Live Heroically

Chapter 1: Hard

Beginning something new is, in a word, hard. It is hard to understand what is coming next. It is hard to adjust to the new world. It is hard to forget about what has come before. Mostly, what is hard about something new is the realization that there will always be something newer over and over for the rest of your life.

Sometimes people get so preoccupied with what is new, that they forget about what is old. Take Hal for example. Hal is 14 years old and is a freshman at North Allen High School and he could not care less about the past. It is sad to say that Hal is going to be dealing with some troubling times soon and his past and the past of others... well let's just say that things will be very, very hard.

Today is the first day of school at North Allen High and all the students are gathering in the auditorium for the New Year assembly. There are dozens of teachers on the stage and the mic is squealing unpleasantly as it prepares for presentations. Hal, running late as always, stumbles into a corner in the back with his fellow football players.

Principal Warton walks, waddles rather, to the mic awkwardly wincing his eyes as they adjust to the spotlights through his wide rimmed glasses. He begins to speak with a ruffled voice, "Ah, hello. Hello students." He gives a wide closed mouth smile and a stiff wave before continuing. "Welcome back students and hello to you new ones. For those who do not know me I am Principal Warton and hopefully your new friend. First, let's give a round of congratulations to our Ragin' Raven football team who won their second game of the season last Friday." Applause filled the auditorium and students reared around to look at the team as they gruffly waive and bump elbows. "Also our Lady Ravens are due to play at the annual TCS Volleyball tournament tomorrow so I hope everyone gets out to cheer them on."

As the principal continued, Nathan Percy nudged Hal's shoulder to get his attention. "Dude, I think I convinced coach to let you be permanently on varsity." Hal whipped around quickly.

"Are you kidding?" Hal laughed a bit, mostly out of surprise, "What did he say exactly?"

Nathan leaned back into the old wooden seats before casually replying, "Well, he said as much as that you will be second string offence on Friday and if you do well you may be a starter." Nathan smirked as he looked at his fellow players.

"There hasn't been a freshman starter in like five years." Clinton East spoke up from the row behind. "Honestly, I am not sure that coach is thinking clearly, no offence Hal but most of the teams we go up against are giants compared to you."

"Well not every freshman can run nearly as fast as our boy Hal here." Nathan nodded and smirked at Hal as some other players patted his back. "You should have seen him yesterday at practice; I no sooner snapped the ball before looking up to see him wide open in the end zone."

"Dude not just that, he caught every ball in our drills the last week." As soon as Mills finished talking a tall man with a thick graying mustache walks up to the boys.

"I think that it would be appropriate to keep the talking down, there are important announcements and others around you are trying to pay attention. It is a common courtesy." As the man finished speaking he casually walked up the aisles toward the stage and then steped up on it. The principal was announcing new teachers, although Hal must have not been paying attention to this man's name.

He could not help but be slightly embarrassed that his first day had just begun and had been called out by some teacher. He glared at him on stage and tried his best to sum him up. He wore an aged button down coat with elbow patches and a dark plaid tie that rested on his white shirt. He looked even taller on stage and had a very strong jaw that only looked broader in comparison to his shining grey eyes. His hair must have been blonde although there were a few small patches of grey here and there that made it hard to guess an age. At first Hal thought he looked sort of dignified but then he decided that this man is just pretentious or snooty and stuck up. Yeah this teacher thought he was better than everyone and Hal only hoped he would never run in to him again.