How Did We Get Here?

The Morning Before

Travis' POV

It was a week before Halloween and parties were being had everywhere. Of course, I was only invited to two, Darin's and Zara's, but Zara's party wasn't until Halloween night. Usually, my father wouldn't support me in participating in satanic activities such as Halloween, but he was gone on a church outing during Darin's party, and I convinced him with a lot of chores to let me go to Zara's.

Normally I wouldn't want to go to these types of things due to my reputation, I'm not a loser or anything, just not popular. During Halloween though, you can dress up as someone else, no one will know who I am. So, I've decided to go to these parties and try to be a normal teenager. I will be going as Spiderman as it was the only costume that my father and I both agreed on, every other one we looked at was either too 'satanic' or too childish. Although I will be wearing a hoodie so I don't look too stupid in the costume.

The party is today, so all I have to do is get through the school day, my father left for his outing a few days ago which was nice, but I still had to deal with school. It wasn't even bologna day, don't get me wrong I have a few friends, well people I talk to, I only talk to them because they go to church with me, and they only talk to me because I am the Pastor's son. All they want to do is suck up to my father, but if they really knew him, they would go running. My father isn't a bad man, he just has anger issues, and he doesn't know how else to take it out, so he takes it out on me. He only means to hit me when it's my fault, which is most of the time, I should have known that I was in his way, or that the dishes needed to be done, He still loves me.

My mother doesn't enjoy it when he takes his anger out, she knows that it is was you should expect when making mistakes, her father did it to her when she messed up, it is how a father teaches their kids right and wrong. Speaking of, I need to ace this next test today, or else my father will have it out for me. So, I get out and make my bed, making sure there is not a single wrinkle, and start getting ready.  As I head downstairs my mother says goodbye to me as she hands me a piece of buttered toast. She doesn't always make breakfast for me but she does when she is in a good mood, probably because my father is gone.

I start standing up from the bench as the bus pulls up, I wait until the doors open before getting any closer, the bus driver looks impatient so I hurry up and make my way to the back, I sit one away from the end of the bus because Sally Face and his gay buddies are already sitting there, I stick my tongue out at him as I sit down. I always get so angry with the guy, he has long blue hair and always puts it up in pigtails, which is so gay, he is a creep, and yet everybody loves him. He gets to hide behind his stupid mask which makes it so hard to read his emotions. Only his close friends know why he wears that mask of his, but I bet it's a stupid reason. I want to get an emotion out of him so I bully him, but he never fucking gets angry, yes, he has comebacks but he's never angry when he says them. What makes it even worse is that he and his entire friend group reek of queerness, it's disgusting, and it makes him the perfect target. 

Finally, we reach school and people start rushing off the bus, I stay back though and wait for Sally Face to get up and start walking off, then, and at the perfect time, I move my foot right in front of his and trip him. It was hilarious watching him scramble to catch himself and catch up with his group, but he only looks back at me once he stands up, he doesn't even say anything. it only angers me more. After he gets off, I finally stand up and my way off towards my locker, I needed to hurry and study for the math quiz before the bell rings. When I get there though, I see Zara and Chris, they both go to church with me, Zara is sweet but her family isn't as serious about the church so my father isn't too fond of her, but the only reason he let me go to her party is that she goes to church. Christian is Chris' full name, pretty goofy if you ask me, a Christian named Christian, but my father liked that about him, so I guess he isn't too bad, plus my father enjoys it when I hang out with him, he thinks it makes me more of a man.

They were talking about the party tonight, Zara is going but Chris is mad because his parents wouldn't let him go. I didn't tell them I was going though, they know my father would have said no either way, but they didn't know that he wasn't going to be in town, that way I can be anybody tonight. "I'm sorry dude, but I am not missing out on Darin's party just because you can't go." Zara said shaking her head at Chris.

Chris replied with a slight pleading tone "I understand, but I am going to be so bored, all three of us could go to the movies or the skate park."  I looked at him and tried to think of an excuse for why I wouldn't be able to do that.

"You know that I have a bunch of chores to do if I want to be able to go to Zara's party. I would like to but I can't risk not getting those done in time." I looked at him and then back at Zara who was nodding along.

"Fine, I guess I will be at home being bored to death..." Chris said while leaning against the lockers dramatically. Zara and I chuckled at his performance, but he stopped halfway through to look at something. We looked at where Chris was looking, it was Sally Face and his friends, "Ugh, the flamers are here." Chris groaned.

I looked at the group with disgust as they stopped at their lockers, I walked up to the and pushed Sally's head to the side causing him to stumble over and turn to look at me. "What the fuck, ugh, what's the problem, Travis?" He crossed his arms and looked at me with his blue eyes. 

"The problem is that you and your queerness are making everyone gag, it's practically expelling off of you. You are going to burn in hell you know." After I finish my sentence I spit on his mask and walk back to my friends, who are cracking up at Sally as he rushes to the bathroom to clean his mask.

"Nice one, dude." Chris cheers as he high-fives me, Zara is smiling as I high-five her too. Just then the bell rings, and I realize that I have not studied one bit, I am fucked. I say goodbye to my friends, and make my way to class. I sit down in my chair and start pulling out a pencil for the test and try to remember everything I can. At some point Sally Face must have walked in too because he sits down not too far away from me. I turn to him and groan, but right after I do that Mrs.Packerton throws down a packet and groans at me to keep my eyes forward. I look at the packet and started flipping through it, and jeez am I screwed, I don't understand how it can be so different from the homework.