All Smiles

Chapter 1

Smiles in the picture

"Hey, Smiles! What's up?" Reese asks sitting down, I notice the pink bracelet on her wrist. 

"Nothen' much. Just chilling like usual." I'm sitting in the front yard of my school under a tree. It'll piss my teachers off if I have dirt on my ass, so its all the better then sitting inside.

"I figured. Rumor is that a new kid is coming." She says, sitting next to me, then pulling her long hair into a bun. I lean my head back and look at the sun through the leaves. Its pretty. 

"I've heard. The last new kid was a freshman, right?"  I know the answer is yes, but I ask for conversations sake.

"Yeah. He got in here for destroying school property after already being suspended for it." Reese likes to know everyone's story, their reasons for being here and why they did whatever they did. That's why we are friends. I don't have a story and she's determined to find out what it is.

"Reese, I think lunch is gonna end soon. We should go." We get up and I half heatedly wipe the dirt off my butt and straighten my tie. Sorta. Its still lose because I hate having things tied around my neck. I told that to Reese and she thought it was a hint to my story. Its not. I just don't like tight things on my neck. 

We are in the same grade, senior, so we have all the same classes together. All the seniors have class together, just like how the juniors are with the juniors, sophomores with the sophomores, and freshmen with the freshmen. Our school is super small, it only has about 120 students total. I have only gone here for a month. I was sent here 2 months into the school year, so I have 6 months left before I graduate. Of course, graduating high school now means little to nothing, since I'll be graduating from Martin Jenkins School for Delinquent Children. 

Yup. I got sent to a delinquents school. Its not that bad, honestly. I still see my outside friends every second weekend, and I have Reese. Most of the kids here are in for selling drugs, fights, destruction of school property. Protecting somebody. Thats what I'm in here for. 

I was at a street race (another reason one kid is in here, he was caught racing. I'm pretty sure I was there at the race he was arrested at) with my friend group. My sister and I were cheering for Milo, a friend who was racing, when Rosie noticed sirens. We scattered, Blaze, Nate, Rosie, and Sam got in Blazes car. Maggie and I got separated from them. Its general knowledge at a race that if you see someone without a car, you let them jump in with you to get away. But some guys took that a little to far. They grabbed Maggie and said they were gonna help her get away, said she should just get in their car. Obviously they were freaks. Rapist or human traffickers, maybe both. Well, I attacked and beat the 2 of them to death. The cops saw most of it, and Maggie testified for me along with some other people who saw it as they ran past. It all boiled down to it being called an "act of protective aggression against potential harm doers that lead to a crime of passion". A very fancy way of saying I killed them to protect my sister. 

So now I'm here in a school for "troubled minds" and I'm smiling.  Which is how I got my name. No one else here smiles nearly as much as I do, but thats because I'm a happy person and most of the others aren't. Everyone here is depressed or angry or hateful for some reason, like having a bad home life or being bullied or being repressed, maybe they were manipulated or tricked. Everyone here is upset in someway and thats what made them act out, I however, am not. So I smile a lot more then they do.

"Mr. Jensen, Mr. Glan, how nice of you to join us. Sit down, I was about to start." Mr. Pitchuk says. He isn't horrible, he just doesn't care. He just wants to do his job and go home. Its not a big deal, because half the class just wants to sit then leave. I care about my grades though, so most of the teachers don't care if I'm a minute or two late to class.

"Sorry, Mr. Pitchuk." I apologize and sit down, Reese sits next to me. At the end of the class we have 5 minutes to get help from the teacher and do some work, so I help Reese figure out her equations. I can do mine later, but she sucks at math and needs help. Now, I'm no nerd, but I get by with a B. After that we go to Science with Mr. Kan. Then we go to our dorms. 

Reese and I don't share a dorm, I share with a kid named Beck who is fine if you ignore his graffiti tags. He draws them on his notebooks and assignments even though he could get in trouble. But like I said, the teachers don't care, so as long as he doesn't cause any problems, they aren't gonna say anything about him drawing in his notes.

I lay back on my bed and cross my arms behind my head. I don't regret saving my sister, but sometimes I wished nothing had happend at all so I could still be with my outside friends. I miss Blaze. He was my best friend and he had just gotten into a relationship with Milo, so for the few weeks before I got in here, he was kinda preoccupied. Nate was my other closest friend, but he has always been obsessed with Rosie, his girlfriend. Rosie lives in a different town (her family moved) so we didn't see each other much anymore. And my sister. We were always close but she had had Page, her now ex-girlfriend to worry about. Page was a bitch and would drag Maggie everywhere so we didn't see her much until she broke up with Page about 2 weeks before I killed those guys. I was getting kinda lonely with everyone being busy all the time. I wish I had had someone who would want to do everything with me, just like how all my friends had significant others to always be hanging out with.

I glance at the time. Its only 3:09. I get up and do my homework.

-----

"Reese." I greet.

"Smiles."

The overhead speaker crackles, "Mr. Jensen, to the office. Mr. Jensen." I leave my lunch tray and walk out. When I get to the office I quietly open the door with a famous smile. 

"Whatdaya need, Mr. Principle?" 

"Mr. Jensen, so nice of you to come. This is Tyler Alton, he is a new student here and in need of a tour guide. You wouldn't mind, would you?" His stupid face goes into a fake look of concern.  Look, my teachers are fine, cause they just don't care about us, but this guy kinda sucks. Not that he dose anything, hes just a smartass.

"Sure. I'm gonna take him to lunch now. Bye!" Then I pull Tyler out the door. The second we are in the hall I stare at him. He has light brown curly hair and a sharp face. He kinda reminds me of Joey, that gangster one of Blazes uncles married... I swear I've seen this guy before.

"OH MY GOD! Tyler! You've changed!" I remember now! Tyler and I hung out a few times with Blaze. Hes Blazes fathers dads best friends little brothers son. Wow. Thats a mouthful.

"I don't think I know you." I almost smack my forehead. 

"Yeah. You know Blaze right? Tyson's kid? Tysons dad is Jack, and Jacks best friend is Tanner and Tanners little brother is Gray, and Gray is your dad. I'm Blazes best friend."

"Oh yeah! I don't remember your name, and I don't think you had pink hair before." He leans into the wall next to us with an easier manner. My hand flies ups and rubs against my hair. I died it pink and buzzed it the day before my court case. Blaze helped me. I buzz and redye it whenever I go back home. Luckily my hair grows really slowly.

"Yeah. People call me Smiles now, you can call me that too. Anyways, its lunch and its pizza day." I turn around and head to the cafeteria, and hear him following.

"Is the pizza here any good?" He asks, like the young fool he is.

"Yes. Pizza day is the best day because they order in. So its not actually made by the cooks. You never want to miss pizza day." I take him to the line, which only has a few kids left. 

"Do you want me to wait with you?" I want to go tell Reese who Tyler is before he sits with us, but if he wants me to, I'll stay.

"Go on. I'm just in line, its not like I'll die or anything." He crosses his arms and smirks. 

I stick my tongue out at him.