Chapter 2

                Kris suddenly found himself engulfed in a hug. A happy squee rang throughout the room threatening to make him go deaf. When he was released he dragged in a deep breath and looked up at who had been so nice to choke him.
                A blond girl, not much taller then him and seemingly younger, stood there smiling at him. She was dressed in ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with a name tag pinned on that read Kat, web design and computer graphic teacher. He raised an eye brow and took her now outstretched hand in a handshake.  “Welcome to web design 1! I'm your teacher, Ms. Kat. You can just call me Kat if you like, or teacher, you person over there, sensei, what ever floats your boat,” She turned to the class that now stared at the two of them. She opened her arms wide as if introducing him on to a stage. “Class, this is the new student I told you was coming today. Kristafer, right?” Kris nodded and gave the class wave as small echoes of “Hi, Kris,” rang out. At least people here seemed to be able to pronounce his name, despite the odd spelling. A small smile formed on his face. Maybe this won't be so bad.
                “He looks gay,” a voice rang out from the back of the class, soon followed by snickers. He sighed, his smile fading. Or not. Ms. Kat's head snapped to the side and she glared at a boy in the back. She quickly grabbed a dry erase marker on the board next to her and chucked it at the boy, hitting him directly on his forehead and causing him to fall from his chair moaning. The rest of the class turned back to their computers and kept their heads down. Kris just stared, first at the boy then at the smirking teacher.
                 He was about to ask what just happened when she started pushing him towards one of the computers. The entire room consisted of three long tables with five computers on each, and a desk in the corner that Kris guessed was the teachers. She sat him at the computer closest to her. People around him would lean slightly away and whispers started through out the room. He sulked in his seat, memories from other years coming back to him. He knew this would happen, and yet he still dealt with it. He groaned softly and rubbed his face. “Don't pay any attention to them. They're all failing anyway,” Ms. Kat said smiling at Kris as he looked up. Some kids chuckled, others started franticly typing, but the whispering stopped. She sat down in her chair behind the desk and placed her feet up on it.
                “Um...” Kris started. “Ms. Kat, I don't know anything about web design what so ever. I didn't even sign up for this-” He was cut off as Ms. Kat held up a finger.
                “This class is a required course to graduate here, and I'm sorry but I can't let you leave it,” He sighed and placed his bag on the floor next to him. “That book there next to you,” Ms. Kat pointed. “Just flip it open to chapter 1 and begin on that. Everything you need is on your computer and if you need help you can ask me or Haley next to you,” Kris looked over at Haley and had to force himself to keep from sneering. Haley on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at sneering and looked away from him with a proud “Hmfp!”, her brown ponytail smacking her face. She seemed to have walked straight out of a Hollister magazine, and Kris had learned to avoid these people a long time ago. “Yeah, maybe you should just ask me,” He jumped at the sound of the whisper in his ear and turned his head. His nose almost touched the teachers. “I wouldn't want to ask her either,” She laughed at sat back in her chair taking out a manga and flipping through it to her bookmark.
                Kris took in a deep breath then let it slowly out. He looked at his computer and logged in using the user name and password on his schedule. Then he opened the book and began making his first basic web page, not caring to glance into the corner of the room. Not to the boy who was picking himself off the ground, but to the one behind him, who was watching him with curiosity in his eyes.

                                                                ~☼~
                “Bye everyone! See you tomorrow!” Ms. Kat waved to all the students leaving an hour later. A few waved back, some called out bye. Kris stood and asked directions to his next class, English. “Hey, Trevor and Mike,” The said blond and brunette looked over as they were about to leave. “You've got English next right?”
                “Yah,” Mike answered. “Why? Need us to take something to Mom?”
                Ms. Kat pushed Kris towards the two boys. “Yah, this. Don't worry, Kris. You're safe with my nephews,” She smiled and went back to her book.
                “Hey, I'm Mike and this is my brother Trevor,” the brunette said. Trevor nodded and smiled.
                “Hey,” Kris said weekly, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. He followed to two boys out of the classroom and down the hall.
                They pushed past crowds of kids, almost all of them looking at Kris and either smirking or smiling. A couple groups of girls they passed smiled and waved at him while giggling. “So...” Kris said once they had made it past most of the throngs of people. He hated awkward silences. “You're her nephews?” He gestured back the way they had came. Trevor nodded, rubbing his short spiked hair.
                “Well, not yet technically. Our uncle proposed but they haven't had their wedding yet,”
                “Oh, ok. Is she always...I don't know...random like that?” Mike and Trevor exchanged glances then burst out laughing, stopping to lean against the wall. Kris felt like he had missed something big and it really wasn't helping his mood. They started walking again, once Mike and Trevor could breath. They reached the door and Trevor entered first. Mike turned to Kris.
                “Dude, you don't know the half of it yet,” He held to door open for him then took his seat by Trevor. This classroom Kris could relate with. Four rows of small desks and one big desk upfront with a white board behind it had him living in elementary school again. He took a seat next to Mike in the front row.
                As more kids slowly trickled in Kris hoped he would not get the same reaction that he did in first block. He watched them come in, a few he recognized from his first class, and a couple of them waved. As some kids passed the teacher's desk they left a cup of coffee with no emotion, like it was something they did everyday. After another five minutes the door slammed open. Everyone who was talking immediately stopped and faced forward. A very tired girl slugged her way through the door and sat at the teachers desk. Her long brown hair covered her face while purple bangs covered her right eye. Kris jumped when her head suddenly hit her desk. She reached a hand up and grabbed for one of the coffees. Successful, she sat up and drank half of it at once. Her attire consisted of black boots, jeans, a MSI t-shirt and an assortment of menacing bracelets and heavy looking rings that clacked when she set her hand down. “And that,” Mike lent over to whisper to Kris. “Is our mom.”
                The teacher looked over at Kris through her uncovered eye. He could see caffeine racing through it and guessed she wasn't a morning person with out her coffee. She pointed at him with a sharp purple nail. “You thar!” Kris gulped and pointed to himself. The teacher nodded. “You are...” She looked down at a piece of paper on her desk. “Kris-ta-fer, yes?” Kris nodded, again glad someone could say his name even if they had to sound it out. “Well, stand up! Tell us something interesting about you! Everyone say hi to Kristafer!” Kris could feel his face heat up as he stood and turned towards the class. A couple people had said hi, including Mike and Trevor who were beaming at him. It made him a little bit better knowing that he probably had two friends already.
                “Um... well, my name is Kris and my parents are archaeologists,” The words rushed from his mouth and he turned at sat back down. The teacher clapped.
                “Very good! At least we got to hear you. Everyone else in here just kinda mumbled. Oh, you can call me Ghost by the way. Not Ms. Ghost, just Ghost. Got it?” Kris nodded and puzzled over the strange name. He lent towards Mike.
                “Is that her real name?” Mike nodded.
                “As far as I know it is,”
                “Alright everyone, as it is the first day of school I have a little questionnaire for you all to fill out and share so you get to know each other,” Groans filled the room. “Or, you can all write a five page essay over what you did this summer,” The class erupted in cheers for the questionnaire. “That's what I thought,” and she began passing them out.