ALEXANDER
I slam my laptop closed, frustrated. It's 1:30 in the morning, and my essay isn't even close to done. Private school is better than my other school, of course, but they give so much homework. I'm in all honors classes, and the workload is so tiring. I run my hands through my hair, and consider whether or not I should go to bed. I decide that I should probably sleep, considering there's school tomorrow. I'll finish my essay in the morning, it's already 12 pages anyway.
Homeroom is boring as usual. I work a little more on my essay, John doodles some more turtles. "What's your whole turtle thing, anyway?" I ask, laughing. He grins. "I don't really know... they're just so cute. And green." "Cute and green? That's it?" I say, cracking up. "I mean, what's not to love about cute and green animals?" "Good question," I say, returning to my essay. Mr. Washington takes attendance. "Hamilton?" "Here," I say, not looking up from my work. I sigh, and look out the window. The sun is pretty bright for November, and it looks nice out. "Hey," John says, taking my attention away from the window. "What are you doing after school today?" I shrug, "Nothing, I'm pretty sure. Why?" "I was wondering if you wanted to come home over to my house, do some homework, hang out and stuff." I smile. "Okay. Sounds good to me. Lemme just check." I pull out my phone and text Mary. "I'll be home a little bit later than usual, hanging out with a friend." I put my phone back in my bag before I get caught by Mr. Washington. "Did your parents say it's okay?" At that, I hesitate, and look away. "What?" Says John. "Did I say something?" I sigh. "My parents... aren't around anymore." I say quietly. John says nothing at first. "I'm sorry. I had no idea." We're silent for a moment. "My mom died when I was 10." He finally says softly.
"My house is really close, we can walk." John says, as we gather up all of our stuff. "Okay," I say, hoisting my backpack up on my shoulder. We leave the school, waving goodbye to various people. The day is nice for November, but it's still windy. I zip up my sweatshirt as we head to John's house, shivering against the cold. John probably sees me shivering, because he takes off his jacket and offers it to me. "No, I'm fine." I say. "No, really, you can wear it. I don't mind." "Are you sure?" He laughs. "Take it, Alex! You look freezing!" I laugh too, taking the jacket and putting it on. We walk in silence for a couple more minutes, then come up to a huge house. I gasp, without meaning to. The house is more of a mansion, with at least three floors and a huge garden in the front. "What?" John says, seeing my shock. "Nothing..." I shake my head, "You just have a big house." He shrugs. "I guess," He leads me inside, to a big living room. "Let's go to my room," he says, walking up a spiral staircase. I follow him, and he takes me into a relatively small bedroom. There are music posters on the walls. I look around as John sits down on his bed. "Hey, do you want a snack or anything?" I shake my head. "I'm okay, but thanks." He nods, and gets out his homework. "I can't believe we got soooo much homework, it's so annoying." He says, flopping backwards on his bed. "I know!" I laugh. "My essay is taking forever!" I sit down, and pull out my laptop, opening up my essay. "It's taking so long to finish!" "Well, how long is it?" He asks, scribbling on a piece of paper. I scroll through it, "Uh, 15 pages?" John cracks up. "What?" I say, "What is it?" "Alex!" He says, still laughing, "It was supposed to be, like, 2 pages!" I shrug. "I mean, I like writing?" I say. "Yeah," He says, catching his breath, "I can see that." We're silent for a moment. "Alex," He says finally, "You're crazy." I smile. "Glad you think so."
