A Tragic Teenage Drama: Chapter 1

“Robert!” Mr. Jostens shouts slamming his hand on my desk. I lazily turn my attention to him before blowing him off and turning my attention to the window. I knew this pissed him off and it was taking everything I had not laugh at his stupid face. He couldn’t touch me, all he could do was call security and that meant I would win. I don’t like being an asshole to my teachers, but when he’s being a dick cause I’m the only student in his hard as shit class who chooses not to pay attention and can still pass, he kind of sets himself up. He groans before returning to his useless lecture. I won. Like usual. I could hear my fellow classmates murmuring at my millionth victory. It was the usual bad murmuring. It was hard being the misfit but like my opinion on everything in life, it’s whatever. If this is what I was made to be, I’ll take it in strides.
The bell couldn’t have come sooner. I was getting sleepy and if I had fallen asleep, Mr. Jostens would have killed me. I grab my bag and quickly make my exit. What I wasn’t expecting was the principle Mrs. Lewis to be waiting for me by the door. She had her ebony arms crossed and her stern mother-like gaze fixated on me.

“What? I got something on my face?” I smirk. I wipe my face on my jacket and use the reflection of my cell phone to scan my face. “Got it. Thanks Mrs. what would I do without ‘cha” I say stepping forward. She sighs and grabs me by my bag.

“Come on Robert, to my office.” She begins as I groan. This was total suckage, I already had things to do, now I was going to spend the better part of my afternoon in detention.

“Why are you taking me to detention? I didn’t even do anything!” I protest, “Is it because of me not paying attention? Why is it any different from all the other times.” She doesn’t say anything. “Come, I already requested for a room to practice my singing and stage instruments. I only got an hour and I don’t want to waste it.” Her eyes begin to water as we finally reach her office. She opens to door to reveal a police officer waiting inside.

“Mr. Dooley, my name is Officer McMann, I have some terrible news that we need to inform you of.” His face was long and pale. McMann was an older fellow with thick black mustache with grey hairs sprinkled in. He was a lean man with obvious signs of wear and tear. I take off my bag and step inside as Mrs. Lewis closes the door behind me. I should have booked it, I should have flown, I should have done anything I could to get out of that damned room. “Mr. Dooley, I sorry to inform you that both your mother and father have passed away in a car accident. I am deeply and truly sorry.” I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t do anything. It felt like everything had been ripped away from me. All I could do was cry. Cry. Cry. Cr-

“Robert, we’re here. Wake up, Love.” I could hear my auntie whisper as she shut off her car. I sleepily open my eyes to find the disgusting look of suburbia staring at me in full force. It felt so cookie-cutter. I hated it.

I slide out of the passenger seat and stretch out my back. Moving was such a pain in the ass. Auntie Scarlet was kind enough to put me up but there was something obviously wrong with this. I didn’t resent her, but I couldn’t help but miss what was taken from me. Before I had a chance to start feeling like crap, I grab my headphones and start blasting music while I help Auntie unpack her hatchback. Life had taken me for a loop and placed me in such an awkward spot, it was pretty unfortunate but like I try to remind myself, it’s whatever.

Auntie had been reading up on how to help me cope with my loss, but I think I was doing a pretty good job at keeping her away. Sleeping worked best, guess she felt it was how my body was coping with it. Not speaking much also helped, but she would keep talking and I’d eventually have to respond. I know she’s trying her best. I want to tell her thank you, but it was hard enough to just get out of bed.

I step inside my new home and give it a good once over. It was a standard two story home that probably looked like the others in this useless gated community. Auntie said I could choose any of the bedrooms besides the master, but I was opting to choose either the basement or the attic. I take a look at the basement and noticed how chilly it was down here. I head upstairs to peep the attic and notice it’s those attics with a pull-down ladder.
That was pretty cool. I had a port window that showed the street. I could see little kids running around trying to make the most of the last few weeks of summer. I think I had made my choice. I walk down stairs to tell my auntie when I notice that someone was at the door. A girl in roller blades and stupid looking protective gear.

“Can I help you?” I ask brushing off the dust from my copper hair.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you, just noticed the moving vans and thought I’d pop over to say hello.” She begins extending her hand. “Chelsie Morgan.” I shake her hand and take a breath.

“Robert Dooley.” I say stepping outside to collect some more boxes. She follows behind and gets a better look at me.

“So, are you a high schooler? I’m going to be a junior in a few weeks.” She says removing her helmet.

“Same here.” I say squinting at her as the damned sun stabbed my eye holes. How the hell was she not burning up in this heat? Why the hell was it so hot? Especially since summer was almost over.

“Oh! Are you going to Ridgemont High School?” I nod, “In that case, we should totally hang out! I can show you around and-“

“Sorry but pass.” I say trying my best not to sound mean. “It’s nothing personal, just kind of want to be alone.” It was like dropping a bomb, her facial expressions changed so fast. Guess she was one of the drama kids.

“Well that’s too bad, I was hoping we could be good friends.” I shake my head and bring in some more boxes. Chelsie looks to me again before skating off. It was a shit thing to do, but it was probably better that way. I know the therapist said to find solace in friendships but friends weren’t my strong suit then and even more now.

After a few hours of unloading, both my attic room and Aunties bedroom were furnished. Everything else was looking pretty bare bones. Auntie had ordered some pizza and practically begged me to eat with her in the living room. I couldn’t be a total ass, so I plopped down on the couch and started eating as she set up her old DVD play. We spent the rest of the evening eating pizza and watching old episodes of “Friends”. What a life to live.
 
Opening my eyes, I could feel the weight of my blankets on me. I could also feel my morning tears building up on the ridges of my eyes. Mornings were always the hard part. I turn my face into my pillow and let the tears roll freely down my cheek. It felt good to cry, but I didn’t want my Auntie to see me like this. She’d probably want to cry with me. Was probably why I stared waking up at four. I finish my usual cry session and get dressed to head outside. Auntie had opted not to lock the house with security system until we were finally settled; which was a good thing for me cause, I never bothered to make a copy of the codes.

Stepping out into the early morning air, I could hear the sound of nothingness around me. It felt so nice to be alone. I was also getting taken to a therapist to talk, or to visit family friends who want to send their condolences personally, or to groups for those who lost a loved one. It was annoying and I hated it. I just wanted be alone. I knew what I needed, I needed space to breath and let myself process things my own way. I want to tell Auntie, but she would only tell me, “It’s not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up”

The neighborhood we moved into had a small park, so I started making my way there. The air had this soft mist that made my pale face feel moist and sticky, but not in a bad way. It was refreshing and felt really nice on my skin. After a decent walk, I finally made it to the park. It was nothing special, it had a few benches, some monkey bars, a swing set, those weird fortress things that had a slide and a few other odd and ends. I take a seat on the swings and put my headphones on.

In total honesty, listening to music was my grand escape. All my life, I had dreamt of being on stage, rocking out with my favorite bands, singing my favorite songs, crowd surfing like a star, the works. But now… I hadn’t touched any of the stage instruments since I was called into Mrs. Lewis’ office. The only instrument I couldn’t get rid of was my voice. I had thought about giving up on singing too, but it felt so good to sing that I couldn’t do it. As the music played in my ears, I could feel the vibrations of my vocal cords as I softly sang along. My favorite type of music had always been rock and metal. I like the classic stuff like Nirvana and Zeppelin, but I also like bands like Mayday and A Day to Remember. I sing most of the songs that I listen to except for that screamo stuff; that shit really messes up my throat.
As I sing quietly to myself, I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders. I jolt off the swings, but slip on the moist floor, causing me to hit the barrier pretty hard. I spin around to find Chelsie staring at me with wide eyes and a soft smile.

“Jesus Christ! What the hell’s your problem!?” I scold rising off the floor. I could hear her softly laughing to herself. “It’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I went out for my morning run and heard you singing. You sound amazing by the way.” She says taking the opposite swing. I return to mine and turn my attention the rising dawn. It was really nice to see. I lived in a city most of my life, which was cool, but I never got to see things like this. I turn to Chelsie who was staring off into space as the birds started to chirp. Chelsie was actually pretty attractive. She had a really soft face that looked almost pure say for a few can marks here and there. Her hair was a dark brown that had streaks of light blond in it that was down to her chest. She had a lean frame with thick thighs and a small chest. You could tell she was a run just by looking at her thighs and calves. Had I been old me, I would have tried my best to get to know her, but now it’s different. I check my phone and start heading back home.

“Hey, I gotta run. I’m pretty sure my aunts awake.” I say walking off.

“Robert, hey listen, I really want you to be my friend. Come talk to me some time.” She says placing her hand on my shoulder again. I bit my lip and sigh.

“Alright fine, but I’m a terrible friend though; so. I don’t think you’re gonna like me very much.” This was so stupid. Why couldn’t I just be left alone.