Never Alone

Chapter 1

The day has come, I start my first day of high school. I don’t know whether this is a blessing or just another four years of hell to come. My name is Johnny Bowers I live in Delano, New Jersey and ever since I was in elementary school I haven’t been able to find something I am truly talented or passionate about. I just feel like I have no meaning in the world, almost as if I was never contributing anything special. When people get a good look at me all they see is a plain, boring, average 14 year old. If this makes my life seem more meaningless I also don’t have any friends, big shocker right? Well today, today is a fresh start. Hopefully when I enter that high school today I will meet someone I can call a friend. It doesn’t have to be anyone that I am going to be friends with for life just someone that I can hang around with so I don’t get called “that loner kid”.

There might be a good chance that I can meet someone new today. Our high school combines two schools from our town separated by the railroad tracks. Washington Middle School and Jefferson Middle School. I went to Washington, so some of those students know who I am and when I mean some I mean a minimal amount because I was such a loner in my school. Maybe my talent is being lonely, well who knows?

As I go downstairs to get ready for school I notice my parents are still sleeping. They aren’t even up to see me go to my first day of high school. Oh well another let down like usual. I go to eat breakfast and I see there is nothing in the cupboard so I guess I am out of breakfast for today. I guess I’ll just pick something up on the way to school. I am about to walk out the door and my parents come rushing over to me giving me big kisses saying bye and good luck. It makes me feel a little better that they did not forget about my first day of high school.

I’m finally here, Delano High School. It is not as big as I thought it would be it is actually quite small. That is a relief, hopefully I won’t get lost in this place. I walk in then begin to realize I’m a freshmen, a loner freshmen. That is like the bottom of the food chain. I am a little fish in a humongous pond. So this means I’m screwed. I start to walk down the hallway to go to my homeroom and I see him. Probably the most popular, good looking, athletic freshmen that there is. If I could put more adjectives that describe perfect in that last sentence I would, but I just can’t believe how popular he is. His name is James Mathis and he describes the word “perfect”. He has dirty blonde hair and is a little shorter than me. He is either in his sweatpants or his jeans on occasion, and for some reason he likes wearing plain white shirts a lot. Maybe its something that “popular people” do. I always wonder how people become popular. What are the qualifications on becoming “popular”? I think you need nice hair, but that might just be in the movies. After looking around where everything is I feel that I may have made the biggest mistake in my life. I bump into James and fall to the ground and it was like I was a bug that hit a truck. It isn’t that James is this buff kid or anything we are about the same size I was just caught off guard and I fell down.

“Watch it John boy!” James said.

That sure was a scary first five minutes of high school I’m hoping that was the scariest part. I can’t believe he actually knew my name. How could he? I am the most awkward socially inept person in this school. I guess I shouldn’t question it someone with that level of popularity knowing my name is pretty cool.

I decide not to look for my homeroom and instead look for my locker. The one place in this school where I can call home. As I look to my right I see another kid who is on a high level of popularity but, he is not as popular as James Mathis. His name is Michael Anderson but everyone calls him Mikey. I know him through social media I have never met him in person though. Him and James are really good friends almost inseparable. Mikey is not as mean as James but he does follow whatever James says. I wonder if Mikey is this flower who is ready to bloom into his own self and not have to follow everything James says. Maybe he just wants to be himself, his own free spirit.