ZACK’S POV
he led me to the dean's room and I entered his cabin to meet him.
"Come in Zack. I have been waiting for you since yesterday. come, take a seat" I was astounded to see his reaction being so pleasant towards me.
"I'm really happy to see his son join this high school and take his league ahead. '' Dean was very excited about something which I didn’t even have a clue about.
It then caught my mind. The dean referred to dad as 'he' and told me to take his league ahead. Did he know him? What did he mean by taking his league ahead? my brain system got hung up and I became blank.
"It really thrills deans like us to have the children of the once legends of the high school's kids to join their parent's alma mater" suddenly dean excitedly spilled the beans about my dad's school days and I was appalled!! Was this my dad’s alma mater??
I was staggered to come to know that the high school to which I had no affections for was my dad’s alma mater. I leaned on to the chair in shock and looked back into my old days coming to remember some moments of dad talking about his school days.
But I never remembered the name of the high school. Moreover, mom also hadn’t mentioned anything about the town and the school. The suspense and surprises I had started to get in the new town was literally driving me crazy!! It didn’t end with that. It was followed by lots and lots more. Hearing about my dad from the dean sounded like he was still proud of his old student. The dean was somewhat in his late 80s. Still, he was remembering his student and that was a rare case. Maybe my dad was a star and I had no idea about it? That was an extremely embarrassing moment in my life!!!
I simply kept on smiling like a kid and nodded to everything the dean talked about dad. Most of the things were those which I couldn't even believe. I was aghast to find out from the dean that my dad was the only record holder of the 400m event in the GYT till then. that was it...things were growing a lot for me to intake!!
I sat transfixed on hearing such a big truth from the dean. like really!!! Was I till then living in a dream world?? How did I get to know about any of these big historic things about my dad?? I didn't know what kind of reaction to express my messed-up mind with. it was like making a mixed fruit salad and adding lemon to it in the end. I simply prayed for the school to end and wanted to have a brief talk about everything with mom. She has to give me a lot of answers!!!
"it’s really such a great loss for everyone in the athletic federation to lose someone like Grover" he finally brought up the subject of dad being no more and I had no intention to enter into that talk again.
“Maybe I should head back to classes now” I told dean with a numb expression to avoid the talk about that particular matter. He should have better known it.
Dean understood what I hinted at. He didn’t want to bother me anymore so he wished me good luck and I turned back to my classes. Most of the students had come to meet me in the corridor itself. They knew the legend of dad and were much pleased to meet his son. Because of that, I fixed up a smile on my face so that they wouldn't feel ignored by me. All of it was only for dad!!
On my way I was also met by Noah and his friends again but this time we didn’t mind each other. I always used to avoid such situations. During the lunchtime Mike and Zoe joined me and I, after having our food discussed the students I needed to know and to be aware of in the high school. they were those students of a high school with whom one should never get into trouble with That was a very important thing to be aware of in a high school if you wanted to take yourself ahead peacefully.
“Top on the list was the attitude boy gang with Noah as the leader. They were the main attraction of that high school. Girls died on Noah and he was the current champion of the high school who was training to take part in the GYT. He was the rudest and the arrogant species of the high school. Other boys of the gang were Felix and Sam. They were more like his minions and were much similar to him. He was from one of the richest families of the town and its side effects were clearly visible in him” Mike introduced the gang to me in detail and whatever he said was cent percent true.
“Does it feel weird if I tell you guys that I always see a shade of me in him but we don’t have the slightest similarity with each other?” I asked them in a cold tone looking at the gang and Zoe broke into giggles.
“that’s a damn thing to compare dude because you don’t t have his shitty attitude” Zoe answered me and her answer was right. We were far different from each other!!
“Next on the list is the plastics” Zoe started to talk about the next gang and Mike pointed out them to me and when I saw who they were, I wasn’t surprised at all.
“They are the “go crazy on the hottest gossip” girls and their main attractions were zero level IQ; high level makeup and fashion and they are the dumbest creatures of a high school” the way Zoe describe them impressed me as I knew from our first meet that Zoe was very much different from all the girls.
"Who is that tall one with blond hair?" I asked Zoe looking at the blondie.
"that's Sarah. She is the leader of them all. The one next to her with the pink bow is Jennie and the other one is Lisa” Zoe pointed out to me.
"Why are all the gangs here mostly a 3-member gang?" I couldn't help but notice that similarity between all the gangs I got to see in the high school.
" a group of 3 is the best of all" Mike changed his tone to that of a teasing as if he meant me and my gang. I could have strangled him with my muscles but then gave him my "shut up or else I will break your nose" expression seeing which he curled back to the old pussy self of his and Zoe laughed hard at his expression. These siblings were totally reminding me what feeling happy was in every moment!!
“Then came the nerds. They were the gang which consisted of the nerds of the high school. For them mingling with others was a waste of time” Mike pointed out to another gang. Well, that was my least interest gang so I didn’t give any attention to it.
I had met the first two groups on the beach on my first day in the town. So, I knew some of them. But that was not the end!!
“Then comes the turn of the last gang. The normal. They were the people like me, Zoe and you who balanced everything quite nicely and lived normally with lots of fun” with his charms he honourably praised us. To be honest, that’s what Mike described us like. But I had no choice but to correct him in that case.
“I may not seem like a fun living one if you knew more about me” I blurted out in a low tone and the siblings looked at each other and Mike broke into a heavy laughter. Did I say a joke??
“You are saying it just because of the hangover of your old school. Once you settled down everything would be in its place” he patted me softly like I do to my Lee.
I gave him a look which was surprised by his wise words and they chuckled more and I thought twice about his words that caught my attention. He was right, maybe that’s what I wanted, to settle down....
Introduction of the whole school except the gym area which I had asked to exclude was done by Mike within a day. After the school I thanked them for the great tour of high school in a dim tone and they assured me of help anytime. I at least had new friends in the town on whom I could rely on. although I never did that, I really wanted some on the list in case the new town troubled me.
I came straight home with a fogged mind. Lot of things which were unknown to me were to be cleared and it had to be done by mom. I couldn’t take any more of the surprises without even clearing at least some of it. Mom had come home from her first day of work. Lee was greedily waiting for us. It was new for him to stay alone at home all the time as previously mom used to be with him all day till, I arrived from my training. I really felt sad for him that he too had to bear all our pain with us.
"How was your first day at school?" mom asked me in a pleasant tone.
This was the first time I saw her relaxed and relieved after so long. I came near to her and sat next to her. She knew what I wanted. I was right in my thought that she always knew everything and her smile felt wicked to me.
“Whether you will tell me everything or should I ask you everything?” I put a start to the unveiling of the answers.
“I know what you want and I have been waiting for the right time to do it” she replied to me causally and I was dumbstruck. Mom, you made me look like a fool!!!
I was stunned by her reply. One, I went to the alma mater of my dad and I had no knowledge about it and it was quite embarrassing for me in front of the dean and others. Two, my own mother knew everything still; it didn’t even matter to her to at least make me ready for the shocks I would receive in the school. Wasn’t all those enough to make me qualified to know everything? Wasn’t it time for her to break the suspense???