Episode Five, I'm Still Waiting (On the world to change)

Here’s how my list of things to get to in the near future was looking at the time.

1) Set the specters free from our high school.
2) Hang out with friends.
3) Eat a balanced breakfast.

It’s relatively short compared to the list of things I needed to do or else die (figuratively, of course.) My life had gotten extremely busy in the past few weeks. It was as if all of my teachers had plotted my downfall and planned for their projects to be due on the same day. Do they want me to fail? Is it their goal to make me explode? Because I can say truthfully, my fuse was incredibly short, and any tiny spark may have had a disastrous effect.

So there I was, waiting for the plan to be set in motion. I was sitting in the top section of the cafeteria, contemplating ways to begin my essay that was due in a few days, as I did whenever I had time to let my mind wander. I was watching the entrance for Kitty. She should be making her appearance soon and once she did I would know she had been successful.

A few moments later she walked through the doorway and I smiled at her. She returned the gesture then continued by. She walked by Addy, who was seated in the second row, and Lucas, who was in the third. She found a seat at a table away from all of us. We had decided that if any one of us was caught, it would be better if we took the blame solely, so the others could continue what had been started.

I turned away from the door, and waited for the bell to ring. The loud ding resounded throughout the halls and lunch was over. Now it was only a matter of time until everyone realized what had been done.

I got up and slid discreetly into the crowd that was filing out of the cafeteria. In seconds, the entire crowd stopped I bumped into the person in front of me. I wasn’t expecting that…

Either way, it seemed as if everything was going according to plan. I could hear the gawking and gasping that was coming from the front of the throng of students. I couldn’t see what had caused this reaction, but I didn’t need to see it to know what it was. Kitty had taped large posters to all of the walls of the “cool” students caught in embarrassing situations. From the simple nose picking, to the more serious caught cheating with your friend’s girlfriend, we had made sure to cover all our bases. It had taken weeks of hard work and careful investigation, but we had caught all of them at least once.

It was surprisingly refreshing to realize that these people had their flaws just like everyone else. Forever they had exploited our weaknesses just as we were now, so I felt no guilt. Okay, so I have to admit I felt a diminutive amount of guilt, but nothing that would keep me from completing our task.

I pushed through to the edge of the hallway and let a mass of odorous freshman squeeze by. You could always count on the freshman for a delightful mouth vomit. Gross, yes, but why sugar coat reality?

I saw Addy approaching and as she caught up I fell in step beside her. “Where are they?” I asked quietly, always worried someone would find out.

“Coming,” Addy answered assuringly.

We pushed through the dense crowd that was gathering in front of the wall of infamy, as I so cleverly thought up in that second, and continued around the corner at the end of the hall. No one else was following; they were all too transfixed by the truth.

I leaned up against the wall and Addy did the same next to me. “A job well done,” I said through a smile.

Kitty rounded the corner and replied, “I wouldn’t celebrate just yet.”

Lucas followed and we all poked our heads around the corner just as a loud screech echoed throughout the hall. Kayla had spotted the picture of her boyfriend kissing her best friend, and now had a look on her face even a full grown grizzly bear would be afraid of. Her shrill voice then resonated throughout the halls. “I will find whoever did this and when I do, your life will end!”

I gulped and began walking quickly in the opposite direction; the sound of paper being ripped from the wall could be heard behind us. “That was great!” Kitty cheered.

“Are you serious?” I asked skeptically.

Lucas knodded in agreement and added, “What if she finds out it was us?”

“She’s not going to find out,” Kitty said, a little too sure of herself.

“But what if?” Lucas said slowly.

“What’s the worse she could do?” Addy asked, obviously on the same side as Kitty.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Then another thought occurred to me. “What about the specters? Do you think they’re gone?”

“Only one way to find out,” Kitty suggested.

“We are NOT coming anywhere near this school after dark,” Lucas half shouted.

“I agree,” I said. “Too risky.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Kitty questioned.

“The pirate queen will know what to do,” I pointed out. “She always does.”

Episode Four, The Pirate Queen Reveals an Other World

Since we had a question pertaining to the unknown and anyone we told would think we were crazy, our only bet was to ask the Pirate Queen. To everyone else she was known as Ms. West, but to a select few who knew her personally, this was her title. She wouldn’t question us or look at us like we had multiple heads; she would help us find out what was going on. Now that’s the kind of person anyone should look up to; someone who listens to and understands us teenagers. If Big Brother has a problem with that, he can shove it, because it’s rare to find an adult that doesn’t disregard every single word coming out of the mouth of someone under the age of eighteen.

Monday rolled around and we all met outside her room. Once the last student filed out we went in, catching the Ms. West opening a fresh tub of mint-chocolate ice cream. She noticed us and opened a drawer in her desk, producing four extra bowls and spoons. We each grabbed a desk and made a small circle in the middle of the room.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Ms. West asked as she took her seat, passing out the utensils.

Kitty was the first to speak; “There are some strange things going on in this school.”

"You’re going to have to be more specific,” Ms. West laughed as she finished scooping herself some ice cream, and then passed it to Addy, who was on her left. “I have been aware of that particular fact for many a year.”

“Friday night,” Lucas began, rubbing the bruise on his cheek, “we got ourselves locked in the school. The next thing we know we’re in the middle of some sadistic horror movie and we can’t get out.”

“Sounds like a normal day to me.”

We all laughed, then I added, “I know this will sound strange, but it seemed liked the students who were after us were in some strange trance. It was very reminiscent of zombie high.”

Addy, Kitty, and Lucas nodded in agreement, then Ms. West asked, “What exactly did these students look like?”

At that exact moment a prissy looking girl, dressed in designer everything, walked in carrying a purse as big as her hairdo. Ms. West shifted her attention, “Yes Kayla?”

The girl named Kayla put her hand in her purse, which could have eaten her whole, and took out a few crumpled pieces of paper with scratchy handwriting scribbled across each. “I have that extra credit I needed to do,” she said, sounding as pompous as her posture lead on.

“Thank you,” Ms. West said politely, taking the papers from her.

Kayla turned, purposely flipping her hair into the air, then walked out. “That,” we said in unison, responding to Ms. West’s previous question.

“Depressing, isn’t it?” she said mournfully. “Even in the Other World our school is still ruled by them.”

“The what?” we echoed.

“I can’t believe I’ve never told you,” Ms. West replied. “The Other World is a place that lies between the worlds of dream and reality. Have you ever noticed things that you can’t explain? Strange events that seem impossibly surreal? Of course you have, you’ve just explained to me such an occurrence.”

We all looked at her skeptically, then she added, “Have I ever done anything that would cause you to mistrust me? I would never lie to any of you.”

“But,” Addy said slowly. “Why our school?”

“It’s not only this school,” Ms. West responded. “I guess you could call what you saw a ‘specter’. They appear anywhere there is an unseen problem that needs to be resolved. They are the inhabitants of this place I call the Other World.”

“What exactly do you think this problem is?” I asked, intrigued.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kitty said quite matter-of-factly. “Our school is terrorized by the popular kids. I say it needs to be put to an end!”

“And how do you suppose we go about that?” Lucas asked. “How can we change something that has gone on for an eternity?”

“I know exactly how,” Kitty responded triumphantly. “We show them whose boss. We get them so bad they’ll wish they never messed with us!”

“How?”

“Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead."

“So if we solve this problem,” I began, “then the specters will leave?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Ms. West replied.

“I say we do it!” Addy exclaimed. “It’s time those punks get their just desserts!”

“Now we just need a plan…” Kitty thought aloud.

“The best plans are created on the fly,” Ms. West pointed out.

“Yeah,” I said, “but we better come up with a rough outline. We don’t want to go into this without a clue.”

“The Pirate Queen will save us!” Kitty cried out happily.

“I may be a Pirate Queen,” Ms. West agreed, “but I think we all need to put our heads together on this one.”

And so we sat, savoring our ice cream and pondering a plan that had to be extra ordinary.

Episode Three, It's Not That Easy Surviving High School

Things had gone back to normal, except for the fact that I now had a girlfriend. Lucas was still his normal, sarcastic self, and Addy was as perfect as always. Tryouts for the winter musical had taken place in the beginning of October and now we had rehearsal three times a week. I hadn’t gotten a major role, but I didn’t mind. Drama club was more of a time to hang out with my friends doing something we all loved to do.

We were upset, however, to find out a rehearsal was scheduled for Halloween night. Any normal teenager would be hanging out at a party or, though they rather not admit it, trick or treating. We, however, would be stuck at the school until seven. In the long run, it didn’t really matter, because nothing fun ever started until after dark. It was the principle of the matter that really ticked us off. Who were they to make us stay at the school on a Friday night? ‘Well, why don’t you just skip it?’ one may ask. If they knew our director, Ms. Lorry, the answer would have been quite obvious.

Seven o’clock rolled around on the night of Halloween and Ms. Lorry still had us on stage. Lucas and I were in the scene currently being rehearsed and Addy was off stage chatting with her friend, Kitty. Ms. Lorry was getting especially irritated as Lucas, on his twentieth try, could still not pull off the high pitched shriek that was asked of him. I, on the other hand, was totally used to this. On occasion Lucas over exaggerated, often doing things for attention. It was part of his personality that I had grown accustomed too. Ms. Lorry, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to strangle him to death then mutilate his lifeless corpse.

Eight o’clock finally made its appearance and Ms. Lorry was giving us one of her epic speeches. I was only half paying attention. “If we’re going to pull this off, then I need all of you giving it your best effort…” Yep, it was one of those kind of speeches. She was basically calling us all useless and then summing it all by saying she had to make do with what she had. I was used to people belittling me by this point in my life, so I shrugged it off without a second thought.

Ms. Lorry told us we could all leave a few minutes after eight, but she held Lucas back to have a chat with him. Addy, Kitty, and I waited, knowing that with witnesses she was less likely to cut his head off with the hatchet students rumored she carried around in her satchel.

“What was that about?” I asked as he came strolling over, a smile on his face.

“Ms. Lorry says I’ve improved,” he boasted.

“Compared to what?” Kitty asked skeptically.

“Hey!”

We all laughed; Kitty was a pro with good comebacks, so much so that everyone who talked to her had to be careful. She also made it a point of adding ‘your mom’ to at least half of her witty back talk, which made those who didn’t know her a little ticked.

We were walking out of the cafetorium, (yes, the person who came up with that word should have his eyeballs poked out with sharpened pencils, but that’s besides the point) when Lucas remembered, “I have to go to my locker. Chemistry homework.”

“Hurry up,” I said. “We don’t want to be here all night.”

We all tagged along as he made his way up to the second floor where his locker was. After failing to successfully to unlock the padlock on his locker, he realized it wasn’t even his. “Wait a second!” he protested loudly, “My lock wasn’t red!”

“You don’t say,” Addy laughed. “Looks like you’re not doing your chemistry homework tonight.”

“I hate people,” Lucas grunted as he turned away from his locker.

“Amen to that,” Kitty agreed.

“Let’s just go,” I said urgently. “This place gives me the creeps at night.”

“I agree,” Addy said.

That’s when the I heard it, the faint click-click of the lights shutting off. The hallway was quickly drenched in darkness except for the moon shining through the window at the far end. The shadow of a tree played eerily on the floor and walls.

“I say we leave and do so now!” Lucas said rather frightfully. He was easily scared and in times like this saw little sense.

“The lights are probably set on a timer,” I pointed out. “Nothing strange going on here.”

Even as I said it I had the feeling I was wrong. I grabbed Addy’s hand and saw Lucas’s gaze shy away. He was still like this whenever we did anything of the sort in his vicinity. Once again, it was something I had grown used to.

Kitty lead the way down to the main entrance. We reached it and she pushed on the door to open it. The problem was, it didn’t seem to budge. “Stop kidding around,” Lucas stammered. “Open the damn door.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Kitty said, a little hurt by his harshness. “I’m not doing anything. The door won’t open.”

Sure enough, Lucas tried and the door wouldn’t move and inch.

“What now?” Lucas asked me.

“How should I know?” I responded quickly. The darkness was starting to get to me. I couldn’t see the end of the hallway behind us. Anything could’ve been hiding in the thick shadows.

“The back entrance, duh,” Addy said. At least someone was still thinking clearly.

We reached the backdoor and all of us stood back, looking strangely at it. No one wanted to be the one to try it, because if it didn’t open, they would be the first blamed.

“Oh, just let me do it,” Kitty stepped forward and tried the door.

Of course she expected it to open. We all were expecting, hoping it would open. That’s why a quick singe of fear ran throughout my body when she had the same results as with the other door. “Are we gonna be stuck here all night?” Lucas wondered aloud.

I took out my cell phone, “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

I slid it open and speed dialed my house. I put it to my ear and was surprised to hear a weak static. “It won’t work.”

Kitty and Addy had the same results as me, a weak static. Lucas, on the other hand, had absolutely no service. Was I glad I didn’t have AT&T. But I guess in this situation, that didn’t really matter.

“There has to be a service entrance or something we can try,” I suggested. “And if it comes to it, we can climb out a window.”

I began to walk back towards the center of the school when Lucas stopped me. “I don’t want to go back in there.”

“We really don’t have a choice.”

“I’ll wait here,” Lucas proposed. “Come get me when you find something.”

Kitty was the first to respond. “If you’re like this when you have our company, what do you think you’ll do when your all by yourself?”

Lucas didn’t have a response and without another word followed us back into the center of the school. There was what the students called a “knuckle,” where the four main hallways met. We stopped here to review our choices.

“We could use smoke signals to call for help,” Kitty recommended.

“You’re crazy,” Lucas replied.

“Your mom’s crazy,” Kitty shot back.

“Now is definitely NOT the time,” I said loudly.

That’s when I saw it, just out of the corner of my vision. Someone was standing in the moonlight cast through the doorway at the end of the hallway. “W-what is th-that?” I managed to say, pointing.

Everyone looked. I thought Lucas was going to wet himself.

As we stared, more “someone’s” began to file out of the doorways on either side of the same hallway. I call them that because they all looked exactly the same. They were definitely teenagers dressed in what many would call “cool” clothing. Ripped jeans, button up shirts, all designer by anyone’s standards. But they all had the same, crazed look in their eyes. It was surprising to see that they walked with their hands stuck to their sides. I almost expected them to have their hands outstretched, like I had seen in those zombie movies last Halloween.

After a few moments they all stopped and stared in our general direction. The one from the back, who was presumably female, walked to the front and without hesitation lifted her arm and pointed her finger directly at us. All the other “someone’s” reacted by starting in our direction. I never thought I’d find the need say this, but now seemed the right time. “Run!”

I grabbed Lucas’ shoulder, because he was still in a strange daze, and pulled him with the rest of us. In a second he was in step beside us. “What are those things?” he asked as we ran down the hallway towards the front entrance then took a turn to head towards the elevator.

“You think we know!” I hollered back.

Could this really be happening? This circumstance did not seem plausible, but it was happening and now we were stuck in the middle of it.

I stopped at the end of the hall as the others ran up the stairwell. I was hoping that those things were just figments of our imagination. Something the paranoia of the situation had created in our minds.

My hopes were dashed. After a few seconds the group that had been in pursuit of us rounded the corner. What in the world was going on? Something strange, that was for sure. But really, how could something like this actually happen?

I turned quickly and took the steps two at a time. The rest were waiting for me on the second floor, stopped by something I hadn’t seen yet. Another group of was coming down the hallway, blocking any forward progress.

“What are we going to do?” Lucas yelled, backing away.

“The third floor,” Addy said quickly.

“We’ll be trapped.”

I looked down over the railing and the group that had been on the first floor was now climbing the steps and said rapidly “We have no other choice!”

We bounded up the steps and found ourselves in the short, third floor hallway.

“What now?” asked a defeated Lucas.

An idea occurred to me in that instant, stemming from something Kitty had said before. “What if I pull a fire alarm?”

“But we’d be eaten before anyone got here,” Lucas yelled.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said quietly. His screaming wasn’t helping anything.

“What else do you think they’ll do?”

I hadn’t thought about that. But it was a plan and that’s more than anyone had at that point. I raced to the fire alarm that was a few steps away and pulled it fiercely. “Oops,” I said quietly.

“OOPS!” Lucas shouted.

Kitty smacked him.

“I think I may have broken it…” I said, holding the broken red handle in my hand.

“Into a classroom,” Kitty advised as the group became visible at the top of the stairs. The first door we tried was locked, but the second opened.

We hurried in and locked it behind us, hiding in the corner away from the door. This classroom was on the backside of the school, so we wouldn’t see anything out of the windows, but I walked over to one all the same. I unlocked it at the top and to my surprise it slid right open. A chilly air filled the room. Another plan was forming in my head.

“What are you doing?” Addy asked as we heard the door handle restrain against those trying to get in.

“If we can get back to the first floor we can get out through a window.” This idea sounded oddly familiar.

“Why didn’t you think of that when we were down there?” Lucas questioned as he cowered in the corner.

“None of us were in the state of mind to think rationally.” Kitty was the one to respond.

“We can go through the door to the next classroom,” I explained my plan aloud. “That should put us directly across from the elevator. If we can sneak across the hall and get in, we should have enough time to find a window when we get there. But we have to do this quietly.”

I put my finger to my mouth to show Lucas, who was basically crying, that I meant now, then opened the door to the next classroom. It was empty. I crept over to the door to the hall and peeked my head up to see out the window in the door. The group was huddled around the door we had just entered. Whatever they were, they weren’t very smart.

I wasted no time in opening the door. I walked into the hallway and made it across into the alcove were the elevator was situated. I motioned for the others to follow. First came Addy, then Kitty, and finally Lucas, but not only until after much goading from our side. I had to resist every urge to scream at him.

When we were all safely out of site, I pressed the call button and waited. Out of no where there was a loud *beep* and the elevator doors slid noiselessly opened. I had not been expecting that one. Before we could look to see if it had attracted their attention I dived through the doorway and pressed the button for the first floor. The rest were quick to follow. The doors closed before any of the things appeared by the doorway. They had definitely heard that though.

The doors opened on the first floor and we sprinted right out. The first window we happened by was by the front entrance. I unlocked it and it flew right open.

I stopped as I realized there was a screen in the way. Lucas, however, would not be stopped that easily. He punched a hole right in the middle and ripped it apart. He jumped through first then helped Kitty and Addy over. I was last. I took one quick look and saw nothing.

Once we were out we ran. Past the naïve trick or treater’s and their unknowing guides. What we had just experienced was something unexplainable. Had we just stumbled upon an unsolved mystery or were we losing our minds? Only time would help answer such questions. In the meantime we would be left to wonder what was really going on within the walls of that high school…

This mystery will be pursued in a later episode…

Episode Two, The Worst Kind of Pain

My first thought was to avoid him, but then I realize that wouldn’t work. We had at least five classes together, our lockers were right on top of each other and we sat at the same table in the morning and at lunch… This was going to be difficult. Should I come right out and tell him or should Addy and I keep it a secret? The first would make the pain come quicker, but I was afraid of that pain… The second may have given us a few days at most, but the pain would still come and maybe even last for longer. I was definitely not one for conflict.

Addy and I had stayed at the rock for at least another hour after sunset and had talked about different things, including the Lucas situation. It turned out they had been in a relationship before we had met and become friends. The thing was, she had broken it off and had no idea that her old boyfriend was still not over her. Of course I told her all the details and was surprised to see that she was not at all shocked. We then came up with a plan of sorts. We would avoid each other the next morning until Lucas showed up, then I would tell him and take it from their. It only seemed right that he would be the first to know. The problem was, how in the world was I going to bring myself to tell him?

So there I sat at the rounded table in an uncomfortably plastic chair, waiting for my life to come to an end. I was quivering slightly and had sweat running down my back. I was oblivious to everything happening around me. That was, until I saw his bus arrive. I waited until I saw him step off and disappear behind the wall. There were only seconds left until my fate would be decided…

I got up to leave the cafeteria before I had the chance to decide otherwise. This was much harder than I had expected. Why couldn’t I just face him? Probably because I knew what I had done was wrong. But was it? Lucas was hoping for a miracle that would, frankly, never transpire. Now it was my chance and if he was my friend then he would accept that. But I still couldn’t help but feel as if something was going to go horribly wrong…

I was stopped just beyond the exit of the cafeteria, contemplating my next move, when I felt his hand come down on my shoulder. I couldn’t help myself, I jumped about five feet into the air after shrieking for the whole world to hear. Okay, so maybe five feet is an exaggeration, but the rest is not. I had just made a complete fool of myself. It looked like my friend karma had shown up at last.

I turned to see him laughing at my spectacle. But that didn’t last long; he must have noticed the look of dread plastered across my face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely worried.

Why did he have to be so nice to me! Why couldn’t he be like every other human being who was now whispering to their friend and starting rumors about me?

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Come on,” he said quietly. “You can tell me.”

I could feel it moving up from my diaphragm. The word vomit that had gotten me into trouble countless times, was now going to ruin my friendship. I tried to keep my mouth closed tight, but I knew from experience that all my attempts to suppress it only made it worse. “I kissed her,” I practically mouthed.

“What?” Lucas asked?

Great, was he going to make me repeat it! “I kissed her,” I said a little louder, so only he could hear.

“Who?” he questioned, still not getting the point.

“Addy.”

I looked up quickly to see his reaction. A blank look had spread across his face and I could only imagine the thoughts that were racing through his head. He took a step back and shifted his gaze so he looked directly into my eyes. If looks could kill, I would have been a puddle on the floor.

He turned quickly and stood with his back to me for a second. I wanted to say, ‘I‘m sorry!’ but once again, no words came out of my mouth.

Then he left, without a backwards glance. I took a step after him, but realized it would be pointless. If anything, it was probably best for him to be alone.

I stumbled backwards until my back hit a wall and I collapsed as the enormity of the situation became reality.

***

Lucas avoided me for the next few days. He sat as far away from me in every class and never once glanced in my direction. Every time I tried to talk to him he’d walk away without a word. I guess this was what they call the silent treatment, and let me tell you, it sucked.

In the meantime me and Addy were only getting closer. I had never really had a deep conversation with her since we had known each other, but now it was the only thing we did. Everyday we would go up to the outlook and talk, among other things… It was the one thing that got me through the day. Addy kept telling me Luc would get over himself and realize he was being petty. I, however, felt he deserved to hate me for the rest of my life. In my eyes, I didn’t deserve a friend as good as him.

Right away Addy suggested I get myself a cell phone. “How are we gonna keep in touch when we’re away from each other?” she had asked the second time we had gone to the outlook.

I had responded, “I rather not think about that.”

“You need a cell phone,” she had suggested without a moments thought.

So there I was, spending my Saturday cell phone shopping. I had begged Addy to tag along for moral support, but she had plans to visit her family. My first stop had been Wal-Mart, but I might as well of gone to the super market and asked to purchase an automobile. The man with the lazy eye and the smoker’s voice had suggested I try the Verizon shop at the local mall. It turns out, if I actually wanted to be able to use my cell phone to call someone, I would have to stay away from AT&T.

The Verizon store was small, and had over a hundred phones displayed throughout. By the time I was asked if I needed help I had circled the store four times and was pretty sure I had drool running down the front of my face.

“What are you looking for?” a woman who reeked of hair spray and cheap perfume asked me. She had on ten cent lipstick which was beginning to run. I had smelt her coming from a mile away.

It took me a moment to stop staring, but I finally said, “A cell phone.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” the women seemed to be annoyed. Wasn’t it her job to answer questions and be polite to customers? Well, she wasn’t doing a very good job of it. “What features are you looking for?” she added after a few moments of the most awkward silence of my life.

“Well, I need to be able to call people on it.”

“Is that all?”

“What else is there?”

The woman’s mouth was hanging agape by this point and I could smell that she had eaten one to many breath mints. I coughed once to clear my throat and the woman replied, “Well, that narrows it down to every single phone we have in stock. Let’s make this quick, are you looking for something simple or something fancy?”

“Well, I only have two hundred bucks,” I pointed out.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” she laughed. “Follow me.”

She lead me to a display rack that had a few flip phones and a few that looked like the slid open. I really didn’t want to spend anymore time with this lady, so I blinked quickly and picked the first one that my eye was drawn to. It was hot pink and had purple hearts all over it. My glance automatically moved to the one next to it, which was definitely more my style. It was a dark blue and looked like it was one of the ones that slid instead of flipped. “How much for that one?” I asked, pointing.

“One-oh-nine, ninety-nine,” the lady answered.

“I’ll take it.”

She went out back through a door and reappeared carrying a tiny box. I followed her to a checkout counter and we talked about setting up a plan. My mom came over to talk specifics and I stood to the side, answering questions whenever they were asked. I paid for the phone and the contract, and had nothing left over. My parents had said they would pay for a simple plan if I kept my grades up. That wouldn’t be a problem, considering I was second in my class.

When I got home I realized I had forgotten to get Addy’s number, guess I would have to wait for Monday. I enjoyed that part off my life, because there was always something to look forward to. I, however, was also dreading Monday, for it meant another day I had to face Lucas’ death glare. By now the whole school knew of my betrayal, which made it that much harder to get through the day.

***

Monday morning came and I sat at my normal table in the cafeteria. Lucas would show up anytime and walk on by, flaunting his “I could care less about you” look, which would make me feel that much worse.

That’s why I wasn’t expecting it when he turned and sat down at the table across from me. Two of our friends, Mike and Tim, got up from the table, claiming they had somewhere else to be. I wasn’t paying any attention to them. My eyes were locked on Lucas’, who wouldn’t look away. His face didn’t show any anger, but instead signs of regret. “I’m sorry,” he said before I had the chance.

Great, there he goes again, being the best friend anyone could ever hope for. “I’m sorry,” I managed.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said quietly. “I was a jerk and an even worse friend.”

“But, what about-”

“Don’t worry about it,” he cut me off. “I’ve been thinking. If it’s what you both want, I’m okay with it. Anyways, I really don’t have any other choice.”

I was speechless and it seemed like Lucas understood why. I was astounded by him and his ability to forgive so easily. I had no idea what I had done to deserve such a good friend.

Now that everything was right in the world, it seemed like my adventures could truly begin.

*Look forward to episode three, a Halloween Special.*

A Journey Best Not Taken Alone

Life is but a journey that all must take,
And is often effected by the choices we make.

Some play it cautious, cursed forever alone.
Living their lives as if under a mossy stone.
The darkness engulfs them, they live in despair.
Because they have no one for whom they care.

Then there are those who have chosen the road,
Despite all the troubles that seem to forebode.
The road that will let them leave their solitude behind,
And lead them to that which they wish to find.
That someone’s love for which they constantly yearn.
Someone who loves them much the same in return.

This journey that is life is best not taken alone,
And this little fact I feel all shall atone.
For in loneliness one is doomed to fail,
Where in conjunction two will surely avail.

Episode One, Why Won’t Something Amazing Happen?

Let's just call this, "My Amazing Adventures in a Mediocre World"

So there I was, standing in the middle of the crowd, keeping my head down, trying my best not to get noticed. It’s what I always do. No matter where I am or what I’m doing I stay there, in that exact same spot, hoping beyond hope that one day I will find the courage to break free from my own, imagined bindings and experience a world more spectacular then I’d ever imagined. I often imagined this world in a far away universe, somewhere I could never even dream of reaching, when in fact, it happened to be right in front of me. But, since I am me, I won’t be doing anything soon that will significantly alter my monotonous life, so I leave the burden on those who I can trust to add some excitement to the tedium. These are the ones I owe everything too. But how was I to know that today would be the day that changed it all.

The crowd began to disperse and I was left in the middle of the large, musty gymnasium. Wait, what in the world was I doing here? That’s when I felt her push me gently from behind and saw as she gestured for me to follow. Let’s just call her… Addy. I followed willingly as I recalled where I was. The bleachers were filled with underclassmen chatting in the high pitched, squealing voices that I had grown to hate. It must have been a pep-rally, one of the many things about high school that wreaked of predictability. Some idiotic spirit obsessed punk would participate in an inane event and fail horribly, thus his entire class’s failure would be blamed on him.

Addy led me to a seat about three rows up and there I sat, observing the primal customs with minimal enthusiasm. The event ended and of course, everything happened as expected. How boring…

Everyone got up to leave and we began to follow the flow of the crowd. The day was almost over but I always had the hope that once the school bell rang, it would finally begin. Addy and I parted ways with a simple “see ya” and I watched her go, wishing I had even an smidgen of courage. Suddenly I felt a hard jolt against my side and the force spun me around quickly before I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I had always frowned upon walking backwards, but now here I was, caught in my moral compass pointing south. “Watch where your going,” laughed a familiar voice, Lucas.

“You’re concern is refreshing,” I joked as he helped me to my feet.

“I’m sorry,” he replied in a mocking tone. “Are you hurt?”

“Well, I don’t have brain leaking out of my ears, so I think I’m good.”

“That’s definitely a positive.”

Now this was the problem. He was the problem. Not that we weren’t friends, because we were, but he was an obstacle on a road I already had trouble traveling. I hated myself for falling for her, just as he had, but I couldn’t help myself. Maybe that’s why we were such good friends, because our personalities were so similar.

“Time for class,” I offered as we stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking the progress of many, agitated passersby. I cursed them under my breath. Were they not the same people that did this every day? I hated hypocrisy and the hypocrites that were its demonic spawn.

“I suppose,” Luc said and we made are way down the hall, getting stuck behind some demons who had decided to strike up a conversation in the middle of the hall. I laughed aloud as my point was proven less than seconds after I had made it.

Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea… I got a few death glares in my direction, as if I were the one doing wrong. I just kept my laughter to myself as we made our way up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Right when we entered the classroom the final bell rang and everyone hurried out to the lives I envied unknowingly. Many would have weekends they would boast about endlessly, but for me, it would just be the same old, same old.

Lucas left me to catch his bus and I hurried out of the building without stopping at my locker. That detour would have caused a certain meeting with Addy and at the moment I wasn’t really to intent on torturing myself. It was always hard to be around her when I knew it wasn’t possible and never could be possible, unless she felt the same way. But who was I kidding? It’s not like that was ever going to happen.

I walked slowly once I was out of the school, noticeably sulking the entire time. Who cared what other people thought of me? The only thing that mattered was what I thought. I knew who I was, and I knew I was better than all of them. “Them” being those who thought it was cool to be drugged up punks and high school drop outs. Yeah, because blatant idiocy is the definition of cool in today’s world.

My walk home usually included a detour through the park, but today I decided against it. I don’t know exactly why, but it was spontaneous choices like these that always made my life a tad bit more interesting. About a minute after I walked by the turn off I heard her calling my name. At first I thought I was hearing things. Oh great, I thought to myself, now I’m going insane. I had seen those movies, and it only started with voices. I didn’t think I was ready for strange visions of headless corpses or impaled skulls, at the moment.

But then I heard her voice again, this time closer. I turned around and smiled, at both the realization that I wasn’t losing my mind and at the girl who was approaching. Had I always missed this opportunity because I had so indignantly taken the path through the park without a second thought. The path that had always seemed the easiest. Oh! How that was the story of my life. Maybe it was indeed wise to take the road less traveled. I would just have to wait and see how it all turned out.

I waited as Addy caught up, letting her fall in step by my side. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. “I never see you walking this way,” she pointed out.

I looked at her and was happy to see, she was smiling too. “Well,” I began, and then thought for a second. “I was ready for a change.”

“Ha,” she laughed. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“How so?” I asked curiously.

“Life is so boring,” she exclaimed. “Nothing ever happens in a town this small. I know everyone there is to know, I’ve seen everything there is to see.”

My face was beginning to hurt, I couldn’t wipe the smile off of it. “Exactly,” I repeated her statement from before. “Something needs to happen and it needs to happen soon.”

We came to an intersection and I pushed the button on the street lamp. After a few seconds I pushed it again. Addy laughed. “What?” I asked.

“What was that for?”

“What?” I asked again, not knowing what she meant.

“You pressed the button twice,” she said.

“Did I?”

“Yes, you did,” she replied, then added, “why?”

“I don’t know,” I laughed with her. “I guess I just don’t trust technology. In fact, I have a deathly fear of elevators-”

I didn’t get a chance to finish my thought, she tugged on my hand to get my attention then began to lead me across the street. I blushed as she freed my hand. I looked away and waited for the blood to leave my face. It had just gotten unbearably hot.

The feeling passed, way too quickly, and I wished it would come back. “What do you say?” she asked changing the subject. “Want to do something spontaneous?”

“Like what?” I asked keen to the idea.

“I have no idea!” she exclaimed. “That wouldn’t make it very spontaneous.”

She took a turn down a street I didn’t recognize and I followed. “Where are you going?” I questioned after a few more seemingly random turns.

“What’s with all the questions?” she teased as she led me off the road onto a forested path.

“Well,” I thought aloud. “Call me crazy, but I also have a fear of getting lost in the woods after nightfall.”

“Isn’t that something,” Addy chuckled as she slowed her pace, headed uphill.

“What?” I wondered.

“A few minutes ago you were all for doing something crazy, and know your questioning it?” she sounded a little disappointed.

“No, that’s not it,” I said quietly. I knew exactly what was causing me to second guess myself. I was frantically yelling at my mind to get over its shyness, but I feared it may be my downfall.

“Then come on,” Addy said with her smile that I loved so much.

I didn’t open my mouth again until we had reached what seemed to be the top of an extremely large hill. “I didn’t know there was a mountain in this town,” I tried to joke.

Addy laughed once again, “We’re almost there.”

“Wait,” I said in a mockingly accusatory tone, “Doesn’t it defeat the purpose you know where we’re going.”

“I’ve only ever been here once,” she said as she pushed a branch out of her way, holding it for me to go by. “It’s the most beautiful spot for miles.”

“I guess I have no choice but to trust you,” I smiled.

After a few more steps the forest around us began to thin and the sun shone clearly through the canopy above. The smell of wildflowers lightly scented the air and the many shadows playing in the wind accented the scene astonishingly. The path ended when they came upon a large boulder. “Climb up,” Addy motioned as she stood back.

I was done arguing, so I started to climb. It was surprisingly easy, as if all the footholds had been carved into the rock purposely. I reached the top and was astonished by the amazing sight before me. I stood atop a giant rock that was placed against the edge of a sheer cliff. From this lookout I could see the entire town, the river from its start to it end far off in the distance, and the school far off to the right. Addy soon stood right beside me. “Beautiful, isn’t it,” she remarked.

I was speechless, and she must have understood why because she said, “I was the same way.”

“When did you find this?” I asked as she walked towards the edge and took a seat.

She didn’t answer until I was sitting directly next to her. “A while ago.”

“Why haven’t you come back?”

“Because it’s lonely all by yourself,” she replied quietly as she noticeably positioned herself closer to me. My heart did a double back flip and I tried to recover. This could not be happening. Things weren’t supposed to be so right.

“You have a lot of friends,” I offered. Why in the world was I making this so much harder than it actually was?

“Yeah, but none of them are you.”

I turned and looked at her and after a few seconds she did the same. I repositioned my hand on the rock and it fell on top of hers. I couldn’t tell if I had done this on purpose, or if it had been an accident. But at this point, I was done arguing with myself. We sat like that for what seemed like hours, but was in actuality only a few seconds.

“I’ve always liked you,” I blurted and fought the impulse to slap myself in the head.

Addy smiled and leaned a few inches closer to me. As if pulled by a magnetic force I did the same. In the next instant we were only an inch apart and my senses were passionately out of control. Could it really be this easy? Our lips met and we kissed. After a few seconds we drew apart and I inhaled quickly, then looked out over the horizon where the sun was now beginning to set. It, however, could not compete with the beauty of the girl sitting next to me.

It seemed as if my wishes had come true, but I couldn’t help but dread what was to come. I had to tell Lucas, and what I had just done now seemed the easiest thing in the world.

To be continued in Episode Two.