The Boy Who Forgot His Name

Chapter One - Birthday Blues

I daze out of my sleep as the sun peered through the blinds, hitting the perfect angle to land right on my eyes.  Letting out a groan, I turn my body on my bed, facing the opposite way of the window only to be interrupted again by the sound of my alarm clock.  But oh no, this wasn’t just another ordinary alarm clock.   It’s the alarm clock that runs off your side table and hides in your room and basically forces you to get up and moving to just turn it off.  

After giving up trying to regain sleep, I get up and move toward the many boxes stacked against the wall.  I crawl on my hands and knees to pick up the annoying object, that was stuck between two boxes, taking out the batteries and tossing them in my side table trashcan.  Worst way to start out my birthday.

I grabbed my sweatshirt off the door hanger and headed downstairs to eat my pre-made breakfast.  What?  First day at a new school has to start with a good meal. 

“Good mornin’ honeysuckle. And happy birthday to you.”  I turn the corner of the stairwell to find my mother at the counter with my one year old brother, Emmett.  His bright blonde hair was full of mushy oatmeal and cheerios.  He laughed at my mom, who tried to wipe his face clean from his breakfast disaster.

“Mom, please don’t call me that.  I’m not two anymore.”  I walked over to Emmett’s high chair and picked him up.  “Good morning, little man.  It looks like you enjoyed your breakfast a little too much.”  He giggled and wiggled in my arms as I gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“Alex, are you sure you’ll be fine walking to school on your first day?  It’s alright to give you a drive to the parking lot.  Emmett doesn’t have to be at daycare till nine.”  My brother has gone to daycare ever since he was two weeks old. 

Mom works two jobs full-time, one during the weekends and one during the regular week.  She probably spends two hours with Emmett in the morning before dropping him off at daycare till she picks him up at nine at night.  I keep telling her that I can work on the weekends so she can have a break, but she insists that I should spend my high school career worry free of work and focus on my studies.

I rolled my eyes I as took the washcloth from my mom’s hands a cleaned Emmett, “I said it’s fine, mom.  We only live three blocks away from the school, I don’t think I need a ride.   It would be a waste of gas.”

“Oh no it’s not.” She argued, “To be able to drop off my baby girl on her last first day of high school doesn’t mean a penny.” 

I chuckled as I threw the cloth in the sink, sitting myself at the dining room chair with Emmet on my lap.  “Mom, please.  It’s fine.  I am still half asleep right now and I think some fresh air would do me some good.” 

“Fine, fine. I give up.  Here eat up, maybe you just need some good ol’ fashioned carbs in you.”  She handed me my plate I made last night; full of watermelon, a PB&J, some yogurt, and granola.  I began to lavish my breakfast the moment it landed on the table.  Why so much food you ask?  Let’s just say I’ve had a horrible relationship with food ever since my dad passed away.  She’s been watching me like a hawk ever since the doctor said I was losing essential nutrition during my physical last year.

“So,”  My mom starts as she sits down at the table, crossing her arms against her chest, “Any idea what you want for your eighteenth birthday yet?  I only have a couple hours left to get it and you have yet to give me any leads on what to get you.”

“I told you mom,” Stuffing my face with watermelon, being sure to give Emmett a piece, “I never know of what I want.  There isn’t technically anything I want because I have all that I need already.”

“Oh come on, Alex.  You’re eighteen now!  I want to get you something fun and something you will actually use.”

I look up at her with a confused expression, “I use the gifts you give me.”

She smirks, “Oh really now?  Where’s that pink narwhal sweater I gave you last Christmas?”

“Mom, I wear that thing in public, I would probably die from all the stares people would be giving me.”

“But you told me narwhals were your favorite!”

“Yeah!  When I was like seven!” 

“Oh, you aren’t no fun, now aren’t you?  Well, I recommend you get ready now if you are planning on walking.  And this ‘little man’ needs a bath before he goes to his first day as well.”

After handing Emmett to mom, I headed back upstairs to go into my bathroom.  One glance into the mirror and I knew that I had work to do.  My dark brown hair that was pulled up into a messy bun the night before had pieces falling out every which way, that showed my blue ombre ends.  My eyes were puffy and so dilated that you could barely see any of the amber in them.  I had two zits pop up on my chin overnight and leftover mascara surrounding my eyes making me look like a raccoon. 

I pull down my locks and brush through as I sing,  “Lets get down to business, to defeat the ha-ouch!”  I pull my hairbrush away from my head to find a hug clump of hair found in-between the bristles. I swear, one of these days I’ll just give up on growing my hair out and just stick to a pixie cut.  I swear, life would be five times easier.

After I put on my thick coat of mascara, I exit the bathroom stilling humming to ‘Make a Man Out of You’ as I make my way to my bedroom.  As I open the door, I catch a glimpse of an outfit that laid across my unmade bed.  My favorite pair of skinny jeans with a plain black v-neck paired with a green bomber jacket.  And to top off the outfit, my favorite pair of black Vans.

I smile down at the outfit. Mom must’ve picked it out.  Damn, she knows my taste after all. I take off my pajamas and toss them into the hamper across the room then putting on the outfit.  It was casual but also a bit edgy, which is my favorite style. 

I walked over to my bed and sat on the edge to make it easier to put on my shoes.  I continuously shoved my foot into the shoe in effort to put on my shoes without undoing the laces.  After two minutes of trying and foot cramps, I finally decide to untie the laces and tie them.  Grabbing my backpack from the foot of my bed, I walk out my bedroom and into the bathroom where I find mom giving Emmett a bath.

I squat down and give my mom a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.  She smiled, “Just try to have fun and get involved, okay?”

“I will mom.”

“Your dad would be so proud, Alex.  You know that he would want you to get involved and smile more.  I know it’s hard to move during your last year and away from your friends back in California, but you will love it here.” 

“Mom, I’m gonna go.  Being new and late on the first day of school is not the best way to give off a first impression.”  I kiss Emmett on the cheek as he squealed something that sounded like ‘ajax’ and splashed around in the tub.  

I walked out of the bathroom giving Emmett one final wave before heading down the stairs.  Yanking the front door, I strided out of the door.  I looked down the street with everyone getting in their fancy cars riding down the street to the high school. I sighed, slamming it shut.   I guess there might be one thing I wanted for my birthday after all.