Dreamland Dimensions

Chapter Two: Uncomfortable

The alarm clock blared, I slipped from under the covers and felt the top for the snooze button. I hit it as I sat up in bed, yawning and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring out of my window at the clear blue sky and sighed. I didn't like school, it was the hardest place to hide your flaws and blend in. It was just another place on my list where I didn't belong but I pretended and tried. I went to a private school on a scholarship, it was all the way across town and I'd have to catch the bus by myself. My mother was never awake to take me to school and if she wasn't sleeping, one of her men friends are over. I stuck out like a sore thumb, the poor little biracial boy wearing clothes two sizes too big and dirty worn shoes.

It was obvious I didn't fit in, at the career presentation I noticed a lot of kids had their dads visit and I didn't have either parents.

My mother didn't have a career and my father is ravager. I stood in the mirror, looking at my reflection and examined myself. My face slim, eyes heavy with dark bags under them and my cheeks sunk in slightly. I sighed, lifting my shirt to see a slight tone on my stomach but my ribs still visible and my arms were scrawny. There wasn't much food at home, if I ate at school I'd get bullied and food was just too expensive. I hated my life but it was all that I had so I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it on the ground. I moved from infront of the mirror, going to my closet and picked out my school uniform. I changed into my uniform quickly, grabbing my backpack from the bottom of my closet and tossed it on my back.

I didn't own a cellphone, my mother had her own but I didn't have friends so I didn't need one.

I left out of my room, closing the door behind me and tip-toed down the hall to the front door. I unlocked it, slipping outside and locked the door with the spare key under the mat. I sighed, adjusting my backpack and started on my way to school. The bus ride was silent, every seemed to still be in a mode of slumber and dreading the start of the day. I didn't even though I hated school but I enjoyed the time away from home. I pressed the alarm for my stomach, standing up and filed off the bus with a few other people. School was 10 minutes away from the bus stop, I started down the sidewalk towards the school. I dug in the side of my backpack, the little pouch for bottles and pulled out my black earbuds. I put them in my ears, digging in the other side pouch and pulling out a small gray me player. I plugged my headphones in, turning the mp3 player on and tucking it into my pocket as the music filled my ears. The mp3 player wasn't mine, I had stolen it a long time ago and changed the music as soon as I knew how. I wanted to be ashamed for it but my mother made me feel like that's just how things were and I wasn't wrong for taking it. "You stealin cause you don't know what it's like to have things...kids like that little boy you stole that thing from...he get all kinds of shit". It didn't excuse my actions, I knew that they were wrong from the speech a police officer at school gave but I guess I just didn't care.

Did that make me a delinquent even before I'm old enough to know what real trouble is? I considered myself a good kid, I went to school everyday and got good grades.

I never had anyone be proud of me except for the teachers that applauded my hardwork. But I didn't really care for them because all I ever wanted is for my mother to see it and tell me how happy she was that I was doing so good. Those were just daydreams like all the others, it wouldn't happen because whenever my mother looked at me, I could see I made her sick to her stomach. The school was just right across the street, I turned my music off and inhaled deeply. It was like entering a torture chamber, I didn't really want to go but I had no choice. I crossed the street, my heart pounding in my chest and my hands sweating. I walked through the open gate, hanging my head down and trying to pass by without being noticed. But that's just not how my life works, I feel something snag the back of my sweater and I jerked to a stop. Standing froze, pretty sure it was the only guy who ever paid this much attention to me. Marcus Blaine was a toned 13 year old boy, he attended the middle school just on the other side of the campus with his three roadies. He towered over me, making me look much smaller and weak compared to him. "You look fucking stupid" Laughed Marcus, shoving me forward. I stumbled, catching my balance and glanced over my shoulder, wanting to say something back. But I couldn't fight him, I decided to take his ridicule and see if I could sneak away. Of course, Marcus wouldn't be a bully if he let me slip by that way so he grabbed the back of my sweater again, pulling me back. It was an everyday thing when I came to school, Marcus and his goons corner me just to beat me up. Talk about my clothes and call my mother names but I wouldn't let it get to me.