3.

"No. Make the text larger," Mom's voice sounded through my laptop speakers.

Swallowing a sigh since we'd been working on changing the text for about half an hour now, I obliged. I already regretted promising Becky those flyer ideas by tonight. I also regretted calling my mother, who legitimately noticed things like when two pieces of furniture were not precisely perpendicular. This actually happened. I didn't believe her. We got a triangle ruler out, and she was right.

Finishing the flyers with Mom would take forever, as she wouldn't quit until they were perfect. However, I also had to admit the result would be undeniably better with her around, and I wanted to make a good first impression on the Student Council.

I needed a critical mind around because my friends from back home, Jenny and Taylor, just gave me a thumbs up for everything I sent them. They were more interested in what the 'big city' was like, anyway. I'd described it to them like the inside of an ant's nest. Except, with less organisational skills and much less space.

Although my first day went fine, all things considered, the headache had set in the moment I left school. I rubbed my temples, and Mom finally seemed to take pity on me.

"It's... acceptable now," Mom offered. She nodded at me from the bottom left corner of my computer screen. "Since you're doing this for free, let's not spend more time on it."

She was holding back. At least, I was pretty sure she was. If it were up to her, she'd be working far past midnight to tweak the flyer to perfection. But she was also my mother who worried about me getting enough sleep. And as a designer, she'd had people trying to trick her into doing work for free far too often. She always warned me to not fall into the same trap.

I smiled. "Great, I'll send these to Becky then. Thanks for your help, Mom," I said.

"Of course." Her brows knitted. She ran a hand through her unruly curls. "Hey, things are okay there, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Dad's new wife is nice. School's alright. I'm sure I'll be makin' new friends at the Student Council with these designs."

"As long as they're not just usin' you to do their work. You're nice. People take advantage."

"I'm sure they're not," I reassured Mom, deciding not to remind her of how she didn't hold anyone else to the same high standards as herself, which often resulted in her doing other people's work at the office.

Mom blew me an air kiss. "Alright then. Off to bed you go. Sleep well, honey. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

I didn't remember a bed ever feeling as comfortable as the one I dropped myself on face-first after emailing Becky my designs. Usually, I needed at least half an hour to fall asleep, but tonight it felt like I'd only blinked, and then the alarm clock was ringing.

I blinked again, and I was at school, practically sleep-walking into my first class of the day, Biology. It was another class Atticus and I shared. It was another class to which Atticus escorted me because his mom asked and then left me in the door opening.

Becky, Kim, and Mandy, the three girls I'd become acquainted with, were nowhere to be found in the classroom, so I was back to square one. Trying to figure out where to sit on my own.

I scanned the classroom for a suitable spot when a guy suddenly started waving.

"Hey, Turner! Turner!"

At first, I didn't realise the boy was talking to me because nobody ever called me by my surname. But he looked directly at me and his enthusiastic beckoning to me to come over was hardly subtle.

I wanted to walk over to him and hear what he had to say. Atticus sat right next to this guy, however, making me hesitate. Atticus' expression seemed to say: don't come over, while his friend's expression said the exact opposite.

It'd make for an interesting painting. Cool tones and browns for Atticus, warm tones, dark brown and black for his friend. Exaggerated, to show their mood. I'd have to write that idea down.

Ignoring Atticus, I did as his friend asked. He seemed to know me, but I didn't know him, and I was curious why. I took the seat in front of them.

"Hi," I greeted the enthusiastic stranger.

"Hi Kade!" he replied. "I don't think we met. I'm Corey, and everyone already approved your work."

I blinked. Corey talked really fast. With my foggy morning head, I wasn't sure what he meant, either. It seemed like Corey realised because he smiled apologetically.

"I'm on the Student Council, too," he explained. "Becky sent me your designs last night."

"Ah, yes, of course."

"So, will you be there too after school?"

"Uh..." Again, I didn't know what Corey meant. Perhaps it was a regular occurrence with him, because he explained at the first sign of hesitation.

"The Student Council has a meeting after school."

"Oh." I shrugged. "Sure. Give me a time and place, and I'll be there."

"Awesome." Corey reached out and punched my shoulder quite hard. He clearly meant it as a casual gesture, but his arms were about the size of my head and he seemed to be one of those guys who didn't know their own strength.

"Hey, as the coach's son," he then said, "will you be trying out for the football team?"

That's how he knew me. Of course, Corey was on the football team. That made sense.

"Wait, he's coach Turner's son?"

Becky dropped herself in the conversation and in the seat next to mine rather unceremoniously. A big contrast with her impeccable, preppy dressing style. I could tell she'd tried to get rid of the bags under her eyes, but hadn't used enough makeup to entirely achieve that. She looked stressed, but she smiled at me.

"Wow, so you're like the coach Turner's son and you're a skilled designer, too? You hit the genetic lottery jackpot."

I laughed at her assessment. "I'm not athletic, though," I said, patting my stomach. "But I may try out for the football team. I can use the exercise and I want to get to know more people."

"Yeah, why not?" Corey said. "Tryouts are in two weeks, and aside from varsity it's not that elite. We'll take nearly everyone who is enthusiastic and wants to play."

"Whether you're good or bad, everyone's gonna know you, though," Becky told me. "I mean, in a good way! Lot's of people will like you because of your dad. He's a bit of a legend here."

"A bit of a legend?" Corey sputtered. "Coach Turner single-handedly saved Pinewood's joke of a team in a year's time! Whipped them into shape and finally had people stop treating us like the laughingstock." Corey leaned closer to me, dead serious now. "Imagine, a school population of fucking two thousand people. You'd think there's gotta be some people with talent somewhere in there, right? Yet, we lost every game."

"Yeah, I saw the television reports," I said with a small smile.

Even in smack-ass middle-of-nowhere small town Greensboro, P.A. I got the message Pinewood's team had gone from the underdog to the regional champions. They came out of nowhere with coach Turner at their front, a stone-faced country guy with no prior record of coaching and no experience teaching kids. It was a story worthy of becoming a novel and Warner Bros. movie one day, the blogs had said. Dad joked he wanted Brad Pitt to play him in the big screen adaptation.

Dad hadn't told me much directly during our brief, weekly phone calls, but I'd followed the interviews. I knew he was doing well.

"So, I take it you're on the varsity team?" I asked Corey.

Corey nodded. "Quarterback," he stated proudly.

I didn't know that much about football, but like everyone else I knew quarterback was good. I whistled lowly.

"Wait, Kade, so your dad and Atticus' mom are married, right?" Becky asked, darting a glance at Atticus before turning back to me. "Do you live together now?"

"Yup," I replied. I looked at Atticus, but he dodged my gaze like always.

'"Only for the time being," I continued. "It's not permanent - I'm movin' back in with my mom as soon as she finds an apartment here. It's so I wouldn't miss the beginning of the school year."

"Well, you should try out for the football team anyway," was Corey's opinion. "Guaranteed lots of friendly faces there because you're the coach's kid."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Corey had convinced me by saying they took nearly everyone. I would've picked another sports club otherwise. I didn't want people thinking I got in because of Dad.

"And join us on the Student Council, too!" Becky hastily added. "Corey, Atticus and I are all members.There are also lots of friendly faces there."

Lots of friendly faces? Sure. But those friendly faces didn't seem to include Atticus. I peeked at his face, and his jaw was tense. He looked like he smelled something foul, and I once again wondered what exactly his problem with me was. This was beyond simple indifference, and I had done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from him.

I could've called him out there and then. Part of me wanted to, but I decided against causing a scene on my second day of school with my stepbrother. I'd ask him what his deal was in private after school.