In the Classroom

Chapter One: How It Is

The breeze ruffled my hair as the sun gently shone down on my face. I shifted my body so that my arms were folded neatly above my head. I stared up at the clouds, a sense of peace settling in over me.

"'There's no trust, no faith, no honesty in men, all perjured, all forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers'," I murmured to myself, Shakespeare's quote from Romeo and Juliet perfectly memorized.

"Skulking again, eh, Josh?" asked David, coming up behind me. I paused in my thoughts, and then I slowly sat up from my comfortable spot in the sunlight on the roof. I turned to look at him.

"I'm not skulking. I'm simply demure," I said to him calmly. David snorted. "Sure, that's what that is," he said to me sarcastically. I looked away from him, up at the sky. The horizon had begun to take a soft yellow color. School would soon be out for those who did their work. I, however, would be detained in a stuffy classroom with a less-than-pleased teacher once again. The difference from the other times was that David would not join me. For a best friend, he sure did bail on me when it was easy for him.

"What did you do this time, Josh?" asked David, joining me on the floor. He looked over at me with curiosity, loping his arm over his knee and laying it there casually. I shrugged.

"Stuff. Do you honestly think I keep track of all the shit I pull at this school?" I asked him. He grinned at me.

"You're such a bad-ass, dude," he told me. He was impressed at my boldness—my insolence that has kept me alive for a large portion of my life. Because I was so stupid I could do whatever I wanted without having to face the consequences of my actions, at least not mentally. I didn't care what they did to me physically, I just didn't want my mind tampered with. That's why I hated school. My parents were dirt poor. At least, they used to be. Up to the day they died they didn't have a penny to their name without a gigantic debt hovering over them. After the shooting in the town square by a crazy drunk, I took over the payments. Since I was as deep in debt as my parents, in more ways than one, I sold my body to the mafia. I worked overtime killing people, selling drugs, and torturing traitors. It wasn't an honest living, I was intelligent enough to figure that out, but it kept me alive and on my toes against people who would want me dead. The business that I joined has made me many enemies, but it's also kept me alive through middle school. The only reason I'm at school is because, shockingly, I get a lot of customers for my merchandise at the school's Underground Black Market. Also, my mother wanted me to finish my education. Although, considering how deep I am in bloodshed and pot, I don't think a diploma will help me.

"Hey! Josh! Buddy!" snapped David, punching my cheek a little harder than necessary. I looked over at him dully. He glared at me.

"Don't space off on me like that. I know you hate me talking about Brianna, but you don't have to make it so damn obvious that you aren't listening," he growled. I brushed off my stinging cheek. I honestly didn't care about his wonderful girlfriend.

"Whatever," I told him in boredom. A sudden chiming of the school bell made me look up in surprise. Students suddenly started filing out of the school, walking alone, with friends, or with—ugh!—lovers. I resisted the urge to barf. I hated the happy smiling people that walked around as if they didn't have a care in the world. Love didn't put food on the table. Love didn't help protect you in a street fight to the death. Love didn't bring back your dead parents.

"Hey, I think Yumi is looking at you," hinted David. I looked down and saw a flash of black hair in the breeze. Sure enough, the only girl in school who looked good in our uniforms was waving up at me. I looked over at David and he gave me a thumbs up.

"Score, dude! Yumi is the hottest chick at school! If you get with her, you go from being the school's Number One Bad-Ass to the school's only King Bad-Ass!" said David. I glared at him.