were so well defined, Caleb could practically draw dividing lines between them. Even as they passed through what seemed like hundreds of kids, Liam made no efforts to stop. He didn't nod his head to anyone looking his way or even get stopped by someone trying to say hello. The boy marched through the halls, leading Caleb down to the Main Office.
"The campus isn't as big as you'd think, so you shouldn't have any problems trying to get to any of your classes." He pointed down one of the hallways, "Cafeteria's down that way and the food's not half bad- just don't get the Jello which should be pretty self-explanatory." Liam could feel himself start to babble as he fiddled with the straps of his backpack. Luckily for him, Caleb stopped the chatter.
"Haha I think I'll be alright man." He looked over as Liam finally caught a breath. "Thank you though- for the ride and showing me around. Wanna meet up for lunch?" He said, flashing his perfect teeth.
Liam hesitated for a second, "Uh, sure. There's a bench out by the quad that I usually chill by."
"Sweet. Lunch is on me since I didn't ever get to thank you for saving my ass yesterday", Caleb said with a look that didn't leave any room for questioning.
The older boy nodded. And just as Caleb turned slightly towards the reception desk, Liam called out. "Hey, um. Have a good first day, man."
"Thanks" he replied, with a wide smile, nearly blushing.
***
The first two classes of the day proved that Caleb had nothing to worry about. Every lecture he sat through was a continuation of something he was learning back at his old school or a refresher of a class he took before. He eased into those plastic chairs as the stereotypical middle aged woman with glasses went on about the American Civil War, albeit with more of a liberal bias found in California. And so he let his mind wander. And just like last night, his wild and free thoughts roamed back to Liam- the boy who made him as confused as he'd ever been. There was just something in the way that boy's sheepish grin made his stomach flutter- it was like being pumped up with helium and sent adrift into the open sky.
He must have drifted off so far that he didn't even notice the shuffling of students around him or the short brunette taking seat right next to him.
"Enjoying your first day?" asked the pixie cut with freshly manicured purple nails.
"What gave me away?"
She shrugged, "You mean other than the fact that this class started two weeks ago and you're just showing up now?" Caleb chuckled as the girl rolled her eyes. "Firecracker", he thought to himself. She went on, "You have this dough eyed look in your face like maybe this school won't be so bad."
He raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like you're speaking from experience."
"Alicia" she said, raising her hand to his, "AKA the former new girl before you came and took my spot."
He shook her hand as they both cracked a smile, "I'm Caleb." He paused long enough to hear their teacher explain that they'd be paired up for the rest of class to go over the topics on the board- things he could talk circles around because unlike what his advisor assured, he'd taken this class before.
"So when'd you move out here?" He asked just as he finished scribbling down the answers to each of the generic questions listed up.
"Just before Christmas. My dad filled an opening at the local hospital a couple months ago and my mom and I followed once my semester was up. How about you?"
"About four days. We used to live here back when I was a kid but we moved to Jersey for the past six years" Caleb said as he twirled his pencil.
"Ah, so you're not technically new then. Still have some old friends around?"
He shrugged, looking around at all the faces that looked somewhat familiar, but none he could place. He wondered if it was his memory failing him or just the result of him sticking by Willy Holt and no one else way back when.
"Not many actually. I did meet up with this dude I used to be close to and we're kinda hanging out again" He said, trying not to smile.
But Alicia smiled enough for him, growing her eyes out of curiosity. "So I'm not the first person to befriend the newbie. Kinda defeats the whole purpose of this conversation don't you think?"
"I see you never let an opportunity for a tease go to waste."
She batted her overly long eyelashes and parted her bangs, "It's part of the charm. So who's your friend?" She looked around and whispered, "The kids here are like stock characters out of a CW show."
Caleb laughed and shook his head, "William Holt- kinda goes by Liam these days. We were close before my family moved away."
"Ah, you mean Lonely Boy" Alicia said with a knowing smirk that was met by Caleb's confused face. "From Gossip Girl? Geez and I thought I strayed from the mainstream."
He raised and eyebrow, "Is that like some nickname?"
"It's what some of the girls call him. Apparently it's cause he's cute, but he keeps to himself. Hell I've been at this school for three weeks and I haven't really seen him hang around with anyone."
Caleb sat there a little dumbfounded. Growing up it seemed like Liam was the coolest kid he knew- definitely a little quiet, but once you got him opened up, he was like a jack in the box unable to be put away. The two of them would often disappear into their own world crafted by the imaginations of two kids probably left alone longer than they should have been. And thinking back now, maybe Caleb was a bit of a loner- just with everyone except him.
Probably sensing his concern, Alicia quipped back, "I don't know him personally, that's just what I've seen."
"You seem to have a good handle of what goes on around here." He said, fiddling through the pages as if to look busy.
She shrugged, "My first week here was kinda pointless- I mean while everyone was cramming for finals I was just left to people watch. Kids here are predictable, but your friend there- he's kind of a mystery."
"In what way?"
"Well" she sighed, deciding if she wanted to dive that deep into someone she didn't know that well. She looked over to Caleb who was hanging on by her last words. "He doesn't really fall into any groups. I mean he seems cool with some of the other kids from around his neighborhood, but he's not close to them, at least not like the rest of them are." Caleb looked at her as if trying to piece together all that info "And then there's the fact that he pays no attention to any of the girls around here, no matter how hard they try."
"The boy just keeps to himself. And unlike the other loners in this school, it's a conscious choice."
"I guess a lot's changed since I left town." Caleb shrugged, looking back to Alicia with a blank look on his face.
