User blog:MichaelDiaz101/A New Arrival: Chapter 5

A week passed since the incident in the Hole. This whole time I've felt like some ticking time bomb, just waiting to explode and exact some kind of violent vengeance on someone else. The Nerds hailed me as some kind of demi-God. The day after I beat Wade into a bloody pulp the Nerd leader himself extended his hand. He offered study sessions, and even allowed me to cheat off of their tests to pass. It's kind of ironic isn't it? The pain of one can bring such joy to others.

Not sure how he did it, don't really care either to be honest, but Darrion has managed to keep the other Bullies from beating my face in. Even that Russell kid has kept his ground. Not sure what kind of ace Darrion pulled out but whatever it is really has me on edge.

Standing in line in the cafeteria I was lost in my thoughts, looking down at the cracks in the tiled floor. I was thrust from my daydream by an arm draping across my shoulder. I turned to see Gary Smith. His eyes pierced into mine, that intimidating smirk. Chills went up my spine and I immediately averted eye contact.

"Seems like you aren't so different from the rest of us after all." Gary said, wryly.

"What do you want?" I asked, I was beginning to quiver.

"Oh nothing." Gary chuckled. "Just thinking about how, on your first day, you were so up your own ass. Darrion broke you." I felt that rage again. I'll break your fucking jaw. I wanted to hit him, knock him on his ass and stomp out his teeth. I knew it was wrong, and I didn't give two shits.

"You're angry." Gary observed. "You want to hit me. Go on, take that tray in your hand and bash my skull open. Come on tough guy."

"No." I shook my head, brushing past him towards the front of the line. I grabbed my food and veered towards the abandoned table at the corner of the room, accosted to all contact. I didn't want anyone coming over and talking about the fight, or any shit like that. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy my garbage meal.

"You alright?" A voice asked, kinder than Gary's assertive tone.

"I'm fine." I'm really not, please help me. "Just go away and leave me alone." Please stay. I looked up from my gourmet shit serving to see a slender kid, long blond hair, about my height standing there.

"You don't look okay." He pointed out.

"Trust me, I'm better than I was yesterday." I snorted, digging the plastic fork into the slop and taking a bite. I nearly yakked but managed to force the shit down my throat.

"Look, I know what that's like." He sat down across from me. He was good looking, with a young, clean face. A bruise was on his cheek but it did little to diminish his friendly presence. "Being put on the spot and embarrassed like that. Really sucks shit. Now the entire school has an opinion of you that probably isn't true, huh?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Who are you, and why do you give a shit?"

"I'm Gregory Todd, I've been where you are." Gregory stated. "I didn't quite know what to do with myself when I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I'm happy being who I want to be now and seeing you suffering here, at this dump, empowers me to try and help others."

"What are you even saying?" I kind of knew what he was getting at, but there was still something I wasn't quite getting.

"I mean I've been where you've been and I'm here for you as a friend." As tempting as his offer was I felt there was some other kind of motivation. A drive for something else that he wanted. As sincere as it felt like he was at this school you can never take anybody's word for anything.

"Fine." I replied.

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After school I followed him up to some old abandoned airport on the outskirts of town to meet up with his other friend. Truthfully I wasn't quite sure about all of this. I hardly knew the guy, but he came to me with open arms and he was the one light I had at this school. Even then it felt like his motivations for recruiting me were different, or maybe aligned, with everything he previously told me. Whatever it was I was just happy to have a friend in all of this.

Pushing through the brush we came upon a clearing, with two smaller airstrips, a small airtower, and two empty hangers on the edge of the airfield.

"So why did you drag two miles outside of town for?" I asked.

"No reason." He replied. "This place is just a cool area to escape all of the negativity in town, and Erick and I kind of camp out here sometimes."

"You guys homeless bums or something?" I asked, trying not to sound overly bashful.

"No." He replied, sharply. "We just don't like it in town. We can come up here and smoke weed and be ourselves without judgement from others."

"Oh so you guys are hippies." I observed, incorrectly.

"Something like that." We climbed up into airtower to see another kid asleep on the floor in a small, purple sleeping bag. "Don't wake him." He whispered.

We both sat quietly on the dusty floor. I started to look around. This place hadn't been used in decades. Most of the equipment had been stripped, and the stuff that remained no longer worked. These two were still students, but they essentially lived off the grid from everyone else.

TO BE CONTINUED