Beep beep beep, the alarm shrieked a sound that no one likes to hear early in the morning. Luckily for me, I woke up a few minutes early and was already prepared to take it on, a plastic hammer in my hands. The fourth beep rang out as I charged forward with the hammer coming down onto my fierce opponent, a battle that'll be written into the history books.
It wasn't that easy though as the 'beeping' sound was enough to move the alarm clock to the side, dodging my destructive blow as the hammer bounced back into my forehead. The surprise counterattack sent me onto my knees as I conceded defeat, hearing my father yell out from downstairs, asking if I was okay. Ashamed at my own surrender, I meekly pressed the large button on the top of the clock and quickly put on my school uniform that hung off haphazardly.
"You may have won this battle through sheer persistence and tenacity, but you have not won the war." I said while buttoning up the white undershirt and throwing on the dark blue vest that held our school symbol. Only then, did I put on the dark blue pants that was a shade darker than the vest. It wasn't a private school in any way, but it was a popular school that currently holds the highest GPA and test scores in the country. Because of that, we had to look presentable so that we wouldn't make our well-respected school look back.
"Would you hurry, you know school starts in twenty minutes?" My father said as he barged in the room, not realizing that I just lost to my mortal enemy.
All I could do was run over to him with my backpack already slung over my shoulder, saying, "I think I'm pretty ready." He just looked at me as if I was still a little kid before turning around and walking down the stairs, the car keys spinning around his fingers. If I know my dad at all, that meant he was heading straight to the car and leaving without waiting for anyone, which was stressful enough if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't pack my bag yet.
Quickly, my hands scrambling with each textbook and composition notes that I needed for the day, rushing downstairs and jumping out of the house, hearing the car engine roaring to life. "Wait for me," were the words I yelled out as I grabbed the door handle and practically lunged into the backseats.
"You know that I'm heading toward your school, why would I leave without you then?" He said as I clumsily stared back at him, snapping in my seatbelt as he drove toward the school. It was only a few minutes away by car as we pulled up to the front before I could even wake myself up fully.
My dad wasn't waiting either as he was already waving me goodbye as I trotted to the front doors of the large building. Inside was what you would expect of a school; a heater against the left side of the walls, the staff offices a little bit to the side of it, and the auditorium to the right.
A large group of kids were sitting at the entrance to the auditorium, half of them sleeping and the other half either eating or talking. That wasn't what I cared about though as they weren't the people I normally hung around, instead, walking over to the heater and sitting down to feel the warm seat waiting for me.
Only one other person sat on the heater with me, that being Grif who tiredly stared at their phone with headphones plugged in. Not the sociable kind, but still someone who was okay to hang out with if you knew how to tread but that wasn't a problem for me. Today was different though as I looked at them in confusion, something being off about them. They stared back, waiting for me to realize until it became clear that I was hopefully clueless.
"Do you really not know what's changed?"
"No, not really...Your glasses?" Before saying anything else, Grif put their hand next to their hair, pointing out that it was cut shorter than before and now had streaks of orange meshed with the blonde. To be honest, it wasn't my fault that I didn't notice the difference as it seems like every week, they have a new color in their hair.
I didn't want to seem rude, instead just smiling and acting like I was just being an idiot. Luckily, A boy, who towered higher than anyone else with blonde hair barely visible under a black cap, walked over to us. His appearance screamed the ethnicity Aryan, though I actually don't know if that was true.
If that wasn't off-putting enough, his tone as he talked constantly shifted from a high pitch to a level of alto that I didn't think was possible. "Howdy good lads, the failure isn't here yet?" We all knew who Johndavid was talking about, and it wasn't insulting at the very least. The nickname was simply a bond between him and the 'failure' which was all in the name of fun.
"Speak of the devil," Grif said as they leaned over to see Dominique walking through the front doors, his hair reaching his chin and covering one eye. A normal sane passerby would say that he was emo or depressed, but he was the opposite, instead, smarter than the rest of us and not held down by any debilitating mental illnesses. Not only that but his dark brown glasses, hidden by the hair and perfectly camouflaged, were only a few shades darker than his skin.
I may have more Mexican blood in me but he seemed to look more like one, which was obviously due to me not going out much. Dominique didn't really talk much either, instead, putting down his backpack immediately next to ours and sitting on top of the heating unit that Grif and I were already laid back on. Johndavid however, stood tall, being a good foot and a half taller than us.
The rest of the day was pretty average, just like any other day. And like those days, I could hardly focus on what the teachers were telling us, shoving useless equations and quadratics down our throats, the only thing saving me from the death of boredom being the blonde beauty a few seats in front of me. She was astute and had a clever look to her, knowing that the boys must be gawking at her.
At least I could tell that she was thinking those things, her eyes patiently watching the teacher scribbling on the chalkboard. From where I sat, I could see the entire classroom, sitting next to the kids who ate during class and goofed around until they were subsequently yelled at. I could stare at anyone in peace, but the seats we sat on were open on the lower back, and the bend of her hypnotized me. Who cares if she was out of my league, who cares if I was considered a pervert, I just couldn't help but see the curve of her skirt and the serene figure of her legs?
Maybe it was written into the stars that the popular girl always had to be the prettiest, especially for a desperate person like me. It's not like I had a chance, my eyes seemingly in competition with a dozen others who did the same as me. My mind raced as I couldn't help but stare, her light skin and dark brown eyes dazzling. Hair gently let loose down her back with a small band separating it. God, I love the school uniforms that this school offers.
Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a ping of fear as the teacher spoke my name from across the classroom. "London, what is the answer to the equation; x equals 2 plus 7 by the power of three divided by 5?" Now with all cylinders firing in my head and everyone staring at me, I quickly tried to think of the answer. Why does it have to be 7 by the power of whatever number it was? My mind was still in the gutter though, and the mud was too thick to reverse out of.
Without any time left, I spouted out, "Uh... Ummm... sixty-nine." Before I could take back what I said, I held my lips tight and watched his mouth open. Blood running to my face, I slowly sunk into my seat, thinking about the embarrassment of someone like me saying that out of nowhere. What would people think? Looking around, I could just imagine what they were thinking. 'What a perv' or 'gross, who would ever want to talk to him now'. What have I done?
"I see you've been paying attention. Now class, do you understand how we got this answer?" I...I got it right, I thought as the teacher spoke those words. By sheer luck, I was saved or maybe I am just a genius. Ah, it really does pay to have the brain of a mastermind in disguise. Maybe I should create something that'll shock the world, like a game or something that can go into people's dreams.
For the rest of class, I remained alert so that I couldn't get ambushed again by the teacher's crude tactics. They're like guerilla warriors, taking jabs and calling on you when you least expect it. Slowly, time ticked forward until school was finally out but it wasn't without its consequences.
My mind was exhausted, only able to tell my legs to move forward as Johndavid and Grif ran over to mock my quick decisions during the school day, Dominique quietly following behind with quizzing eyes.
"Hey, I'm just that good, you guys are just not on my level yet?" It was a small poke to wake up the beehive, waiting to see if I irritated Dominique or insulted his intelligence in any way, but he just remained quiet and sighed in response.
Before long, a voice over the intercom rang out, "The four fifteen bus is here, all students who need to ride the bus, please make your way to the side of the building." Just like that, Grif and Dominique were on their way as Johndavid and I continued to walk outside toward our own respective houses. He lived close to the school, which was lucky but that meant his parents were expecting him to walk home fast enough to take out his pets and as far as I know, there was a set timer on when they have to be outside.
With one wave, we departed as I slowly trotted beside the chain-link fence, seeing the desolate schoolyard in all of its glory. Today wasn't my day though as a sudden foot planted against my backpack sent me crashing into the fence, barely managing to turn around to see five looming figures before me.
"Well, ain't it the dumbass who sticks his nose in spots it don't belong in." My worst fear of today caught up to me; Jose, Taylor, Jackson, Cadell, and someone else who was blocked from view blocked my path. Jose was the ringleader but Cadell was the enforcer, doing the dirty work while the others just followed along like lost puppies. "You know, we don't appreciate guys who google at others without giving us fair due." Jose said as I stared in confusion.
I don't know what he was trying to get at, but I had to just simply say sorry in order to survive, "Hey, I don't know what I did but I'm sorry." One misspoken word and I'm dead, Taylor stepping us to address my disrespect, allowing me to see the blonde beauty next to them. Damn, I was caught.
"You don't know hombre? We saw you man, red-handing, caught you googling at my girl here." With one hand, he grabbed her waist and pulled her body against his, smiling and revealing the grime on his teeth. As our eyes met, we immediately looked away from each other, causing Jose and the rest of them to laugh at how pathetic I must've looked.
I didn't even have the chance to look up again as the boot of a shoe slammed into the top of my head. It pushed me down and kept at it as I managed to resist wincing at the pain, darting my eyes up to see Cadell blocking the sun. His foot was planted on me and it didn't seem like he was going to move as Jose kneeled in front of where I was.
"Now everybody makes problems, dig themselves into holes too deep. You just gotta pay off this problem, ya hear?" Jose said as I stared back, waiting to see what he would do next and keeping quiet as he continued, "What do you think Jackson?"
One of the more delinquent-looking guys who just went along with Jose stepped forward, his eyes brazen red and dark slick back hair which only toned down his appearance. "This bastard deserves a good lesson if you know what I mean, then we can talk money."
The words they said right in front of me weren't all that comforting as Jose smiled even wider this time, getting up and walking over to Taylor while saying "I like how you think. Cadell, teach him some manners." Without any hesitation, Cadell lifted his foot from the top of my head and reared it back before unleashing it onto the top of my chest.
It happened so quickly that I couldn't move my body in time, feeling the brunt of the attack. The breath in my lungs escaped me as a storm of coughing left a pain in my throat. He continued to stomp and kick at my body even when I had already fallen to my side from the pain, his shoe smashing into my stomach, chest, and the top of my head. Soon enough, I felt like I couldn't endure anymore as Jose gave the sign that it was enough, walking over to me once more and grabbing me by the back of the hair. I tried opening my eyes with half of my vision painted with red, pain following each time I took in air.