1
Auden
* * *
Another year, another new house. At this point, all of my belongings fit into two suitcases that I can easily carry. I’ve even stopped unpacking them. That way I can be ready and out the door in under a minute. Being able to leave fast has come in handy on more than one occasion.
It’s just my mom and me. I never knew my dad and to be honest, I’m not even sure if my mom knows who my real father is. See, my mom has this habit of picking assholes with money and dating them. They use her for her looks and for sex and she uses them right back. She can just never make it last so she bounces from boyfriend to boyfriend and town to town and I’m stuck going with her.
To be fair, there’s been a couple of good guys over the years and there was even one or two that lasted for over a year, but for the most part, they’re rich, smug, assholes who last about six months. I’m so sick of changing schools and houses and towns. For once, I just want to be a normal kid who has a steady home, school, and friends.
My mother’s current sucker is a guy named Todd who lives in this fancy town in the middle of Texas. When I first learned that we were going to Texas, all I could picture was farms and open fields. This town has the open fields but all of the farms are worth millions of dollars and the main source of income here seems to be oil.
Todd’s house is one of the nicest places we have ever lived. It’s so big that I actually got lost the first couple of days. I have my own wing in the house and my mom and Todd have the other. I’m alone in my wing of the house now as I look through my suitcases for my toiletries. My school uniform is hanging up on the back of my bedroom door. I’ve never been to a school that had uniforms but I’m hoping that it will make getting ready easier in the morning and that I will be able to blend in at my new school.
I’m hoping that my mom and Todd last at least four months so that I can finish out high school here and then move onto college and get away from my mother. I turned 18 last month so technically, I could move out now, but I would never be able to afford to live on my own and certainly not in this town.
I finally find my toiletry case and head into my bathroom. I take a quick shower and throw on an oversized t-shirt and panties for bed. I’ve already set my alarm and mapped out how to get to school. We only live a couple of minutes away so I’ll just be walking there and back. I wonder if I’ll make any friends here as I roll onto my side and drift off to sleep.
I woke before my alarm, nervous about my first day at a new school. I took my time with my blonde hair, brushing it until it shined and then pinning it back on one side. I put on mascara and rim my grey eyes with eyeliner before I apply a quick coat of lip gloss and grab my bag. I head down the stairs and to the kitchen. I come up short when I see the chef has already made my breakfast. I’m still trying to get used to having someone do stuff for me, like making my food or doing my laundry.
I mumble a thank you as I tuck into my breakfast. It’s delicious as usual and I finish quickly, setting my dirty dishes in the sink before I grab my bag and head out the door. It takes me less than ten minutes to make it to school and I wander around for a few minutes before I find the main office. I introduce myself and wait to get my class schedule and a map of the school. They give me the books I need for my classes, my locker number, and code and then point me in the right direction. I find my locker and shove the books I need for my first few classes into my book bag and the rest into my locker. Then, I pull the map out as I try to navigate through the students to my first class. I get turned around but don’t realize that I’m in the wrong hallway until after I hear the first bell ring. With a sigh, I turn and make my way back through the halls until I find the right room.
I pause outside the door. I just need a minute before I have to start this song and dance of introducing myself to class after class. So far, I’ve only gotten a few weird looks from other kids in the halls. I think that the uniform must be helping me blend in.
I brace myself as I turn the handle and walk into the classroom. I refuse to look at the class as I make my way to the teacher’s desk and introduce myself to her. Then the moment I’m dreading happens and we turn so that she can introduce me to the class.
“Boys and girls, please meet our newest student, Auden Glaser.”
I smile timidly as the kids all look up from their phones. They give me bored looks and a few mumble hellos before going back to talking amongst themselves.
“Go ahead and take a seat, Auden.” The teacher says to me as she points me to the only open seat left.
It’s in the back of the room and I make my way between the desks and drop down into the chair. I try to avoid making eye contact with my classmates but I can feel eyes on me. After a couple of minutes, it feels like people have stopped staring at me and I glance up. I look quickly around the room and everyone is staring ahead or talking to their friends. I glance to my left and see bright green eyes staring back at me.
Chapter 2
Ryker
* * *
Grey. That’s the color that would best describe my life. Every day is the same. I wake up at the same time, eat breakfast, and head to school, where I deal with the same kids and the same classes. I live in a small, affluent town where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever happens. It’s stifling and I can’t wait until I graduate and leave for college. Only four months left before I leave and never look back.
There’s nothing here for me in this town. My parents travel all of the time so I spend most of my time alone in our big house. It’s probably most kids' dream to have a nice house all to themselves and to be able to do anything they want with no adult supervision, but to be honest, it’s pretty lonely.
My great-great-great-grandparents were oil barons so my family is one of the richest and oldest families in our small town. People treat me and my family like royalty, probably because most of them work for us, which means that you can never tell who really likes you and who is just kissing your ass. I’m an ass to most people, so in my case, I’m sure that they’re just kissing my ass. Maybe if there was anyone interesting, but there’s no one in this town that’s caught my attention or been worth my time.
I roll out of bed and pull on my school uniform. Blue pressed pants, a white button-down shirt with a blazer and striped tie. Blue and green, our school colors. Go Highlanders, I think to myself as I tie the tie loosely around my neck.
I make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen where I find our cook has already made my breakfast. I sit down silently at the counter and start to shovel food into my mouth. I finish breakfast and leave my dishes for the cook to clean up before I swipe my keys off of the hook by the door and head out into the garage.
I peel out of the garage and down our long driveway. The school is only about a five-minute drive and I park in my assigned spot up front as the bell goes off. It doesn’t matter. No teacher here will mark me as tardy or write me up for being a couple of minutes late.
I make my way to my locker and grab my books for my first class before I head down the hallway to my homeroom class. I pass a couple of cheerleaders who are headed in the same direction as me. They try to make small talk as we walk down the hall but I ignore them as they titter around me. This happens all of the time to me and it’s easy to tune them out now. With money like my family has, and my looks, girls tend to flock to me.