Heroes

Chapter 2: Resemblance

Well, well, well. You stuck around for another chapter have ya? Don't worry. it only gets better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Death is approaching. I feel the cold metal of the rod touch my bare fingers as if it was the devil reaching out towards me to take me under. I take one step. My fate is sealed as soon as I set foot in that door. That fateful door that many have walked into. And few have walked out of alive and well. And I know I won't make it. As soon as i'm inside, the smell hits me like a wrecking ball. Crayons. Yep. It's the first day of the hell-hole people call school. Now, I hear you saying "Wait a second, what was that in the last chapter about you not liking "populars" and i'll get to that later. Patience dear reader. Now, back to the nusiance that is mandatory called high school. I pull out my class schedule and look for my first class. I don't think they will let me write during class so i'll continue this endeavor at lunch.
~~~~~~
The school is so big that they had to split lunch into two groups with two different times. Unfortunately, Kate got second lunch and I got first. Now I have no friends and no allies to help me in the battle for a seat. I look around for a seat inside but they are all next to populars or are taken. Outside lunch it is. As i'm walking to the door with my journal in arm, and my lunch in my hand, someone comes up behind me and taps on my shoulder. I turn around to see none other than sign guy. "Hey there's a seat over by me and my friends if you want." He says with his signature smile. "No thanks, I don't want to sit with populars." I quickly say and shrug off his hand. "What? That makes no sense." he replied. "Don't worry about it. See you around store clerk." I retorted. I briskly walked towards the doors that led outside and burst through them without a second glance.
~~~~~~
After lunch, I walked back inside and my classes resumed. The school has a new class this year called forensic science, and I couldn't write that down fast enough for my first elective. The rest of the day was pretty cut and dry. The school day ended and I walked out the door to meet up with Kate in our usual spot. I walked to the overhang where she should have been and sat down, getting started on my homework from Mrs. Kelley. She was the only teacher to give homework on the first day. Ever. It's always been that way for every generation that has passed through this high school. As I was sitting there, I heard footsteps walking up to me. "Took you long enough Kate. I almost started rotting while I was sitting here." No answer. No quick-witted comebacks. Not Kate. "If this is the way you treat your friends, then i'm not sure I want to be a friend." I look up from my textbook and see the store guy. "You know, being my friend would ruin your reputation. Why do you keep trying to be my friend?" He just smiled and sat next to me. "Dude, i'm trying to tell you that if you are friends with me that it will be over for you. None of the populars will like you anymore." He looked at me quizzically and asked, "Why? Why do you have such hostility towards...'populars'?" I sighed and prepared for a long story.
"Well, It started when I came from my private school to this school in sixth grade. Everyone teased me for being different and being interested in games and choir. And that wasn't too bad. I could handle people teasing me for being different. But I was a little too sheltered. I had no idea what cuss words were, or any of that other stuff," He snickered and I glared at him as he put his hands up as if to say 'sorry!' "...so when I rode the bus for the first time, and I accidentally sat in this popular girl's seat, she cussed me out. I had no idea what the words were, or what they meant, only that this person had such a hatred for me and I didn't know what I did wrong." I paused to look at him again and saw that his face was solemn and he was looking at me with sadness in his eyes. like he felt sorry for me. "But that's also the day I met Kate. She took me under her wing and took me to sit with her up at the front of the bus." I said smiling from the memory. "She stuck with me this entire time. All through middle school, people cussed me out, tried to persuade me to leave Kate because she wasn't popular and the worst thing about populars is that they are bullies. All of them." "We aren't all like that...." he muttered. "populars are the reason I have depression and anxiety. I have a low self-esteem because of them." I was on the verge of tears, but I couldn't cry in front of him. "Why am I telling you all of this? I barely even know you. I don't even know your name." I sniffled. "Because you need someone to show you that it's going to be ok and that being popular doesn't mean you are a bad person. And my name is Jacob."