School and Society

Chapter 2, grapes.

Ace sat in after school detention, a week or two had passed since his incident with Mr S. He was reading a book about vampires and talking to the guy next to him about TV shows every now and then. The supervisor didn't like that, telling them off every five minutes or so. Ace tried to do as he was told at first but the guy would start conversation again, so Ace would chat with him. Why should he not, when he didn't deserve to be in detention anyway? He was in trouble for another incident with Mr S, which involves him being kicked from Mr S's class.
"Oh!" The supervisor said, seeming surprised. She was a small lady, looking tired, she had light ginger hair and pale skin. "Oh, I have somewhere I need to be. You guys can go early!" She exclaimed, she began to ask everyone how they could get home, Ace lived a good half an hour drive from school and explained that he was going to be picked up, so she told him that he had to sit in the office, until whoever was picking him up arrived.
Skip to him being sat in the office, he grabbed his phone from inside his bag and plugged in his earphones, playing until he noticed his stepdad appear. He stood outside the glass barrier, acting as a sort of entrance.
He entered, by moving the barrier along and seemed confused, "what are you doing in the office?" He asked, so Ace explained what happened.
They spoke about the subject until the entered the car and began to drive home, during the journey, somehow they entered the subject of school. Ace mentioned how he was trying not to fight but he couldn't be pushed around and his stepdad seemed to agree, he stated that Ace should be able to stick up for himself.
When they arrived at home, Ace ranted to his mum about why he got the detention and she just seemed to not have the energy for that conversation. He left the kitchen, where they were and made his way upstairs, taking a right past the bathroom and turning into his room.
He opened the white, hollow door and closed it, as he entered. He hated have his door open. He almost belly flopped onto his bed, only then realising that he had to get changed.
He changed out of his school uniform into baggy jeans and a grey shirt, with a dark hoodie. He put the hood on and once again plugged in his earphones.
Half an hour or so later, his mum yelled that it was time to eat, from downstairs. He didn't really eat unless he was told too. He almost never ate at school and hadn't had breakfast in months. His mum had to leave the house early, to drop his brother off to Primary school, she could never inspect him.
He didn't lie to her and say he had ate, he admitted he didn't but what could she do?
He just usually didn't like eating anymore, breakfast specifically. He wasn't really sure why. He ate his meal, chatting with his mum an d stepdad as he did.
It wasn't happy conversation, they would talk about why Ace was so unhappy and such. It usually stemmed from them asking how his day was.
He snapped at his brother, after his brother refused to eat. He wanted to go and play. The boy had an attitude and was being disrespectful, claiming his mum's food wasn't good enough. It made Ace's blood boil. "No, you're being disrespectful and naughty. You eat and watch your mouth!"
Both his mum and stepdad instantly told him to not be so mean, making comments. His response was that someone had too.
He did it because he loved his brother, he didn't want his brother growing up as an ungrateful and disrespectful human being.
A few minutes later, he went back to his room and stayed in there all night, apart from when he needed to use the toilet.
He plugged in his earphones and would later try to fall asleep but he struggled, it would be late when he managed, occasionally like two to three in the morning, only to wake up at around quarter to five, in the morning.
And that he did.
Nobody else was up yet, so he would get changed and lay in bed, trying to get his anxiousness to go away, he couldn't. He just felt so angry, so sad, all the time.
He felt like no one at school liked him. He felt so alone, he imagined himself curled up in a corner, the students around him pointing and laughing and kicking him and throwing things at him, as he tried to shield himself.
He was shaking, shivering in the cold. The corner was so cold.
He remembered what he had been like in the past, optimistic and energetic. He still wasn't all that popular but he had friends, he had his support and it was all he needed.
Now, he was lonely, sad and disappointed because of how he had changed.
Cut to the school bus, he was walking up the steps and then sat on a seat upstairs, plugging in his earphones and then..
BAM!
Some grapes had been thrown at him, the juice dripping down his hair, he turned.
A few seats behind him was Jay, Jay was skinny, with wavy black hair. He was popular on the bus and in the year above Ace. He had more grapes in his hand, which was held high. He chucked as Ace scowled at him, "don't be a prick." Ace proclaimed.
Jay and his friends made an 'ooooooooo!' and someone shouted "feisty!"
"I hate you."