Plastic

CH. 1 - It Roars

CH. 1

Cody is 16, living in paradise in the African savannah with his parents and the animals he observes. But he's 16, and it's not enough. He's alone. There's his mom and dad, but they're always busy with their research. Both of his parents are research zoologists, and they've spent the last 8 years in a hut in Namibia. Cody has been homeschooled since forever, but... He dreams of attending a prestigious school and living in the city.

It has always been the three of them, and though he wanted to, Cody never thought they'd live any other way. And then it happened.

"Cody, we've lost our funding... We're going to have to go back to the US." Cody's dad tells him during dinner. His parents both have tense looks on their faces. Cody gasps, "Maybe I can meet an obese person!" His mom sighs. "It's going to be a big adjustment. We won't have time to homeschool you anymore. You'll have to go to a real school-" Cody cuts her off, "Mom, this is great!" He smiles brightly. "I've got so many new things to try! Like high school, and skateboards, and rapping- and Starbucks!" His parents look at each other, and then back at Cody, and give him a proud smile.

Cody keeps a smile on his face for the rest of the day. He has a feeling that this is his chance to re-do life. Now, a whole new world is waiting for him. A world that brings happiness and friends to the brave boy who explores. He goes to bed smiling, and his heart beats loudly in his chest.

Goodbye Africa and hello, Evanston, Illinois... Cody is sitting in the car with a smile on his face. He notices a sign on the side of the road that reads 'Illinois' and sighs quietly to himself. He only has one more hour before he reaches his new home. Although he will miss the Savannah and its animals, he looks forward to this fresh beginning. He rests his head on the window and closes his eyes.

When he opens them again, he's greeted with the sight of his new home outside his window. "We're here already?" He asks, rubbing his eyes. "You slept for a while, Cody. did you not get enough sleep last night?" His mother asks him. "It was hard to!" Cody says. His mother smiles at him with understanding. Then she opens the car door and heads to the moving van. Cody does the same, staring at his home with awe. He's lived in a tent for as long as he can remember. The house appeared large and intimidating to him. So this is where he was gonna live from now on... With separate rooms. Even a bedroom for himself!.. It almost sounds too good to be true.

Cody's cut off from his thoughts as he sees his parents walk into the house with the moving boxes. He grabs a box himself and heads inside. Cody looks around the house. It was empty, but Cody felt that this house was already perfect. He smiles to himself again. His dad walks up to him and puts down a box. "Welcome to America, Cody."

A week later, Cody's family is settled in. Most boxes were emptied, and Cody had already begun decorating his room. It's Monday, and today was special because it was Cody's first day of attending a real school. Cody's mom cried as she held her son. "Mom, stop..." Cody protests, but it only makes his mom hug him tighter. "My boy is all grown up now... he's going to high school!" She cries out. Cody lightly shoves her away and sighs "You're gonna make me late, mom..." He says before heading to the car, where his dad is waiting to drive him.

Evanston is a lot like Africa, except different in every single way.

Cody and his dad drive to his school in their mud-covered jeep. They pull up across the street from North Shore High School. His dad puts a hand on Cody's shoulder, "I know you'll make us very proud, Cody. Now, go, and don't be late." Cody nods, "Okay. I'll see you." He gets out of the car and stares at the school that he'd be attending for the next two years. Cody sighs and heads inside.

He looks around nervously. This place looks even larger on the inside... He swallows nervously. He waves at a kid passing by, but they don't even look at him. Cody looks down at the schedule in his hands and then back up. Ok, 1.56... Where is that? He looks around. "Need some help?" Cody yelps and whips around. Behind him stood a girl and a boy. "What?" Cody looks confused. "Oh, well, you look kinda lost." The boy says. "Are you new? I haven't seen you before." Cody sighs shakily, "Yeah, I am... My name is Cody." The girl speaks, "Mine is Gwen." "...Did you go to St. Ann's last year? Because you look like the boy who played JD in their production of Heathers." The boy next to her asks. "Wasn't me," Cody says. Noah sighs, "Thank God. He had some serious pitch problems." Gwen scoffs at him. "This is Noah, He's almost too gay to function." Noah smacks Gwen across the back of the head as she laughs. After she regains her composure, she turns back to Cody, "What class do you have right now? I could help you get there."