64CRY Chapter 1-A Confidence Booster~
"Well…Goodbye mother!" called a cheery 15 year old girl out the window, she sited herself down in the compartment, alone, of the train she would be riding to her boarding school. Megan seems cheery at least to the world, but she was really quite nervous. For she was off to her fifth year at Yabou & Ryuu High, to most of her other classmates this wasn't a big thing since they been doing this for four turning five years. However, Megan didn't exactly fit in, as one might say. She was a loner and she was fine with it, despite of her mother nagging for her to make friends when she found out.
Besides it helps me concentrate on my schoolwork more, thought Megan absent-mindedly noticing the moving scenery from the window.
The reason why Megan had to take the train is because her family and she lived in a little town out of Plymouth and her school was about two hundred miles away. Why not get an education somewhere closer to home? Because Megan's mum always had to give Megan the best and Yabou & Ryuu High was a good school.
The young girl turned her head away from the outside view to watch people walk by looking for empty compartments. Suddenly, to unknown reasons her blue-green eyes widen as a boy walked by the small window on her door. To Megan's knowledge she has never seen him before. The boy looked about her age with ocher hair parted to one side with bits that hid his golden- tan orbs. Megan started to blush, once again for unknown reasons, when the boy turned and smiled at her.
She went back to looking outside, when the compartment door slide open and a voice of an immature male was heard. "Um...I was wondering since this is the only close to empty room I seen so far, and to me it seems like you not really waiting for someone. Could I sit here?"
"Sure", Megan responded with a hint of annoyance, not turning away her face to see who joined her.
"Thanks" said the boy and sat down on the bench opposite of Megan with his trunk by his side.
"So…what's your name? Mine's Marvolo-Jack Elridge."
"Mm...that's unique, but I'm willing to except it. Anyway I'm Megan Annette Jones. Mucho gusto", replied Megan now facing the mystery boy from a few seconds ago, smiling. At first Marvolo looked confused, but returned the smile.
"Where are you heading off to?", asked Marvolo.
"Yabou & Ryuu High."
"Me too! Tell me about Ya-bo-u Ry-", Marvolo slurred then was cut off.
"Yabou & Ryuu High", corrected Megan.
"Yeah, by the way I just transferred here from America."
With the earlier request Megan told him everything she knew about their school, like how it was shaped like a giant cube with small towers at each corner by a lake and about the zero-tolerance teachers. Fortunately, for Megan's voice, Marvolo said something about himself every once in a while. Like how he used to go to a public school and he unsure about a live- in school, but Megan reassured him.
"It's okay I'm sure you'll have a great time here and if you're ever homesick or something I'm sure you'll have plenty of friends to help you smile again." Megan had by now moved herself to sit next to Marvolo.
"You think?", said Marvolo looking to the ceiling as if deep in thought.
"Yes, of course! You seem to be a nice enough boy, everyone will love you."
"Oh, and will you be the first to give in to my gentlemen-ness", Marvolo held his head up proudly with a hand over his chest.
Megan elbowed him, "And what do you mean by that?", she asked, amused. Marvolo looked down at her, his eyes intense, "Will you be the first one to love me?" Megan was taken back with a little red on her cheeks.
"What! Of course not! Who could ever like you and your stupid cockiness", Megan remarked, modestly.
"Okay, but how do you know everyone will like me? Is it like that for you, but you just like to ride the train alone?"
Megan's smile was wiped from her face and she looked at her lap. She couldn't tell Marvolo about how for the past four years since coming to the school, she been "playfully" teased, taunted about having no friends, because everyone hated her and eventually beaten every once and while by the "popular" kids. Every year she longed for June, not because it meant no more homework, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks. No, because it meant her tormentors would stop beating her so when she left for home her family wouldn't see any trace of abuse. True, the "cool" kids still would taunt her, but she could deal with that. So, instead of upsetting Marvolo for no reason, she just said, "Yes, kind of."
Hours past and the two reluctantly had to say their good-byes because after the train they had to go on buses that took them to the school grounds.
Megan and Marvolo stepped out of their compartment, Megan in front, both dragging their own trunks. Since their compartment was at the almost back of the train, they were a long ways from the next exit and Megan was getting tired. She had taken another deep breath when she felt her trunk get lighter, Megan looked behind her to see that Marvolo had picked up the back handle of her trunk. She looked amazed at him, but he just smiled back.
"Sorry, just making it easier for you", he said. Megan blushed and smiled, "Thanks, but what about you, isn't dragging one behind you and carry another trunk in front of you a little complicated?"
"Not at all", he said, confidently, but Megan saw him stumble a bit when they started to walk again.
Megan overcome by the mischievous side of her decided to give her trunk a little tug, causing Marvolo to first jerk forward, then, while he tried to balance, fall backwards bringing Megan down with him. They both hit are heads against their own trunks behind them and half of Marvolo's legs got crushed under Megan's trunk.
Megan first rubbed her head, when she heard someone say 'ouch' behind her, she snapped her body around to see Marvolo. "Marvolo! Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I-", she gasped, "Marvolo, you legs! Are they okay?" Megan pushed her trunk to the side off Marvolo's legs. Marvolo rubbed his hurt limbs and then stood up, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine", Marvolo said smiling. "I might get a bruise, but it well be okay", continued Marvolo, trying to reassure Megan that he was fine, but she wasn't convinced. Great, I lost another could-be friend., she thought sadly, scrawled on the floor, looking at Marvolo.
Megan was pulled out of her daze by someone next to her.
"Hey! Watch it, bitch!" Megan looked over and up at a tall and bluff boy she's seen at school before standing in the doorway of what seemed to be his compartment.
"Oh, I'm so sorry", Megan murmured and quickly got out of his way. However, her apologize went unheard.
"Hey, asshole! What did Megan do to you! You come have waited! She was moving!", yelled Marvolo.
"What was that? Are you trying to insult me?", said the boy, glaring at Marvolo.
"I think I just did", Marvolo said back.
"Keh, whatever" and the boy started to drag his trunk away with him, but before he left he pushed Megan. If Marvolo hadn't caught her she would have fall in the very small space between her trunk and the wall.
"Megan, are you okay?", asked Marvolo pushing her up straight.
"Yes, I fine, that guy just a big prat", said Megan in what she wanted to be a calm voice, but some of her anger slip out.
"I don't know what 'prat' means, but he sure is an ASSHOLE!", most of the statement was to Megan, but at the end he yelled back at the tall boy who was gone already.
By now other passengers had stuck their heads out their compartment doors to see what the commotion was about and a lot of the older ones were now shaking their heads at Marvolo's foul language.
Marvolo looked worriedly at Megan, but she didn't notice since she kept her back to him.
"Come on, let's just get out of here" and Megan picked up her trunk and began to walk. She felt Marvolo pick up the end of her trunk, but this time she was unaffected.
They soon got to the exit and they slowly managed to get down the small set of stairs to the outside. It was dark and murky outside and Megan and Marvolo only got five feet from the station before dropping their trunks. Megan heavily sighed and turned to Marvolo, "Hey, thanks for everything you did for me back there", she said eyes closed and a big grin on her face.
"It was nothing", Marvolo responded, moving his hands as if fanning the words away.
Megan suddenly heard a loud honking sound that scared her, so after getting over the shock, she whipped around to see three buses lined up waiting in the parking lot. She was confused for a second, then she remembered why she was standing there at the entrance of the train station in the first place.
She pulled out a slip she got in the mail a couple weeks ago saying what bus she was assigned to.
"I got Bus C, what about you, Marvolo?", said Megan, looking up from her form.
"You did?", Marvolo looked down at his own slip, and a frown appeared on his face, "Ah…I got Bus A". Megan frowned too, "Well, I guess this is goodbye.", she said looking away and she started to pick up her trunk.
"Wait! I could help you put your trunk on the bus", called Marvolo, stepping forward.
"No, it's okay, I can manage." There was silence.
"So, will I be seeing you?", asked Megan in a sad tone.
"Sure", said Marvolo, smiling, "You can count on it", he waved and walked off to Bus A.
Megan sighed and also walked to her bus dragging her trunk behind her.
***
It's been a couple of weeks since that joyful train ride and since then Marvolo and Megan haven't spoken a word to each other. Marvolo seems to become quite popular, thought Megan who was sitting down near the fire doing her schoolwork as Marvolo walked by talking to his friends. It's kind of weird that he never says 'hi' to me and we are in the same house, well no worries, and with that final thought Megan went back to work. When she finished, she looked up and saw only darkness in the Common Room, Good, not tonight. She stood up and headed to the stairs, but was quickly stopped.
"Hello, Megan."
The next morning Megan woke up, stretched and winced as a put stress on her new right sore shoulder as of last night. She put on her uniform (a black skirt with a light blue sweater-vest and a formal white undershirt) that matched her school colors, and went to her morning classes. Her classes seemed to go by pretty quickly, not that they were interesting; it's just that thinking quickened up time for Megan.
Soon she was in the Dinner Hall eating lunch; she didn't bother to put bag away in her Common Room as most people did, so she brought it with her.
Even if Megan knew what was coming her eyes would still light up at the sight of all the food to eat. She always wondered how people, including her, never got fat with all this good food to eat, but she would all ways push the thought aside and conclude 'it's magic'.
After lunch Megan went to the rest of her uneventful classes.
She was half through her Math work when Megan decided to stretch out, though she didn't mean to stretch her right arm, and take a break. She stood up, walked to the window by the stairs and what she saw out there surprised and upset her. There below her was what seemed to be three boys, one was in the dirt with what seemed to be contents of a school bag scattered and torn around him with a two other boys kicking and laughing over him. Poor soul…I wish I could help…Maybe I could detracted them…Megan turned to head for the door, but as she did she find a couple of preps poking her stuff.
"I like the answers you got here, Megan, they look correct. Mind if I copy them?"
"No! Get away!" She ran over and tried to shoo them, but they just fought back and pushed her onto a chair.
"Now finished it." One of them ordered.
She took her books and finished what little schoolwork she had left, but after a while of waiting the boys got tired and left. Even if they waited she would never let them copying all her work. After locking her book bag away in her trunk she decided to take walk since it was still early.
As she got she noticed that fall was kicking in early that year by the chill in the air. She looked around and saw no one in sight, not that she would have talked with them. She just would have watched them entertain themselves or have tried to listen in on their conversations for latest gossip or their secrets. However, since she was alone Megan dragged her feet restlessly and overwhelmed herself in nature's silence.
She was near the lake when she saw a person standing by a tree. Megan slowly stepped forward and she noticed that it was a familiar boy looking up at the gray sky.
"Mar-", Megan's voice was cut short and turn into a gasp right after Marvolo turned around to revile his tear-stained face.
"Megan...what do you want?" said Marvolo starting out gentle, but getting angry in the end. He turned away.
"Well…I was going ask why you weren't with your frie-what happened to you?"
"It's none of your concern."
"It is too my concern! Now please tell me", argued Megan stepping forward again wanting to touch his shoulder to comfort, but held back.
"It's nothing. I just had a run in with those assholes from Tori's gang", replied Marvolo, quietly. Megan was shock again, so he was the boy on the ground. She pushed aside her shock, walked over and kneeled down to the now sitting Marvolo and gave him her softest smile, placing her hand on his. Gee, her hand is warm, thought Marvolo looking up to her smile and returning it a little bit.
"Well…you going to be okay?" asked Megan.
"Yeah, thanks."
"Thanks? For what?"
"I don't know yet", said Marvolo smiling bigger.
"Well...not including those foolish jerks, what do you think of school so far?" said Megan sitting herself against the tree.
"Well...it's okay, I guess."
"I have noticed that you got a lot of friends?" asked Megan making the statement into a question.
"Yeah, well they suck!" Megan giggled at that.
"What do you mean 'they suck'?"
"I dunno, they just do, it's like I don't really see them as friends or something." Megan continued asking questions until they got in a real conversation about the teachers and other things.
"Well...I suppose we have to go back inside now or we might be expelled for being out too late", said Megan sighing as she looked at the darken sky.
"Yeah, I guess", agreed Marvolo getting up and helping Megan up too. Megan winced and mentally slapped herself for taking Marvolo's hand with her right one.
"Are you okay?" asked Marvolo, who noticed her change in expression.
"Yeah, my bones just clamped up from not moving", said Megan casually.
Marvolo accepted the answer and started to walk back.
"Wait!" Megan called before she took out a piece of cloth from her skirt pocket and ran towards the lake. She gently dipped it in the water and ran back to Marvolo.
"Sorry, but I think you should wash off your face", said Megan handing him the wet cloth.
"Thanks."
When Marvolo finished wiping his face he gave the cloth back to Megan and they walk in silence to the school. As soon as Marvolo and Megan arrived in the Common Room, Marvolo's "friends" grouped around him. Megan just rolled her eyes and went to her dormitory.