The Good Vibes

Meet Me

Hi. I'm Tyler Mayson. I live in a small town at the very tip of Alabama called Opp. It's supposed to stand for Opportunity, even though there is absolutely no opportunity here what-so-ever! I'm 17 years old and go to Opp High School. But before we get into all that, let me tell you my story.
So my mom got pregnant with me at 16 years old, yes I know it's very typical but it's true.
She and pretty much everyone she new were drug addicts, including my dad, even though neither of them are presently, and haven't been for a long time.
But my mom had me at 17 on July 16th, 1996. Now, whenever she had me, my dad was 22. And they kind of hated each other? But anyways, just a few months after I had my first Christmas, my parents split up. I started staying with my dad often, even though I lived with my mom because she was partying or whatever kinds of junk she did.
So at a very young age, I began to become very close with my dad. So ever since I was little, my mom and I have never been that close, even though I live with her..er, used to.
You see, whenever I was about 12 years old, I started to hate my mom and I'd talk to my dad about it. He'd used to always joke about how I'd be happier living with him, and now I have a choice. In Alabama there is a law where you have to be 14 years old to be able to choose which parent to live with. So yes, we went to court and now live with my dad, and have been for 3 years.
It's now August 12th, 2014 and the first day of 12th grade, the last year of high school.
I pull into the high school student parking lot and run to the courtyard.
As I enter the courtyard, I spot my best friends Shane, Danielle, Stacy, and Cora. "What up guys?" I say, sitting down at our table.
I call it our table because a the very beginning of high school in 9th grade, whenever Shane just moved here, I seen him sitting at the table all alone so I went to sit with him. Once I walked up to the table, be made me fill out a contract that said I would never desert him or the table or anyone who joins the table. He even made me use my sloppy cursive signature. So soon, whenever Danielle, Stacy and Cora seen me at the table, they too had to sign the contract.
"Nothin' much." Shane says, pulling up his jacket sleeves. Yes, Shane is wearing a jacket in freaking 110 degree weather. But the thing about Shane is, he was a cutter. He also suffered anorexia, which explains why he's still so skinny. He just got over it last year once I forced him to start eating.
"Tyler, are you STILL carrying around that dumb journal?" Stacy asks. "Yes Stacy, I am." I sigh out.
All last year I started writing down all my thoughts because whenever I graduate I want to be an author or a director and move to California. The journal was for ideas for future books. And to this day, I carry it with me everywhere, and to this day, Stacy hates it.
Once Stacy first moved here, I hated her. I never knew why, I just did. With a PASSION. I told her all the time that she should move away. I even 'accidentally' poured spaghetti all over her on picture day....twice. But then in 7th grade I finally accepted the fact she wasn't gonna move, and we became sorta friends.
"Please don't start all that crap again this year. I really don't wanna have to host slumber parties to cheer her up EVERY weekend." Cora says, causing Danielle to burst out laughing. Then the bell rings and we shuffle inside.
I scan my schedule again as I open my locker and sigh. "Just one more year, Tyler." I say to myself and walk to class. "Just one more year."