It's boring to say Paul was a normal guy from some quiet normal town. However, that's who the guy was. Today was the first day of his senior year.
His alarm was beeping and he was half tempted to snooze it. But today was something most kids dream of the second they get to high school. The only thing that could be better than the first day of senior year is the last. Being on top of the food chain at Autumnvale High was a great feeling. It was like being on top of the world.
Don't get it wrong, Paul knew this was a cliché and kind of lame, but in the town of Autumnvale, cliché and lame were the norm. It was one of those little towns always harping on their history. Most of it was pretty boring, plus there wasn't a lot to do.
After a quick shower, he picked out an outfit and put on his lucky pendant. After one last look in the mirror, he jumped into his car to pick up his best buddy, Quinn. The duo had a lot in common. Both being 5’11, not only did they physically see eye to eye, they figuratively saw eye to eye on most things.
Quinn and Paul were always hanging out. The pair became friends when they joined the football team freshman year and have been inseparable ever since. Paul very much considered him to be his best friend.
The only difference between the two, Quinn was the life of the party. There was no thinking about consequences or the future with him. A trait that made him fun to be around although not the most reliable. Paul pulled up to the house and his friend got in the car.
“Can you believe that we're finally seniors?! We're like the kings of the castle.” Quinn said, inflating his ever-growing ego.
Paul couldn't help but smile as his best friend continued going on about the prospects of this year as the pair drove towards the school. Paul drove into the parking lot. The excitement in the air was very evident as he parked. The day was bright and sunny, filled with hugs and enthusiasm. Paul paused for a few seconds to watch the scene. However Quinn had different priorities.
”Hey, that's Melissa. I have to catch up with her. Find me later!” Quinn blurted.
Paul laughed as his friend stumbled out of the car. He soon followed and grabbed his belongings and headed inside the school. This is when he happened upon Delilah.
Delilah was his childhood friend. She was also his first and only girlfriend. The two dated from freshman to the middle of junior year, but because of a huge silly fight, the couple broke up. One of Paul's goals for the year was to win her back.
There was a perfect time before the summer at the end of junior year when everything aligned. Paul was about to ask her to get back together. However, as he was trying to muster up courage, she got a phone call from the sheriff. Turns out her only parent, her dad, had died during a camping trip. Asking her out after learning that was a bad move.
He texted a few times during summer, sent her memes and funny videos, but she didn't much reply back, and who could blame her? She was going through a lot. Paul didn't take it personally. That is why he was hoping to casually run into her. Luckily the universe delivered.
”Hey Delilah, how was your summer?” Paul said, regretting it immediately because her dad just died, so it was more than likely her summer probably sucked.
She took pity on him by replying back with a simple, “It was fine, just ready to get back to normal. Whatever that is.”
They discussed class schedules for a few minutes and discovered they had lunch and last period together. A loud school bell interrupted the conversation and Paul hurried to class. He repeated the bell/class cycle until finally lunch arrived.
This year not only did he have lunch with Delilah, but Quinn and Melissa were in this lunch period as well as the twins, Tyler and Beatriz. The twins were close, like most twins were, and almost always together. Beatriz was more of a free spirit and cared more about art than books. Tyler was the opposite. He loved the technical side of things. Both were big movie buffs. Their company was always welcomed.
To be absolutely honest, he did not care for Melissa. She was the captain of the cheer squad to Quinn's quarterback of the football team. It was a walking and talking cliché. The relationship only worked well in theory. Quinn was a go-with-the-flow party guy who was most likely to join a frat. She definitely will be voted most likely to succeed. It just didn't fit.
Unfortunately, putting up with Melissa was a necessary evil because not only was she dating Quinn, she was Delilah's best friend.
"Listen, this weekend has to be epic. Not only is it my birthday bash, it is also my back-to-school senior year ultimate party.” Quinn said as the couple joined the group at the cafeteria table.
Quinn's birthday had become a holiday for their class. For the last three years, it has been the perfect kickoff for the season. This being the fourth and final year, Paul was mildly concerned about how big and rowdy it might get.
Melissa interrupted his thought, "Everyone has to come, including you Delilah. I know this summer you've been avoiding life but it's our senior year. I want us all to have fun together."
With a disheartened smile, Delilah responded, "Fine, I promise I will be there, and I'll make an attempt to have fun."
The group continued on with lighthearted talk. Melissa was talking about prom queen and king campaigning, skipping right over homecoming because she was already convinced the couple would win. The twins were talking about a movie they had just seen and why they both thought it was good, but for different reasons. Paul was quietly sitting there, trying not to stare at Delilah and working out what to say at the party.
The bell rang, so the group dispersed to their classes. Gym was next for him. Paul preferred it to all other classes because it was a place he naturally excelled at. Paul was also thankful Quinn, and he had this period together this year.
His football coach was the gym teacher. Paul and Quinn thought he was hilarious. They always wondered how he got hired. The coach wasn't great with students and wasn't the most appropriate. On the bright side it was a guaranteed good grade.
Gym ended, so they showered and left the locker room. History class was next. Before they got there, they ran into a girl named Rhea. Rhea was nice enough, although she wasn't known for being the most extroverted. Talking to guys on the football team wasn't normal for her.
"Hey Quinn, hey Paul, how were your summers?" Questioned Rhea.
Paul replied, "Pretty chill, nothing too crazy. The highlight was probably football ca—"
The teen girl interrupted him, "And you, Quinn, did you happen to do anything special this summer?"
"Same old stuff," he replied with no emotion. Quinn looked at Paul, "Let's get to class."
The pair arrived at the classroom. This was another chance to see Delilah. He was happy she decided to sit next to him. Before the class got too rowdy, the teacher entered. A man in his late 30s walked into the room. There was a certain stoicism to him, but Paul noticed his attire. The new teacher wore jeans, boots, and a leather jacket. Other teachers dressed more professionally.
This person must be new because Paul didn't recognize him at all, and in a small town, that was rare. "Hello class, my name is Fergus Everald, and I am your new history teacher. I'm sure you have a good number of questions, so let's go through the obvious ones…Yes, I'm new to this small town, but my family lineage goes back to being one of the first families in Autumnvale. This is not my first teaching gig, so I'm aware of all the tricks. You can refer to me as Mr. Everald. Why did I come back? For personal reasons and, lastly," Mr. Everald turned to two students who were whispering, "If you're going to talk, make sure I'm not looking right at you."
The class chuckled in response.
The teacher started his lesson when Quinn leaned forward and whispered to Paul, "Name like that, he's a 500-year-old vampire or a wizard."
Paul laughed. This got the teacher's attention so Mr. Everald called on them. "Alright, chatty Kathys, since you want to talk, tell me when was Autumnvale officially founded?"
Quinn answered like a smart ass, "I don't know, it's before my time, so kind of unimportant.”
The class laughed at the sarcastic answer. Melissa's hand shot up. "It was 1842."
"Correct, Miss?"
"Oh, it's Melissa Winters,"
"Yes, Miss Winters, thank you. Now can anyone here tell me the starting population?" Mr. Everald looked around.
Delilah quietly answered to herself, "46.”
Mr. Everald heard this and exclaimed, "Yes, correct, miss?"
"Delilah…Delilah Cruz.” she answered while sitting up straight.
Mr. Everald wrote on the board. Paul stared at the window and got lost in his head. He began to fantasize about Quinn's party. How would he even get Delilah alone to talk about their relationship, and who really names their kid Fergus?
The abrupt bell made him jump. Class was over and everyone raced out the door. Paul noticed Mr. Everald held Delilah back to have a word for some reason. Paul tried to eavesdrop but couldn't hear anything. It was time for football practice so he gave up and headed to the locker room.
Paul was thankful for practice. It was a time for him to clear his head and just tackle people. On this day, the sun was out in full so it was hard to give it your all. Paul absolutely was half-assing it. Out of nowhere, he was tackled to the ground by what felt like a ton of bricks. Being hit hard wasn't odd. It came with the territory. This time was different. It was as if a man of steel slammed him into the ground. The other player offered to help him up. Paul declined. He needed a moment to collect his thoughts.
After getting back up onto his feet, he tried to see who hit him, only he couldn't locate him. The coach told everyone to hit the showers. “Alright young people go wash the failure off.”
In the showers, he tried to see if he could find who tackled him. If he saw his face again, he’d know who it was. There was no such luck. Paul was a little frustrated, but that was okay. He let it go. It didn't matter now because school was over, and he had a party to get ready for.
Paul stopped at home to freshen up. Finding the right outfit took him more time than normal. The teenage boy was simply anxious, that’s all. He was unsure why, but this party felt as though it would shape his whole senior year.