The Other Side

Chapter I

Pond

It all started that spine chilling day. The day I began to question everything around me. The people I surrounded myself with, the world that I lived in, the voices that echoed around me throughout the most dull days. What is it? What is all of it? The God Antxy that everyone around me worships like crazy. What does it all mean? And why don't I feel the same close connection? I didn't understand why such an ordinary person like me got to experience the unimaginable things I did, but honestly.. I'm glad I did. I'm glad I was a witness of what was known as The Other Side...

Friday, November 11th, 4:32 PM. The chilly autumn weather breezes through the community homes, as the school bus drives up to the upcoming bus stop to let off the high school kids. The yellow bus finally comes to a halt, and opens the automatic doors to let off the the hectic teenagers. "MAN FINALLY! School was so boring today. Mrs. Jenkins took away my fucking vape pen too."

Stewart said frustratedly, a 15 year old boy with a black and blue mohawk. The class clown in all of his classes, who deep down knows he's not okay, as his parents are getting an divorce. He jumps out of the school bus, over all of the steps that were made to step off of it. "Why did you even bring it with you in the first place?" Michael questions as he walks off of the bus normally, an ordinary looking boy with brown hair, and brown eyes. He was typically called "the nerd" in his classes, but he was the complete opposite. He hadn't done a single drop of school work since the school year started. "Bro that vape is like my STRESS RELIEVER! Now I gotta get a new one." Stewart blurts, as they walk down the long straight sidewalk that leads them to their houses. Michael, and Stewart live right next to each other, so they tend to hang out with each other a lot. "Maybe you should just quit." Michael said, "Before you die at the age of 26." He thought to himself while chuckling a little. The boys finally reach their houses, as Stewart walks up his long driveway. "Lemme know if you wanna smoke some of that ganja later my boy." Stewart says, as he pulls out his jingly house keys, puts it in the door, and unlocks it. He then opens his creakily door, goes inside of his house, and shuts the door behind him. "Yeah I'm not dying at the age of 26." Michael thinks to himself, as he walks up to his front door, and continuously rings the door bell a thousand times until someone answers the door.

His older sister Amy finally creeks open the door, and peaks out to see who it is. "Just me dip shit." Micheal says, as he pushes open the door to see his mother, standing behind his older sister. "Good luck!" She says as she runs upstairs and into her room. "What did I do today." Michael questions while sighing, as he walks in the house, and shuts the door behind him. His mom pulls out his report card, and shows it to him. "History: F" "Math: F" "Science: A" "English: C" "French: F" "PE: F". "What the hell Michael? Didn't we raise you better than this?" His mom shouts, as she gets up in his face. "An F IN PE? I mean SERIOUSLY do you even TRY to do the fucking work?" She questions in anger, as a serious, but disappointed look is masked on her face. Michael doesn't utter a single word, instead he walks to the stairs, and turns around to look at his mother. "Sorry, mom." He says in a saddened tone, as he walks up the stairs with his head down, thinking about how much he disappoints the ones around him. He walks into his room, shuts the door behind him, takes off his book bag, and throws it onto his bed. He then jumps onto his bed face first, and screams as loud as he can into his mattress. "I hate school!" He thinks, as he lays there in his thoughts. The sudden urge of wanting to not think anymore strikes him hard, so he pulls out his phone, and looks for the contact "Stewart". He then messages him: Yo bro, you still down to smoke? Then he lays there and looks at his ceiling, waiting for a response. Ding His phone goes off. He gets a text from Stewart that says: Hell yeah my guy, just give me a little time to pearl these joints. Michael texts back: Bet. Where you wanna go? Moms hella pissed at me right now. Stewart texts back: We can go to the woods behind our houses bro. I go there all the time, and theres this fire ass hangout spot. Lets go chill there. Michael then texts back: Bet. He then gets up, and walks out of his room. He walks up to his sisters room, and knocks on the door. "What." She states in the most aggressive tone possible, before he walks in. "Yo bro, you wanna smoke with me and Stewart? We're about to go into the woods behind our house." He asks her while stepping in her room, and shutting the door behind him. "Bet. You want me to bring something too?" Amy asks, as she is also rolling up weed. Amy, an 18 year old High School Graduate who still lives with her parents. The perfect girl with black hair, and green eyes that everyone wants to be with, but deep down she's questioning everything about her life, as the stages of adulthood hit her. "That joint you're rolling right there looks good. But also bring your speaker for music." Michael says with a goofy looking smile on his face. "Bro, you're literally so ugly. Get out." Amy says, as she flicks him off. "Yeah yeah, you're welcome." Michael says, opening her room door. "Just meet me outside in 15." He says, as he flicks her back off, and laughs a little for the first time today. He then closes her door, and gets ready for the trip in the woods...