Everything's Fine

Chapter One

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." –Soren Kierkegaard

Nico didn't know to describe it, but there was something truly serene about the nearly vacant parking lot. Poetic, almost.

He knew he sounded pretentious and would usually laugh at anyone else who had pointed it out. But, as he settled onto the only bench in the vicinity, he couldn't deny that the peaceful silence that invaded his world and the late fall dust that circled in the air calmed his nerves. He absentmindedly played with the frayed sleeve of his worn flannel shirt and stole a glance at the bus stop across the street. He didn't have a watch and he sure didn't own a cell phone, so timid looks over at the bus stop to see if anyone had arrived yet were his best option at the moment.

The school had been locked up for going on two hours now and he was officially bored out of his mind. He mentally kicked himself, knowing that should've taken that ride home with Jack and ignored what little pride he had left. It wasn't 'charity' it was a ride that he could've used instead of being stuck around a freezing parking lot waiting for a bus that seemed like it would never come. For what had to been at least half an hour, Nico had contemplated knocking on the front doors to see if anyone was still there, or to just get the time. But, he was relatively sure that Mrs. Englewood, the secretary, didn't drive a red Pontiac GTO which was the last car in the parking lot aside from the janitor's. He was beginning to grow nervous; his paranoid mind imagining nearly impossible situations that made him shudder with the breeze that swept over the parking lot.

John Laurens High wasn't exactly at the level of affluent private schools, but it was definitely in a better neighborhood than the various public schools by the trailer park; hence why he had to take the city bus everyday or get a ride from Jack and his brother. He pushed a hand through his mop of auburn hair, grimacing as he felt his palm brush against a raised mark on the back of his head, which was fortunately hidden by his untamed mess of dark hair. The bump on the back of his skull was nothing compared to the seemingly endless ringing pulsing through his ears that was surely caused by the damage done to his head. All day, the incessant ringing had followed him like a pesky housefly and drowned out the dreary clamor of the bustling high school campus. However, he would take the noise pollution over the pounding headaches and constant piercing any day. Hopefully, whatever was going on with his head wouldn't last longer than it needed to and it helped that the goose egg under his hair wasn't in plain sighed like the meadow of deeply colored bruises coating his arms which were currently masked by two shirts. His brother wasn't one to leave any evidence where people would care to look. The bruises were hardly noticeable as they began to fade and blend into his sickly pale skin like camouflage. But, he knew that in time we would screw up again and the meadow would flourish once more along with his anxiety. It wasn't fair.

He heaved a sigh, pushing the thoughts of his troublesome older brother from his head as he kicked at the concrete with scuffed sneakers. Jack had nicer ones. Hell, everyone in the eighth grade has nicer shoes than him.

Jack McCarthy had shockingly remained friends with Nico despite the numerous differences for going on six years now. They met in grade school, second grade to be exact, when Nico had been seated next to the well-off boy and had gotten both of them in trouble every day for either talking too much or never getting anything done. That pattern had continued for every year they had been friends and Nico took full credit for bringing down his best friend's GPA. They had bonded over video games, music, and virtually anything else that prepubescent boys were interested in.

His best friend led a vastly different lifestyle than Nico and one that the significantly impecunious boy was used to pining for. After not even a full year of being friends, he was invited to go everywhere with Jack; a wedding, a camping trip, even Mexico. His best friend's life was foreign to Nico and embarrassingly unattainable. After seven years, he still wasn't comfortable being Jack's tag-along friend to every family event he was invited to. But, he couldn't deny that he admired the distinction between Jack's world and the thrift store and food stamp customs he was acquainted with. In the last six years, he had basically essentially integrated himself into Jack's family which had its own set of benefits. Unfortunately, he couldn't help but be moderately self-conscious whenever he had to get a ride back to the trailer park or couldn't afford to attend a movie with Jack or the rest of their friends. He obliviously found himself wondering why Jack had even stuck around him for so long; a question that had gone unanswered for years.