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I pedal forward on my bike as fast as I can. I don't want to be late for school. Today is the second day of sophomore year, and honestly, I really wasn't looking forward to getting sent to Principal Foreman's office already. I feel my chest burning, but I pedal on anyway. I overslept, which isn't all that uncommon for me. I always have trouble sleeping, so when I finally do sleep, my body basically shuts down. What I'm experiencing now might as well be as expected as the sun rising in the morning.
I race through the gates and down the sidewalk, the dips making my stomach flutter, but I ignore it, my mind focused. I park my big green bike on the side of the school, lock it up, and race inside. The hallway is barren at this point, with the rusty green lockers lining the walls as I dart into Palecreek High. The school itself is kind of a dump. The halls smell musty, and the doors always whine no matter where you enter. It's essentially a school for troubled kids.
Nobody says as much, but it's pretty obvious that the nice high school, St. Martin High, is where the good boys and girls go. Not that I'm any sort of bad kid, but you run away one too many times and bam—you're suddenly sent to the same school with guys fresh out of juvy. I dart into class just as the bell rings. I sigh in relief—safe for today.
I make my way to my seat in the back of the class. Mr. Southwell gives me an annoyed look, but otherwise, he begins class. I pull out my notebook with my name at the top: "Nico Armstrong." I smile; it's time to get started—but not on the boring English work. I begin doodling. I like to draw—nothing special, but it's a fun pastime for me. I start drawing a gangly boy with blonde hair. The boy has red eyes and wears all black: a black T-shirt with long black jeans. His hat is also black, and he has a goofy face like he's waiting to tell a bad joke.
Next to him, I draw myself with pitch-black hair that's wild on my head, wearing my usual Hawaiian shirt with a white T-shirt underneath and my long blue jeans. I pencil in my green eyes and my black bracelet and necklace. Just as I'm adding the dark green and light green leaves on my shirt, I feel a small but subtle shake of my table. I sense a tug on the paper I'm working on. I grab my green colored pencil and jab the invader hard enough that he feels it but still soft enough not to leave a mark.
"Ah, god dammit, man! I just wanted a peek. Class is over, you know!"
The boy next to me is someone I've grown up with—the same boy I was drawing in class. I sigh. "You could have just waited. I was about to be done, Kai."
Kai flashes me his usual goofy grin. "Yeah, with how long you were taking, who knows if I would have gotten a peek until after school."
I snort and begin packing up my colored pencils, putting them in my bag. I leave the drawing unattended, and he flashes a grin. He snatches it up before I have time to protest. "Oh, so it's about me today, sweet."
I roll my eyes. "Nothing special. Just your dorky ass tripping after school."
