Strangers

The Outcast

Memories of Joe Alwyn
15 years ago before the events described
Part 3

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The day started out just fine. Joe had done all the homework for Saturday that was assigned for the next week. Somehow it happened to be a lot less this time. He didn't think about Friday night and Taylor at all.

On Sunday, he and Mary went to the movies and then bowling with his friends from his last school. And it was a lot of fun, and all of his friends laughed at the narcissistic, arrogant rich people.

Joe finally felt at ease with his surroundings, and the awkwardness that had always accompanied him at school was gone.

Also, even though he slept a half hour longer, he wasn't late, and it was all fine.

He made his way to school, and people stared at him and whispered behind his back. Joe heard only a few words, but he ignored them. He went to his locker and saw that someone had written on it, "This locker belongs to the one and only Beggar Joe Dumbass".

He tried to erase the writing but failed, the students behind him started laughing. Joe took a deep breath and opened the locker and pulled out his textbooks. After which he made his way to the classroom.

He sat down and a paper ball came flying into his cheek, which someone shot at him from a tube.

He turned around and saw Taylor and Harry walk into the classroom, together as if nothing had ever happened. Harry's arm was around Taylor's waist, and as they sat down he pulled her golden curls aside and kissed her neck, whispering something in her ear. Taylor smirked and stood up.

She clapped her hands together and said in a sweet voice:

"small announcement. On Friday, a man named Joe Alwyn died. He no longer exists. And if anyone tries to resurrect the dead man, he'll die instantly. Does everyone get it?"

She looked around at her classmates who nodded, and without even looking at Joe, she turned back to her friends.Joe stared at her. She's so mean after all. But he's not as simple as he seems. And he'll show them.

Joe was so wrong. When he left the classroom at recess, he came back to find his homework book missing. He looked for it, in his backpack, on his desk. Suddenly he heard a group of classmates laughing behind him.

"Isn't that what you're looking for, Alwyn?" asked Alexander, waving his notebook.

"Exactly, this. Give me that, please" Joe said in a cold voice, heading toward him.
The classmates laughed.

"Do you want it? Then take it back"  with these words Alexander threw the notebook to Joe through the classroom to another boy. Joe tried to catch it on the fly, but he couldn't.

"Come on, Joe, let's go"  Alexander's voice boomed, and the guy who had caught Joe's notebook waved it in front of Joe's face.

Joe threw himself at the guy, but he threw the notebook to a girl named Sofia. After several unsuccessful attempts, Joe gave up and sat down at his desk. The guys didn't like it.

"What do you guys think of the idea of flushing Joe's notebook down the toilet?" said Taylor loudly.

"That's a great idea" Harry said.

"No, stop, that's my homework, think about what you're doing!" shouted Joe.

Taylor covered her ears with her hands and said:

"did you hear something? I think the fly told me to hurry up and throw the notebook in the toilet"

Taylor and a group of friends headed to the girls' bathroom, Joe jumped on Taylor to take the notebook away but Liam tripped him and he fell to the floor, hitting him hard on the stomach. Before he could get up, Harry walked up to him.