"Ian, sweetie!" Nicole called from the kitchen. Her singsong voice accompanied the grisling of bacon on a skillet. "It's time for you to get up! You don't want to be late for the first day of your senior year!"
Ian groaned at his mom's hollering, unable to muster the strength to unravel himself from the tangle of his covers. Ian could never fall asleep the night before the first day of school. The anxiety ate away at him, causing him to worry about his teachers and which homeroom he'd be assigned to. He turned over to look at the alarm clock on his dresser, the blinking green numbers reading it was seven o'clock. Ian reluctantly threw off the warm blankets and walked over to the bathroom.
Ian stared at himself in the mirror, noting the puffiness under his eyes. He brushed his teeth and ran some of the water through his unruly black hair. Quickly getting dressed into his school uniform, Ian grabbed his well-worn Captain Dragon bookbag and made his way downstairs. The aroma of the bacon and fresh pancakes filled the room. Ian took a seat at the table, where a glass of orange juice was waiting for him.
"Morning, mom," Ian greeted, taking a sip of the tangy juice. Regret spilled across his face as the lingering toothpaste taste reacted with the orange juice.
"Good morning, sweetie," Nicole replied, chuckling at Ian's face. She was flipping the last of the pancakes onto the plate. Her curly brown hair was tied up in a messy bun to get it out of the way of her cooking. "How's my big boy? Are you ready for your last first day of high school?"
Ian shook his head and let out a sigh. "You know I never am, Mom. I couldn't sleep last night either."
"Oh Ian," Nicole walked over and placed the plate of pancakes on the table to join the bacon. She wiped her hands on her apron and placed one on his head, ruffling his hair. "This year's going to be the best! Now, is Mikey going to be picking you up today?"
Ian shook his head, eating a forkful of pancake. "Mikey had to go to school early for a swim team meeting."
"Oh, that's too bad," Nicole said as she took a seat across her son. She served herself a tall stack of pancakes and three crispy strips of bacon. She drizzled maple syrup on her plate and started to dig in.
It amazed Ian how much his mother could eat and still look amazing. She had a heartier appetite than him and she maintained an hourglass figure. "Mom, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Nicole answered mid chew, a bit of syrup still on her chin.
"How do you stay so fit?"
"What do you mean by that?" Nicole asked, confused at Ian's interest in the topic. He was never interested in working out before. No matter how hard Mikey tried, Ian never stepped foot into the school weightroom.
"I mean, you always eat whatever you want and you look great. I was wondering what you did to maintain your figure," Ian elaborated, his cheeks flushing.
Nicole bit her lip, a gesture she did whenever she was thinking. "Well Ian, life is too short to deny yourself the simple pleasures. Especially when it comes to food. I just find a balance between food and fitness. Why, do you think I eat too much?"
"No, no not at all!" Ian waved his hands in dismissal. His blush deepening. "Forget I asked, it was a stupid question." Ian stuffed his face with pancakes to stop himself from talking. Like usual, his mom's pancakes were light and fluffy.
"It wasn't stupid, Ian. I'm happy that you asked," Nicole said. She then looked at clock on the stove. "You need to hurry, it's already seven-twenty."
Ian's eyes grew wide as he scarfed down the rest of his breakfast and jumped from his chair, his bookbag already slung on his shoulder. Before leaving, he placed a kiss on Nicole's forehead and whispered, "Love you, Mom."
"Love you too, sweetie! Have a good first day!" Nicole's voice chased Ian out of the door.
Ian grabbed his bike from his garage and started pedaling as fast as he could. His stomach protested as he sped up and made several sharp turns to make it to school on time. Ian was met with a wave from the security booth and rode through the gate. He and his mom lived in the Avalon Springs community, which was across the street from George Meer High School.
Ian made it to school on time with time to spare; but, his uniform was drenched in sweat and he had to loosen his tie. He locked his bike into the rack and started his dreaded march to his homeroom. The senior wing was alive with excited exchanges of summer adventures. Many of Ian's classmates were sporting new tans and fresh hairstyles.
Ian found Room 405, his homeroom for the rest of the year. When he walked in, nobody greeted Ian. He was unlucky to be assigned to a homeroom that didn't have anyone he talked to. Sighing to himself, Ian took an empty seat at the back of the class and started reading last week's issue of Hero Council.
"Ian!" a voice yelled, echoing through the room.
His head jutted up from his comic, eyes landing on the red-headed boy by the door. The boy waved Ian over, his face betraying urgency.
"What's up, Mikey?" Ian asked.
Mikey threw an arm around Ian's shoulder, turning them away from the prying eyes of Ian's homeroom. Ian could smell the faint scent of chlorine that accompanied Mikey's morning swim. "You gotta see this!" Mikey said as he thrusted a ticket into Ian's hands.
Ian looked down into the ticket to see a pair of breasts printed there. Ian's eyes grew wide as he brought the ticket to his stomach to cover the image. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Why are you giving me porn in school!"
"Dude, relax! It's a ticket to a strip club!" Mikey corrected as he wiggled his freckled nose.
Mikey's voice was almost loud enough that everyone in his homeroom could hear. "Okay, okay lower your voice! Why did you give me a ticket to a strip club?" Ian asked, still in disbelief.
"Check it out. My big brother Joey works there as a bouncer. He said you only have to be eighteen to get in, but we can't drink any alcohol. He gave me these so that we can get in and see some boobs man!" Mikey whispered, excited.
Ian stared at Mikey, baffled. Mikey never had a shortage of girls wanting for his affection. Most of the people watching the school swim meets were Mikey's admirers. Ian just stared at Mikey with his eyes wide and his jaw slack.
Before Ian could interrogate Mikey any more, the homeroom bell rang. Mikey gave Ian a punch on the shoulder and said, "I'll meet you at the bike racks!"
Ian stood at the doorway dumbstruck, his fingers clenching the ticket. His heart pounded against his chest. He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested. He's only seen naked women on the internet, not counting the time he almost walked in on his mom in the shower. If the room wasn't so steamy, he would have been able to get a peek through the glass shower doors.
"Ian, will you be joining us for homeroom? Or shall I mark you absent?" Ian's homeroom teacher asked, bringing Ian back to reality.
Ian's mind was racing all day. Regardless of how he reacted with Mikey, Ian was excited. The idea of going to a strip club made his heart pound against his chest and his cock stiffen. He had to make a conscious effort to stay calm through most of the day. Luckily most of his classes were Advanced Placement, and he needed to concentrate on the first day. But occasionally, his hand kept going to his pocket to make sure that the ticket was still there.
Being a half day, the school dismissed around lunchtime, forcing students to make plans on where they were going to go eat. Ian stuffed all of the handouts he received throughout the day into his bookbag and bolted to the bike rack. Mikey was already there, twirling his car keys on his finger. He flashed Ian a smile and asked, "Are you excited?"
"Yeah, but this is crazy!" Ian blurted out. Their school was a private institution with strict rules regarding student behavior even off campus. "I mean, what if we get caught?"
"Details, details," Mikey answered. "You just need to relax and everything will work out."
"Fine," Ian acquiesced, getting swept into Mikey's pace. "So when do we need to use the ticket?"
"Tonight," Mikey said, taking a look at his watch. "I'll pick you up after practice. Be sure to dress up."
"Ian Greene report to the headmaster's office immediately," the intercom announced.
Ian's eyes widened at the announcement. He was never called directly to the headmaster's office. Normally, his grandpa would just text him what he needed to tell him. Ian weaved through the throng of students still roaming the hallway, often bumping shoulders with several of them. When he reached the office Ian knocked twice before entering.
"Hello, Ian," the headmaster greeted, setting his pen down. "How was your day?"
"Hi Grandpa Frederick," Ian responded, taking a seat. His eyes landed on Frederick's balding head, noting that he still sported a combover that wasn't fooling anyone. "My day was good, same old stuff."
Nodding, Frederick said, "I have a favor to ask, Ian. Tomorrow a new student will be starting at our school. I would like you to show her around."
"Wait, why me?"
"You know this school very well, Ian," Frederick chuckled. "What better guide than the headmaster's grandson?"
