CHAPTER 1: 12 HOURS EARLIER

Franklin stared out the car window, watching all the suburban houses pass him by, each one looking even more bland than the last. He let off a deep sigh.

"Oh come on," his mother said next to him. "I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"It's high school, mom," he replied. "It's always that bad."

"Don't go walking in with that kind of attitude. If you believe you're going to have a bad day, then you will have a bad day."

"Oh, so you want me to just go on believing I'm going to have a good day and that'll just make it true?" he asked. "Ok. Maybe I'll just take a little stroll across the highway with that belief. See what happens."

"Don't get sassy with me boy," she snapped, but he could tell she was trying to hide a smile as well. "You get that from your fathe…" she trailed off, the unspoken word hanging in the air. The good mood that had started rising in the car quickly evaporated as Franklin turned to look out the window again.

"Look, I know it's hard," his mother said to him. "Trust me I do. But…this is the hand we were dealt, baby. And we just got to make the best of it right now."

"I know mom," he replied. "I know." But even as he said it, he didn't really feel it. He watched another duplicate house pass by and felt the anger rise inside of him. He hated this stupid neighborhood that he was forced to drive through on his way to school. He hated that he had to go to a new school. He hated that they had to move in the first place. He hated…

He just hated a lot right now. And he didn't know what to do with it.

His father used to tell him "that anger will eat you up inside. You've got to learn to handle it or else it'll consume you and everything around you."

"Here we are." He blinked and looked up as they pulled into a parking lot alongside several other cars, a bunch of kids around his age heading for the large, square-looking building that he assumed was the school.

"Welcome to Hell," he said dryly.

"Hey now," his mom shot him a look. "What did I say about attitude?"

"I know mom, I know," he muttered as they made their way down the line of cars. He knew she wanted him to be more positive about things in general, but right now, all he could see was the negatives. Ever since…

Nope. He wasn't going there. He grabbed his backpack, getting ready to leave, when his mom stopped him.

"Look," she said softly. "I know that you don't want to, but please try and make friends, ok?"

"Mom, I make plenty of friends," he told her. "It's keeping them that's the problem."

"Yes, well, try and find some actually decent friends this time," she said.

A car playing loud music passed, heading for the parking lot. Instead of looking around for an open spot, it went right for the handicapped parking by the entrance of the school and came to a stop. Three white guys stepped out, laughing with each other as they closed the doors behind them and walked into the school.

Franklin raised an eyebrow. "You want me to be friends with them?"

"Boy, you and your sarcastic mouth," his mother shook her head but still grinned and Franklin couldn't help but grin as well. It wasn't often that they got to smile these days, after the…incident. And just like that, he could feel his mood plummeting so before his mother could sense it, he quickly opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Now remember," his mother said though the window. "Go to the front office and give your name. They'll send some student liaison to help guide you through your classes. And be nice."

"I'm always nice," Franklin argued.

She gave him a look.

"I can be nice if I want to be," he glared back at her now.

"Sure you can, baby. And you're sure about the shift tonight?" she checked for what had to be the millionth time. "Because I can always ask th-"

"No, we're good mom," he told her. "I'll do it. We need the money. And you always say we should bond more anyway."

"Hmmm," she pursed her lips in a such a way that Franklin knew she wanted to keep arguing but didn't know how to. "Alright. Then pick up your sister on your way."

"Yeah, I know."

"And try to have a good day, ok?"

"You do realize that me trying will have no effect on whether or not I have a good day."

She gave him another look.

"Fine, I promise I will try to have a good day even if I get struck by lightning."

His mom just rolled her eyes again. "That mouth. I love you."

"Love you too, mom," he replied and then started walking away towards the school building. He sighed again as he took it in. Looked exactly as he had imagined it. Plain and ordinary. He could just make out the words WILLIAM EVERGREEN HIGH SCHOOL. The number-one high school in the city of Terrinburg, Pennsylvania as the website had said. All Franklin could wonder was what made them number one? And who had made that decision?

As he entered the school, he could already make out the social circles. Goth kids clustered in a corner. Cheerleaders practicing some routine. The jocks in their team blazers laughing together. He then saw one of them notice him. Usually when a white kid like him looked at Franklin, it was to size up the big Black kid. This wasn't that look. This kind of look was one of interest. Franklin already knew that by the end of the day at the latest they would be asking him to try out for the team. And, because he definitely needed that scholarship even though he didn't particularly like football, he would accept. And he would try out. And he already knew he would get in because he was exceptional at football.

It wasn't his fault he was this size. His dad had been large himself and apparently it was genetic. He'd developed the muscles over the years from workouts and training. His dad had gone through a fat-phase in school and undergone much bullying until he got fit. He hadn't wanted Franklin to go through the same so had him train. Franklin hadn't minded. His dad had been busy a lot so it gave them time to connect. But now, he was in top physical condition at his size which made him a prime candidate for sports teams. That was all anyone really cared about. His prowess on the field, not him.

Franklin sighed and moved on. He highly doubted any of these people would become his friends. For one thing, he could already tell they'd fallen into their own groups. Every single person in the school was at least partnered with one other person as far as he could tell. Three girls dressed fashionably gossiping with each other, two kids discussing history notes, four people laughing at some joke one of them made. Everybody had somebody here, it seemed.

Except one. That's why Franklin noticed him. He was wandering the halls alone. Everyone else had paired off with someone the minute they arrived, but he hadn't. He was wearing a navy hoodie with a shirt depicting Doctor Strange, square glasses perched on his face. He had dark brown hair that he kept ruffling every couple of minutes, as if he wanted to make it as messy as possible. He kept tapping his fingers and bobbing his head, obviously listening to music judging from the earphones.

Franklin watched him for a few more seconds before he realized he should probably be looking for the main office by now. He turned and oriented himself, spotting a clear-glass door that led to a large desk. And as he got closer, he saw the words MAIN OFFICE emblazoned next to the door.

He pushed the door open and the receptionist instantly looked up. "Hi," she said, plastering a smile across her face. "How can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah hi," he said. "I'm Franklin Carson." She gave him a blank look. "The new kid."

Her expression cleared. "Oh, right," she nodded. "Here, let me pull up your file." She turned to her computer and began clicking on the keyboard. A few minutes later, she printed out a piece of paper and handed it to him. "That is your schedule. And here is your student card." She handed him a small rectangle with his picture on it. He grimaced a little as he looked at himself. His mother had clearly uploaded his passport photo, the one where it looked like he was sneezing. Great. Just great.

"That'll get you student lunches as well as access to the library and other facilities," the receptionist explained. "But your student liaison should be able to- oh, and here she is now. On time as always, Gabriela."

"I aim to please." Franklin turned at the voice and saw a Latinx girl about a head shorter than him standing a few feet away. Her hair seemed to have been combed to absolute smoothness and she was standing straighter than anyone he'd ever met before. She held out her hand grabbed hold of his when he did the same. "Gabriela Fuentes," she said, introducing herself. "I'll be your student liaison for the day, so you can ask me anything you want."

"How many different species of fish live in the lake?" Franklin instantly asked.

Gabriela blinked. "Uh…what?"

"You said I could ask you anything," Franklin told her.

Gabriela stared at him for a few seconds before she smiled and rolled her eyes. "I meant about the school," she replied.

"Oh, ok. When was the school founded?"

"1889."

"How many students are here?"

"Around 850."

"And how many teachers?"

"I'd say about 43."

"How many entrances and exits?"

"Three main entrances and exits and seven side ones."

"Does this school have a pool."

"It does not."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, you'd have to ask the principal or superintendent that."

Franklin let out a small smile. She had answered every question instantly without hesitation. "Alright, Gabriela Fuentes. I think you'll do."

"Why thank you," she replied, giving him a wide smile. "Have you done that before? Asked random questions to trip people up?"

"Several times," he nodded. "They usually never make it past the first question."

"Well, good for me. Now, shall we proceed with the tour?"

"Sure," he held out his hand to the door. "Lead the way."