Deep down, I've always believed that I am meant for something really big… Now, I'm just waiting. You're probably wondering what I'm talking about, and the answer is 'no' if you think I'm a snobby kid who expects everything to just land at their feet. Maybe you'll know what I'm going on about if I tell you this story.
First of all, let me tell you a bit about myself: My name is Timmy and I am seventeen years old, I am the youngest of four kids, I live in a small council flat in London, my mum works long shifts so she's barely ever here and my dad walked out on us a few months ago. What a wonderful family, eh? Oh, and did I mention that my older brothers and sister treat me like dirt? No? I need to remember to say that a bit earlier next time. Sorry about that! Here I am droning on about my life when you want to know the story! Here goes:
It started when my older sister, Emily started to have a go at me for leaving my homework until last minute. Mum's never really around, so Emily, who's the eldest, likes to take charge.
My brunette sister with long hair which was usually done up in a ponytail, Emily, marched into the living room to find me hastily fussing with sheets of paper and anxiously snatching a pen from my pencil case. "Timmy! How many times do I have to tell you? You know very well that you should have completed your homework earlier. You know what? Because you are concentrating more on playing video games and on that stupid laptop of yours, than doing your homework, I'm taking your games console away," and with that, Emily snatched the controller from the pastel coloured sofa and whisked it away with the console into her bedroom. I would argue back, knowing fully that she was just gonna go upstairs and play with it in her room, but I really could not be bothered.
I tried my best to concentrate on my maths homework, I really did, but the noise level in the kitchen constantly rose. The next thing I knew, the noise was so loud I could barely hear myself subtract seven and four in my head. I really wished I could just pack my things and leave. Yes, it had gotten to that extent.
The next day was lovely. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. To be honest with you, it was only lovely because it was a school day, not because of the weather and the birds. Call me weird, but I prefer school – if it means six hours away from my family! I love school for that one reason, but otherwise, no. I get bullied by kids who at least triple the size of me. I wonder what it'll be like to be someone like them, but a kind version. Someone who's the centre of attention, someone who's genuinely kind… That would be GREAT! It wouldn't ever happen though. Have you ever dreamt that one day, you'll do something so great, so fantastic that you'll change the world? I sometimes hope that one day, I'll pluck up the courage to leave home and live with my dad. He's filthy rich! Why didn't my mum get half the money when they divorced? I don't know. Apparently mum signed some sort of agreement to say that if they divorced, mum won't get half of dad's money, and dad won't get half of mum's money. (A/N: This is called a Prenuptial Agreement.) That's what my brother Vincent told me (Vincent is six years older than me). You can never really believe him though. One time he said that his friends dog could speak fluent english. Can a dog even speak? No… Stupid kid, I really wonder what goes on in that boys walnut sized brain.
It was about ten minutes to nine o'clock when I got threatened first.
"Oi! Tom, where's me money ya owe me today?" Chris asked rudely in a strong Yorkshire accent. "Don't forget me homework you were supposed to do for me!"
"Well, I've got your money and your homework," I replied nervously, handing piles of papers to the bully.
"Ey, where's me History?" Chris looked at me with a calculating and pugnacious look on his face.
"Oh, er… about that, I kind of forgot," I took a step back towards my locker.
"Ye forgot? Ye FORGOT? James forgot to do me homework a few years ago too."
"Who's James?"
"Exactly!" Chris grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up to his level. "Now listen here, ye little pipsqueak, you better finish me homework by lunch or you'll end up like James. Ye got that?" Chris lowered me down and punched me solid in the eye.
The next thing I know, I wake up in the First Aid Room with an ice pack on my eye.
"There, there now. Are you feeling better? That was a nasty little accident wasn't it? You shouldn't play with heavy objects next time," the kind school nurse comforted me. For a minute there, I thought she was referring to Chris as a large, heavy object.
"Chris isn't a large, heavy object. He's a cruel, large, heavy object," I emphasized on the word 'cruel' and tried to explain, but the nurse just shook her head and explained that I got hurt while playing tennis. I tried to tell her that a tennis racquet isn't large and heavy, but she offensively explained that it's heavy and large for a small child like me… How rude!
On the way home on the bus, I remembered how my English teacher was going on about writing these things called 'Post Secrets.' It's little secrets or messages that you've never owned up to. With that, I grabbed a scrunched up piece of paper, which was being thrown about by the older kids, grabbed a pen from my school bag and wrote a secret that I would never forget. 'Deep down, I've always believed that I am meant for something really big… Now, I'm just waiting.'
As I arrived home, I unlocked the door to find Luke sitting by the steps looking nervous.
"Uhh, hey…" I told him. We are quite an anti-social family, so I guess this is all we say to each other, really.
"Timmy! You're here!" Luke sat up and beamed. Ok, a couple of things: Luke and Vincent HATE me, so the fact that Luke's actually happy to see me is something! Secondly, since when has Luke ever looked happy? This is seriously freaking me out.
"Yeah, why?" I asked him.
"I broke Em's CD, you know, her Bruno Mars one? You've got to help me, man! I'm freaking out, FREAKING OUT!" Luke walked over to me and shook me hard.
"Woah, relax," I tried to re-assure him. "I'm not taking the blame for this one: my games console was already taken from me,"
"So?" He asked callously.
"So, I'm not helping," I pushed him to one side, and went upstairs to my room to see Vincent.
"Vince?" I asked dumping my bag onto my messy bed.
"Listen, you little runt, you better take the blame… or else…" Vincent held me up by my collar and pushed me against the door. Déjà vu moment! Except it was Chris who was doing this, and it was at school not at home, and it was against the locker… You know what - forget about what it isn't!
"Or else what?" I challenged. Woah, where's this attitude coming from?
Bad move.
Vincent used his free hand to punch me solidly on the other eye, and Luke pulled my hair and yanked a whole clump of it out.
"There, now it's even!" Vincent laughed.
"We can do this all day if we have to," Luke warned me in a low voice.
"F-fine, I'll take the blame," I stuttered as they threw me back down to the ground not before laughing. I landed on my feet again, stumbling and went to the bathroom to wash my eye. This is what its like living in the Williams household.
"Hey, guys I'm home!" I heard the familiar click of the front door opening. Emily! She's back! I unlocked the bathroom rehearsing my lines on what lie I should tell her. I went to my room and put the CD into my back pocket.
"Hey, Tim-woah! What happened to your face?" She asked concerned.
"Hey, Emily. Just a bad day at school, as usual. Umm, you know your Bruno Mars CD…?" I asked.
"Yeah…?" Emily's face turned red with anger fearing the worst.
"Well, I took it to school so that I can listen to it in my free periods, and some guys in the older jumped me, and broke the CD…" I told her wearily. "I tried to fix it, but instead I'll buy you a new CD first thing in the morning! I promise!"
"Oh… So you broke it… You broke it…" Emily looked pained. You're probably wondering why I'm so scared of her, but it's because she is the link to mum, who'll kill me if she's sober!
The next thing I know, I woke up on the hallway floor at 7:00 in the morning in time to get ready to go to school.
"What...?" I tried to ask myself as I rubbed my head which was throbbing erratically.
"TIME FOR SCHOOL, TIMMY!" Emily roared from upstairs which gave me a ringing noise in my ear.
"Morning, loser," Luke jumped off the last step of the stairs landing on my right arm.
"OWW!" I groaned as Luke sniggered.
"I sat up massaging my arm when Vincent thought it would be funny to do what Luke just did moments ago but to my other arm.
"OWW!" I whimpered clutching onto my bruised left arm.
"Later loser," Luke yelled as he ran out the door with Vincent hot on his trail who was laughing. You're also probably wondering why Luke and Vincent like to get ready early – it's because they love to prank kids on our street who are still awake or are getting ready… They're complete bullies like that.
"HURRY UP!" Emily shouted as she looked over the banister to see me still on the floor. "GET UP!"
"Yes," I whispered as I ran upstairs to get ready.
As soon as I got to school, what happened? Oh, yes, the usual: I was picked on… again.
"Hey, loser!" Chris called me in his strong accent, with two other big guys: Matt and Roy. I don't know why, but Roy hasn't been that bad with me. I mean, he's actually a pretty nice genuine guy.
"Hey, Chris," I replied monotone knowing how this was gonna go: he's gonna call me names, I'm gonna be the wimp I am and get pushed into a locker, have my lunch and all my money stolen and possibly beaten up outside the school gates.
"Ye know the rou'ine," He smirked making me hand over my lunch and money.
"Hey!" I heard a voice echo down the corridor. "Leave him alone." Five people stood in front of us. This is when my life changed completely.
Sky Eraklyon: Football captain with medium length blonde hair and blue eyes – basically the 'complete package' as the girls would say.
Brandon Squires: Member of the football team and archery club with short brown hair with a floppy fringe covering half of his eye.
Helia Knightly: Member of the football team and art club with long black/blue hair in a long loose pony tail.
Nabu Rivers: Member of the football team and swim team with long brown hair in a plait and dark skinned.
Riven Hale: Member of the football team and music club with short magenta hair (don't ask why) and hair gel.
"Oh, look. It's the 'Specialists,'" Matt taunted. I don't know why, but ever since the beginning of this semester, everybody has called them the Specialists, probably because they're really good at telling the bullies to go 'where the sun don't shine.'
"Why, got a problem?" Riven smirked.
"Maybe. There's the door, go use it," Chris pointed to the front door.
"Why don't we take this outside?" Nabu rolled up his sleeves and was about to drag Chris by the collar when Sky pulled him back and told him "Chris ain't worth the hassle."
"Leave the freshman alone," Brandon told them. Freshman? I'm a Sophomore!
"Or else what?" Chris and Matt stepped forwards leaving Roy behind.
"Or else I'll give you detention." Another voice was heard, so I whipped my head around to see Headmistress Faragonda behind me in her usual purple/blue dress. "My office, now."
"We'll get you, mark my words!" Matt taunted me as he stepped away from us and towards Ms. F.
"Not you, Roy. Go back to class, I'll deal with these," Ms Faragonda interrupted as Roy was about to follow Chris and Matt.
"Yes, Miss," He nodded. Ms. F walked away from us gracefully and shut the office door behind her.
"You, okay freshman?" Helia asked.
"Sophomore, and yeah, thanks," I muttered picking up my money and lunch on the floor where Chris dropped it, probably dropped it on purpose.
"Oh, sorry man." Brandon held out his hand expecting me to shake it, but I just kept my hand to myself. "Suit yourself."
"Name?" Sky asked.
"Timmy Williams." I gave a small nod and a weak smile. This shouldn't be happening: they're cool, and I'm a geek – we can't interact!
"I'm Sky—"
"I know who you guys are, everyone does," I interrupted.
"Oh," There was an awkward silence.
"Are you new? I haven't seen you around," Helia asked kindly breaking the awkwardness.
"Sorta, I moved here from Chicago half a year ago," I explained.
"Roy, shouldn't you be somewhere?" Riven asked rudely.
"Well, I want to apologise for Chris and Matt's rude behaviour, Timmy. I'm really sorry," Roy told me. I hate it when people give me sympathy!
"It's fine, you don't need to apologise." I told him as he went to his class.
"Who do you hang around with?" Nabu asked interested.
"No-one," I mumbled. "You guys shouldn't be talking to me, you'll get yourself kicked out of the football team and all the other clubs."
"Hey, we practically own this school, we can talk to whoever we want to, right guys?" Sky asked the others as they all nodded in unison.
"Why don't you hang around with us? I mean, there's a party tonight if you wanna go. Sky's place 6 o'clock 'till late. Come if you want. We'll text you the deats," Helia offered kindly.
"D'you even have a phone?" Riven asked rudely as Nabu elbowed him in the stomach.
"Yeah, I do. I have your number, so—"
"What do you mean you have our numbers?" Nabu asked confused.
"Everyone does!" I told him smiling.
"Woah, that's pretty creepy man!" Sky laughed.
"We better go, see you around Timmy," Helia waved as they all left me standing by my locker.
I looked to see where they were going noticing a beautiful girl with purple pixie-cut hair and freckles. She must have watched this entire thing! Or she could be a popular. I gave her a weak smile as she blushed and went to class.