School Premier (Character: Lionel Roberts)

This first chapter is short but it's a good start to the rest of the story.

Chapter I: School Premier

Lionel Roberts

It’s the start of my sophomore year and God you don’t know how happy I am to be done with the beatings every day after school, after classes even. This is a new beginning from all the hell I experienced years before. I dodge the large crowds in the hall just trying to make my way to the gym. My body is gleaming with anticipation and all negativity is left in the past. I seem to be treating this more like a baptism than the first day of school, after all I should be. Two more years in this hellhole called Norcross and I will be on my own to venture the world. Looking straight ahead all I can see is a crowded gym and all I can think of are my friends, Stephen, Gerald, and Marybeth; though Gerald and Marybeth don’t even go to the same school as me. Actually to think of it, at this school I only have one true friend, Stephen, which I find quite depressing now. Without that thought completely ruining my mindset I head into the gym. With a slight grin I begin looking around for Stephen but I notice something. No, no it’s can’t be him! Damn it, now my day is ultimately ruined. If you’re wondering what I’m referring to, it’s my arch enemy since elementary school, Brent Livingstone. He's been an enemy of mine since fourth grade. Just looking at him even thinking about him makes me want to take a one-way trip back to England. Seeing him makes my heart sink and turn into a hard block of ice. I want to kill him but the only thing keeping me from doing so is the fact that potential witnesses are around; if only I were oblivious to that fact. The only thing left for me to do now is to find a place to sit on the bleachers, away from him of course. Unfortunately, I didn’t go unnoticed, "So how was your summa Brit boy" he said attempting and failing horribly at an English accent; if that was even the accent he was trying to attempt. "Fine, I guess. I mean I didn't do anything," but before I could finish "Bein’ a waste of breath, suckin' on Mommy's tits as usual." In my mind, my jaw is on the floor in awe but in reality I’m just sitting quietly in an attempt as to not provoke him. As a result of me not doing anything in response, Brent and his pack of imbeciles decide to laugh at me. “Oh, shut up! Not like you did anything more interesting" I had mistakenly shouted. I think we all know what happens now and no, he doesn’t commend me for standing up for myself. Usually when I have an outburst like that he wastes no time torturing me like a wild animal. "What the hell did you say, you stumpy little f**k?" "I, I" Nothing seemed to come out but “I” and while I’m busy stuttering he’s lunging at me. I can’t really describe this moment, rather than me being scared shitless. I take it I should have kept my mouth shut. As Brent grasped around my neck and took a handful of my hair, I stared into his eyes.  Peering into them, all I can see is a savage but also helplessness; I could just be mistaking the helplessness for more rage. I didn’t put up much of a fight until his grip around my neck got tighter and he grasped more of my hair. Before I knew it, he was actually choking me. My throat seemed as if it was as narrow as a straw and my heart was beating faster than a heavy metal drummer, "Hey, you two break it up now!" Thank God, Coach Douglas eventually showed up, which makes me extremely angry at him for the fact he should have been monitoring his class. "But Coach he-” Brent attempted to talk his way out of the situation. I’m so eager to hear what he has to say as an excuse. I’m expecting to hear something like “But Coach he looked at me funny so I began choking the life out of him” or “But Coach he’s a lame a*s so I was just putting him in his place” but no, none of those. Actually he didn’t have to come up with an excuse because Coach Douglas cut him off in mid-sentence. "I don't want to hear it Livingstone; Roberts, here’s your locker combo; get dressed!" Coach didn’t have to tell me twice; I dashed to the boys' locker room. This is basically a typical day with Mr. Livingstone. Even after all the hell he has put me through over the years I still remember the good in Brent.