Chapter 2: Who is ?

Nerves twisted and twirled like a rollercoaster in Billy's stomach as he confronted the imposing school gates. The first day of school was always a heady mix of excitement and dread, but this time, there was an extra helping of unease in the pit of Billy's gut.

"I can already feel the jitters, but I got a hunch this year's gonna be different," he muttered to himself, mustering some courage before taking the plunge.

Billy Carter, that was his moniker. A name that had always seemed a little off-kilter, and he couldn't figure out why his folks had stuck him with it. They claimed it had some sort of grandma connection, but that was as clear as mud to him.

As he marched through the school gates, Billy couldn't help but ponder the stereotypes that clung to him like wet clothes on a rainy day. "Folks usually think I'm brainy 'cause I keep it low-key," he pondered aloud. "But that's a load of bull." The truth was, he sported grades that'd make a sloth look fast, and once upon a time, he had come close to repeating a grade. The memory of that close call still stung like a bee's buzz.

"Maybe that's why Moms doesn't lean on me anymore," Billy ruminated, his heart weighed down by his mother's fading faith in him. He'd noticed the distance growing, like she'd given up the ghost. "Sometimes I reckon Moms might be ashamed of me."

Summer break had been no picnic for Billy. He'd packed on a few extra pounds, and they weren't budging. The move to Kentucky, to shack up with Granny, had been the fallout of his mom losing her gig. The real reason for her sudden career nosedive remained a puzzle to Billy, but it had landed them in this brand-new chapter of their lives.

Billy had some time for self-reflection. "Beside all these curveballs life's pitched at me, I'm just your regular Joe, like most folks," he confessed to himself. "But there's a twist—I've never locked lips with a girl." He snickered at the absurdity, realizing he was miles away from the typical teenage rite of passage. "I'm working on it, though," he pressed on. "I once watched this video, 'Master the Art of Smooching,' and it said, 'Practice on the back of your hand and take it slow.'" Billy couldn't help but chuckle at the goofiness of it all. "Been practicing that for years now. But how am I gonna even talk to a girl when I'm this bashful?"

Amid the jitters and self-doubt that swirled in Billy's head, a little glimmer of hope twinkled. "Oh, almost forgot the good stuff," he whispered, a grin peeking through. "Even with all the curveballs life's thrown at me, something pretty darn good came my way." He recalled his buddy, Ben—a real hoot and whip-smart too, who'd become like family. They'd crossed paths during Billy's stint in lunch detention, a time when he thought things couldn't get any worse.

"I can still recall the detention for bein' late, like, five times in a row," Billy reminisced. "To this day, I figure Ben might just be the best thing that's happened to me since I set foot in Granny's Kentucky abode." With a newfound glimmer of optimism, Billy strode on through the uncharted terrain of the school year, feeling a little more fearless with Ben at his side, ready to tackle whatever challenges lay ahead.