Disconnected

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Okay, you can go." Mrs. Lopez growled at us. Mrs. Lopez was a fat, short Guatemalan woman who always talked too loud an was disliked by her students for her harsh discipline.

I picked up my history textbook so I could leave class and home. The rest of the class got up right behind me and slowly got through the narrow door, which was much too small for all 34 students to get through at once. I shoved my way through the crowded halls to my locker.

I shoved my textbook into my locker, slid my laptop into my backpack, and then made the slow route back through the mob of middle schoolers. After a solid five minutes going down four flights of stairs I stepped outside the doors.

I took out my iPod and turned it on, letting it play whatever it wanted from the wide range of music. I sat at my bus stop, listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas Album then some fast- paced electronic music. I looked down the street to see my friend Maren waiting at a crosswalk. She was the hottest girl I knew, and I wanted like anything to date her. Too bad she was dating...

Before I could finish that thought, I got yanked off my seat and dropped on the ground. I look up to see the ending to my unfinished thought. Jordan is standing over me and I can't make out his other friends.

"Hey asshat," I say nonchalantly, "How's the weather up there." For that I get a kick to the Charlie horse. I roll over in pain to see Maren, walking away and oblivious to my suffering. "You like staring at my girlfriend?" Jordan asks. He is very blunt with me, as always. Jordan is the captain of the basketball team and I hate his guts. He seemed to make the time to beat me up between the pounds of homework we get every night and his daily basketball practices to harass me.

"Yeah," I say, "She's nicer to look at than you ladies." Shut up!" Jordan yells. After another kick to my lower back they back away a little. I jump to my feet, ready for a fight. The other three guys with Jordan form a loose circle around us. This is our fight.

"Are you sure you want to fight me?" Jordan asks in a dark tone. I answer him with a punch to the nose. I jump back from the wild swing he throws at me and I jab him in the stomach. I know I've knock the wind out of him so I kick him hard in the chest and knock him into one of his followers, Tyler. Tyler helps Jordan up and with one punch he knocks me onto the ground. Another, new kid picks me up. As I'm getting up, I see all the new people who have surrounded us.

I turn around and see my bus unloading passengers. I shove away the kid that helped me up and I run to the bus, getting on before Jordan and the Love Club can get me. as I get on I hear, "You're dead meat Braden, DEAD MEAT!" By the way, my name is Braden, and this is my life.