Battlefield by J. F. Jenkins Page B

near as large as Morningtide High. His old school had an average graduating class of five-hundred students, and luxuries most would envy. Visitors always called it an airport or a train station because of the massive size and cleanly upkeep. Lunar Falls was a dump and a quarter of the size in comparison. The stares began when he parked his black luxury sports sedan, his sweet-sixteen car. When he stepped out and grabbed his bag, there were even more. He had made sure to wear more black than he normally would, overdid the eye liner, and wore his favorite black, spiked wristband. The goal was to over-shock them.
    â€œWow, nice car,” one underclassman boy called after him. Orlando acknowledged him with a slight wave and a grunt before pulling open the doors.
    For a small school, it took him an awfully long time for him to find the main office. This was due to having to shove his way through the halls where everyone spent their time mingling. Everyone, being the small huddles of young teenage girls who gawked and giggled at him. Giggling at him—this was new. It’d been a long time since he’d been noticed by a member of the opposite sex, and he had no idea what to do in return. His girl chasing days felt like a lifetime ago. He almost forgot what it felt like, and he could barely remember how he would have handled it before, when he was popular and a ‘pretty boy’. He probably would have soaked it all in and nodded back at them arrogantly. That image made him snort with disgust.
    He got his schedule from the office and groaned. “Lyssa,” he mumbled as he read through the list of three honors classes, two study halls, music appreciation, and P.E. She was purposefully making his life miserable.
    He looked at the room number for his first class and then the clock. There was no way around it; he was going to be late. Taking the time to dawdle through the hallway, he enjoyed the peace the now-empty space brought. It cleared fast, which meant people actually cared about their grades here. This school would be interesting indeed.
    â€œOne hundred,” he searched the room numbers. “Where is one hundred?” He was in the two hundreds and the numbers were getting smaller. He had to be going in the right direction until he reached the end of the hall. For such a small school it sure was easy to get lost.
    He turned to go down the stairs and ran straight into a boy who was built like he was the quarterback of the football team. The guy could easily be the poster child for the all American football star with his blond hair and confident strut. And his broad shoulders easily filled out his school jersey.
    â€œSorry,” Orlando mumbled and stepped to the other side of the hallway so he didn’t get attacked. Normally, he wouldn’t bother to apologize, but he didn’t want to start things off on the wrong foot.
    â€œIt’s okay, I wasn’t looking either,” the guy said. He was definitely close to Orlando’s age. “New kid, huh? You must be lost. Here, I’ll show you around. I’m trying to ditch out of class anyway for a while.”
    â€œAren’t we all? I’d appreciate it,” he said with a soft laugh. This would have never happened at his old school, not between a jock and an obvious loner.
    â€œHolmes, right? I’m Peyton Darling.” The boy offered him a handshake. Orlando opened his mouth, wondering how this boy knew who he was before he even had a chance to introduce himself, but Peyton took the time to elaborate. “Word travels fast. I heard the teachers talking about it on Monday in the faculty lounge. They said you were some delinquent from Morningtide. Everyone knows your family though, and that the kid you mauled there—”
    Orlando shifted a bit. “I wouldn’t say I mauled him.”
    â€œWhatever you did, he deserved it,” Peyton said.
    Orlando couldn’t help but smirk. “So you do know