“my friends call me...”
Roberto, are you okay?” Mr. Morita asks presenting his concerned expression. “Yes sir, it was just a nightmare I had.”
“You startled us both, me more than him if anything.” Miranda tells him while she holds him in her arms.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you both.” Roberto apologizes in a mellow tone. “You know how this goes mom.”
“Was it about it D.C. again?” Miranda asks him. “Bobby, was it D.C.?”
“Yes.” Roberto answers her question.
“What happened at D.C.?” Principal Morita asks Miranda.
“When HYDRA attacked Washington, D.C. Roberto almost died at the event. Fortunately, Captain America saved him when he was about to be crushed by one of the triskelions.” Miranda briefly explains.
She’s known about these nightmares, or moments of possible PTSD. She became his foster parent after the disaster in Washington D.C.. Ever since, she’s always been very protective about him all around. Concerned about him physically, mentally, and emotionally without trying to be overbearing.
“Well, I gotta go to work right now. Ok, I love you. You’re going to do great. Mr. Morita will be here. Make sure to take great notes. Make friends. Participate in class. Eat your lunch. Make sure yo--.”
“Mom, I’ll be fine. Look I love you and you’re the best. I appreciate the concern. Go to work, Mr. Morita will be here. I love you.” Roberto calms her and gives her a kiss on her cheek.
“Love you Bobby and Thank You Mr. Morita. Bye everyone.”
Mr. Morita hands Roberto his schedule for the rest of the year with a small smile in this face. Roberto looked through his schedule appealed by the classes he’s taking. Especially in a school like this one. Out of all people that could’ve been admitted to this STEM school, he thought that he would be the last person to become a student. It’s not that wasn’t intelligent, he would constantly be awarded for achievement for his studies including Honor Roll. Just his behavior prior to moving wasn’t as sweet and tangible as people would see him now.
“Thank you Mr. Morita for everything so far.” Roberto told the Principal.
“What can I say, it’s my job. I love doing this, it allows me to help people. Just like my grandpa did back when he help defeat the Red Skull.” The principal explained with a smile on his face.
“Must be nice.”
“It certainly is Roberto. By the way I want to know, if you’re okay if one of our students can give you a tour around campus?”
“Yes, that would be nice.” Roberto answers his question.
“Ok, hold on for a moment.” Mr. Morita told him, picking up his office phone to make a call. The sound of the phone dialing was heard loud across from Mr. Morita.
“Hello, Mrs. Sheeran? Yes, I was wondering if you can send one of your students to give our new transfer a tour?”
Roberto couldn’t hear Mrs. Sheeran’s voice over the phone clearly, only muffled sounds came through. Morita put a smile on his face during the conversation. Roberto thought only of the best.
“Ok, I’ll see her here. Ok… see you during lunch.” Mr. Morita puts down the phone after finishing his conversation crossing his arms together with a slight smile.
After waiting ten minutes, someone pushes the door open with the bell on the top ringing. Roberto looks up from his book and sees a girl. A girl seems to be around his age. She has curly hair put into a ponytail, wearing black jeans and boots, with a grey long sleeve, and her lightskin self fake smiling. Roberto views her as an attractive girl who looks like she can be a smartass, but a smartass that you could be friends without presenting too much of an attachment.
“Michelle Jones, how are you?” Morita gets up from his chair to shake hands with her.
“Great.” Michelle replies. “I’m here for the student tour, Mrs. Sheeran forced me to go.”
“Ah yes, Michelle meet Roberto Cruz, Roberto meet Michelle Jones.” Principal Morita waves his hand to Roberto come to forward to them.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Jones.” Roberto greets himself while shaking each other’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, Roberto. You can call me Michelle.”
“Sounds good.”
“Well then, Ms. Jones and Mr. Cruz. You can start the tour.” Morita intervenes after a short awkward silence came after greeting each other.
Both Michelle and Roberto make their way from the office and into the hallway. Upon the first few minutes of the tour, it seemed very boring, typical, and kind of awkward between the both of them. Just seeing one door to one locker to the next after. Although, Michelle decided to break the ice.
“Ok, this tour is becoming boring as shit.” Michelle admits rearranging her sleeves.
“What do you think we should do?” Roberto asks her face to face.
“Um…” She hums turning to places to at least do something fun. “How about we play some football for a bit?”
“Are we allowed to play or go to the football field?” Roberto asks with an eyebrow going up. “I don’t know it’s worth a shot.”
“Alright, I’m game.” Roberto agrees.
Fifthteen minutes later, they are both running through the hallway together. Laughing quietly trying not to get in trouble. They played football for a good amount of time, but one of the security guards caught them. So, they decide to make a run for it and the security guard fell and land in a pile of mud.
“That was worth it.” Roberto tries to catch his breath.
“Holy shit, I didn’t think I have fun with it.” Michelle confesses.
“I’m surprised that you even know how to play football.” Roberto also confesses to her. “Why is that?”
“Because of this behemoth you’re holding.” Roberto points out the enormous book she’s holding on her right arm. “Of Human Bondage. Great Book.”
For a second, once again good ‘ol Roberto gets distracted. He gets distracted by Michelle, just looking at her. Distracted by her hair, so curly and brown, her smile, her eyes, her subtle confidence, he could go on about her. However,...
“Earth to Bobby, you read this?” Michelle snaps her fingers close to wake him up. “Oh yeah.”
“I thought I lost you there. How does this story end?” She folds her arms with a look on her face. “Phillip becomes engaged with sally and lives the simple life, from what I remember.”
“You’re 99.99% close.”
“What did I miss?”
“He stops looking for happiness and becomes grateful because…” Michelle replies to his question.
"the simplest pattern, that in which a man was born, worked, married, had children, and died, was likewise the most perfect." Michelle and Roberto simultaneously said at the same time.
“Woah, that’s freaky.” Roberto points out. “That’s fucking weird.” Michelle agrees.
Another awkward silence commences through the both of them standing there. Great, is this going to be? Just long awkward silence followed by mean comment or something along those lines, He thought to himself. Once again , she breaks the silence.
“Oh shit, Can I see your schedule?” Michelle asks him. “Oh yeah, don’t worry about it.” Roberto responds pulling out his schedule from his backpack.
He hands it to her and she looks through with a smile on her face “Well, guess what?” Michelle asks him.
“We have classes together?” Roberto guesses from the smile.
“Yup.”
“Awesome, which classes do we have?” He asks Michelle.
“Chemistry, GYM, Lunch it isn’t a class but I’m not gonna complain, and Government.” Michelle reads through his schedule.
“Perfect.” Roberto responds back. Michelle gives him his schedule back and looks through his schedule. “So where’s Geometry?”
“I’ll show you, come on.” Michelle insists.
Once again, lover boy gets distracted from Michelle and her personality, smile, etc. His eyes open wide and look like as if it’s in a trance. Suddenly, he snaps out of it from Michelle shaking him with her hands on his shoulders.
“Earth to Bobby. Can you hear me?” Michelle asks him in an annoyed tone.
“Oh yeah, sorry. I get distracted easily.” Roberto apologizes to her.
“Good luck at this school then.”
“Gee thanks, Michelle.” Roberto said sarcastically and annoyingly.
“Just trying to be a friend and friends are honest to each other, right?” Michelle honestly asks him.
“Don’t play that coy with me Michelle Jones.” Roberto smiles at her while demanding her.
“Oh my god, I’m so scared by Roberto Cruz.” Michelle sarcastically says putting her hand on her forehead out trying to look like a damsel in distress.
They walk to his geometry class standing in the front of the door. They both hear the teacher lecturing the class about angles and all that jazz.
“Ok I guess this is it.” Roberto proclaims shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Yeah, I got an idea.” Michelle says.
“Spill it, you seem to be great about them.” He compliments her.
“Oh, the scary and ferocious Bobby-pin is being nice.” Michelle sarcastically says while clapping her hands slightly looking like a proud friend.
“Come on, I’m the nicest person ever.” Roberto explains, it seems throughout the time he’s spent with her it’s been smiles.
“I’ll meet you here after this class and we’ll together to our classes together from there.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you soon then.”
“See ya bobby-pin.” Michelle smirks while she turns away and walks back to her class.
“I don’t appreciate that nickname Michelle.” Roberto slightly shouts from his spot.
Michelle flips him off for a second. “What a day so far.” He whispers to himself smiling again.
After the school day was over, he gets picked up by Miranda. Driving back to their new apartment, Miranda sees him putting his head on the window smiling.
“Did you make any friends over there on your first day?” Miranda asks him turning to face him a second.
“Only one.” Roberto briefly mentions.