Jared Mitchell felt like a stranger in his own life as he stood at Crestwood High's entryway. Just a week had passed since we moved to this little town, so everything felt strange. New folks, new house, new school. His fixation with hacking and coding, which he developed in the solitary corners of his bedroom, was the one thing that never changed in his life.
Jared sensed that people were watching him as he moved through the busy hallways. It was never easy being the new child, but he was determined not to be noticed. He maintained his head down, headphones on, and hoodie up. His goal was to go unseen throughout the day.
But destiny had other ideas.
"Hey, you're the new guy, right?" A voice yelled. Jared turned to find a tall, lean boy grinning broadly and wearing glasses. "My name is Ethan. Do you need assistance getting around?"
Relieved to see a friendly face, Jared nodded. Indeed, that would be fantastic. My name is Jared.
Ethan talked animatedly about the school and its peculiarities as he took him to his first lesson. "So, what do you do for fun?" When they got to the classroom, Ethan inquired.
Jared gave a shrug. "I'm into computers, coding mostly."
Ethan's gaze brightened. "Not at all! This place has a tech club. You ought to definitely participate."
Jared grinned, wondering if this new location wouldn't be all that horrible after all.