-------------------------------------- About this story:
This is my first try at putting a story up on this nifty web site. Please Email me at Romangenesis@hotmail.com with your reaction to this story and any questions or comments you have. I'm only planning on continuing the story if their is interest in it because I don't want to waste anyone's time, including my own. Thank you, and without further ado...
The Dreamer - Chapter 1
I'd been here before, frozen and alone in some sort of winter wonderland far away from any traces of civilization. This was the way it should have been and sometimes, I thought, the way it was. I was the sole survivor of the human race, destined to live for an eternity in a barren and broken planet.
You're a fraud.
I stomped through the knee thick snow that had gathered around me, the wind whipping across my face. God had forsaken me, or was it the other way around? I was alone for the first time in my whole life and all I wanted to do was to hold someone, anyone.
Liar.
I collapsed and lay still, panting for breaths that I didn't want. This world was dead to me and I could only wish that I was too. I closed my eyes to the brilliant darkness and relaxed, the cold taking me over.
Suddenly, though, I became aware of a sensation. Something I hadn't felt for a very long time. Once again I opened my eyes to the horrible light, but then caught myself. I lay perfectly still, unable to grasp what lay before me.
A slight smile crossed the face of the boy as he reached his hand down. I didn't move a muscle though. I was in shock. When he figured that I wasn't going to move he kneeled down beside me. I held my breath. I couldn't even remember the last time I had seen a living human.
For a long time he simply sat there, looking down on me as a look of pity and longing played across his delicate features. But then, without warning, he reached his hand down toward me and just as we reached our most beautiful moment, human contact, the most horrible noise in the world filled the air.
I reached over and turned off the alarm clock and rolled back over in my bed and closed my eyes, slowly slipping back off to sleep. My luck was about to run out though. There was a knock at the door of my room that brought me back to reality again.
"What?" I demanded.
My dad opened the door and leaned his head in. "You going to school today?" he asked.
I looked at my alarm clock. The bus was going to be here in 20 minutes. I cursed and got out of bed and pushed my way past my dad to get to the bathroom. "Alex, you need to start waking up on your own," my dad said as I walked by. I ignored him and closed the door to the bathroom. In case you haven't noticed by now, me and my dad don't get along very well.
I turned on the shower and stepped in, letting the water flow over me. When my dad woke me up in the morning it guaranteed I was going to have a bad day. I leaned against the wall of the shower and closed my eyes. If I had stood there to long like that I would have fallen back asleep.
After getting all of my stuff together I ran to catch the bus, which I was able to do just in time. I plopped down beside my friend Michelle panting to catch my breath. "Oversleep again?" she asked.
"You know me," I said with a grin. I looked over at the seat next to us and saw Steve staring out the window. He was a junior just like Michelle and I and I suppose I could call him a causal acquaintance. He was about the same size as me, but he had dark spiked hair and a really dark tan. I had noticed in the past few weeks that on the bus I would be staring at Steve and not even notice it until Michelle said something. It wasn't that I was gay or anything. There was just something about him that made him easy to look at. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy.
"Didn't you say you had a presentation in Croon's class today?" Michelle said, snapping me out of my reverie.
I looked at her and realized what she had just said. "Oh shit," I muttered. I had totally forgotten about my presentation today and to make matters worse, I was basically failing Mrs. Croon's English class. "All my stuff is at my house," I said to Michelle, as if by doing so, she would somehow be able to go to my house and get it. I put my head down on the seat in front of us and closed my eyes. I just knew this was going to be a bad day.
The rest of the day was just like any other Wednesday, but I was dreading going to Croon's class. There was no way I could get away with not doing the presentation today, props or no props. That would then give her the perfect excuse to single me out and make a fuss about my lack of preparation. Like I wasn't dreading the presentation anyway. I sighed and walked into my English class trying not to think about it too much.
Taking my regular seat I looked around. About half the class was already there. The butterflies in my stomach were getting out of control. Maybe I just wouldn't do the presentation, I told myself. I should accept my loses and just....
My whole train of thought was lost when someone walked into the room. I didn't think I had never seen him before, but there was something familiar about him. He walked to the back of the room where Croon's desk was and I strained to hear what he said to her. He must have spoken softly because Mrs. Croon stood up and point across the room and said, "You can take that seat over there for the time being."
She had pointed to the opposite side of the room than I was on and I found myself disappointed. He seemed very familiar and I wanted to know where I knew him from. He was about 5'7", a little shorter than me and had black hair and dark skin. He might have been Italian, but I wasn't sure. He looked kind of young to be in this class, but I just figured he looked young for his age.
The rest of the class filed in after the bell had run and Mrs. Croon started the class. She took the roll and then said, "We have a new student today." Everyone turned to look at the new kid and he sort of smiled and returned everyone's look. There was something so confident about the way he did it. "Where are you from again, Justin?" she asked him.
"California," he answered softly. His voice was so smooth and soothing. I kept staring at him trying to figure out where I had seen him. I had never been to California.
"Oh, California. You shouldn't have a hard time adjusting then," Mrs. Croon said, implying that California and Florida shared similar climates. "Will someone volunteer to help Justin get caught up and let him know what we're currently working on?"
I figured this was my perfect opportunity and was about to raise my hand when a squeaky voice yelled out, "I will." I looked over. It was Shannon Turner, the class bimbo, who was sitting right next to him. I glared at her. I was really pissed now.
"Thank you Shannon," Croon said. "All right, we have two presentation today." I suddenly remembered I had a presentation to do and sunk down in my chair, but it was no good. She looked right at me and asked, "Are you ready Alex?"
I swallowed my nervousness and said, "Yeah, I'm ready." I stood up and walked to the front of the class, feeling everyone's eyes on me. I felt sick. I just wanted this day to be over. I got to the podium, but Croon didn't move.
"Where are your props?" she asked.
"I..." I started to say, but my voice cracked. There were some giggles from the class. "I left them at home."
She didn't give me as hard a time as I thought she was going to. She simply nodded her head slowly and walked to the back of the class. For some reason though, her silence was worse than the chewing out I had been waiting for.
I turned to the class and said, "I did my presentation on the novel 'A Separate Peace' by John Knowles..." I started out kind of nervous, but as the presentation went on I loosened up. I always got nervous when I had to do a presentation in front of the class. I wasn't a nerd or anything in school, but I wasn't exactly Mr. Popular either.
I knew people in just about every clique there was at our school, but sometimes that made me feel like I didn't have an identity. I was sort of floating from one group to another trying to fit in. As I continued my presentation I kept glancing over at the new kid, Justin. He was watching me intently, but didn't seem critical. It almost seemed like there was an ounce of pity in his eyes. Pity, or...
I lost my whole train of thought and stood there in front of the class silent. I looked down at my hands as if I had a piece of paper to look at, but I didn't. After a moment of silence, Mrs. Croon stood up and said, "Thank you, Alex." The coldness of her voice chilled me to the bone.
"I'm not done yet," I began to plead.
"Yes, you are," she answered. The whole class looked back at her. She was pissed at me and the whole class knew it. I looked down at my hands again and started to walk back to my seat. The whispers started just as Ryan Brittle began to set up his presentation. My face got really red and I just sat at my desk looking down at my hands. They looked so small.
I glanced over at Justin and found him staring right at me. Suddenly, Shannon Turner started laughing really loud. She was talking to one of her little cheerleader friends. I knew what they were talking about. I hated when people talked about me behind my back. My heart started pounding and I clenched my hand into a fist.
I looked back at Mrs. Croon who was writing something down in her grade book. Probably a giant 'F' right next to my name. I couldn't take it any longer. I thought of the book I did the report on. I had read it all for nothing. Less than nothing. I had read it so some girls in my class could laugh at me and Mrs. Croon could make me look like a fucking idiot.
I felt like I was going to explode. I could feel the classes eyes on me. I could sense every 'F' in Croon's pointless little grade book. I closed my eyes and tried to image I was far away from this hell whole. I tried to image the whole school as a giant ball of flaming gas. I found myself wishing I owned a gun.
I grabbed my book bag and the whole class stopped talking. I stormed out the door of the room and out into the hallway. I had no idea where I was going. I just needed to get away. I ended up in the bathroom and I walked into one of the stalls and put my bag down. My eyes were starting to tear up and I felt myself loosing control. I was about to start crying, but there was no way in hell I was going to cry right here at school. I punched the stall door as hard as I could and instantly wished I hadn't. My knuckles hurt like hell and they were swelling up. Way to go, I told myself.
I opened the stall door to go put some water on my hand, but I stopped dead in my tracks. Justin was at the sink washing his hands. He seemed not to notice me because he didn't even look over when I came out of the stall. He turned the faucet off and grabbed a paper towel and started drying his hands.
"They're looking for you," he finally said in his soft soothing voice. Only after he said this did he turn around and face me. There was a look of true concern on his face, but his voice did not betray this concern.
"I know," I said. I figured Mrs. Croon would have called the School Resource Officer by now and he would be out looking for me now.
Justin walked right up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. The touch of his hand on my shoulder startled me, but the look on his face told me there was nothing wrong. It felt right.
I hadn't gotten a chance to see him this close yet and I could see how innocent and young his features seemed. His face was slender and his thin eye brows were angled down ever so slightly. "Don't worry," he said. And then, just like that he turned around and walked out of the bathroom.
I stood there befuddled for a moment before the School Resource Officer poked his head in. I was really in trouble now.
End of Chapter 1
Email me and tell me what you think of my story. Questions or comments are welcome. I'm writing this for you all, so feel free to give me some suggestions or whatever. Chapter 2 should come in a few days hopefully (if the feedback is positive).