It's Going to be a Good Day

Chapter One

     Perhaps this feeling started when he was a kid. Every birthday party, every social gathering, every Christmas. Days that should feel amazing just felt normal. Like another Tuesday. Lucien struggled to view the world in a positive light. It wasn't his fault, perhaps there was just something wrong with his head. But he could never truly put his finger on exactly what he was missing in life.

     The year is August 8th, 2014. Lucien is just beginning middle school, a milestone in every pre-teen's life. While most kids entering middle school felt nervous or even excited, Lucien felt no different from how he's always felt. It was just school. What was there to be excited about? It was just a Friday.

     Blood. That was the first thing Lucien spotted when walked into the doors of the cafeteria. Student's who rode the bus entered from the side of the school, which was why this was his first stop in a new building. His eyes gently followed the trail of crimson, followed by the sound of skin smacking together. It was a fight between two older boys, who had issues with each other the year before. Quickly sliding by the two, Lucien began to make his way down the hall. Room 224, his first class of the day.

     Thankfully for Lucien, this teacher was allowing the students to take their own seats. Lucien chose a seat, far in the back. Not many of the other kids had chosen to sit there, so Lucien had two desks between him, and the person in front of him.

     "Hello, class. My name is Mrs. Lowe, and welcome to Math. We're going to start the year off with a little icebreaker. Would anyone like to start?" The room was silent. Of course, no one was choosing to go first. Why would they? It was a new school, full of new people. After a lingering minute of silence, the teacher finally decided to pick someone to introduce themselves. The awkward game went on, and eventually, it was Lucien's turn. All eyes were on him. That was the one thing Lucien couldn't stand. The only thing that truly made his stomach twist and turn.

     "Would you like to stand up and introduce yourself?" The teacher spoke. Lucien averted his gaze, standing up and awkwardly balling his fists.

     "I'm Lucien. I..like the color purple." They were supposed to give a fun fact about themselves. The truth was, Lucien, didn't like the color purple. In fact, he didn't know what color he liked. He never felt drawn to anyone in particular. He slowly sat back down in his seat, glimpsing at his pencil. It was at this point Lucien lost track of time. His day became a blur, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting at home, at the table. The smell of mashed potatoes filled his nose, and he could have sworn he heard his mother say something.

     "What?" His eyes drifted over to her.

     "How was your first day of school?" His mother spoke. His eyes just lingered back to his plate, and he picked up his fork.

     "It was fine." That was all he could say. He didn't know how his day was. "There was blood all over the cafeteria this morning. Two eighth-graders got into a fight." He shrugged slightly. His mother let out a concerned sound but left the conversation at that. Thankfully, Lucien thought. He could stand talking at the table. Dinners were always so hard for him. One, he couldn't stand the way food felt inside his stomach, and two, he hated the way everyone sounded when they ate. It filled him with an unbearable rage.

     Once he finished, he quickly put away his plate and rushed off to his room. Lucien wanted, no, needed to be alone. He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt so off today. And little did he know, this year would change the rest of his life in a way he could never quite understand.