Prologue

    Being that my life is filled by disappointment that my parents caused, I would say that my eighteenth birthday was the worst. I prayed they wouldn't forget, can you believe it, me, praying. Sadly I was and they weren't answered just like every other prayer Ive said my entire life. For some reason I believed that it would be different that time, Oh how I was wrong.
    It's a funny thing though, because I may have ask for something so much different than what I was handed. Though the thing I was handed became the best thing that could have happened to me. Through my depression and hopelessness, I was given something amazing. I was given a wonderful adventure, but not like those romantic adventures or those life changing adventure. No, my adventure was just that it was MY adventure and no one else can take that from me.
    The story starts on April 6th, 2012, I woke up with the sun shining through the blinds. The light illuminated only parts of my room, I looked at the clock only slightly but enough to know I was late. School was going to start in twenty minutes and I had many things to do before getting there. After a quick shower and getting dress in a miss match pair of cloths. Rushing out to the kitchen I stopped to see a folded up piece of paper, I remember thinking to myself. "They didn't forget FINALLY!"
    My hands were trembling at what the note might say. Happy Birthday, Ethan or even Have a great day birthday boy, my mind would trick me with these thoughts every year. I opened up the note quickly to read a message that shattered my happy mood completely. "Ethan, do the dishes and clean up the house, when you get home." Nothing like always, I'd love to say I was surprised but to say so would be lying, I crumpled up the note and threw it on the ground while walking out the door.
    The car keys jingled in my pocket as I ran down the many stairs to get out of the apartment building. The elevator was broken, and I mean probably still is, the landlord kept saying he would get someone to fix it. The landlord though was and is a cheapskate, trying to save every penny he could. So he probably never tried to get the elevator fixed. It never effected him because he lived on the first floor, but for people who lived on the tenth floor, it made it difficult.
    I run out the door but hear the sound of thunder in the distance, my foot skid a crossed the sidewalk as I ran back in. The umbrella holder sat to my right as the old man sitting in the lobby, like he always does gives me a subtle wave. I wave back smile and say hello while taking out one of the black umbrellas. "Chance of rain apparently." I give a little chuckle as the old man smiles at the tiny joke. I nodded my head and went out the door but before the door closed I heard the man say "Happy Birthday!"
    I stopped in shock, the man had been my next door neighbor almost my whole life. I wasn't in shock because he remembered my birthday and my parents didn't, but because after all the time of being neighbors I didn't know his name. I took a deep breath before opening the door again. I peaked my head in this time only so I could leave quickly after. "Thank you, whats your name?" I smiled.
    "Jackson Connors, but you can call me Jack." He flashed a bright smile at me which caused me to smile back also.
    "Well, Thank you Jack." I left after that and ran to school as fast as I could, living in New York City wasn't always bad. With people like Jack it made living in New York easy, but it was lonely sometimes also. Jack became one of the most important people in my life, I would like to say that I got to know him more but I didn't. Jack died in his sleep soon after that day.
    I rushed into school and up to my locker throwing the umbrella inside as well as the unneeded books. Reaching my first period class I slipped through the doorway but caught my self on the desk closest to the door. The girl sitting in the desk jumps then smiles and giggles. I smile and mouth the word sorry to her, she nodded while I took my seat quickly without disrupting more of class time.
    "Way to go dumb a*s." The guy behind me said, trying to remember his name I think it was Sam. To be honest I don't remember and I don't really care, so for the sake of the story lets call him Sam.
    "I'm glad that's the best insult you have." The teacher put her finger to her lips and shushed us both. Class went by as usual, when I was in school I remember thinking that the things I learned would follow me my whole life. Most of the stuff though comes back as a blur, half of the things that I learned I cant remember.
    The bell rang which woke me from the classroom sleep I was getting, my stuff all collected in to my bag. I walked out of the classroom last being met with a foot tripping me on the way out. I stumbled forward stopping myself by slamming my hands on the wall that was in front of me. I stayed there for a second smiling for a second before turning back around. "Why? What did I ever do to you." I remember that Sam looked at me weirdly like I talked a different language.
    "I don't need a reason, why would I, I just don't like you." I remember those words, I don't really know why.
    "So your just being a jackass." After saying that Sam starts to walk up to me and got in my face. "No wait a second maybe I should say b*****d or a*****e." Sams fist swung past me as I bent backwards slightly to dodge it. "Oh common swing like you mean it." Another swing missed as I slid to the right while his fist connected with the wall. "That's embarrassing." I say while listening to the people murmur behind me.
     I looked away for one moment at the people that were watching when a fist connected with my jaw. I backed up slightly being caught by some of the people that had gathered around us. I spit out some blood that had replaced the saliva in my mouth, I looked back up seeing Sams fist come towards my face once again. I duck and connected my fist to Sams balls. His eyes widened, he looked like he was going to puke but ended up only dry heaving.
    A teacher ran in between us and pulled us both apart, "Both of you go to the principals office." Headed down as we sat there waiting for our parents to get there, I remember thinking one thing. Will they even acknowledge what today is? When the door opened and my parents walked in neither of them even said hi to me. They gave me an angry look that caused me to sink down in my seat.
    The meeting went on to where both Sam and I had gotten three day of suspension. While walking out my parents stopped me before reaching the door outside. "We are very disappointed in you." They both said somehow simultaneously.
    "Really, that's all you have to say to me." They both gave each other the look and then looked back at me.
    "What are you talking about." My mother said in her annoyed voice.
    "Forget it mom, please forget it." I turned and walked away from them both.
    "Do not walk away from us young man." I stopped while still looking at the door.
    "No, how about you don't talk to me." They both looked disgusted with my words. " How about both of you leave me alone, I'm eighteen now I don't need either of you." I stormed out after that and headed straight home. I walked into the building, Jack must have either gone out or back upstairs. I look at the elevator with the sign, Out of Order on it. I yelled while kicking the door of the stupid broken thing. I quickly went up all the flights of stairs I needed to all the way to the roof.
    The door to the roof was already open, I step out into the cold air seeing Jack sitting on the edge smoking a cigarette. I walked up to him and sat next to him on the ledge, I coughed once to the smoke blowing in my face. "Oh, sorry about that." He said sincerely then scratched the end of the cigarette on the side of the building. He sighed then flicked the cigarette bud into the gravel. "I know it's going to kill me, but look at me I'm eighty six years old. I'm already going to die soon anyways so why not do whatever the hell I want." He coughed a couple times before continuing speaking. "To be honest I didn't start smoking till a couple months ago when I got diagnosed with cancer."
    "I'm so sorry." I say while he looked at me strangely and laughed.
    "Don't be, I lived my life, it was wonderful and amazing." He smiled as I looked at him in disbelief.
    "How? Life is full of disappointment, it makes me want to walk off this ledge sometimes." I looked down at the cigarette bud while Jacks friendly face got serious.
    "Is that why you came up here? To jump off?" Tears started to cloud my vision as they drop onto the gravel making the stones it hit darker than they were before. "Look, when I was your age I felt the same way. You know what got me through it though?"
    I took a deep breath and then looked back at him. "What?"
    "I told myself after every bad day that tomorrow was going to be my day." I smiled thinking about how ridiculous the thing I was going to do was.
    "Thank you Jack." I sat there and talked to him all night after that, and the funny thing was, after that day everything changed.

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think :)

Reviews

[Arianna]

i like it, its far too much like my life at the moment for me to read though and you have a horrible habbit of killing your characters>.< lol so maybe ill read it when i wont stomp over to your house and punch you in the face if you kill my fav person.... yeah most likely the best idea. but so far a good book. looking at the fight scene it was interesting but you should switch up a few of your verbs because you used some of them more than once. in a few places you could use words that arnt so Blah and use words that are more BAM so that people would be like oooooohhhh :) but other than that i really like this, youve found yourself a really relateable character who couldnt give two s***s about the world like a lot of the people in it. i like the fact that we call the character sam even though we dont know if his name is sam, and that ethan has your birthday:) anyway i thought it was a good start and i promise ill read more when im not in such a ....volitile mood. :) good one though.

[Jake Donald Stephens]

Now I'm wondering what will happen next. Good job with this first part, it looks like you've got several readers already.
Poor balls of Sam.
Or whatever his name was, lol.

[Shep]

Like the story. Wishing there was more to read. You peeked my intrest and held it there. Awesome write.

[.quan.011.]

Wow, Ethan's parents are mean. I enjoyed what I read this. I can't wait to read some more.

[BatFan38]

fantastic!

[Grandma]

I really like this so far .. anxious to read about the change.

[Taylor H.]

This is very good so far. Im curious to read more