Junior's Story-- Work In Progress. (WIP)

High School Blues

By: Junior

CHAPTER ONE:

The Beginning

            I was asked by my teacher to write a story on my life and fantasy. It’s only the FIRST day of school and already… homework! Well... Perk’s of being a sophomore, I guess. Here I go.

           

            My full name is Mark William Calaway Jr, but everybody calls me Junior. (Except my mom when I do something I wasn’t supposed too, then she calls me by my full name). As you can tell, I was obviously named after my dad. He’s (or was) the Undertaker. He wrestled for the WWF/E. I have short, tawny reddish/brown hair and bluish green eyes. I’m 15 years old and I’m a twin to my sister, Lili. Lili goes to Underwood because she’s smart nerdy. I have two other brothers and a lot of sisters. I’m the quarterback of the school football team and pitcher of the baseball team. My home life is that of an average one…Except that I live with a bunch of other wrestlers and my mom’s like… super famous. I see people wearing her band t-shirts all the time and listening to her music or even reading her books! Speaking of… the teacher said we’re to read one of her books later on. (Depends on which one, because my mom loves to write different books… Though, she doesn’t write for teens, mostly adults… So how the teacher got it past the censors, I’ll never know).

            I used to live in Dallas, Texas for awhile and I have to say that I like it. My grandfather and uncle live in Mountain Brook, Alabama. It’s a really nice area with plenty of space. My grandfather owns a lot of acres and whatnot. Anyway… Back to me, I guess…

            Like I said, there’s nothing special about me or my name. I love playing sports. I have a lot of siblings. Not counting me, I have 10 other siblings. (It’s kind of like Cheaper by the Dozen). Anyway, again… I should get started on my story. The beginning.

MORNING: 6:30A.M

DAY ONE

            “I’m the son of rage and love, the Jesus of Suburbia--” I slammed snooze on my alarm and rubbed my eyes with my palms. I blinked blurrily up at my ceiling. “Another year…” I muttered as I rolled over, looking at my closed curtains. It’s a new school year… I’m on the football team… I’m the star quarterback. At least Ember’s a freshman this year… I’ll be watching out for her… I got some good classes… I decided that I’m bunking down this year… Mom’s proud of me for doing so… Dad… Ugh… He’s proud too, I know. I saw the look in his eyes and that’s good enough for me, I guess. I thought to myself as I shut off my alarm as I sat at the side of my bed for a few minutes before I got up and walked over to my closet. I pulled out black skinny jeans with holes in the knees, socks, and a Green Day shirt. I wandered into my bathroom, brushed my teeth and showered. I walked out as I got dressed. I grabbed my backpack and my duffel bag as I slipped on my converse and headed downstairs. I saw Liam and Harley downstairs along with Ember and dad. My pants were so you could see my boxers. I sat in my chair, munching on some bacon. “Pull up your pants” My dad said. I looked at him. “No.” He looked at me. I kept my gaze. “We do this every day. I’m tired of it. I’m expressing myself. Could you just leave it alone? Please?” He sighed and nodded. Ember took my duffel bag and smiled at me. I tilted my head and shrugged. I draped my arm around her as all of us headed out to the porch. We saw mom as we all smiled at her. “Another school year” She started as she put out her cigarette and stood in front of us. “You all have enough money for lunch?” We all nodded as we watched Harley and Liam walk off to the bus. Ember stood by mom as they walked off to her mustang. “You wanna take a ride on the bike today?” I looked at my dad and nodded. “Sure. Why the heck not?” We both walked off to the garage as I got on the back as dad backed up. My mom rolled down her window and grinned. Ember was in the front seat, music blaring from the speakers. “You wanna race, Mark?” My dad smirked at her and nodded. They both shot out of the drive, Harley and Liam gone.

            We arrived to school at 7:50am. I got off the back of the bike and thanked my dad. I grabbed my duffel from the trunk as Ember got out. We both waved as we walked inside. We saw our friends and both went our separate ways. I sat next to my best friend, Vince and the rest of our friends. “What’s your schedule?” Vince asked me as I took it out and read from it. “I have:

1^st: Advanced Sophomore English

2^nd: Health

3^rd: Advanced Pre-Calc

Lunch

4th: Strength and Conditioning

5^th: Chemistry

6^th: AP US History

7^th: AP Psychology.”

I put my schedule away as Vince and our friends looked at me. “What?” I said. “Man! How’re you gonna make time for your life?” Seth asked me. He’s defense on the team as I shrugged. “I’ll manage.” The rest told us what they got. The bell rang as we all headed to our classes. I sat down in my English class as the teacher handed out the syllabus and a thick text book. We went over some stuff as we got our first assignment. This assignment; the teacher said it won’t be due until Monday, but we’d also get more assignments the following week, that would ALSO be due Monday.

            Classes seemed to fly by as it was time for lunch. I grabbed a burger and fries as I saw Ember sitting alone outside, so I went out and sat next to her. My backpack hit the ground with a solid thud as she looked at me. “I heard about your classes, bro.” I rolled my eyes as I munched on a fry. “What’d you get?” I asked. She swallowed her pizza as she looked at me.

“1^st: Ceramics,

2^nd: Advanced Freshman English,

3^rd: French I,

Lunch

4^th: Advanced Algebra II,

5^th: PE,

6^th: Human Anatomy,

7^th: World History”

 I looked at her backpack; it was almost as full as mine. “How’re you classes going so far?” I asked as I started to really eat my lunch. She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I have a few classes with my friends, but other than that…” I nodded. “I know.. You should try out for a club or something… Maybe get back into soccer?” I suggested as she shrugged again. “Maybe… How’s your classes going?” I shrugged also. “We’re reading one of mom’s book next week… So that should be fun.” Her eyes lit up. “Which one?” “Uh…” I said. I sighed softly as I remembered. “It’s called: Knights Night.” Ember started laughing as I growled softly. “What’s so damn funny?” She calmed and shook her head. “The school let that one past the censors? How’d that happen?” I shrugged. “Damned if I know. I’m still miffed about that myself. We both got up, heaved our backpacks over our shoulders and threw away our trash. “Well… Have fun with your classes” I said as I stood outside her classroom. She nodded as she headed in as I went to mine. I saw Vince standing out the room, nodding as he talked to his father. I rolled my eyes as he hung up.

            Before I knew it, I was at football practice. I was getting changed into my practice clothes as I talked with Vince. “How were your classes, man?” He shrugged. “Fine, I guess… I mean… it’s only the first day and what not…” I agreed with him. “I saw you and Ember sitting outside at lunch today…” He said as I raised my eyebrow. “So?” He shook his head. “Nothing. I sat with my sister too… How’s Lili?” I sat up from tying my shoes. “She’s good… She’s starting 10^th grade at Underwood today… So if you think I have a lot of classes, she has more and from what she says, their harder.” Vince whistled as we both headed out to practice.

            Practice lasted an hour or two as we all hit the showers and got dressed. I was sore and tired. I wanted to crawl into my bed and do nothing but sleep. But I had a lot of homework and chores to do. I waved to the others as I headed to my dad’s truck. He drove off as I buckled up. “How was the first day?” He asked. I rolled my head and looked at him. “Hell.” He chuckled and ruffled my hair. “It went fine… I have a lot of homework and we’re reading one of mom’s books.” “Oh? Which one?” “Knight’s Night” He whistled as I held up my hand. “I don’t know how they got it passed the censors. I’m miffed. Ember probably already told mom about it. So, I’m not surprised.” We arrived home as I climbed out and grunted softly as I shut the door. “Where is mom anyway?” I asked my dad as he took my duffel bag. “Writing her new book… She leaves for tour soon, so she said she wanted to get a heads start and she’ll write on it when she has time on tour.” I nodded as we both headed inside. I thanked him as I took my duffel back. I climbed the stairs and opened my door. I walked over and opened the curtains. I watched Kevin push Willow on the swings and opened my window. There was actually a cool breeze coming in, so I wandered over to my stereo and turned it on. Slipknot started playing as I looked around my room. There were some dirty clothes so I picked them up and threw them in the hamper. Hnn. I’ll have to do laundry today… Was my thought as I sat at my desk and took out my homework. I started in order of the classes, the AP and Advanced homework took the longest, but everything else was fine. By the time I was done with everything, it was well into being eleven o’clock. I leaned back in my chair and stretched.

            I got up and stretched my legs as I went over to the window to shut it and close the drapes. I snatched up my laundry basket and left my room. I walked down to the laundry room and started my laundry. I walked back out into the kitchen and found a plate of dinner for me. I smiled faintly as I found a note in my mother’s handwriting.

            Junior,

            You’re father went upstairs to get you for dinner, but he saw that you were really absorbed in your school work, so he let you be. Here’s your dinner. It’s just mac’n’cheese and a hot dog. I left for tour a few minutes ago and I didn’t want to disturb you while you were doing your homework. Mind your father and watch out for Emmy and your other siblings. I’ll be back as soon as possible, I’ll tell the guys you say hey. I’ll be calling in a few days to check up and whatever. Do your chores and keep up with your homework—especially with those AP classes you’re taking. Those are a pain to catch up too. ^w^

I love you, my sweet.

Mom

Call it what you want. But that’s how we communicate in this family. If one of us isn’t here, we leave notes and whatnot. It’s not a bad thing. I re-heated my dinner and ate it as I waited for my laundry to be done. I heard Morrison getting in as I nodded my head towards him as he headed for the laundry. I didn’t hear the washer anymore so I went into the laundry room and took the load out of the washer and transferred it into the dryer. I chatted with Morrison for a bit as I sat on top of the dryer.

            “So… How’s business?” I asked him, looking up from my phone as he shrugged.

            “Good. Good. You?” He replied, leaning against the washer, arms crossed over his chest. I shrugged slightly. “Meh. You know… School and whatever…” We both shared a chuckle as I put my clothes on another dry cycle as dad came down, leaning against the door frame. “You know it’s past midnight… right?” He told me as I nodded. “I know. I’m doing laundry.. Obviously.” I replied. Dad never slept well while mom was away, but he managed to get by. The house is quiet without her in it… So the siblings and I try to keep his mind off it, but I think he secretly misses her. But when she does come back, they vanish for a few hours and then come back. I keep wondering if I’m going to have another sibling each and every time. I yawned and took my dry clothes into my room. I changed into my pajamas, turned my alarm clock on and collapsed onto my bed on top of the blankets. I don’t remember much after that.

MORNING: 6:15A.M.

DAY TWO—Wednesday

            I groaned and rolled over as I looked at the time. It read 6:15A.M. I slapped my face and sat up. My whole body groaned in protest, but I got up and stretched as I tried to get all the kinks out of my back and body. I took a shower and got dressed in basketball shorts and an old Motley Crue shirt. I put on my ‘I love boobies’ bracelets and my twine bracelet, I also slipped on my brown leather one, Lili has an identical one. I grabbed my duffel as I found Ember waiting for me. She looked at me and smiled. She was wearing a mini skirt with boots, along with a Pokémon shirt and a necklace that our parents gave her for her birthday along with a choker. She had on all her accessories and light make up. She also had on her Abbey Dawn sweater. We both walked down as I checked the time. It was 6:45am as I groaned. We both plopped down on the couch, my arm around her as she leaned into me. We stayed like that until Shawn nudged us. We both shot up.

            “Oh God… We’re not late, are we?!” Ember said a hint of panic in her voice. Shawn chuckled softly.

            “No. You’re not. It’s 7:15am… Come get some breakfast.” He motioned us up and into the dining room as we both went in. We took our spots as I ate my toaster strudel as the twins headed off for their bus. Ember and I climbed in our dad’s truck as he took off. I popped in my ear buds and looked out the window as I rolled it all the way down.

            “He’s tired, dad…” Ember whispered as she fiddled with her backpack. Dad looked in his mirror and nodded.

            “He was up late doing laundry and whatnot” He said, turning into the school. We live a few miles from the school, our house being in a secluded spot.

            “When’s mom supposed to be home?” She asked as dad parked in front of the school. I got out and walked into the school. Ember grabbed her bag and stood next to his window.

            “You know how long, Em.” He said. She nodded and sighed, waving goodbye as he pulled forward, going who knows where. Ember caught up with her friends as I sat with mine. I looked at Vince, he looked like about how I felt.

            “Ugh. Man… Practice was… Something else!” He muttered as he drank his Rock Star. The rest of us nodded. I glanced at our friends. There’s Tommy, Jason, and Hoyt. We all met in the 3^rd grade, where Vince and I had met in Kindergarten. We’re all on the football team and we’re all very good friends.

            The bell rang as everybody scurried off to their classes. I arrived to English and took my seat. I recognized a few people as I just sat in the back as the teacher talked. We got our book as the teacher looked at the cover.

            “This book is called ‘Knight’s Night’.” The teacher, Mr. Black began. “Does anybody know why?” A few kids raised their hands as I stayed quiet. I was only 5 when my mom wrote that book, but I watched her write it. I sat on her lap, fell asleep on her lap whenever I had a bad dream and she was up.

            “Ask Junior!” One kid called out. “His mom wrote it!” Everybody turned and looked at me. I looked back, daring them to say anything.

            “Well, duh. Her name’s on the cover” I snarked as Mr. Black called the room to attention. The rest of the class went smoothly. We got our reading assignment along with some from the text book. I started reading when the bell rang. I put my stuff away as I shuffled out of the room.

            Health came and passed. We got our text books and a huge packet. Health is lame… I know all this stuff already because of Glenn… I thought as I walked to Pre-Calc. I took my seat in the back of the room and pulled out my assignment and my text book and notebook. Even though it’s the first day, we got an easy assignment. The teacher handed out a huge packet as I leafed through it.

            “Use this packet to help you. You’ll be doing two to three pages a night, plus the assignments I give you. They’ll be a test on Tuesday” A few groans went around as we went over today’s lesson. I took my notes and wrote down the assignment on a sticky note, placing it in the page. We had time left over, so people turned and talked as most of us did the assignment. I had to look back in the book and my notes a few times. I glanced up at the clock as I started to put my stuff away. The bell rang as I shuffled out of the room.

            Lunch… Finally! I happily thought as I grabbed a pizza, Ember waving me over from her spot outside. I plopped across from her, my bag next to hers.

            “How’re you?” She asked me. I shrugged as I bit into my pizza. Ember was looking at me as I sighed.

            “Some kid called me out in English class today. Everybody turned and looked at me.” I started.

            “What did you say?” She asked me. I shrugged slightly. “I said ‘Well duh. Her name’s on the cover’” She sighed softly. “I hate it, Emmy. I hate it when they do that. I love our family” I whispered, so only she can hear me. “I wish they wouldn’t point out the obvious. I mean… We see kids wearing her band shirts and wrestling gear. That doesn’t bother me at all… I just ignore it…” She nodded in agreement.

            “I know how you feel. Same thing happened to me in English class too. I was doing the assignment and I called out.” She rolled her eyes. “I got asked all sorts of questions and I told him to shut up…”

            “Was the teacher out of the room?” I asked her as she nodded.

            “Yeah. So I told him to, ‘Shut up or I’ll shut you up.’” I smirked as we high fived. Ember has a temper like our mother—although you‘d never know it because Em’s so quiet. She prefers to observe and comment when appropriate. We talked some more as we finished our lunch. I was walking her to her class as she turned to me.

            “Oh. I took your advice and joined the soccer team!” She exclaimed. I smiled and chuckled. “Good for you, Em.” We parted ways as I went to Strength and Conditioning. That went well. I have Tommy and Jason in that class. We ran and lifted weights.

            “Hey Junior..” Tammy said as she winked at me. I rolled my eyes and ignored her. Tommy smacked me.

            “Dude. Tammy’s like… The hottest girl in the school.” I snorted softly.

            “Please. She’s a slut, Tommy.” I muttered. Jason laughed as he nodded.

            “Yeah man. I slept with her like, once.” He said as Tommy and I looked at him.

            “If you ever come near my sister, I’ll kill you, man” I said as I rested the bar back on the rack. He nodded, as did Tommy.

            We showered and changed into our regular clothes. History and Psychology went by pretty fast. I got assignments in both classes, heavy assignments. I chose to challenge myself this year and that’s what I’m doing… My thoughts were cut short when Vince ran up to me. I raised my eyebrow.

            “Dude… Ember’s in trouble.” That’s all I heard as I followed him to where there was a large crowd. Some guy was picking on her as I shoved my bag to Vince and tackled the guy. We both fought as I laid out the punches. I slammed him down and leaned close to his ear.

            “Come near my sister again and I’ll kill you. Understand?” I growled out as he nodded. Vince and Hoyt pulled me off as Ember ran to me. I held her close as teachers came out. I got pulled into the principal’s office. I sat in front of his desk as I crossed my arms.

            “It’s only the second day, Junior” He said in his authority tone voice. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

            “I know… That guy had it coming. Ember said he threatened to kill her!” I exclaimed as the principal leaned back in his chair.

            “I’m not going to stand by and watch my little sister gets threatened. That’s not how I was raised. I was raised to fight and defend my siblings.” The principal, Mr. Garcia, raised his hand to silence me. I sat there, arms crossed.

            “You have detention for a week. You’ll still be allowed to play football and go to practice.” I nodded as I got up and walked to the door.

            “Junior?” I turned around. “I’ll make sure that the kid gets suspended.” I nodded and smiled faintly. “Thank you, Mr. Garcia.” He nodded as I left and took my bag from Vince and wrapped my arm around Ember’s shoulders. We all left the school as I found myself looking into the eyes of my very angry father. Vince waved as we both got into the truck. I sat in the back with Ember as dad pulled away. The ride home was very silent.

            We arrived home as I told Ember she could hang out in my room if she wanted. She nodded and took our bags upstairs. My father pulled me into his office as I sat in front of the desk.

            “Fighting?! What in the hell were thinking?!” He yelled. I remained impassive as I looked at him.

            “He threatened to kill Ember.” My tone was soft, but I was still angry.

            “I was just doing what you taught us to do. Watch out for each other. I was watching out for Ember. I was walking out of Psychology and Vince ran up to me and said Ember was in trouble” I started, watching my father carefully.

            “He won’t be messing with her anymore. Neither will his friends. I made damn sure of that.” I muttered. He nodded as he waved me off. His way of telling me to leave as I rolled my eyes and left; it was dark outside as I headed up the stairs. I checked up on Ember as I found her doing her homework. I watched her for a few minutes before checking on the twins. I found Liam slaving over his school books as I chuckled softly. I went into Harley’s room as I found her asleep with her pencil in her hand. I smiled softly as I took it out of her hand and carried her over to her bed and under the covers. I kissed her forehead and set her alarm and left the room. I checked on Willow and found her looking at me. I offered her a smile.

            “Hey, Willy Billy. What’s up?” I asked her in her nick name. She gave me a grin as I wandered over and picked her up.

            “Wan’a hug.” She babbled as I hugged her. I read her a story as she fell right asleep. I sighed softly and went into my room.

MONDAY AFTERNOON: 1:35pm

            I glanced up at the clock as the teacher lectured as I sat in Chemistry. We all sat at lab tables, our text books open in front of us. It’s now the second week of school. I was writing down what the teacher was saying and what she was writing on the board. Mom found out about what happened with Ember. She wasn’t a happy camper about her daughter getting threatened, but I told her that I took care of it. She looked (We were talking on Skype) pleased, but I got a strong lecture about being careful about myself. I told her that I always am, and I also swore to her that I’d watch out for Ember and the others.

            “You can all break off into your partners and get started on your experiments. Follow the guide lines in your comp books and turn them in at the end of class.” Ms. Sands said as the class broke up. I got paired with Jake Marsh. Jake is from England and he’s a pretty cool kid. I looked over at him as he sat next to me. Ms. Sands placed us next to our lab partners for the semester. We got to work on our experiments.

            “Sorry to hear bout what happened, mate” Jake said as he wrote down in his comp book. He looked up at me as I nodded my head.

            “It’s in the past. He won’t be bothering her again.” I muttered, pouring chemicals into the beaker. He nodded as we continued our experiments. My phone buzzed as I took it out as I looked at Lili’s text.

Hey Bro… Just thought I’d see how you’re doing..

I miss you and whatever. :P

I heard what you did. I’m proud. :)

The classes are so hard here!

I <3 it.

~Lili

I rolled my eyes at the message. Only Lili would love hard classes… What a nerd. I thought as I noticed the teacher wasn’t in the room anymore. I slid out the keyboard and replied to her text.

If you ask me, the guy had it coming.

It’s quiet w/o u at home.

Come home for a visit after you get done with classes.

We need to catch up.

~Junior

I clicked Send as I put my phone away. Jake and I finished our experiments and started cleaning everything. Once that was done, I cleaned the desk area and continued writing in my comp book. I wrote in detail where necessary. I started packing my stuff when the bell rang. I walked up to Ms. Sand’s desk and put my comp book on the pile. I walked out as I found Vince waiting for me.

            “Is it me, or is this day going by really slow?” He asked me. I cracked my neck as we walked towards our math class.

            “It’s going by way to damn slow” I answered him as we made a little detour to check up on Ember. Once I saw that she was fine, Vince and I went to our math class. We took our seats in the back of the room and pulled out our math books, packet, and notebook, and calculators. Math wasn’t my favorite subject, but I just did the best I could. I got a B+ in my math classes. It averaged between an A and B most of the time.

            “Okay. Get out a pencil and keep your calculator out. We’re having our test.” Mr. Cross said as he passed around the test as everybody put their things on the floor. We hadn’t gone over very much, but the test was two pages. The most would be the work that we have to show. I wrote my name on the top of the page and started with the first problem.

            Halfway through the test, the teacher got up and started walking around the room. To see if anybody’s cheating. I mused as I kept my eyes on my paper. I felt him behind me, watching me as I worked the problem. I heard him make a pleasing noise very quietly. He walked past me as I smirked to myself. Kids were turning in their test as they grabbed another packet and a worksheet as they sat down. I finished my test and went back to re-check my work. I had to redo a few problems, and then I got up and turned in my test. I grabbed the thick packet and worksheet and sat down. I heard Vince mutter as he finished his test and turned it in. A few more kids were still doing their test as I leafed through the packet. The worksheet was a back to back and it looked pretty easy. Once the last of the kids finished their test, the teacher stood in front of the whiteboard.

            “As you noticed, the packet is thick” Mr. Black started, looking at each one of us.

            “This is what we’re going to be going over for the next few weeks. We’re going to cover a lot of material to get you prepared for the big final at the end of the semester. Most of you will not pass the final if you do not study!” He exclaimed, eyes still on us. I glanced out the window as the sun shined. I glanced back at the teacher, listening to him talk.

            “The first few pages of the packet will be due on Friday. The worksheet is due tomorrow. Use your books and notes to help you.” He finished as he grabbed his marker. We went over the new material in the first few pages of the packet as I took detailed notes. I made side notes and whatnot.

            I glanced up at the clock in my Psychology class. Almost time to go to practice… I thought as I listened to the teacher lecture. Ten more minutes until schools out. I noticed as I wrote down the assignment.

            “We’ll be working on a project, so I’ll assign you a partner. This is the first 100 point project of the year. If you already have a partner you want, then come up to me after class and we’ll talk about it.” Mrs. Swan commented as she sat at her desk. Five more minutes as I started packing my stuff, pausing to look at Hoyt.

            “Did you want to me partners?” I asked Hoyt as he nodded.

            “Sure, man. I’ll talk to her. You need to get to practice.” He said as I tilted my head.

            “You’re on the team too, man.” I said as he shrugged.

            “I know. But I’m defense. I’ll just be a few minutes late. Coach will understand.” He said as I shook my head, but ended the subject. What’re a few minutes? They’ll just be doing warm ups anyway. I’ll wait for him. I nodded to myself as we started talking.

            “What’d you do last night?” I asked him as he paused from packing his stuff. He shrugged.

            “Brit broke up with me last night” I winced slightly. I remember that conversation.

            “I remember. You called me at 3am and told me.” I answered quietly. We finished packing as the rest of the kids started talking.

            “Ember started soccer” I mentioned as he smiled.

            “She’ll be good at that. She’s a good kicker, from what you’ve said.” He laughed at my expression and smacked my chest. I smacked his back as the bell rang. I walked out of the room as I leaned against the wall besides the door, arms crossed as I rested my foot against the wall. I heard him go up to Mrs. Swan’s desk.

            “Mrs. Swan?” Hoyt asked as she smiled up at him.

            “Yes, Hoyt. What can I do for you?” She asked her southern accent showing.

            “I was wondering if Junior and I could be partners for the project.” He requested as she nodded and smiled.

            “You two are good partners. I know you’ll get everything done on time.” He thanked her and left.

            “Well cool. You wanna come over to my place?” I asked, startling him. He turned and faced me.

            “Man! Don’t do that!” I laughed as we headed to practice.

FOOTBALL PRACTICE: 3:45pm

            Coach wasn’t happy that we were late, but was happy we showed up. We did our warm-ups and then ran through the practice. We had our first game this Friday and we wanted to be ready—mentally and physically. I knew my dad would help me with the physical part and Hunter would help me with the metal part. (He’s not called the Cerebral Assassin for nothing!)

            After practice, the guys and I walked (or limped) into the locker room to shower and change. I finished putting my basketball shorts back as I sat on the bench.

            “Hey, man.” I looked up at the voice and chuckled. Jason was wearing his shorts on his head; he had his boxers and shoes on.

            “Man, what are you, five?” I asked him as he slapped the back of my head. I whacked him in the stomach and finished getting dressed. I loved my friends. I hoisted my heavy backpack onto my shoulder as I walked out, my duffel on the other shoulder. Hoyt caught up with me.

            “So I’ll come over sometime tomorrow?” He asked as I nodded.

            “Yeah, dude. Just call me. I know how your mom gets” We shared a laugh. Hoyt’s mother is a religious freak. Shawn met her once and he even said that she’s kind of creepy. (This is coming from a man who’s a preacher).  Hoyt tries to avoid going home as often as he could. I’m glad my mother isn’t like that. Shawn’s cool about it, which is awesome. (You know… For a preacher, that is).

            Hoyt and I walked out of the school and I saw my brother’s car. I grinned from ear to ear as he got out. Gabe’s about 5’8 ½ and he’s muscled up. He looks just like his dad, but has mom’s hair. Hoyt and I parted ways as Gabe and I hugged.

            “Man! It’s awesome to see you!” I exclaimed happily. He grinned and ruffled my wet hair.

            “I heard that you’re the quarterback!” He exclaimed back as I nodded. He patted my shoulder as we shared a chuckle. Back when Gabe was a sophomore here, he was the star quarterback on the team. He was also popular and could have any girl he wanted. He’s with his girlfriend, Arizona (We call her Ari). She’s cool. Her and Gabe both go to UCLA (Gabe got there on a football scholarship when he was a junior in high school).

            “How long are you going to be in town?” I asked him as he shrugged

            “I dunno yet.” Was his response as I raised my eyebrow; I heard Ember squeal and jump into Gabe’s arms.

            “Gabe! I missed you!” She said as she hugged him tightly. We both shared a chuckle as she released him. Her hair was damp and she had her duffel with her. She must have gotten done with practice. I noted as we all got into Gabe’s car. I sat in the front while Ember sat in the back. I slouched in the seat as I listened to them talk. I glanced at Ember briefly as I looked out the window. Lost in my own thoughts as the scenery flew by;

            Ember’s come a long way from that shy, quiet little girl she was. In the beginning, Ember didn’t really talk to anybody except for mom and she was afraid of dad… She felt like she didn’t belong in the family—Hell, I get that way sometimes also. I mean, having so many siblings it’s kind of hard to get ‘parent’ time. Back when both mom AND dad were on the road, it was especially hard. Mom took Ember on the road with her when Em was little enough and she wasn’t in school. Dad took me on the road, also. But ever since Ember moved up in grades, she became more open and talkative. Mom was happy that she was talking more. Now that she’s in high school, I don’t know if life will be more diff— My thoughts were interrupted when Gabe wacked my stomach. I grunted quietly and wacked his back.

            “What, man?” I muttered, looking at him as he raised an eyebrow.

            “We’re home, bro.” I mumbled under my breath and got out of the car. I grabbed my duffel from Ember as we all headed inside.

            “We’re back!” Gabe announced as we heard our mother squeal in happiness. She all but pounced on Gabe as Ember and I snickered.

            “Gabe!” Our mother announced as she hugged him tightly. Gabe hugged her back.

            “How long are you staying?” She asked as he shrugged

            “I dunno, mom.” Was his response as she narrowed her eyes; Ember and I shared a look as Gabe shifted around slightly.

            “A few days, I’m thinking” he responded. Mom smiled brightly at him as we hugged her.

            “When did you get back, mom?” Ember asked as mom looked at her phone.

            “Few hours ago.” She responded. I tilted my head

            “I thought you were on tour…?” I questioned as she looked at me. Her eyes penetrating me;

            “I still am, kid. I have a show in Dallas and thought I’d stop by.” She responded as I nodded.

            “We’ll be watching on TV. I take it the rest of the people are going?” Ember asked as she nodded.

            “That’s cool…” I said as mom tilted her head. I shook my head as I went upstairs to my room. I heard music being played as I opened the door to find my twin standing there. She turned as we shared a grin as I ran and hugged her, twirling her around as she laughed.

            “Miss me much, you dork?” She asked as we parted. I lightly shoved her as she shoved me back.

            “Hell yeah. You know you missed me!” I exclaimed as I set my bag by my desk and my duffel on my bed. Lili took her seat next to my duffel as I straddled my desk chair across from her.

            “How’s Underwood?” I asked her. She was still in her uniform as she shrugged.

            “Another year… The classes are challenging, which I like.” She answered as I rolled my eyes.

            “Obviously, you nerd” She smacked me as I lightly smacked her back.

            “How many classes do you have?” I asked as she sighs, I tilted my head.

            “Nine.” My eyes bugged out.

            “Holy shit! I only have seven!” I exclaimed as she laughed.

            “That’s public school—8 to 3” she shook her head as I snorted

            “What about you?” I asked her.

            “Oh. 9 to 5” I shook my head as she continued talking.

            “I’m taking:

1^st: Advanced Latin II

2^nd: Advanced Ancient Ruins

3^rd: Advanced Physics

4^th: Advanced Placement Calculus

5^th: Advanced English

6^th: Advanced Creative Writing

7^th:  AP Art History

8^th:  Advanced European History

9^th: AP Studio Art”

My eyes bugged out at her classes as she chuckled.

            “Holy shit, sis… That’s a lot of work!” I exclaimed, shocked as she laughs.

            “I know. Isn’t it wonderful?!” She happily exclaimed as I once again shook my head. She looked at the clock and stood. I stood with her.

            “I have to go, bro. I still have a lot of homework to do. At least we get tomorrow off because of teacher workshop or some shit.” She said as I nodded. I hugged her as we both walked downstairs and into the living room.

            “I have to go back now…” She said to mom as she nodded and got up. They both hugged as our dad hugged her. She hugged Gabe tightly as she waved to everybody else. Mom took Lili back to Underwood as I headed back upstairs. I walked over to my desk and pulled out my homework, mom resting in the doorway.

            “You have any laundry?” she asked as I nodded toward my duffel.

            “I was gonna do it later but I have homework and I did my chores” I spoke softly as she nodded. It was getting towards that time where mom had to head back to Dallas to do her concert. The adults left as Shawn was placed in charge.

            I munched on some food as I did my homework. I started with Pre-Calc as I worked on the worksheet. I snagged another piece of paper from my notebook as I did the work on there. I checked my answer again as I flipped over the worksheet. I was on my last piece of homework for the night—English. We had to write three essays on the stories we read and answer some questions on the novel we’re reading. I closed my thick English text book and packed up my stuff. I looked at the time as it said: 12:17am. I looked at my duffel and took out all my dirty, stinky clothes and walked downstairs. The front door opened as I went into the laundry room.

            “How was the concert?” I asked my dad as he smirked. When my father smirks, it’s either because he’s: About to do something or my mother did a wonderful job, or just something weird in general. I don’t try figuring out my father.

            “Was awesome, did you watch?” He asked as I nodded.

            “Yeah, I did. I also saw that huge mosh pit too” I looked at Jeff and Shannon as I shook my head as I washed my gym clothes along with Ember and her soccer uniform. I waited until they were done as I transferred them into the dryer. A few dry cycles later, I rested Ember’s clean uniform and gym clothes in her room as I quietly left. I went for my room as I quietly shut the door. I closed the window and the curtains and changed into my pajamas. I put on some ‘Green Day’ and lay down. I set my alarm and clicked it on. I shut off my bedside lamp and stared up at the ceiling as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

            I heard something against my window as my eyes darted over. I kept hearing it as I got up and wandered over. I peeked through the curtain as I saw Hoyt. I opened the window and looked at him.

            “Man, what the hell?!” I exclaimed, looking at him.

            “My mom’s driving me crazy!” He said. I looked at my clock as it read 2am. I sighed softly and waved him up.

            “C’mon up, man.” I invited him as he climbed the ladder I threw down. He climbed through the window as I collected the ladder and closed the window and curtains.

            “What’s she doing this time?” I asked him as he sat on my bed. I walked over to my closet and pulled out the extra blankets.

            “She’s sayin’ how I’ll go to hell ‘cause Brittney told her all of this crazy shit. I got home and she just went crazy.” He said, watching me. I rolled my eyes as I motioned him to keep talking.

            “I mean… Ever since my dad died… She just… Went off the deep end…” He continued. He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before continuing.

            “She also said that I’m going to hell and that Jesus can save me.” We both shared a look as we laughed.

            “I brought some clothes” He mentioned as I nodded. I handed him the blankets as I climbed back into my bed. He went over and laid on the futon as we kept talking for a few minutes before dropping off into sleep.

WEDNESDAY MORNING: 5:45am

            I awoke to Hoyt shaking me. I jerked out of my sleep as I sat up and looked at him.

            “What’s up, man?” I yawned out as he sat on my bed.

            “It’s raining out” He said as I looked out the window to find it raining—Hard.

            “It is. Is that why you woke me up?” I asked him as he shook his head.

            “Let’s go sit out on your porch… I can’t sleep anymore, man… I had a nightmare to where my mom was all freaking out and whatever…” He said as I sighed and shut off my alarm. The things I do for friends, I mused as I got out of bed, showered and got dressed. I waited for Hoyt as he showered and also got dressed. We both grabbed our backpacks and phones and quietly went downstairs. I unlocked the front door as we both sat out on the swing as it rained harder.

            “Did you wanna take the bus to school?” I asked him as he nodded. Hoyt usually stays over when his mom is being way too religious and he feels trapped—which is fine by me. I heard the door open as Hoyt and I looked up at my dad. He looked at us as he raised his eyebrow.

            “Hello, Mr. Calaway” Hoyt said as my dad nodded.

            “Hoyt. When did you get here?” He asked as he glanced at me.

            “Last night. Everybody was sleeping.” I responded to him, keeping my features impassive. My dad narrowed his eyes and then nodded. He knows I just lied to him as he walked back inside. I looked at my phone as it said 6:15am.

            “Vince, Jason, and Tommy all ride the same bus as us, so we’ll all sit together.” I mentioned as he nodded. Hoyt rode the bus, but other than that he just skateboarded. A few minutes later, Ember and our dad came out. I stood up and took her bag.

            “Dad’s taking me on his bike.” She grinned happily. I laughed softly shook my head. Ember loved our dad taking her out for rides and whatnot.

            “Okay sis.” I replied as she waved to Hoyt as he waved back, offering a smile. Her and my dad then walked off to the garage as I picked up my duffel, Ember’s duffel, and my backpack. We walked down the drive as Liam and Harley caught up with us.

            “You’re riding the bus?!” Liam exclaimed as I smacked him.

            “Hoyt, this is Liam and Harley… They’re twins.” I introduced them as Hoyt nodded. They waved back as we all stood by the bus stop. We all heard dad’s bike as he paused at the stop sign. Ember’s arms were around his stomach, her head resting on his back.

            “Don’t fall asleep, Em.” I warned her.

            “Yeah, Em. I fell asleep once… I almost fell off. Thankfully mom was on her bike behind us” Harley said as Ember nodded. She and dad then drove off as mine and Hoyt’s bus came to a stop. I nodded to my siblings as we spotted our friends. We sat in the seat in front of them as the bus took off. I saw Harley and Liam get on theirs as I turned to Vince.

            “What the hell, man?!” He asked me as I raised my eyebrow.

            “Hoyt snuck in through my window, man… At like, 3am!” I answered as Jason laughed.

            “Man… What did your dad say?” He asked as I shrugged, not responding. We talked for a little while longer as the bus pulled into the school. We were in the back so we were the last ones off. We all walked into the school as I saw Ember with her friends. It was now 7:45am as we all took our usual table. We all shot the bull as the bell rang. Vince and I walked to our English class as we sat in our desks.

            “Saw Lili last night” I looked at him as he chuckled.

            “How’s she doing?” He asked as I rolled my eyes.

            “Still a nerd, but doing well” I responded as he nodded.

Mr. Black called the class to attention as we all looked at him.

            “Today, we’re going to start a semester project.” He started as the class started talking. He silenced the class as he kept talking.

            “You’re going to be writing your own novel. It has to be school appropriate and it can be about any genre you want. It’s going to be worth 130 points.” He finished.

            “Hey, Junior’s mom can write it for him!” Buck said. Buck thinks he knows it all, but he doesn’t. I growled under my breath as he looked at me, smirking.

            “Isn’t that right, Junior? Have mama write it for you?” I glared at him.

            “At least I have a mom, Buck. At least she’s not some druggie who whore’s herself around!” I yelled at him as he glared at me. Mr. Black calmed the class as he got on topic about what we’re going to be doing today. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my anger. I knew I was broadcasting my anger, but I didn’t care. Buck keeps pissing me off and I was tired of it. I felt my phone buzz and found Mr. Black’s back to us. I took it out, opening the text.

Keep yourself calm, kid.

That’s the last thing we need.

Channel your anger and have you know what help you.

~Mom

I put my phone away as Mr. Black turned around.

            “Now turn in your assignments from last week and I have your tests back.” He mentioned as we all turned in our assignments, except Buck of course. Vince glanced at me and laughed softly.

            “What’s Buck even doing in here? He’s as dumb as a rock!” He whispered as I silently snickered. Bucks’ not very smart and to me, he shouldn’t even be here. Mr. Black came around with our tests as he placed mine on my desk. He smiled at me.

            “Very good, Junior.” He complemented me as he gave everybody else’s back. I looked at my test as it said: 100/100. I smiled as Vince showed me his as it said: 98/100.

            “Still an A-, dude.” We high fived as the class went over today’s material. We got a few worksheets and Mr. Black told us to keep reading the book as we went over it. Buck and I exchanged words. The bell rang as everybody packed up their stuff and booked it. I stood up with Vince as Mr. Black called my name.

            “Watch out for Ember. Tell the guys. I want her protected from Buck’s goons. Got it?” I requested as he nodded. I walked up to the desk as Mr. Black looked at me.

            “What’s going on between you and Buck?” He asked me. I looked at him.

            “One of his friends is or was bullying my little sister, Ember.” I answered him as he sighed.

            “That comment you made wasn’t appropriate, Junior.” He said as I nodded. Mr. Black and my mom went to college together, so they’re friends.

            “I know. I’m not sorry I said it or anything I say towards him.” He sighed and looked at me.

            “Don’t let it happen again while I’m in the classroom, okay?” I nodded and smothered my grin. He’s letting me get a free pass on insulting Buck. I just have to do it when he’s not around or in the classroom. Mr. Black wrote me out a pass for Health as I made my way to the room. I walked into the bathroom and found Buck leaning against the window as he glared at me.

            “You punk!” He said. I rolled my eyes as he advanced me.

            “I’m going to kill you.” He said.

            “Go ahead and try you loser. I’ll have you flat on your back in a matter of seconds.” I challenged him, smirking when he advanced me. I dropped my bag as he charged me. I dodged and kneed him in the stomach, punching him in the throat as he landed on his back. My eyes were golden as gave him a black eye. He looked at me as my eyes returned to their bluish green.

            “If you or your goons come near me, my friends, or my sister and her friends again, I’ll do more than beat you up.” I threatened as he nodded, whimpering faintly. I smirked in triumph as I left the bathroom, my backpack on my shoulder as I headed to class. I made sure not to leave any evidence that I had punched him or even touched him. I learned that from my mom. I’m glad I paid attention that day.

WENDESDAY AFTERNOON: Pre-Calc.

The day seemed to go by really fast as I joined Vince in Pre-Calc.

            “Dude… What happened with Mr. Black?” He asked. I grinned at him.

            “He told me to never let it happen again—while he’s in the classroom.” I laughed as we bumped fists.

            “Dude… That’s tight!” We laughed and bumped fists again. Mr. Cross called the class to attention. He had our tests in hand.

            “Turn in your worksheet and your packet.” He said as we all did. I took mine out of my book and passed them up. He watched us as he collected them, setting them on his desk.

            “Most of you did not pass this test. If you can’t handle the material on this test, then you might as well transfer out into an easier math class. People! This is ADVANCED Pre-Calc.” He lectured, watching everybody.

            “The material is only going to get harder.” He commented.

            “I have your tests right here and only a small handful of you passed” Vince and I shared a look as Mr. Cross kept talking.

            “I’m not going to say who, but for those who DID pass, congratulations” He then started to pass them out; he started on the left side of the room. Gabe had told me about Mr. Cross only because he had him when he was a sophomore here. He said Mr. Cross is a hard teacher and you have to earn respect. Kind of like my dad. He said that he was one of Mr. Cross’s favorites because he paid attention and kept an A average. So I’ll do what Gabe did. He also warned me to stay on Mr. Cross’s good side. Vince looked and leaned over to me.

            “Dude. I don’t think I did to well on the test” He said. I could tell he was worried.

            “Man, don’t worry about it. You probably did okay.” I reassured him as Mr. Cross handed Vince his test, he looked at me and my test, he handed it back to me.

            “Congratulations.” He said as I looked at it. I grinned. 100/100; I looked at Vince as he grinned back at me.

            “What’d you get?” I asked. He showed me his as he got a 97/100. We bumped fists as I heard other kids groan in dismay. I looked in front of me as Mr. Cross started going over the lesson. I took out my notebook and took down the notes. He went over the material fast. Thank God I paid attention when mom was teaching me some of this stuff. Mom taught me to read when I was about two years old. I’m a fast learner and I can pay attention and keep up. He gave us our homework and told us to work on it while he graded our worksheets and our packets.

            We took out my calculator as everybody started working. The bell rang as I was working on the second problem. Everybody started packing up their stuff as I paused when Mr. Cross called my name. I nodded towards Vince and walked up to Mr. Cross’s desk.

            “You wanted to see me?” I asked him as he nodded as he handed me my worksheet and packet.

            “This is some excellent work. I saw you went back and re-worked some problems. Kind of reminded me of a past student I used to have.” He mentioned. I had a feeling I knew which one he was talking about.

            “What was his/her name?” I asked him as he looked at me.

            “Gabe Orton” I chuckled softly.

            “He’s my older brother, sir.” I said as the class started to fill. He nodded and stood up.

            “Well, good work, Calaway. Keep it up.” Then he walked over to the file as I left the room. I saw Hoyt waiting for me.

            “What was that about?” He asked as I shrugged.

            “Just told me I reminded him of Gabe. That’s all” He nodded as he headed to Psychology;

Psychology… I guess you could call it one of my favorite classes. Mrs. Swan called the class to order after the bell had rung again.

            “I told you yesterday that you’re going to be working on a 100 point project. A few of you came up to me yesterday after class and this morning. I’m going to match you up.” She said as she started matching us up. Hoyt and I got partnered up as did a few of the others who asked.

            “I know we haven’t gone over a lot of the material, but the packet I gave you should have helped you as a guideline of what’s to follow. I’ve assigned you topics and you’ll do your research on it. You each have to do one. So your partner will do one, and you’ll do one. Then you’ll both do one together. So it’s going to be three in total.” She paused for a moment, gathered her thoughts as she passed around a packet.

            “In addition, most of you are wondering why you’re each to do one, instead of just ONE for the project, well, the answer is simple. You’ll be working on your own at first because I want to see what you’re able to do on your own, and then when you work with your partner, I want to be able to see that you BOTH did EQUAL parts of the work. People, you cannot afford to slack off on this project. I have been teaching along time and I know when somebody BS’s this or any project we do. I’m not lenient on grades and I give a very hard critique.” She addressed the class as she walked around each desk, handing us a packet.

            “I’m passing out the project and what’s to be expected. I’ll read off what your topics are and then we’ll go from there.” She mentioned as she read off her list to each student.

            “Junior, you’re doing: Drug and Alcohol addiction” I nodded as I wrote it down.

            “Hoyt, you’re doing: Anorexia and Bulimia”

            “You’ll both be doing as a group: Bipolar Disorders” We both nodded as we both looked at the packet.

            “The group project is due the 24^th of October, but the individual project is due the 5^th of October.” She mentioned as I wrote the dates down. I glanced over as Jake raised his hand.

            “How many points is the individual project?” He asked. Mrs. Swan smiled at him.

            “I’m glad you asked, Jake. The individual project is worth 100 points. Together, it’s a 200 point project.” Whispers went around the classroom as Mrs. Swan calmed the class. We went over the lesson for today as we got assigned a two page packet and some questions that we have to answer after we read 2 chapters. I was reading the chapter we were supposed to read as the bell rang.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: 10:25pm.

            I walked down to the MC (Medical Center) as the doors whooshed open. I walked over to Glenn’s collection of addiction books and stacked the ones that looked important. I also took a few files on addiction as I walked back upstairs. I backtracked when Glenn called my name.

            “What’re you doing?” He curiously asked me as I looked at the books and then him.

            “Psych project.” Was my answer he nodded as I dropped them off in my room; I sat at my desk and looked at my math test. The big red ‘A’ caught my attention as I stared at it. A few minutes later, I shook my head as I started on the worksheets Mr. Cross handed out. I took out my notes and my calculator as I started. Half-way between me being done, I had to take out another piece of paper. I shook out my hand as I continued working. This was the last worksheet as I glanced at the clock. It read 11:25pm as I looked down at my bag. Dare I say it looks like an all-nighter? I double checked all my Pre-Calc homework before putting it away in my bag as I got out my Health packet. I did the whole packet because I knew everything. I sighed softly. I need to talk to my counselor tomorrow and ask if I can switch out… I noted as I took out my Chemistry next.

            By the time I finished everything, well… Almost everything, it was well into being 2am. I looked at the guideline for the novel we’re writing and got a few brainstorming ideas. I wrote them down as worked on the study guide for mom’s book. I put that away as I took out my Psychology homework. I did what was assigned as I read through the packet for the individual project. I wanted to get an idea of what I had to and when certain parts were due. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, forcing them to focus. I looked at my clock as it read: 2:04am. I groaned softly and continued to read about drug addiction as I started taking notes. These books are pretty damn good on this stuff… I noted as I continued to read and flip through them. I dropped my pen and leaned back in my chair, groaning as my back popped as I rubbed my eyes. It was 3:12am and I had to be up two hours. I picked my pen back up as I drifted off to sleep.

THURSDAY MORNING: 5:00AM

            I jerked awake when I felt vibrations on my face. I wiped my drool and looked at my phone. It was a text from Vince.

TURN ON YOUR TV!

HURRY!

~Vince

I turned on my TV as it showed Buck’s picture. I turned up the volume as it showed police at his house.

            “What the…?” I questioned as my phone rang. I answered it, eyes still glued to the TV.

            “Dude… Are you watching this crazy shit?!” Vince said a hint of excitement in his voice.

            “Yeah, dude… What the hell?” I asked him

            “Keep watching, dude.” Was all he said; I told him to hold on. I lowered the phone and listened to the TV announcer.

            “High school student Buck Butch has committed suicide early this morning. His brother had called 911 when he found him. It also appears that his friends have also committed suicide. They were found by their parents as they hung themselves from their closet door. It’s known as the ‘Choking Game’ where they do that for the high. Back to you, Mitch…” I put the phone back to my ear as I didn’t know what to say.

            “Crazy shit, isn’t it?” He said

            “Yeah, man… It is…” Was all I said; I had to tell Ember.

            “Dude, I’ll see you at school. I have to tell Ember” We hung up as I made my way into Ember’s room. I sat on her bed as I shook her awake.

            “Em… Wake up!” I said as I shook her harder. She bolted awake as she looked at me.

            “What?” She yawned

            “Butch is dead” I replied. She looked at me with wide eyes

            “Did you kill him?!” I snorted

           “Really, Em? No! He committed suicide by playing the Choking Game.” I answered. She tilted her head. I sighed softly.

            “The choking game is where you hang yourself off your closet door, cutting off your circulation to get a high.” I explained as she nodded.

            “Did he video tape it?” She asked as I shrugged.

            “I don’t know.” I got up she shut off her alarm. I left her room to leave her to get ready. I walked over to my parent’s room as I opened the door and walked over to the bed. I saw my mom next to dad as I smiled. I shook my dad as he jolted awake, which in turn woke my mother. They saw me as mom yawned.

            “What’s wrong?” She asked as I remained quiet. They both become more awake as I sat at the foot of the bed.

            “You know Buck? The bully?” I asked them as they shared a look and nodded.

            “Well… He committed suicide this morning and so did his friends.” I told them as my parents sighed.

            “No, I didn’t kill him! I just beat him up in the boy’s bathroom yesterday!” I told them as they both nodded. Dad wasn’t really happy, but mom found that amusing.

            “I already told Ember…” I told them.

            “How’d he die?” Mom asked as I tilted my head.

            “The Choking Game” I replied as she shook her head.

            “Sucks for him, I guess.” I nodded in agreement.

            “Have you been to bed?” Dad asked me as I shook my head

            “Does falling asleep at my desk at 3am count?” I asked as he shook his head.

            “I had a lot of homework to do…” I replied, yawning. I rubbed my eyes again.

            “You look like you just smoked a bowl” my mom said, laughing. I chuckled as my dad shook his head. That’s mom for you. She’ll try to defuse a tense situation with humor and she usually succeeds.

            “Personally, I’m glad that prick is dead!” We all looked at Ember as she closed the door. She was wearing basketball shorts and an All Time Low t-shirt. She also had on her necklace and choker, with her bracelets and rings. She walked over and sat next to me, legs crossing.

            “That creep would bully me and he threatened to kill me.” She reminded us as I growled softly.

            “I can’t believe I’m saying this… Ember, you can’t speak ill of the dead… Even if the damn prick did deserve to go to hell. I hope Lucifer rips him a new asshole.” I said with a grin as my mother wacked me with a pillow, my father wacked me with one also.

            “What?! It’s true. Every day, you guys.” I looked at Ember as she confirmed that with a firm nod of her head.

            “That’s enough!” My mother ordered as Ember and I calmed down.

            “Do you think the police will question you?” Ember asked me as I shrugged.

            “I dunno… Probably not.” I answered her; I cleared my throat as I shrugged.

            “If they do, I’m just going to tell him that he tried to kill you and that I hit him in self-defense” She nodded

            “But didn’t you threaten to kill one of his goons?” I rolled my eyes.

            “Yeah, but my alibi doesn’t fit the time of his death, Em.” I confirmed

            “Oh yeah? You could say that you were here doing homework, but nobody saw you. For all we know, you could have been out killing him!” She accused as I tackled her. We playfully rolled around.

            “There was a witness. Marcus was in my room all last night.” I stuck my tongue out at her as I got off her. We both got back on the bed as our parents looked at us.

            “What?” We said in union as mom shook her head.

            “Nice to know that all those cop shows have had an influence on you” She teased as Em and I shared a look, then rolled our eyes. I looked at the clock as it said 5:30am.

            “C’mon, Em. Let’s go watch more of the news. I’m sure mom and dad wanna get dressed and whatever.” I commented as I got up and was already out the door as Ember joined me, shutting the door. We walked back to my room as she shut the door. She walked over and opened my curtains and window. She sat back on my bed as I showered. I walked out in my towel and got dressed in my closet. I walked back out in red cargo shorts with chains hanging off and a ‘Suicide Silence’ shirt on. I ‘hawked my hair as I joined Ember out in my room. I turned the radio on softly as I sat on my bean bag chair, watching TV.

            “Police are now talking with witnesses who last saw Buck.”

            “Such a tragedy” one said

            “He was such a sweet, caring boy” An older woman said.

            “I feel sorry for the family” Another woman said.

I nearly gagged as I looked at Ember. She rolled her eyes at me as she turned off my alarm.

            “I wonder how school is going to go today?” she wondered aloud as thunder clapped loudly, drawing our attention outside. Once again, it’s raining heavily. I sighed softly as Liam poked his head in the door.

            “Mom was wondering if you both are coming down for dinner?” He asked as Ember shut off the TV. We both nodded as I grabbed my bags and shut off my lights, leaving my radio on. Ember picked her bags up from my door way as all three of us walked downstairs.

            I sat in my spot as the rest of the guys passed around breakfast. Ember and I shared a look as we just grabbed some bacon and eggs. We ate in silence as mom came down carrying a sleepy Willow. She sat Will on her lap as Will leaned into her, dropping back off into sleep once again, but she munched on some toast that mom placed in front of her. I sighed softly and pushed my plate away. Somehow, I wasn’t very hungry this morning and apparently, Ember wasn’t either.

            “What’s up with you two?” Harley asked us as she munched on some bacon.

            “Not hungry” Ember replied, glancing at her.

Mom gave Harley a look as she dropped the subject. I picked up my bags as Ember and I headed outside. I paused and looked back at mom.

            “I’m really glad you’re home, mom” I said as I walked outside. I could feel her smile on my back Ember and I walked to our bus stop. We stood under her umbrella as I yawned again.

            “Hope you don’t fall asleep during any classes.” Ember said as I laughed.

            “I think they’re going to do some kind of tribute towards the prick and his friends. I’ll fall asleep during that.” She shoved me as I finished my sentence. I laughed and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. The bus came around as we got on it. We were the 3^rd to last stop as kids talked about the deaths that happened. I sat with my friends as I yawned again.

            “Crazy shit!” Jason announced as we all nodded. I looked at Hoyt.

            “You look like you’ve done a few rounds with a bear” I commented as he sighed.

            “Ha-Ha, very funny. When my mom saw the news, she went all ape shit and started praying to God that I don’t end up going to hell…” We winced in sympathy.

            “My parents just told me never to do that stupid game. Then we ate breakfast and my dad headed to work” Tommy added.

            “My parents just laughed” Jason stated. I raised an eyebrow.

            “Well, my mom found it amusing and my dad didn’t really think anything of it. Ember thought he deserved it.” I added in. We all shared a chuckle as the bus stopped and a few more kids got on.

            “Your mom got back from tour last night or early this morning?” Vince asked as I shrugged.

            “Dunno. When Vince called, I woke Ember up and told her. First words outta her mouth were ‘Did you kill him?’” I rolled my eyes as they started laughing.

            “Keep laughing, you ass clowns. Don’t be surprised if the police come and talk to me.” I warned, glancing at Ember, making sure she didn’t hear any of this.

            “I beat Buck up in the boy’s bathroom yesterday and threatened to kill him and his goon if he went near Ember again” I muttered. They all looked at me.

            “I have a solid alibi, so I’m not worried.” I reassured them as they nodded.

            “Besides, I have proof that I was in my room when he was killing himself” I smartly said. They tilted their heads, watching me.

            “I have my… pet dog.” They all burst out laughing. I just chuckled softly, shaking my head.

            “Whatever, man.” I mumbled as I looked out the window as the bus pulled in front of the school. The busses unloaded as my friends and I made our way inside. I sipped on my energy drink as we sat in our usual spots.

            “At least we don’t have to worry about Buck bulling us anymore!” One of Ember’s friends commented as they passed. I noticed Ember nodding in response.

            “Ember!” I called out her name. She stopped and looked back at me.

            “Yeah?” she asked as I looked at her.

            “If the police question you, just tell them what he did to you. Remember, mom has friends in the force!” We shared a laugh as she continued on her way. I turned back to my friends as Tommy looked at me. I raised an eyebrow.

            “What?” I asked

            “Your mom was really a cop, too?” I nodded.

            “Yeah. She was a homicide detective” He whistled low as I stretched, shrugging.

            “I wonder what they’ll be doing for tribute today…” Hoyt wondered. I shrugged in response.

            “I could care less.” I responded as I finished off my Monster. I belched as Jason and I bumped fists. The bell rang as Vince and I headed off for English. I walked in as kids started whispering. Vince and I took our seats as the final bell rang. Mr. Black came in as he shut the door. He sat in his stool, gathering his thoughts.

            “It’s a no brainer that everybody’s heard about Buck’s death.” He started as kids agreed. Just then, Mr. Garcia—The school principal’s voice came on the intercom.

            “As you all have heard, five kids all committed suicide this morning. We are all feeling the loss of their deaths. Grief counseling will be available in the library. That’s all” Mr. Black looked around the class.

            “Do you think they did it for suicide?” He asked the class. Nobody raised their hands.

            “Did they seem suicidal to you?” He asked again as murmurs went around the room. I rolled my eyes and raised my hand. He called on me.

            “They didn’t really commit suicide. If you all had paid attention to detail, you would have seen the strangulation marks on his neck. It’s from self-strangulation. Buck and his friends were playing the Choking Game. Only this time, they died. Yeah, it’s a tragic shame and people close to him will miss him, but other than that, nobody cares.” I said as the class agreed with me. Mr. Black just looked at me and shook his head. Vince smacked my leg as he noticed the police officer.

            “Junior, we’d like to talk to you in Mr. Garcia’s office.” I recognized the officer. I gathered my books as I walked out of the class.

            “Hey, Uncle Dawg.” I smirked to myself. He looked at me as he got to the office, I saw my dad sitting as I joined him. I sat next to him as Dawg and Roy sat across from us.

            “What’s was the deal with you and Buck?” Roy asked me as I leaned forward.

            “His goon threatened to kill my little sister. I beat the crap out of him to teach him a lesson” I responded. But I continued.

            “Buck and I had words in English class yesterday morning and when I went to the bathroom, he threatened to kill me and he charged me. I beat him out of self-defense and left. I never did get to go to the bathroom until after lunch.” I finished as they wrote it all down.

            “What else happened” Roy asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.

            “What do you mean ‘What happened?’” I asked

            “I mean: Did you go to his house?” I started to laugh, but my dad nudged me. I looked at him.

            “No. I didn’t.”

            “Where were you this morning between the times of 2 and 4am?” Dawg asked me. I looked at him.

            “I was doing my homework and I fell asleep at my desk. There IS a witness, so my alibi checks out.” I said smartly. I heard my father growl quietly.

            “Oh? Who’s this witness?” Dawg asked, leaning forward.

            “My twin, Lili” I told them. I glanced at dad as he tilted his head.

            “We hung out for a bit as she stayed up with me, she was doing her homework also”

            “Does she go here?” Roy asked as I shook my head

            “No. She goes to Underwood” I watched Roy make a note of that.

            “Is that all? I have to go talk to my counselor about a class.” They both nodded as I gathered my books.

            “If we have any more questions—“

            “If you have any more questions, call my mom, detective Mustang. She’s in town.” I sneered at him as I left. I was pissed off. How dare he accuse me of killing Buck! I bristled with anger as I made my way to my locker. I put in the combination as I switched out books right as the bell rang. I grabbed my health book and headed to the counselor. I walked in as I requested to see my counselor. He called me back and smiled at me.

            “What can I do for ya?” He asked me as I sat.

            “I was wondering if I could switch out of my health class. It’s way too easy and I know almost all the stuff he’s teaching.” I asked. He typed my name into the computer and looked at my schedule.

            “You have a busy schedule, don’t you?” He asked me as I nodded.

            “Yes, sir. I do. I wanted to challenge myself this year and that’s what I’m doing. I’ll do so for next year and then hopefully take it easy my senior year.” I responded as he smiled.

            “Yeah. I don’t see a problem with switching you out. What would you like to take?” He asked as I thought for a moment.

            “Is Advanced Spanish Literature offered second period?” I asked him as he typed it in.

            “It is. But that’s only offered for juniors and seniors” He said as I tapped my chin.

            “How about Advanced Spanish I?” He suggested as I nodded.

            “Okay.” I agreed as he switched me out.

            “You’ll only speak Spanish in that class, so be ready” he warned me. I nodded.

            “Do I just turn my health book into the library to get my Spanish text book?” I asked him as he nodded. He handed me my new schedule as I took it and stood.

            “Thanks, Mr. Brooks.” He nodded as I left for the library. I walked in as I spotted Jason’s class. I nodded to him as I walked up to the librarian. I took out my health book.

            “I’d like to turn this one in and get an Advanced Spanish I book?” I asked as he smiled at me.

            “Of course… Student ID?” I took it out of my wallet as he scanned my thick text book. He handed it to me as I thanked him. I put my ID back in my wallet and trashed all my health papers. I glanced at my schedule as I looked at the room number. The class would be upstairs. I climbed the stairs as I took a right, and headed to the end of the hall. I paused for a moment as I walked into the classroom. The teacher smiled at me, walking up to me.

            “You must be Junior!” She said as I nodded.

            “Yeah… That’s me.” I responded. I looked around the class as it had some upper-classmen.

            “You can sit next to Dex” I nodded as I sat next to the blonde. I glanced at the page and opened my text book to the same page. I took out my notebook and took notes. Halfway through class when everybody was working on the assignment, the teacher called me up to her desk.

            “I understand that you transferred into this class, am I correct?” I nodded.

            “Okay. I’m going to have you work on these assignments and whatnot. We haven’t had our first test yet, but we will on Friday.” She said as she handed me a small stack of papers.

            “It’s all pretty easy; some kids struggled with it because of the verbs and tenses.” She added as she also handed me today’s worksheets and then a thickish packet.

            “I told them to just work through as much as they can and that we’ll be working on it in class also. And starting tomorrow, we’ll be speaking in Spanish only” I nodded as I sat back down. I started working through the packet as I flipped through my book on some parts. Dex watched me as I paused, glancing at him.

            “Yes?” He shook his head

            “Nothin’ man. Just curious on how you know so much Spanish” I chuckled softly.

            “I live with Rey Mysterio and I’ve lived in Southern California.” He shook his head.

            “No way man. You mean the wrestler?” I nodded as he gaped at me.

            “Whoa… That’s tight” I shrugged slightly as we got back to work

The bell rang as I packed everything up. The text book was heavier than the health book as I walked out of the class. I caught up with Tommy.

            “Hey, man” I said as we walked in pace, both of us heading downstairs.

            “You don’t have health up here.” He commented as I smirked.

            “I got switched out. I’m in Advanced Spanish I” he nodded

            “That’s tight, dude.” We talked for a little bit as we walked to our lockers. My locker’s by Vince and two down from me is Hoyt. Tommy and Jason were near the freshmen, which was good cause then they could look out for Ember. I gave Ember her space and so did the guys. I told her that I and the guys would be watching out for her. She didn’t seem to mind at all. I grabbed my Pre-Calc book, notebook, calculator, and folder and binder. I headed upstairs again as I sat in my spot. I found Vince checking his work.

            “Hey J… When were these worksheets due?” He asked me as my eyebrow rose.

            “He gave us two worksheets. Both of them double sided. They’re due today, dude.” I said as I pulled mine out. I leaned back in my seat as I took out my phone to find a text message from Lili.

Thanks for letting me know I’m covering for you, asshole.

The police didn’t come for me, but I lied to dad.

You’re lucky I love you.

~Lili

I winced slightly as I responded.

Sorry, Lili… A lot’s going on.

~Junior

Mr. Cross called the class to attention.

            “Turn in your worksheets.” He said as I passed mine forward.

            “I hope everybody did the worksheets and the bonus question.” He mentioned as Vince and I shared a glance. I did the bonus question. Took me a few tries, but I finally got it. I just hope I did it right.

            “I’m handing back your worksheets and packets from yesterday. Like I said: Some of you need to transfer out because you’re not getting the material! I’m here in the morning and after school if you have any questions.” He reminded us as I looked at Vince’s papers, my packet was resting on top of my book. He looked back at me as I looked at his scores: 100 and 98%

            “Those are good scores, dude.” I said. He looked at me.

            “What’d you get?” He asked as I showed him.

            “I got 100 and 100” He looked at me and shook his head.

            “It’s not that hard. The only part that takes time is writing it all out” I commented as I watched Mr. Cross write on the whiteboard.

            “Most of you did a good job on your worksheet and packet. We’ll be going over some new material while we’re still in Chapter one. We’ll have a review of Relations and Functions and Composition of functions. The new material will be Graphing Linear Equations. Pay attention and take notes. Ask questions if you don’t understand.” I was ready. We started going over everything.

            By the time Mr. Cross was done explaining about Graphing Linear Equations, my brain started hurting. I had a hand cramp. I shook my head as Mr. Cross went over to his desk and picked up some packets.

            “These first two packets are from what we went over as is the worksheets I’m passing out to you. You have problems from the book to do also.” He said as he passed them all out. He went and picked up another packet.

            “This packet I’m handing out is a review of the first two sections we just went over. Show ALL your work.” He emphasized on ALL because I know some kids don’t like showing their work. I looked at the clock. Two more minutes until the bell rang and then lunch.

            “This is all due Friday” He concluded as the bell rang. I walked out of the class with Vince as we caught up with the others in the line.

            “Man… Mr. Cross runs his class fast paced!” Vince complained as I rolled my eyes.

            “Yeah well… I think it’s all easy… Except that damn bonus question from last night’s worksheet; that had me stumped.”

            “Hey, how DID you finally solve that?” I looked at him, rubbing the back of my neck.

            “I had Lili come over.” I sheepishly said. He wacked me as I wacked him back. I grabbed a tray and went over to the pizza line. I grabbed a pepperoni pizza, fries, two milks, Jell-O, and mini corndogs. I pressed my finger and went on my way. I put ketchup on my mini corndogs and on my fries as I sat down with the guys.

            “You hungry?” Jason asked me as I snorted.

            “You’re tray is more full than mine.” I commented as he rolled his eyes.

            “Yes, I’m hungry. I didn’t eat breakfast.” I replied as we all started eating.

            “Guess who’s not in health anymore!” Tommy exclaimed, nudging me.

            “What’d you switch into?” Hoyt asked me as he bit into his pizza.

            “Advanced Spanish I” He shook his head as I raised an eyebrow.

            “I wanted Advanced Spanish Literature, but Mr. Brooks said that it was only available to juniors and seniors” I shrugged slightly.

            “It’s no big deal, I’ll just sign up for it next year” They all shrugged as we talked about sports and whatever it is we talked about.

            “Oh. I got questioned by the police” I said as I polished off my pizza and milk. My friends just looked at me, eyes wide.

            “What did you say?” They all asked in union.

            “I told them the truth. They called my dad, dude.” I yawned as I polished off my mini corn dogs, fries, and my other milk.

            “Apparently, they called in Ember, too. She told them I did it in self-defense for her.” I added in as I ate my Jell-O. It was blue today. I watched my friends scarf down their food. I set my empty Jell-O cup on my tray along with my spoon.

            “Guys, you know we shouldn’t have eaten all this food, right?” Hoyt told us as I shrugged.

            “Oh well. S&C will help me digest my food faster” Tommy remarked as we all rolled our eyes. We got up and threw our trash away, putting our trays on top of everybody else’s. We then went to our lockers and grabbed our books for our next class. I don’t usually like to stop after S&C so I just grab the books I need for whatever class is next and go from there.

            Jason, Tommy, Vince, Hoyt and I all had S&C together, so we walked down into the locker rooms and changed. I placed my books into the locker and got into my basketball shorts and tank. I put on my gym shoes and stretched out.

            “This is going to be a slow class period” I commented as everybody nodded.

And so it was a very, very, slow class period. It was ridiculous at how slow it was. I showered and got dressed as the bell rang. I headed upstairs for History as I took my seat. The teacher—Mr. Watson, was sitting behind his desk, grading papers. I slipped out my packet from my textbook as I looked over it. I didn’t have any of my friends in this class, so I just kept to myself. When the final bell rang, Mr. Watson got up and stood in front of the room, fresh packets in his hands.

            “I hope you all have your homework all done.” He said in his British accent.

            “Pass up your packet from last night. The packet I’m handing out to you now is covering sections 2-15 in Chapter ONE” He said as he passed it out, I got mine and I leafed through it. It was a pretty thick packet as I wrote my name up at the top as he took last night’s worksheets, placing them on his desk.

            “We’ll be taking our first test on Friday, so study and go over this study guide. Do sections 2-5 tonight. Our test will cover section one as well.” He spoke as we went over today’s lesson. I wrote down notes as he passed back a worksheet.

            “We will also be starting a project today that’ll be due at the end of September.” He said as he passed out a packet that went over the guidelines and whatever for the project.

            “This is a 90 point project and I expect you to do well on it. I’ll know if you’ve done it last minute. It’s individual and I’ve assigned you a topic. I expect you to write a good, lengthy paper on your topic. The more you write, the more possible points you get. The minimum is 5 pages.” I looked at the topics and names on the page. He started reading out the topics as he got to me.

            “Junior… You got Slavery and The Declaration of Independence” I nodded and wrote them down.

            “You’ll have to look up on the internet and your textbook will have some stuff, also.” He mentioned as we all got to work on our study guide assignments.

            “Oh. Before I forget, I’m assigning you work from the book too. As you read throughout the section, answer the questions they provide.” Groans went around the classroom as I wrote that down, too. I had just answered my first question when the bell rang. I packed up my stuff and headed to my locker. I found Ember leaning against it as I smiled at her.

            “Sup?” I asked as she shrugged.

            “Nothing. You?”

            “I got switched into Advanced Spanish I!”

            “I was wondering why you were in the foreign language department…Ha” I chuckled softly.

            “How’s soccer going?” She shrugged.

            “We’ve got a game this Friday”

            “So do we” We both looked at each other.

            “Now that mom’s home, she’ll want to see both games.” Ember said as I shrugged slightly.

            “They can go to your game.” I said as I got my Psychology books. I closed and locked my locker as I took Ember to her last class.

            “Are you sure?” She asked me as I yawned again.

            “I don’t care, Em” I dropped her off and once again climbed the stairs. By the time I got to Psychology, I was dead tired. I wanted to collapse. I needed a nap. I dropped into my chair as Hoyt looked at me.

            “I looked up some stuff on our topic.” He started as I nodded. Yawning.

            “I know… I did too.” I agreed with him.

            “What are you doing for your two topics?” He asked me as I blinked at him.

            “I’m writing a paper for the drug addiction and I’m doing another paper for alcohol addiction. You?”

            “I’m doing a power point for anorexia and I had planned on writing a paper for bulimia.” I nodded.

            “What’re we gonna do for our group project?” I tapped my chin.

            “We could do a poster board? Have one side explain what Bipolar disorder I and II are and then somewhere in the middle, we could explain whatever else we have left to explain?” I planned out at his nod.

            “Yeah, that sounds like a plan”

The bell rang as Mrs. Swan called the class to order.

            “I hope that you and your partner are discussing your projects. Most of you may have found a theme with your topics I chose for you. Let me use Junior and Hoyt for an example. The topics they got have to do with the brain… Some of you have something to do with the body, brain and whatever else you got. I hope that you are working on your project—Group AND individual.” The class nodded as I took out the homework.

            “Now, everybody should turn in their questions that they had assigned to them last night.” The sound of rustling around and paper being torn from notebooks could be heard.

            “Pass them up to the front and I’ll be giving you two worksheets as review from what we’ve gone over. We’ll have a quiz tomorrow.” She announced as she picked up all the papers from the front as we got the worksheets. They looked relatively easy. We were still working on Chapter One as we did the sections. Mrs. Swan stood in front of the room and wrote on the whiteboard as we went over the lesson. We got some new material and a thin packet and some worksheets. We got some articles that we had to read and write notes on the side.

            “Highlight the important stuff or what YOU think is important. You have the rest of class.” She announced as she sat at her desk. I took out my highlighter as Hoyt turned to face me.

            “Vince asked me to give this to you.” He said as I took his English notebook. I smiled at him, nodding as he turned back around. I read the first paragraph of the article and started high lighting. I also wrote on the side. The room was silent as time seemed to fly forward as the bell rang. I packed up my stuff as Hoyt and I walked out of the room and to our lockers. I packed up my backpack with all my books as I grunted softly. I heard a rip, tear, and thud. Hoyt and I looked at my fallen backpack as we shared a look.

            “I think it’s time to officially retire that backpack, man. You’ve had it since forever. I don’t think duct tape can fix it this time.” Hoyt said as he rested a hand on my shoulder.

            “What about Super Glue?” He shook his head as I gave a dejected sigh.

            “I guess that means I have to tell my parents I need a new backpack. To which my mother will look at me and say ‘I told you so.’ And then we’ll go out and buy me one.” I sighed softly as I picked up the good strap, closed my locker as we headed to practice.

            Coach was running us hard today and we’re only warming up! By the time we got done running our 5^th lap, my lungs were protesting. We did pushups and sit ups as we did 30 squats. By now, my legs are protesting. I ran and lifted a lot today in S&C. We got into formation and did a few drills. (Okay. A ‘few’ means we did the same drill three times, and then we changed it up. When coach came from the school we’re going against this Friday, he said that ‘We’re going to beat them and I know how, too!’) – But still. With practice being over, the guys and I limped back into the locker room and showered.

            “My legs hurt” Tommy moaned out as we all groaned in agreement. I dried off and got dressed as I sat with a sigh of relief. I rested for a few minutes as I slipped my converse’s on. The rest of the guys were showered and dressed also. I grabbed my broken backpack and shuffled out.

            “Junior! Wait up!” I heard Hoyt as he tried to hurry up to me. I paused and waited.

            “What time did you want me to come over?” He asked as we looked at the stairs and then the door. We went for the latter and went for the door. We walked back outside as it started to rain again. I sighed softly.

            “I’ll text you…” I answered him as we spotted his mom and my mom parked out in front. I winced in sympathy at him as he gave me the ‘You are not making me ride home with that bitch, are you?!’ I mouthed ‘Sorry, man’ and we got into our respective vehicles. We watched Hoyt’s mom rush out as my mom started going too.

            “New backpack, son?” she asked as I looked at her.

            “Yeah…” I replied, looking out the window.        

            “Where did you wanna go to get it?” She asked me as I shrugged.

            “Doesn’t matter to me” I replied as she glanced at me.

            “Hmm. How about Dick’s?” she asked as I nodded.

            “Sounds good to me!”

We got to Dick’s pretty quickly as we both got out. I winced as I walked with my mom. She lightly touched my arm as I started to feel a lot better. I smiled at her.

            “Thanks, mom” She smiled and ruffled my hair. We both walked in as we spotted dad and Willow.

            “Father-daughter bonding?” I asked as she nodded. We headed over to the backpacks as I looked around. I found a backpack as I paid for it. It was only $40.00. Mom and I walked out and into the truck.

            We arrived back home after mom and I made a trip to the mall and the grocery store. I hauled my old backpack, new backpack, my stuff from the mall and some groceries. I put the groceries in the kitchen as I headed upstairs. I thanked my mom as I opened my bedroom door and set everything down. I unpacked my backpack and decided to lay down for a nap.

           

THURSDAY NIGHT: 6:50pm

            I rolled over to hear fingers clicking away on a lap top. I opened my eyes and blurrily found Hoyt sitting with his back to me.

            “Man…When did you get here?” I groggily asked him as he turned around and smiled.

            “An hour ago.” Was his reply as I got up and walked over to him. He was working on his report for Bulimia. He had a few medical books open that I had borrowed last night.

            “I see you bought a new backpack.” He teased. I lightly thwapped him on the back of the head as I noticed my laptop pushed back.

            “I hope you don’t mind… But I brought my own” He said as I shook my head

            “Nah man. It’s cool”

We worked on our bipolar project as I noticed that he had the poster board. I wandered over and grabbed it, opening it as I started getting ideas.

            “So I was thinking that this left panel could have manic bipolar and the right could have hypomanic. They’re pretty big in size, so we should be able to fit some good information.” I informed him as he nodded, looking at the board. I could tell he was thinking about something. We had to stop when Hoyt’s mother called him, demanding him home. We sighed as he packed up the stuff.

            “I’ll keep it here, dude.” He nodded and packed up his laptop. We both walked downstairs as we spotted my parents talking in the living room. They looked up at us.

            “I’m going to take Hoyt home.” I announced as my mother tilted her head

            “I’ll be skateboarding.” I announced.

            “Take Kya with you.” Just then, Kya appeared, leash in her mouth. I nodded and hooked it on her.

            “Thank you for having me over, Mr. and Mrs. Calaway” Hoyt politely thanked him as they smiled back.

            “You’re welcome anytime, Hoyt.” My mother invited as Hoyt smiled. We both walked outside and skateboarded to his house. Seeing as I don’t live in town, it’ll take a while. Hoyt doesn’t live in town either, more of the country side. We got to his house about 20 minutes later as we bumped fists. I watched him go inside as I walked out of sight. I looked at Kya as she transformed. I grinned and climbed on her back as she flew home. The breeze felt nice as I looked around, absently stroking her fur. She descended the skies as Randy and dad looked up. She landed as I got off Kya. I rubbed her head as she shrunk back into her kitten form. She then jumped up on my shoulder as I tilted my head.

            “What?” They both shook their heads as I walked back inside. I grabbed some chips from the kitchen and made my way back upstairs. Kya jumped onto mom’s lap, settling down as I jogged upstairs. Once I got into my room, I looked at the pile of homework that I had to do. I stifled a groan and got to work.

            Half-way through my Spanish homework, I heard a knock on my door. I kept working as I told whoever it was to come in. I glanced up when mom came in with a plate of food.

            “It’s your favorite—pizza and chips” my stomach growled loudly as I flushed slightly. I heard her laugh as I took the plate and thanked her.

            “I’m glad you’re challenging yourself, son. Just don’t overdo it, okay?” She requested as I nodded.

            “I’ll try, mom…” I devoured the pizza as I found a few more slices as she handed me a Pepsi.

            “Did you ever do this?” I asked her as she tilted her head

            “Do what?” she asked

            “Challenge yourself during high school?” She laughed and grabbed a chair, straddled it and sat across from me.

            “Of course I did! To the point of exhaustion and beyond.” My eyes widened slightly as she continued;

            “I started drugs when I was 16, as you know, ‘cause I was battling with my flashbacks of what Darla did to me” I nodded

            “Well… When I had started high school, I sighed up for advanced classes, or as many as a freshman could take while still taking the required classes. I have a very high IQ and so I actually skipped freshman year and they put me in sophomore.” She paused, gathering her thoughts as I munched on my pizza and chips.

            “I went to Mountain Brook High School. It was a small school. But your uncles and I all went. Your uncle Dean was a senior when I was supposed to be a freshmen; Justin was a freshmen, so we hung out together a lot.” She paused again. My uncle Justin died of cancer a month or two ago and it devastated my mother. She and Justin were twins and they were close. They could feel each other’s feelings through their bond and whatever, just like Lili and I can.

            “Anyway… I was in my senior year and my music career was going very good. I was in both Lolita and Lunar Cycle. I had met the members of Lolita in high school, but met the members of Lunar Cycle when I was 11. Time passed as I graduated high school. I was still doing drugs, but I somehow managed to fool my teachers… Or I thought I did. Jesse and I—“I tilted my head.

            “You’re English teacher—Jesse… You call him Mr. Black.” I nodded and motioned that she continued.

            “Jesse and I went on to college after graduation. I went to Julliard and he went to UCLA to get his teaching license.” I interrupted her.

            “I thought you said that you have a degree in almost, like, everything?” I asked her as she nodded.

            “I do—Let me finish. Anyway, I went to Julliard for a few years and took a break. I got my music career going on as I was booking tours and decided that amidst to my very busy schedule, I triple majored at UCLA. I was taking online classes also.” My eyes just widened more.

            “Didn’t you pass out?!” she laughed softly and nodded

            “I was admitted into the hospital because I passed out from exhaustion and hunger. I was so absorbed in my career and college, that I wasn’t sleeping and I barely had time to eat.” I nodded, absorbing the information.

            “Is that why you’re not stressed when you have way too much on your plate?” I asked her as she nodded.

            “Yeah, but I still get stressed sometimes. But I will always make time for you and the rest of your siblings.” I nodded. That’s what I loved about my mom. She will always make time for those she loves—like her kids. No matter how busy she is.

            “I became an actress and I usually do any genre—Except for supernatural horror.” I shook my head and chuckled. Mom had a phobia of clowns, snakes, spiders and supernatural horror.

            “I also became an authoress and wrote a bunch of best-sellers.” She picked up at her book, ‘Knight’s Night’ and laughed.

            “How’d they get it passed censors?!” I shrugged as she set it back down. I threw away the paper plate and pop can.

            “And now? I just enjoy coming back home and relax” She finished. I raised an eyebrow at her.

            “The point of me telling you all that was to make you sure you now that you’re only a sophomore. You CAN relax. Ember told me about how your games are on the same day. I’m sure your dad would go to your game. I’ll go to Ember’s.” I was about to argue when I just nodded my head. I was too tired to argue. Mom got up, kissed the top of my head and left.

            I managed to finish all my homework around 2am. I checked everything twice as I packed up all my stuff. I changed into my pajamas, turned off my lights, turned on my alarm clock and passed out on my comfortable bed.