Chapter 1

I am Daniel.

Daniel Robinson George. For some reason, I hated the name George and hated to be called it, so everyone calls me Daniel, and my best friends, Danny.

My age? Well, let's just say I was a teenager, tall with a broad shoulder, had enhanced blue eyes and had a scent girls said they loved so much.

I was the kind of guy that could make any girl blush with just a simple smile. To cut the description short, I was handsome, and I sure as hell knew it.

I was in the ninth grade and had one sibling -Judy, my elder sister who was good looking but wasn't as attractive as my Mom Flora, a very generous woman with accentuated high cheekbones and hazel eyes but without a job. I loved them both because I could easily voice out my feelings to then when necessary. But with my Dad, it was a different story. My Dad was a very strict disciplinarian who believed in corporal punishment. To me, he was a pain in the neck. I figured he despised me for some reason, because nothing I ever did pleased him. Left to me, he hated me.

We lived in a small but comfortable bungalow that we moved in half a year ago, with relatives occasionally visiting because of the comfortability and the grand reception they always got when they came. I liked it only because I loved seeing and interacting with different people.

I was to start my new school -Brain Builders College today and as I stepped into the shower, I wondered aloud , how would the school look like? What would my classroom look like? Would I be loved or hated by the teachers? Would I hate any teacher? What do their restrooms smell like? Would I make any new friends? And most importantly, would the girls love me as usual?

I got out of the shower, dried myself and picked my neatly pressed uniform. We never had to wear stupid uniforms in my last school. I hated uniforms. I felt a little nervous as I usually am when starting a new school because I had to switch schools a lot of times during my childhood. My thoughts were cut off by a knock at my door. That should be my mom because my dad never ever knocked before entering.

"Come in." I said, buttoning up my shirt as my mom walked in. "Good morning mom, I hope you slept well." I asked her as she yawned.

"I did." She replied, placing her hand on her waist. "Are you ready for your new school?" She asked me.

"Almost. Just two more minutes and I'm done." I answered, fastening my belt.

"Alright. Just make it quick because your Dad is in the car with Judy, waiting for you."

"Already?" I asked. Why are they already waiting for me? I just got up, dang.

"Yes." She snapped. "And you know how he can be, so make it snappy. You don't wanna be tardy on your first day at school."

"Okay Mom." I sighed, shaking my head a little as she left.

I put on my wristwatch and checked the time -7:20AM. I had to hurry.

I took my shoes, slid them on and hurried to the living room to eat breakfast. I mean, what's a day without breakfast?

★★★

Joining my dad and sister in the range rover outside the house, I greeted my dad who replied with a question -

"What took you so long?" He asked with a sultry glare. He was wearing a black suit with a black neck tie. Had I even seen him in anything else?

"Uhm...it was just...I'm sorry Dad, I -"

"It's okay." He interrupted, sighing a little. "I'm sorry if I've been too hard on you. It's just, I've got a lotta things on my mind lately."

Okay...

"Uh, okay dad." I said, sighting Judy at the back seat, staring down at her phone.

Typical teenage girl, right?

My dad started the car and we drove out of the compound.

As a very busy man that my dad was, I had to ask him whether or not he would be able to bring us back home from school. And before I could ask, he said something to that effect.

"You know guys, I'm always very busy, I don't think I'll have the time to keep taking and bringing you guys back from school."

"We know dad, so what are you suggesting?" Judy asked, looking up from her phone for the first time.

"I was thinking that like you did in your former school, maybe you guys could board the school bus -"

I mistakenly interrupted, forgetting I was talking to my dad.

"But Dad, you know I hate boarding school buses." I cut my dad off, and then came back to realization. I should have shut my mouth.

"Will you shut your fucking mouth up!"

My Dad always swore.

"Oh! So it's because I gave you a choice or because I asked for your fucking opinion? Alright, when we get to your school, I'll talk to the principal and let him know you're interested in boarding the school bus." He said, increasing the speed we were moving at.

"But I..."

"Fuck! Shut that butthole you call mouth else..." He didn't finish it.

"Way to go Danny." Judy whispered from the back. I wished I could tell her to shut up.

Soon we were at the damn school - Brain Builders College. I've never been good at transferring aggression to other people so I wore a happy face entering the school with Judy and my dad.

As we walked into the school with the sun threatening to fry us alive, I noticed the school was huge, and there were different types of flowers planted through the sides of the school -daffodils, tulips, lilies, orchids and even my favourite, chrysanthemums. The school, or should I say, my school was beautiful. I wondered how much the building would have cost the owner as we walked into the administrator's office.

After spending a few minutes with my Dad and sister in the administrator's office, I was finally led to my classroom.

It was beautiful.

The classroom was a large rectangular room, neat, quiet and smelled very nice. After entering with my footsteps breaking the silence, all eyes were on me, including the teacher's.

I didn't know what to do so I just said, "Uhm, h-hello everyone, I'm new here. And uh..." I stopped when I realised no one was saying anything. What was this, a graveyard?

"Sorry, am I in the wrong class?" I asked, confused. Just then the teacher fell to the ground. What was happening? ,I thought as every single soul in the classroom started laughing.

"Ha, he fell for it!" A boy with large glasses exclaimed and they all bursted into another bout of laughter.

That was when I looked closely and realised that the supposed teacher was a dummy.

"Ugh, this is gonna be a long ass day." I muttered, looking for an empty seat. The only one I could find was one way at the back of the classroom.

I never liked front row seats anyway.

Next to the seat was a sweaty, shabby looking guy. I didn't want to sit with him but I just had to since there wasn't any other spare seat.

When I sat, the sweaty guy offered his sweaty palm.

"Hey I'm Shaggy." He said with a big smile.

I should have seen that coming.

"Hi, I'm Daniel." I said, not taking his hand. Heaven knew where his hands had been.

He nodded, retrieving his hand in embarrassment. "Y'know, the dummy thing is part of our tradition here in the ninth grade. We do it for every fresher we get." Shaggy said.

"Oh...that's cool, but creepy though." I said. Creepy students with their creepy traditions.

He laughed as I settled down, trying to collect myself as a teacher walked in.