Beware! Book 1: The River

Chapter 2- Alex

             School is sooo boring.

     I mean-really! Old TVs where you can only watch educational videos, computers restricted to Type to Learn or research, come on! They could at least throw in some Play Stations, X-boxes, Wii’s, or let us bring our DS. (I have all of those). Oh, and upgrade to plasma HD TVs. (Still asking Mom and Dad for one.)

     So here I am, another day as part of the CAST of boredom.

     “Today,” announces Mr. Borerius (aka Mr. Boring Us), “We will learn about the local area in which we live. What is the name of our city?”

     “Hickory Forest ,” the class responds without any enthusiasm. Duh. Everyone here knows the name of the place we live.

     “Actually, its full name is The City of Hickory Forest in North Carolina. It also has a long, diverse history rich with information, and is a wonderful place in addition to being our home and–”

     Blah, blah, blah. Couldn’t the old man stop talking? Some teacher I have.

     “Blah, blah when I first came, blah, blah, beautiful place,   blabbity-blab blab…”

     Really? I’m literally falling asleep when he finally decides to say something interesting.

     “Outside the suburbs, there’s the hickory forest, the city’s namesake. There is a river within the forest called Hickory Stream. It is highly advised not to go there due to its unpredictability. Hickory Stream has some calm pools, but they can lead to white water rapids. In addition…”

     I lost focus at “rapids”. Why? Because I know that river. It runs through the part of the forest behind my house. I found a calm area the size of a small lake a few years ago. I’ve sailed around that ‘lake’ in a boat I made out of scraps. (Yes, I have that much intelligence, so ignore what everyone else says.) During my explorations, I learned that Brandon’s girlfriend and that crazy-about-Catnip girl also know of that river. They call it the Crystal River because the water was so clear in their area of the river. Now, if that river has rapids, it could be worth checking out…

     Suddenly, the boy next to me taps my shoulder.

     “What?” I hiss. He nods towards the front of the room, and I look up to meet Mr. Boring and his thick glasses.

     “Young man, had you been listening,”-he stretches the word- “I asked you, based on what I had JUST said, what is the reason that we advised you not to go to the river?”

     “Because only I can conquer the river.”

     Snickers.

     I snap out of my daydreaming, and realize– Oops.

     “Alexander…,” Mr. Borerius cautions.

     “Sorry,” I manage to squeak.

     He sighs, sits down, and jots down notes in his big notebook.

     “That’s 21 detentions in all, Alex.” He shakes his head. “Tell you what, son, if you serve recess and lunch detention today, I’ll relieve you of the rest of your detentions. It’s already April, and I’d hate to put 20 or 30 unpaid detentions on your report card. How does that sound?”

     “Yes!” How could I say no? Two in school detentions to make up for 21? AWESOME!!!

     “Now, let’s get on with our lesson…”

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