This is just a side story that I had courage enough to act on and post. I hope you enjoy it even for its little worth ^-^ (by the way...um…I don't know eyes colors of some characters so just bear with me…. ^-^')

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          He sat in the back alleys near Cherry Street and Nickson Boulevard. They were dim and cold as opposed to the bright bustling city streets. He leaned against the chilled stonewall and shoved a cigarette between his lips.

 His name was Shippo. He was a young boy, only fifteen, in his freshmen year at Disten High. His hair was a reddish brown, and it hung in messy bangs down to his eyes. It was longer then most guys but not past his neck. His eyes were a steely blue. They looked almost green at times giving them an overall look of turquoise. He wore baggy pants, never anything but jeans, and a navy shirt that portrayed his favorite rock group. Against the growing cold of fall he had tossed on a very weathered black jacket.

Now he brought a lighter to his face and held his hand to guard the small flame in the chilly wind that shot through the ally. He took a long drag and let the smoke float gracefully into the autumn air. Another school year had just begun. 'Oh yippee' he thought dryly. Two weeks in and already he fantasized over burning the damned place down. He took another puff and let the smoldering paper fall to the ground where he crushed it under his heel. He was trying to quit but he needed one every now and then, just to steady his nerves. He was by no means addicted…at least not in his own mind. His will was strong and he knew if he tried hard enough he could easily put them down for good.

He took a look up at the stormy skies but he knew it wouldn't rain. It had rained itself out in the last few days and by tomorrow it would be sunny and warm. Maybe even a high of sixty-five degrees, wonderful weather for September.  Now he took a look at the battered watch on his left arm and sighed. He was going to be late. Still, he took his time and walked out the ally and headed down Cherry Street towards Rochester Avenue.

His new 1st period teacher had taken a certain hate to him. Of course, this only made it more fun to piss her off. Mean old bat…so what if he was late. Its not like he did anything anyway. New school, same story. All the teachers pouting over his 'wasted talent'. Telling him he could go far if he put his mind to it. Who really cared? Not him… he worked at the gas station down on 6th street and didn't have time for homework. Even if he did he doubted he'd do it. What did it matter? He would never in a million years have enough money for college so his grades didn't really matter. He'd just get a no-brain job for minimal pay and try his best to keep that old shack he called a home from falling down. Oh but that Kilala was pissed when he brought home those F's. She was one tough girl, but she was a good friend. She had been there when he was a kid. His dad was working three different part-time jobs and his mom shifted between taking care of him and writing her novel. It was really too bad she never finished it. That was one good book. He bet a thousand times that it would have been published in a second. But it was just like Kilala said…you can't live off 'if onlys'.

He trotted down the street, hands in his pockets, watching the cars rush by. He was still working on his Dad's old car. His dad had built most of it himself, but he had started with the basic parts of an old mustang. He wasn't as good a mechanic as his old man and picking up where he left off was easier said then done. Still he worked hard on it; maybe someday he would drive that baby up to school. Then he wouldn't be late. But like he said…what did he care anyway? Oh, but Kilala had told him a thousand times, he could really go somewhere if he tried. She was a sophomore now. She went to the same school but he barely saw her. Maybe he'd catch her in the halls every now and then, but that was it. She was a nice girl, blonde hair down to her shoulders. It curved softly under her chin and she tucked it behind her ears. She wore long jeans and every now and then a knee length skirt. She was a big fan of sweaters but liked her concert tees. She had a nice smile, it showed she was strong and yet portrayed her kindness. Her eyes were a light and soft brown and she put very little make-up on. Just some classy earrings and a nice necklace. She was plainly pretty. His buddy Sota had told him a thousand times he should go with her, but he always socked the kid in the arm and said "no way shrimp."

Sota was his good buddy, but he hadn't known him as long as he had known Kilala. Sota was younger, only in 7th grade. Yet he was extremely smart for his age and he knew when to shut his mouth. His hair was dark and cut shorter, but he was kindly charming in what girls would call a 'sweet' kind of way. He could get you to laugh without even trying. Shippo didn't know why the twerp thought he'd even consider Kilala. He'd always give him that look and told him, "I'll date Kilala when you date your sister". You had to love his reaction. Besides the fact that he would never date a girl he considered family he also knew that Ki had her eyes on some dude from her French class. What was his name? Oh yea, Rune. Not exactly what you'd call a friendly guy, but who was he to judge. Rune was a tough kid. Quiet, in a dangerous kind of way. He had blue eyes that were icy cold and almost platinum blonde hair that hung in short spiky strands on his forehead. He wore surfing shirts (which confused the hell outta Shippo cause there were no oceans round here) and blue jeans. He always had on a hemp necklace with a red bead in the middle.

Shippo turned the corner and laid his eyes on school. "What a miserable place." he muttered to himself. He let himself in the front doors, which were probably swarming with teens just a few minutes earlier. He checked his watch. Only three minutes late. With a mischievous smile he strutted up the stairs and down the hall to his English class. Mrs. Withersen could only gave him dirty looks for being three minutes late because you could only get in trouble for being five minutes late. He had always loved that rule even though it made little sense. It was probably the only rule he liked at all. He strolled in casually and Mrs. Withersen let out a sigh. "Ah, Shippo…late as usual." He smiled that confident smile and nodded. "Sorry ma'am musta lost track of time." She gave him a stern glare and pointed him to his seat. Before he had reached it though, he stopped dead in his tracks to stare at the girl in front of the room. Mrs. Withersen looked up and caught his gaze. "Before Mr. Shippo interrupted," she gave him another dirty look, "I was introducing our new student. Class this is Rin Shelling." The girl was breathtaking. She had glossy black hair tied back in a simple but perfect ponytail. It fell to just past her shoulders so he guessed let down it was at mid-back length. Her eyes were a dazzling hazel and she had a face like an angel. She had this certain innocence about her that made her glow. She had on baby blue shirt with a nice magenta zip up sweatshirt. Then she had khaki's and a pair of silver earrings. Her books were held in front of her and she kept her eyes cast down with shyness. His teacher brought Shippo out of his thoughts. "Shippo would you kindly take your seat." She said with venom. He just smiled a Cheshire smile and saluted her. "YES MA'AM" he strutted to his seat with the class giggling in the background. She just gave him a dry look and pressed on. "I'll take attendance out loud so you can get acquainted with the class, Ms. Shelling." The girl nodded.

She started off the list with her least favorite student. "Shippo Avery." He saluted once again "PRESENT!" the class giggled and Rin smiled in spite of herself. Mrs. Withersen looked grumpy but continued down the list. When all the students were introduced, she pointed Rin to a seat." Shippo never paid attention in the first place, but today he couldn't even if he tried. Instead he took out a bit of paper and sketched a picture of this new girl. That was one talent he was proud of. He was an amazing artist. Art was the only class he ever pulled a constant A in. His art teacher, Mr. Kalyo, was always ready to goof off but only to a point. He was the only teacher Shippo had ever held any respect for.

He put the finishing touches on his art and began to fold the paper with expert experience. His eyes flashed up to check on the old bat, but she was hard at work scribbling nonsense on the board. He sent the art airplane across the room and it landed gracefully on the new girl's desk. She looked up and he gave her a warm smile. She took the airplane uncertainly and unfolded it. There was a picture, sketched lightly in pencil, of her. She smiled to herself; it was surprisingly real looking. There at the bottom of the picture was "Welcome to Disten High, happiest Hell Hole on Earth." She gave him a smile that melted him. School had just got ten times more interesting.

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Well, I decided it was about time I wrote a present day story. Just a stray idea that found its way on paper. Please review if you'd like me to create a plot for this as well, and keep it going. ^-^Thx