Remember Who I Am

Chapter XXI

May 29, 1998

5:46 PM

Flint, Michigan

(WARNING: Hey, so this chapter deals with topics of bullying, racism, and violence involving teenagers. So, if you're sensitive or anything, be aware of this.)

Xavier, 2 of his friends, Noah Pierce and Leo Cooper, and his female friend, Maddie (who had a crush on him but he was oblivious about this) were by a train track. It was the last day of school, and they had already been dismissed. They had just gotten out of 9th grade and were transitioning to 10th. All 4 were having a really good time beside the train track; laughing, telling jokes, etcetera, which really brightened up Xavier because recently, his Harald, his dad,'s close friend, which Xavier would consider an uncle of sorts, had just died.

"Hey, guys." Noah said.

"What?" Leo asked.

Xavier and Maddie didn't say anything. Noah pulled out a handful of coins.

"I got some coins." Noah said excitedly.

"So damn what, you got some coins?" Xavier asked.

Everyone else looked excited except for him.

"You had a sad childhood." Leo said.

"Oh, shut the hell up." Xavier said with a bit of a laugh in his voice.

"You put 'em on the track, dumbass!" Noah yelled.

"Doesn't it derail the fuckin' train, or some stupid ass superstition like that?" Xavier asked.

"No, it gives you little cool like... flattened copper thingies, I don't know, they're cool as shit." Maddie responded.

"Okay, whatever, try it then." Xavier had said.

Noah ran suspiciously toward the tracks and placed a coin on the rails, and then another one, and then another one.

"Watch the track, y'all." Noah said.

Xavier and the other 2 stood far away while Noah stood closer to the tracks, stepping back a bit. Before they knew it, they heard the familiar ringing that signified that the train was about to cross. There was no guard that prevented you from stepping in front because this track wasn't attached to a road, it was near a place that quickly departed into trees and turned rural. It was outside Noah's grandma's house.

"Move back, you retard!" Leo yelled.

"I'm cool, I'm fine!" Noah yelled back.

The train came up and sliced by.

Noah quickly checked the tracks. The coins were flattened and made pellet-shaped pieces of metal. Noah held them up.

"Look at these motherfuckers!" Noah yelled.

"A little underwhelming for having to go on fucking train tracks, isn't it!?" Xavier said sarcastically.

"Oh, fuck off, this is cool!"

Maddie laughed and Leo started to as well.

"Look where the Hunky landed himself." Someone said.

Xavier and Maddie turned around, as well as Leo and Noah. It was Harrison Spence and Chet Marsden. They were Xavier's bullies.

"Look at his little girlfriend." Chet said as he got closer.

"What are you, my fucking mom? 'Little girlfriend', Harrison's more of a girlfriend to you then Maddie is to me!" Xavier said back.