Gabriel's Song

Part 2: Losing Avandale

PART 2

The next morning, Franklin woke Gabriel up around 6:00 am, for school. Without waking Mary, Gabriel took a shower, got dressed, and grabbed an orange from the fridge. Franklin was waiting for him at the front door of the apartment. Gabriel's new high school opened at 8:00 am. Franklin and his son walked out about 45 minutes before.

Franklin wore a black wifebeater and purple gym shorts. Gabriel had on his newest hoodie, gray sweatpants, and his lucky Adidas sneakers. Gabriel smiled, admiring how cool he looked. Then, Franklin started talking. "You sure you're okay with all this, son?" he asked. "You don't have to rush into situations like school until you're ready. You know, I'm always here if you n—"

Gabriel cut him off. "Dad," he said, "please stop saying stuff like that and worrying about me. Thanks for caring, but I'll call you when I need you. You need to trust me." Franklin looked at Gabriel. "Very well, then. Listen. Mama's helping us, since I need assistance. Soon, I'm going to have another job. Then, we'll set you up with a new doctor, and slowly get our old lives back. You'll be okay. I promise that, son."

When Franklin had stopped talking, they turned down an unfamiliar alley. Gabriel watched to see if Brandon was waiting for him. But he wasn't. At the end of the alley was another busy street. Dead in the center, stood Cheryl B Wells High School. Gabriel was here. He said goodbye to Franklin, and headed for the main entrance. Before Gabriel walked into the building, his father called out after him. "Come straight home after school, son," Franklin ordered. "I want to show you something."

Gabriel waved once more, before walking through the door. When he was inside, Gabriel looked around to see that this school was nothing like Havern. The hallway was mostly empty, with the exception of a few stragglers. Security guards came from each hallway. One approached Gabriel. He was tall, heavy set and Caucasian. "Going somewhere sport?" His voice was wispy and his eyes were suspicious. Gabriel nodded. "That's the thing. I just moved here from Florida yesterday. Today is my first day here and I'd like to know where my classes are." The guard looked shocked first, then impressed. "Okay, I can help you with that. Can you tell me your name first?"

"Gabriel Pierce."

The guard smiled. "Okay Gabriel. My name is Officer Graves. I'm apart of the school security. I think that the principal should be able to help you figure out your schedule and find your classes. Why don't we take a little walk?" As Gabriel and Officer Graves walked down to the principal's office, he decided to give Gabriel some advice. "Gabriel, Officer Graves began, "there are a few things you should know about Cheryl Wells High, and a few things that you should avoid. This school has a total of 1,500 kids. It's predominantly African American. The teachers are phenomenal. The school's lunch is okay, and school lets out at 2:00 pm on the dot.

As for what to avoid, you should stay away from your kids that smoke, drink, fight and skip class. Don't do any of that stuff yourself, or you will be seeing me. Get to all your classes on time. And don't be so quick to trust your classmates. Remember what you're here for. That is your education. Get your education and get out." Just then, Gabriel and Officer Graves arrived at Principal Jack Warner's office. The guard looked down at Gabriel and chuckled. "You'll be okay. Just ask Warner where you're supposed to be and he will help you. I'll see you in the halls, sport." Gabriel knocked on the door and Officer Graves left.

After he knocked, a short, bald, black man answered the door. "May I help you, young man?" he asked.

Gabriel nodded. "Yes, Sir, I am a new transfer from Florida and I need help finding out where to go."

The man smiled. "Well, my name is Principal Warner. What's your name, son?"

"Gabriel Pierce."

"Step into my office. I'm going to see if I can find your schedule in our database."