Chapter Text
When it comes to being a new student at a high school, a lot of unexpected things tend to happen. I’m not exception to this, believe me.
Hi, my name is Hunter. To start things off, I’m 16 years old and I’m a new junior at Hexside High.
Before I get into this, let me give some context on my life. From the start, I never had any parents to raise me. The only adult at the time was my uncle Philip, who is now gone from my life…..permanently. Throughout the time I spent with him, it was kind of hell. No matter what I did, it wasn’t enough to please him. And if I did something he didn’t like … well… you can imagine the rest.
Whenever he wasn’t near me, I would hang out with a girl named Luz Noceda. She and I both shared our love of nerdy stuff. She said she has two mother figures as her guardians, though they aren’t married and are just really good friends. Her second “mom” is a woman named Eda Clawthorne who babysat Luz when she was younger. Trust me, a lot of stuff happened in her life that makes her one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. To be honest, she felt like a sister to me… a sister I didn’t know I needed. She introduced to her girlfriend Amity and her friends Gus and Willow. Gus felt the little brother I also didn’t know I needed. Willow on the other hand, was a bit different for me. I’ll admit, I had a crush on her.
Everytime we’d hang out, I always felt like there was butterflies in my stomach. She was just a great person to be around with. Unfortunately, not everyone can have the same feelings as another.
One day, when we were hanging, just the two of us, I told her how I felt about her. I’ll admit, her response kind of hurt me a bit (“I’m so sorry Hunter… but I don’t feel the same way”). However, I knew she didn’t mean to hurt me. I was nearly on the verge of tears after hearing this.
Then, she said something that changed my view on life and on how others would treat me. She said, “…but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you… in fact, I’d still love to have you as a friend… a best friend if you say”. My plan to hold back tears immediately failed after hearing that. She comforted me by hugging me, which was something rare to me at the time. I felt extremely relieved after hearing that, and I felt a lot more liked by her than my uncle.
Speaking of Philip, things weren’t as peachy even during this. I never told anyone because I didn’t want them to worry. Philip’s mental health began deteriorating. Back then, even if I spilled my drink, he would strike me.
One night, it got so bad that I had to run away from him. During that night, Philip had forgotten that he invited one of his employees, named Darius, to help on a project for the company they were working at. When Darius opened the door, he was shocked to see what Philip was doing to me. All Darius saw before hell broke loose was me with a bunch of scars, and Philip with a belt. I don’t know if it was instinct or something, but the next thing I knew was that Darius lunged at Philip and started beating up, along with him telling me to run.
Luckily, I managed to find refuge in Luz’s house. Her mom and her sister Vee were very kind to me. When my uncle knocked on the door and asked where I was, they never told him and just lied saying they didn’t know about my whereabouts. I’m guessing he managed to escape Darius and go into the neighborhood to find me.
We heard a second knock at the door, but this time it was Darius. He made sure I was okay and helped me feel safe aside from everyone else in the house. Luz called Gus,Amity, and Willow(who showed up a little later) to explain everything that happened. After taking things out with everyone and gaining a lot of great advice, I finally gained enough confidence to finally escape that hell hole that Philip called a home.
We contacted CPS and reported Philip to them. After showing them my scars as proof of evidence, Philip was taken away by the authorities for child abuse. As part of his sentence, he had to forgo all his assets to Darius and spend 30 years in prison. Last thing I heard, he died in the prison via stabbing. I’m guessing even his cellmates didn’t appreciate his existence.
Finally, I felt truly free. After the trial was over, Darius immediately filed to adopt me instead of letting me be in foster care. After everything was finalized, I began to start a new life for myself.
When I first moved in, Darius surprised me with a bunch of electronics and a pet cardinal I named Flapjack. I cried a waterfall of tears that day out of happiness and thanked Darius for helping me out and wanting to give me a new life to start. Everyone else was also present and they each gave me something to feel more at home. I received books, sci-fi objects, and new clothes.
I know there was still some stuff I had to work on, but I felt like my new life was just beginning.