Looking Up, Moving On

Chapter 2

 Another day of school, life, and hanging out with Anna. Days just seemed to blur together, and the sameness had built up so much it felt like I was reliving one day and would do everything the same for the rest of my life. I had Anna to thank for making things fun though. Her home life was... well... less than ideal. She gave me a reason to try and be someone who people could rely on no matter what. We've always been there for each other, and I don't know what I'd do without her. Sure, she's got scars she tries to hide and her dad is abusive, but she's tough. Kids bully her all the time and don't realize how much Anna is affected by it, but I do. If I don't stay positive and care about her, then who will?

Not Nick and Jonah, that's for sure. Those jerks have hurt Anna and me the most. Mostly Anna though. I try to keep my head down, and it usually works. They wouldn't get any kicks out of bullying a nobody like me. Anna, though, she's a prime target and gets attacked every day. If I were stronger and more intimidating, those guys wouldn't mess around with her anymore-- but I'm not, so they keep at it. 

True to form, the first thing Nick said when Anna walked into class was something rude and stupid. I sat in my desk quaking in anger as the teacher then told her off for bullying someone even though Anna had been the actual target. It was impossible to focus for the rest of class, and I marched off to my next one in a haze of anger. It was English, and Anna had it during a different period. I took my usual spot in the back and pulled out a book, waiting for class to start. 

"Hey," I heard a voice call. I stuck my nose further into my book. Some guys just had to call across the room to their pals. It was so distracting...

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" He said again. Pissed off at being interrupted, I looked up from my book and scowled at the speaker. It was Jonah, of all people, and he was looking at me. "Shut up." I mumbled. Once again, I tried to lose myself in my book. The epic space battle was reaching it's climax...

His hand smacked onto the page. "Come on. Give me a minute. Your story can wait."

I yanked the book closer to my chest. "No, I'm not going to do your homework. No, I'm not going to be your partner and do your work. No, I don't care about you or your loser friends. Go. Away."

Jonah just smirked. "Oh Sam, I can do my own homework. Nick is that guy. I just wanted to chat."

"Mhm. Yeah, um, no. We can chat about how rude you guys are to Anna. Seriously, stay away from her."

Jonah laughed. "Or what? You'll stop us? Good luck, weak little nerd. Fine. I guess I won't tell you."

I rolled my eyes as he walked away. I was not going to take his bait, no matter how curious I was. Jonah was nothing but trouble, and nothing he said could possibly be important. The bell rang, and class finally began. 

After school finally ended, I said goodbye to Anna and began the walk home. It was a beautiful day, and I was taking in my first deep breath of fresh air when a familiar voice pierced through the air.

"Hey! Sam! Wait up!"

Jonah again. Why couldn't he leave me alone? Since he obviously wasn't going to give up, I stopped in my tracks and waited for him to catch up. 

After a few seconds, he finally caught up with me. "Hey, just give me a minute. Nick asked Anna, now I'm gonna ask you."

I looked at him, confused. "Ask me what?"

"Come to Darby's. We need to talk."

"If Anna's going, you know I'll be there." With that, I turned around and walked away.

After a few more minutes, I finally reached my house, took out my keys, and unlatched the door. There was a note on the table from my mother. I picked it up and read it out loud in a nasal parody of her voice. "I'm going to a conference downtown and will be home late again. There's leftovers you can heat up in the fridge. Love you!"

Yeah, right. I hadn't seen my mom all week, and dad was gone overseas for his job as a company representative. We hadn't spoken in days-- he never called, or even texted. It was just me and the cats. They technically weren't even ours, just some strays I had taken in to see if mom would notice. She didn't. Not the cats, the scratching post, or the vet bill. Shows how much she cared. I was actually surprised about her ignoring the bill, though. When she did bother to check in on stuff like that, she took the opportunity to tell me how irresponsible I was and how "grades don't actually mean anything in the real world" or some crap like that. News flash, mother-- good grades get scholarships. I am so getting out of here once high school is over. I had sent my applications to the farthest colleges away that offered good biologist programs and was sure to get accepted to at least one of them. Nothing would change at home, though. I doubted they would notice I was gone. 

A cell phone buzzed and interrupted my thoughts. I picked it up and hit accept, putting it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, sis, how's it goin?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." I replied, a smile breaking out on my face. Well, one person would care. My brother Paul made sure to check in every day, no matter his schedule. He was off at an exchange school in China for the same reason I wanted to leave-- mom and dad didn't care. We had each other though, which was all that mattered. He helped me pick out names for the cats and had shown me the coolest sections in the library. "How's China?"

"Oh, you know, the usual" He laughed. "It's pretty sweet, actually. Should be able to visit in the next couple months or so." There was a shouting noise in the background. "Hey, I've gotta go. Talk to you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, cool. Love you."

"Love you!" He hung up. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and decided to head over to Darby's. "Okay, Jonah, let's see what you're up to."