Jeremy the Cool, Classy Teen - Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE – THE BUS DRIVE

Jeremy adjusted his tie and gave a last rub to his shiny black shoes. He wanted to make a good impression for his first day at Shamrock High School. Not only was he new in Cliffwood, New Jersey, it would also be his first year attending a public school. The recession had hit hard on his dad’s steel company, and they had to close the business and relocate. Jeremy’s mother had planned to home school him through high school, but she had to start working, now that times were tough.

He whistled the Fifth Symphony of Beethoven as he got his briefcase ready and headed to the bus stop, kissing his mother on the cheek on the way out.

“Today’s the day!” she said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

“Everything will be fine, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”

She tried to smile, as she patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. “Try to fit in!” she simply said, watching him turn the corner.

Jeremy resumed his whistling and brushed off a lint from his freshly pressed black pants. He could see the bus stop a few blocks away, where five students were already waiting. He smiled. Deep down inside, he knew they would like him. Why wouldn’t they? He was very polite, acted like a gentleman, and his witty replies made everyone laugh. But that was in Cedar Grove, Minnesota. It would be different in New Jersey, he knew it. It may take a while for them to get to appreciate who he was, but he would be patient.

As he joined the other students, they all stopped chatting and stared at him. Some girls giggled. “Where did he come from?” a tall guy said in a whisper to a shorter, plumper guy.

“Hi, everyone!” Jeremy said in a clear, loud voice. "My name is Jeremy and I will be attending Shamrock High School this year. I’m from Cedar Grove, Minnesota. Nice to meet you all!”

Silence. Jeremy pretended not to notice, and stood at the bus stop, looking quite relaxed. The tall guy finally said, “Where in the world did you get these clothes? Is your dad a priest or something?” The three girls laughed out loud, sneering at Jeremy.

Jeremy kept his cool. He just smiled understandingly, patted the tall guy on the shoulder, and simply said, “Perhaps you don’t know about classy fashion yet in Jersey. That’s okay, it will make its way here sooner or later.” He winked at the tall guy and turned toward the street. The bus was coming.

The tall guy and the shorter one rushed in as soon as the bus’s door opened, and took the last seats, way back. Jeremy let the three girls go in front of him with a courteous gesture of his slender hand. The girls hesitated at first, but they accepted the courtesy, murmuring a weak “thank you” to Jeremy as they passed him. They covered their mouths and tried hard not to giggle.

As Jeremy entered the bus, he shook the driver’s hand and introduced himself. Getting no response from the driver other than, “Proceed towards the back, please,” he took the first seat available and placed his backpack on the empty seat beside him.

“How long is the bus drive?” he asked the boy behind him.

“Oh, about a half hour,” the boy replied.

“Great! I have time to read a bit of literature.”

He thought he saw a frown on the boy’s face, but he pretended not to notice. He pulled a thick book from his briefcase and started reading. Once in a while he paused and looked up a word in his tattered pocket dictionary. He was so absorbed by his reading that he was stunned when the bus made its final stop and everyone started to walk out. He shuffled his book and dictionary into his backpack and waited until the last person exited. On his way out, he patted the driver’s shoulder, and said, “Thank you, Mister Driver. I’ll see you again this afternoon.”