Fears

03

Ryan turned his eyes away from the blending view of the city and instead took out his phone. Then, without warning, the car bounced, making everything shake.

He looked up at his driver, who said, "I—I'm sorry. I didn't. . ."

"It's fine," Ryan replied, bored. "Just. . .be careful next time."

The driver nodded and looked back at the road.

Ryan sighed. Why can't his parents be a bit easier on their employees? These poor guys wanted a life and his parents took them under their wing in hopes to have a better chance to live. The least his mother and father can do was to be laxer with them.

He wanted to apologize on their behalf, but a part of him decided against it. They weren't just strict on their workers, but on him as well.

Last summer was a terrible one. Instead of having a vacation as he wanted, they decided to teach him the reins of their business. It was a horrible experience.

They both run a real estate company for the higher class. Like similar firms, they buy, sell, and manage property but their company was on a higher scale. He remembered all the places he saw throughout summer: a mansion in the middle of the woods, a seaside place, and heck, even an entire island.

He shuddered. He secretly hated it.

Now that summer was over, he could finally go to school, where he could get away from his parents for about ten months.

Except that he wasn't going to where Shaun is now.

Last year, his parents made a tough call and transferred him to a better school. Ryan didn't get a say in it and that only sealed his hatred for them.

As he stared at his phone, he realized that he had yet to tell Shaun about it.

Ryan unlocked the phone and tried to call him, but there was no answer. It didn't even reach a voicemail. Instead, he opened their chat and began typing a long message.

He barely finished, however, when the car stopped.

"We're here," the driver announced.

He sighed at his text and locked the phone. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over one shoulder. He didn't say another word as he opened the now-unlocked car door.

Ryan closed it behind him and turned to the school building.

The first thing he saw was the several flights of stairs just to get to the top. They had railings every few paces or so. People walked up, spreading out as if there were only a few people. The main building was at the very top, providing shade in the heat.

He gripped his bag tightly. This was going to be his first day in another school. Not that he felt scared. He and his family switched schools every time.

But this was going to be his first year going back to normal, especially after. . .

The bell rang, interrupting his thoughts. Ryan began walking on the steps, leading up to his new school.

•

The main hallway was smaller on the inside. There, the students were almost touching shoulder-to-shoulder. The sounds of conversation blended in with each other.

Ryan walked past the people. The ceilings were short: one jump and he could touch them. Other than that, it looked like your ordinary high school, lockers and all.

He looked around, seeing various people talking in groups of two or more. His stomach twisted into a knot, but it only felt numb to him. He was alone again.