• 7.
    My classes sucked. I had already covered the material they were learning in my new Physics class. FST is still boring. I only took ASL before because they didn’t teach any languages I wanted to learn and apparently that attitude wasn’t acceptable here. And if I learn anymore US history today I might explode. The teacher was speaking a mile a minute, I swear.

    I now had lunch but they only had one line to serve everybody because the school was so small and most of the students had brought lunch from home or, if they could, drove out to get it. It was some kind of casserole today filled with noodles, mixed vegetables, and some kind of meat. I almost regretted getting it but I had to eat something; today’s events made me want to pass out right there in the lunchroom without a care.

    Most of the tables were filled but there was one table that only had one person sitting at it. I sat at that one because the guy didn’t look like he would mind.

    The guy was solid with broad shoulders, peachy skin like my mom, regularly cut black hair, and a friendly brow. Despite his features, he looked gloomy and in depression sitting there by himself, but that changed when I sat down.

    He looked up in surprise and continued to stare as I dug into the food. Soon after, I banished it for bad taste. I had gotten too used to Cerise’s cooking. He finally spoke up as I pushed the tray away.

    “Are you new here?”

    I looked at him. “Why?”

    “Because you look new. I’ve known everyone here since I was small.”

    “Then why are you sitting by yourself?”

    “Because I asked to.”

    Then don’t let me disturb you. I got up to leave but he stopped me.

    “Wait.”

    I looked at him and sat back down.

    “You look familiar.”

    “I thought you just verified that I was new.”

    His face lit up a little. “I’ve got it. You were the one on that old bike.”

    So he saw me at the entrance, so what? A lot of people did.

    “Why do want me to stay here when you asked everyone else to stay away?”

    “Because you don’t need to move. You’re new and you have no place else to sit.”

    “I could always find somewhere else to sit.”

    “I’m James Locklile, Senior.”

    And just like that, he introduced himself and extended his hand to me. His brown eyes were shinning with interest. What was with me and seniors? Did I have some hormones that screamed, “I’m a junior so come and pick me to drag down to the abyss!” On second thought, I don’t think I want to know.

    Since he extended his hand, I felt the need to accept it and introduce myself.

    “Stephen Thains, Junior.”

    I could just see Mr. Maclany grinning his a** off at such a “breakthrough”.

    “Funny, you don’t look like a junior.”

    Was that why seniors flocked to me? “Really? I’ve never been told that.”

    He suddenly acted like he offended me. “Whoa, sorry man.”

    “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”

    He looked a bit relieved. “Oh. So you have really never heard that before?”

    I knew the real question.

    “Trust me. If I was sarcastic, you wouldn’t hear it because it never escapes my head.”

    “Why not?”

    “I would be dead by now.”

    He started to laugh. I looked around to find no one was paying attention to us though I thought his laughter was the loudest thing in the room. I was slightly uncomfortable by his laughter but also invisible because no one was paying attention to us. He talked when he could breathe again.

    “You’re funny.”

    I didn’t think so.

    Ddddiiiinnnnggg.

    The stupid bell again. We grabbed our trays and dumped them into the garbage can.

    “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

    Why the hell not.
    ***

    Turns out I had PE with James, along with a handful of junior high kids. I could barely beat the junior high kids but James kicks a**. He runs as fast as a quarterback, throws as hard as a shot putter, and makes the junior high girls swoon with his superiority. He totally ignores them.

    Today they were just testing out our basic skills since I was new, and this is how I learned how good James was at athletics in just one day. He said I was doing just fine but I didn’t believe him.

    In the locker room after class, I remembered what Cerise had said about anorexia. I desperately wanted to know now.

    “James.”

    “What?”

    I pulled off my gym shirt and turned around, relaxing my arms. “Can you still see my shoulder blades?”

    “Yeah, why?”

    Great, another plus for Cerise. I hope she’s happy.

    James suddenly realized why I had asked before I answered him.

    “You do need to eat more.”

    For the first time, I decided a sarcastic comment had to come out. “Of course. The school’s food is so appealing that I would want more.”

    He laughed.

    “I thought you said those sarcastic comments stayed in your head.”

    “A lot has happened today.”

    James shut his locker and was ready to go, his backpack flung over his shoulder. He was waiting for me, as I was putting on my shoes.

    “Want me to give you a ride home? That bike looks like it could fall apart any moment.”

    I had only been in a car before for long trips and those were never comfortable. Maybe I would like it if it was a shorter trip.

    “Sure. Just today though.”

    “Why?”

    “I’ve only been in a car for special occasions. I think I might actually like the bike better.”

    “Just make sure you watch where you’re going.”

    What did he mean by that? What idiot wouldn’t watch where he was going?

    I followed James to the front of the school where we collected my bike and headed over to the parking lot. Then I saw what he meant by watching where I was going.

    He drove a black Ford truck, the same one that almost ran me over this morning. I could tell by the license plate. James took my bike and hoisted it into the back.

    “Oh.” escaped my lips. No wonder I had looked familiar.

    James had a big grin on his face. “Hop in.”

    The a*****e, but I couldn’t hold it against him. It was my fault that I had almost become road kill. I followed his advice and climbed in the passenger seat.

    The car looked just as nice and clean inside as it did outside. If I was a normal guy that was actually into cars, I might have called this a “sweet ride” or a “tight set-up”. Thank God I wasn’t a normal guy.

    James climbed in and started the car after buckling his seatbelt, which I did also in his example. He spoke after he started to pull away from the school.

    “I got this for my seventeenth birthday.”

    I never dreamed of such a present in real life. James was just like the guys in movies. I had to stop relating everything to the media.

    “So tell me more about yourself, Stephen. When’s your birthday? My eighteenth is coming on the first of December.”

    “It was in October. I’m seventeen as of the twenty-third.”

    “Oh, so I missed it. So what did you get?”

    “We don’t celebrate birthdays at my house.”

    James stopped the car suddenly, almost flinging me from the seat. He looked like he had just seen his life pass before his eyes and had seen the grim reaper at the other end. I know I almost did when my head almost touched the glass.

    “What is your problem!?”

    “You’ve never celebrated your birthday before?”

    He looked like I was unbelievable. I calmed down a little.

    “It was never really an issue. I actually don’t know how old my parents are because we never celebrated anyone’s birthday. I wouldn’t know my own if it weren’t for school.”

    He sat back into his seat for a moment, calculating in the silence.

    “So would you ever want a birthday celebration?”

    I thought about it before. A cake with a candle for each year I had been alive in a darkened room with everyone singing that corny “Happy Birthday” song to me, presents in colorful paper and ribbon stacked on another table waiting to be opened and bring joy to my face, everybody I knew surrounding me looking like they were drunk with happiness, and everything seeming perfect and in place. I had imagined it every year my birthday came around but for some reason, I could never picture my face in this whole picture.

    Was I happy? Was I confused? Was I angry with embarrassment? I didn’t know. The emotions seemed to blur together every time I thought specifically about it. I seemed to only pay attention to the feelings surrounding me when the picture floated into my head.

    But I guess the biggest question was: would I like it? I mean, never experiencing it was like never trying it but it wasn’t really my fault that I never did, right?

    “I guess. I don’t know how I would react.”

    James started driving the car again, mainly because there was now a car behind us.

    “Then it’s settled.”

    “What?”

    “I’m coming to every birthday you ever have.”

    “Every one?”

    “Every one.”

    He was dead serious. I looked out the window to the mountains I had missed examining before because I had almost gotten run over. They were beautiful.

    “I guess I will have to start celebrating them then.”

    I knew James was smiling even if I wasn’t looking at him.

    “So where do you live?”

    I looked. We were close but I didn’t want James to have to drive down that one-way street.

    “I can get out here.”

    He stopped and helped me unload the bike from the truck. I waved to him as I went across the street to go down the side street. He seemed to know why I wanted to be left off there.

    “See you tomorrow!”

    “See you tomorrow!”

    I biked the rest of the way home, knowing for once in my life, I had met a person I could call a real friend.