Just Hit 'Send' By Grasshopper

Just Hit 'Send' - The High School Years by Grasshopper Ch. 1

Jordan plugged the power cord into the huge battery operated surge protector, sat down in his cushy new chair with the movable armrests, propped his long legs on the Altec sound box and pushed the 'on' switch.

He had worked hard to earn the money for his new computer. If he earned half, his dad had promised to pay the rest. Now, finally, he had his dream machine.

Jordan had a pile of great friends, made good grades, could charm old ladies, and was passably cute. 15, dirty blonde hair, sharp green eyes that missed nothing and dimples that defied gravity. But lately, he'd been feeling odd, waking up strange. In the middle of family, friends and school, Jordan was lonely, for what he didn't know, but the aching inside was growing and he was hoping that a new interest, a new toy would make it go away.

**

Danny sat staring at the blank screen, his eyes itching, bloodshot from the glare. Sometimes, he read with one eye shut. Too much time online, too little sleep. He knew he had to stop but it was like an addiction. He kept thinking that if he talked to just one more person, if he made one more contact, he would find someone who would understand. His family watched helplessly as he withdrew further and further into himself. His friends had all tried and then, one by one, they had drifted away. Talking only brought on harsh words. He was 15; too old to lock in his room, besides, the computer was in there.

Danny had gone the route of porno sites, easing the ache momentarily with the pictures, the stories, his hand. But that wasn't what he needed. He wasn't sure what it was he did need, he just knew if he could talk to one more person, one stranger, he might find the answer. He was so lonely, it hurt.

**

"Hey, Jordy," Arnie called from across the cafeteria. "Over here!"

Jordan walked between the tables, balancing his tray with the salad, apple and milk, nodding his head to people as they spoke. He was one of the few kids at school that crossed the invisible lines between the different cliques. He had friends in every group, but his best friends were all sitting at the table by the window, near the sunshine, always near the sun. They were all boarders, surfers. A few did drugs but, by and large, they were all clean. Jordan had kicked a pill problem a year ago and that was behind him now.

Shoving over, Griffin grinned and, reaching over, popped Jordan on the back of his head for the gazillionth time in their lives. Griff was Jordan's closest friend and knew more about him than anyone else in the world. "Hey ," he said, his voice always sounding like a chuckle was just below the surface. "You okay today?" Jordan had tried to explain his feelings to him last night on the phone. Griff didn't know what his friend needed but he would always be there to help.

"Yeah," Jordan tried to blow it off. "No big deal. I got my head screwed on the wrong way last night." Griff saw something flicker across Jordan's eyes but then it was gone.

"I got the Dell monster all hooked up and going," Jordan answered, turning to the whole table, laughing, "Now, you can bug the hell out of me all night too, guys."

"You got a user name?" Griffin asked. "How about doofus@ or limpdick@?" They all started coming up with worse and worse names, til Jordan held up his hands in defeat.

"I really don't think FartBreath@ is me," he laughed. "I'm gonna go with Kicker41@. If you want me, that's where I'll be."

"Kewl, dude, after your board," Arnie grinned.

"Yeah, I figured anyone who likes boards will know what I am," he smiled, thinking that maybe there was someone out there who would recognize his name, talk to him and be able to tell him who he was.