The Misadventures of Jake Foley

Jake's Misadventure #1: First day of School.

The blaring of Jake's alarm clock wasn't enough to rouse him from his deep sleep.

"Jake! Time for school! If you're not up in five minutes, I'm coming in with the spray bottle!"

His dreams inconveniently disperse from his subconscious. Jake resentfully awakens from his slumber. He smacks the alarm clock as the annoying vibrations of the mechanism cease. Jake sits up momentarily in his bed, which is covered by a mesmerizing sky-blue blanket. Jake checks his brown leather watch. The first day of school is the most dreadful day of his life. Jake turns to his door, counting down the seconds before inevitably rising from his bed, and he begrudgingly proceeds to the bathroom. Jake washes his weary eyes and begins to brush his teeth. His red-rimmed eyes stare back at him in the mirror, making him cringe. He glides a hand across his curly hair to reveal an unattractive mat of black hair. Jake pokes and prods before fixing his hair to look at least a bit presentable. Jake advances to the right corner of his room to reveal a messy closet filled with clothes draped all over the top two shelves. His first instinct is to nab his familiar Metallica shirt. Jake sniffs the shirt before pulling it on just like he's done countless times before.

Today marks the first day of Jake's sophomore year of high school. Schools have never been a good place for Jake. Relentless bullies of Wesleyan High make sure to harass Jake whenever they can. His freshman year wasn't all bad though. When he wasn't getting his books knocked down or barely paying attention in algebra, Jake was either home or at the delicious hamburger joint Shake Shack in the small town of Everton.

Jake liked to think he was alone. His insecurities scream to be true; however, he can't deny the presence of two of his closest friends. One is named Tristan Matthews. He lives on the infamous Wade Road, which is filled with trailers of struggling families and where drunks go to die. Tristan is a rebel by nature, always wanting to do something he isn't supposed to do. And right behind him is Jake with his squeaky clean shoes his nicely pressed shirt and pants and a different lunchbox every single day, depicting a different hero every single time. Ever since they were young, Jake served Tristan whenever he could, even sharing his lunch with him. Over time, this friendship grew into a brotherhood.

Three loud knocks are heard from the opposite side of the bedroom door.

"Got to hurry up there, bud. I wouldn't want you to miss your breakfast." Jake sighs while grabbing his bulky backpack. He marches down the steps and passes by two massive windows covered with beige curtains to keep the contents of the house confidential. Walking towards the kitchen Jake notices a familiar face at the kitchen table as he goes to sit.

With his familiar leather jacket, Tristan is looming over a bowl of cereal, obnoxiously slurping what's left of the milk. Jake gives a curious eyebrow to his father who is sitting at the end of the mahogany table with his legs crossed and a large newspaper in hand. Tristan looks up to meet Jake's entertained gaze.

"Please tell me you're not wearing that god-awful Metallica shirt," Jake smirks while shrugging his shoulders.

"Mr. F, please tell me you're not condoning this." Jake's father, Gerry, peeks upward out of his newspaper bubble and notices the shirt.

"You have much better shirts to put on. I swear I think your closet is filled with just Metallica shirts. Don't you want to impress on your first day?"

"I was dreading this day all summer. It feels like we were just in school eight weeks ago!"

Jake scarfs down his cereal before dumping the plate in the sink without care. Jake says his goodbyes before heading towards the door with Tristan. Opening the door, he reveals another familiar face. Beth Sanders. She is wearing a blue and white striped shirt with a blue cardigan to match. Her brown eyes mesmerize Jake. Standing there awkwardly for just a moment, Beth smiles.