Grace Riders Chapter One

         The day somehow had gotten hotter in the afternoon. Mike sighs and looks up at the clear sky, shielding his eyes with his hand. The days in this small town in Maine don't usually get that hot but they'd started getting warmer. He just chalked it all up to global climate change. Today was the start of summer vacation, and Mike had made plans to let his friends stay with him, and wait out the hot, sunny days at his house.

         Michael Trisdan was seventeen and an emancipated minor. He lived alone in his parent's three story house on Brick Street in Kittery, Maine. His parents died when he was fifteen in a plane crash. That's when he began to live with his aunt a few blocks away from the family house. On his sixteenth birthday his present was to live on his own. He got a job and his aunt gave him some money each month to pay for the family home's mortgage. He told her that she didn't have to do that, but of course she insisted and told him to keep the money from his job for things like food and clothing, she would handle the bills that came with the house.

         Michael opened the door to his house, a slight yawn coming from his mouth as he felt the cool air flow out. He sets his bag on the floor of the entrance hall's closet and hung up his sweater. Kicking off his shoes he begins to head to the kitchen. Mike opens the fridge. After noticing the lack of anything substantial he sighs again, he was going to have to go out again. He closes the door to the fridge and began to walk up the stairs to his summer room in the attic, groceries could wait his friends weren't coming over for another few hours anyway.

         Mike walked the rest of the way upstairs and threw himself onto his bed. Turning on his radio, he thought about what might happen this summer. He and his friends, Matthew Gale and Alexis Manelar, were somewhat the misfits of the school. Matt had pale blonde hair, and very pale skin. His eyes were light blue and he always smiled. He was almost the polar opposite of Mike. Michael had dark brown hair, brown eyes that were almost black, and tanned skin. Alexis was Matt's girlfriend. She had dark skin and light brown eyes, and she's not at all scared or ashamed of her african-american heritage, black hair with one side with an undershave and the rest of her hair flipped over to the other side and the tips died in a hot pink ombre. She wanted everyone to see her as a the cool kid when she really was just a 5'9" teddy bear.

         People often tease Matt and Alexis for their relationship. Half of the jocks at school wanted Alexis for themselves, and will go as far as to saying that Matt is a burden to her. Matt is blind, but he doesn't let it effect his life. Alexis sees this as a strength that not many people have and so she stays with him. Mike originally was assigned to be Matt's buddy in elementary school because of his disability, but they quickly became friends. When they met Alex in middle school Mike was almost immediately jealous. Even though he couldn't see, Matt gravitated to her and Mike was confused. When the two got together, Mike wanted to break away from the friendship, but then he realized that Alexis made his friend happy, and he was always happy when Matt was. So he took the time to get to know Alexis, and they both became friends and the trio was born.

          Mike didn't notice he'd fallen asleep until his phone started ringing. He was jolted awake when the song 'Believer' suddenly started playing from the device. Rolling over to grab it, Mike answers the call, "Hey Matt. What's up bud?"

          The cheery sound of the other's voice came out of the speaker, "Hey! Mom wants me to have an adult bring me over there so I might be a little late."

         "Sounds good. I have to go out anyway so we don't starve." He laughs a little to make it clear that was a joke. Matt's laughter bubbles out of the phone. "I'll see ya." Mike says and hangs up. Stretching, the brunette sits up and scratches the back of his head.
Mike goes back downstairs and grabs his shoes to get ready to go. Grabbing his house key and headphones, Michael heads out to the store to get the necessities.