Chapter 4 - Starting High School

A Chapter by JSAECH

John thought that starting high school would help solve some of his problems. The issue, though, was that the elementary school went through 7th grade and the high school started at 8th grade. So in 8th grade he was starting a high school with five grades levels instead of four. This school was also five times bigger than the elementary school he came from. An eye opening experience to be sure, for John. It was also a big culture shock for John. With very limited access to TV and radio growing up and very controlled trips outside of the neighborhood, John was very sheltered to real everyday life. So starting high school was extremely difficult for John. He was quiet by nature and was used to at least being able to get the teacher's attention to have someone to communicate with. The problem is that he had six different teachers and with so many students in each class and no time between classes to ask questions, he lost this outlet to help him cope.

John did try his best to cope and fit in at the school. John even tried out for the football team. John was not large in stature. John ended up being one of the smallest kids on the team, but he was on the team. This outlet did provide him some protection from possible bullies as he went straight to practice each day after school. He did find some bullies on the team, but at least they were part of the team. He did gain some respect from the team when he caught and tackled the running back during practice when it looked like he was going to score. It was a practice game with the first offence verses the second defense. John was playing cornerback on the right side of the field. John was constantly getting pushed around by the receiver and the receiver usually got the best of him. But on this play, John avoided the block and sent the receiver sprawling to the ground. He saw the running back start to break free so he rushed over to help, but by the time he got close, the running back had pulled free of the group. John gave chase and very quickly caught him from behind and pulled him down.

The entire team on the field cheered, even the running back was impressed. What got him even more respect was the fact the he tore half his fingernail off and he was bleeding all over his jersey. From that day forward, he was no longer bullied on the team, and, while he was not a starter, he did get a little more respect from the group. It was nice to be part of the high school team. He was happy to be included and treated as an equal. The rest of school was still very difficult for John. In elementary school, he did not have to study because he had a way of recalling the information but the high school things moved fast and he was falling behind his normal B+ average and started carrying a C average. This should have been another warning sign for the parents but they were so busy fighting each other that they missed the signs of a troubled boy crying out for attention.

All of this pressure on John was building and building and he didn’t know what to do. He knew that staying with his father would probably be the smart decision. While he was anxious to leave his father and move in with his mother, he really knew deep down that this would be a poor decision. John was also now facing pressure to move from his brother. While his mom had been applying pressure for John to move in for the last year, having his brother filling his head with ideas that sounded too good to be true, (because they were), was what put John over the top. John decided he would talk to his father about his desires to move. His chance never came. John’s father continued to be absent from his life. When the father was there, he did not take the time to listen to John when John wanted to talk. John just could not get through to his father.

On a cool night in October, John decided that his only chance was to "run-away" to his mother's house. He had hid his bike at the school for a quick getaway. John called his brother and let him know he was ready and to tell the mother so she could come pick him up. On his way out of the back door the sister stopped him and asked him, "Where are you going? “ John responded, "Tell our grandmother when she gets out of the shower that I am running away.” John then turned and walked out of the door. He ran up the street to where his bike was hidden. He then rode his bike about a mile to the gas station where he had planned to get picked up. John ditched his bike and waited for the mother and brother to arrive. When they arrived the mother insisted that they get his bike. After getting the bike into the car, John climbed in the car to start a brand new adventure.

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