Astro, oh Astro, where did you go?
Chapter One: Runaway
"Have a great day at school!"
It was a Friday, Astro was heading out the door and walking to school, the professor, Uran, and Astro's twin were waving to him as he left the house.
"You have a great day too, doctor!" Astro waved to the professor.
Astro's twin walked over to the couch and Sat next to his sister.
"How come you don't go to school?" She asked.
"Well..." he began
"Astro and his twin are too identical, it'd be impossible to enroll him." Dr. Elefun finished astro's twin sentence.
Walking to school, Astro was approached by Brianna, who occasionally walked to school with him.
"Good morning pookie face!" Brianna greeted with a giant smile.
"Morin' Brianna" Astro greeted back.
Astro and Brianna walked in silence to school, But they did hold hands along the way.
"Hey Astro!" Astro heard someone call his name when he reached the school, But who could it be?
"What?" He looked curious, he kept turning to see who it was, then he saw him, Ken.
"Astro! What's up?" Ken smiled
"Oh, Oh.. uh... nothing! Nothing. New..." Astro let go of Brianna's hand and blushed.
"You didn't forget about our sleepover, did you?" Ken asked.
"Uh... of course not! Why would I forget?" Astro chuckled.
"Great, Theodore's been bugging me about it... wouldn't wanna piss him off..."
"Yeah... wouldn't wanna do THAT, right?" Astro chuckled again.
"Well, I'll see you in homeroom!" Ken waved goodbye to Astro and Brianna.
"Sleepover?" Brianna asked
"Oh it's nothing... Theodore just wanted all of us to hangout sometime, so he picked a sleepover..."
"I hope he didn't invite me, the last one was stupid..." Brianna folded her arms and pouted.
"That's just cuz your a girl, your not interested in things guys do at sleepovers..." Astro walked into the school double doors, holding the door for Brianna.
"I guess you have a point..." Brianna walked into the school, Astro walked in and closed the door behind him.
"Morning Astro." The lady at the front desk greeted Astro.
"Morning Miss!" Astro replied back cheerfully.
"Now students, today is Friday, so no today"
It was homeroom, Mr. Mustachio always made the students read during homeroom, but not today. It was Friday, no reading on Fridays.
"But what if you WANNA read, mister?" Astro asked.
"Then pull out a book and read!" The teacher laughed, Astro always seemed to be so cheerful about school and everything in it, he wished his whole class was like Astro.
Later on, the bell rang for first period, every one was scurrying over to their next class, Astro and Brianna walked together to class since they had the same one.
"Good morning miss!" Astro cheerfully greeted his language art teacher.
"Good morning Astro, Brianna." The teacher greeted back.
Astro placed his bookings near his desk and sat down, Brianna did the same.
"We''ll get started when everybody shows up, okay?" The teacher said
"Sure" Brianna smiled, her and Astro exchanged glances, the teacher left the room to stand outside the door and greet her incoming students.
"I can't believe it, two more weeks of school and we're DONE! Can you believe it, Astro?" Brianna said to Astro.
"Not really... I kinda wish it was longer..." Astro sighed.
"What!? Why?"
"I dunno.. I like school... I'd really miss it and 7th grade doesn't look like someplace I'm ready to go to yet..."
The teacher sighed.
"This happens every year, students fail to come to school during the last week's..."
The late bell rang, eight other students ran into the class room.
"Guess I'll have to make due with teaching ten students"
"But Mrs. Honey?" Astro began
"Yes, Astro..."
"Maybe we could do something fun?" Astro continued what he said.
"Yea, like watch a movie!" One of the students piped up.
"Oh you know I can't do that, the school will kill me!" The teacher said.
"Maybe we can't watch a movie, but we could.. um..." Astro began to think of fun things to do that won't bother the school and their semi-strict rules...
"We could read a funny book!" Brianna said. The class laughed.
"Free time?" Another student said
"Or we could read biology" Astro said
"But this is a language arts class" the teacher said.
"I know... but I just happen to read biology a lot..." Astro looked at Brianna after speaking, she nodded in agreement.
Lunchtime, everyone's favorite part of the day, everyone was hustling and running to the lunch lines while some who brought their lunch sat at the table they usually sat in.
Astro though, didn't wanna sit with anyone today, he decided he'd rather sit, alone...
"Hey what's wrong with Astro?" Ken asked
"I dunno, maybe he's upset or sumthin?" Alvin replied.
"He can't be that upset Alvin, maybe he just wants some alone time" Ken put his tray on the table and sat down.
Astro was sitting at a table alone, he kept playing around with the peas and carrots in the plastic container. Brianna put her tray in front of him and sat down.
"Brianna? Why don't you go sit with your friends... it's much more fun there than it is here" Astro said
"Oh that's okay! I wanna sit with my yummy shnookims, besides you look pretty upset sitting alone. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just thought I'd change it up you know, do something different."
"Ah I see..."
After school, Astro walked home to get ready for the sleepover, he took a shower and packed everything in his bookbag. He brought two extra sets of clothes. One: for when he leaves the sleepover, two: if he gets wet... you never know what might happen at a boys sleepover...
"Well, I'm off to Theodore's, see you guys tomorrow" Astro waved goodbye to everyone and left the house.
"Bye, make sure to come back on time, wouldn't want you to run away or anything... not that I think that's gonna happen though..." the professor joked.
Astro knocked on Theodore's door, he opened it immediately.
"Oh! Hey Astro, glad you could make it!" Theodore greeted, cleaning his glasses.
"No problem, in fact, if it wasn't for Ken, I might have forgotten!" Astro laughed, Theodore led Astro to his room.
Astro gasped
"You have the new issue of Man of Iron!?"
"Yep, I preordered it online..." Theodore smirked.
"You suck." Astro looked at Theodore.
Theodore laughed, he heard another knock at the door, he left the room to go see who it was.
Astro opened his bookings and took out his sleeping bag and book.
Or at least it LOOKED like a book, but really it was just a regular manga book DISGUISED as a normal book, Astro spread out his sleeping bag and sat criss cross with the manga in his hand, he heard Theodore talking with someone, sounded like Alvin.
"Glad you could make it!" Theodore smiled.
"I always make it, dork! Now where is it this time, your room?" Alvin barged in, Theodore trembled and almost fell to the ground.
"Yes" he squeaked.
Alvin walked into Theodore's room, Astro gasped and closed the book.
"Who reads books at a sleepover!? Lame..." Alvin commented, he sat on the ground and folded his arms.
"Where's your bag?" Astro asked.
"Oh! Shoot, I must've left it at home, I gotta go!" Alvin face palmed and left Theodore's house to get his bag from home.
"Good thing I reminded him" Astro said to himself.
Theodore came back into his room, Astro continued to read his book.
"Ooh! What book are you reading?" Theodore asked
"Um... Um..." Astro blushed.
"The diary of Anne Frank?" Astro tried to say.
"Naw, really? You can't be?" Theodore looked over Astro's shoulder and saw what he was actually reading.
"Ah- ha! Caught ya red handed! Your reading a manga!"
"Uh, Uh.. I can explain..."
"Nope, no explanation needed... hand it over"
Astro looked ashamed, he handed Theodore the book.
"You know you can't read manga during a sleepover, it's a against guy rules!"
"No it's not..." Astro folded his arms
"Yes it is... besides, who would read while there spending time with friends!" Theodore smiled.
One that doesn't feel like he has friends, even though he does...
Alvin came back from his house, coincidentally Ken showed up at the same time, Theodore went to go greet the two of them.
"All in favor of playing truth or dare say I!"
Of course everyone said I.. especially since most of the people there were creative as hell, it's nice to play a game and not know what you might get next...
"Okay then, um... Astro you go first, truth or dare?" Theodore said.
"Truth..." Astro smirked
"Hmm... is it true that you LOOOOVVE Brianna?" Theodore giggled.
"Umm, sure I guess..." Astro shrugged his shoulders, everyone laughed.
"Ok, Ok... Ken it's your turn. Truth or dare?"
"Truth" Ken replied
"Playing it safe, huh?"
"Your crazy Theodore, at least if I pick truth it's not so crazy..." Ken folded his arms.
"But he CAN ask you something crazy..." Astro said to Ken.
"So?"
"Never mind..."
"Okay I got it! Is it true that you like watching romance movies?" Theodore asked
"Ewww, those movies are for girls!" Ken said with a squeamish expression. Theodore laughed.
"W-what's so funny?" Ken asked.
"Y-your face, priceless!" Theodore laughed more.
"Okay Theodore, we get it... can you please stop being so immature!?" Ken said.
"What was that? I can't HEAAARRRR you!"
"Theodore..." Ken began to feel annoyed.
"Okay, Okay, who's next?"
"I'll go.." Alvin offered
"Truth or dare?"
"Dare"
"I dare you to watch a romance movie with Ken!"
"WHAT!?" Ken had enough, he stormed out of the room.
"Why does this always happen?"
"Maybe it's cuz you push it too far"
"Well it's not my fault I'm being creative!"
"Well-
"No, I'm gonna go talk to him" Theodore left the room to talk to Ken.
"Ken? You there?"
"Don't talk to me, I'm not in the mood" Ken was sitting on the couch, he turned away from Theodore.
"Listen Im-
"No your not! You always do this Theodore, not once, not twice, not three times, but ALL the time!"
Astro crept out of Theodore' s room, even though it was none of his beeswax, he still thought he should help out somehow.
"I'm trying to apologize and be nice here, is that so hard!"
"So what, you can throw it back in my face like usual, your just a social climbing, nerdy, d- um... DIRT BAG FACE!"
Theodore gasped, he looked furious
"Well your just a giant potty mouth gamer that plays mind crafts all the time, can't even go outside to throw out the trash cuz you'll miss your stupid game!"
That was it, Astro's chance, before it got any worse...
"Guys, Guys stop! Please don't fight... we can resolve this peacefully!" Astro butted into their argument.
"Peacefully my butt, I'm not gonna let this nerd walk all over me"
"And I'm certainly not letting the gamer sailor dude get away with this!?"
"But you shouldn't FIGHT about it, it's just a stupid game! It's meant to enjoy, not to be perverted and piss everyone off!"
"Who said I pisssed EVERYONE off? Are you mad too!?" Theodore asked furiously.
"N-No, but..."
"Then shut up! Ken is just being a big baby, if you don't wanna play then just say so dufus!" Theodore stormed away.
"Theodore-
"Leave me alone!" He slammed the door to his bedroom, Ken pouted and folded his arms.
"Are you okay?" Astro asked.
"Not really..." Ken replied.
"Aww, don't worry Ken, it'll get better!"
Sometimes Astro wished he could tell himself the same thing...
Ken stormed off, Astro chased after him.
"Eh.. I side with no one, you all are big fat jerks cuz ya playing a stupid game, this stuffs for babies!" Alvin put his hands over his stomach and stared at the ceiling.
Ken and Astro came back, Ken kept shut and just sat on the floor, Astro gathered his things and left the room, he set up in the living room and did some art.
"See what you did Theodore, your pushing Astro away! That's why he didn't sit with us at lunch today!" Ken yelled, Astro covered his ears.
"ME!? Your the one who's always being annoying talking about the same stuff OVER and OVER again!?"
Astro tried to block out the argument and continued to draw, but what he began to realize is that all the negative energy was being woven into Astro's drawing, causing him to draw such a dark, evil and scary drawing.
Or was it because of something else?
Later on, the argument ended and everyone was happy again, Astro still felt like he didn't want to go back, everyone else worried a little.
"Is he okay?" Theodore asked
"Maybe the argument scared him, I'll go find him" Ken left the room to go find Astro.
"Astro? Buddy? You here?" Ken called
"I'm over here!" Astro called back.
"Oh there you are! We've been waiting to start the movie, but we didn't know where you were"
"Oh it's ok-
"We're sorry about the fight if it scared you... I guess I just overreacted, but we're all cool now, so you can come back." Ken offered, he helped Astro gather his things and move them back to Theodore's room.
Finally after everything got situated, Alvin put the movie on.
Alvin was the first one out cold, he fell asleep right after the beginning.
Astro on the other hand was the last the sleep, he even stayed up AFTER the movie had ended, he cleaned up Theodore' s room and turned off the TV, ejected the DVD and broke it in half (you had to do that by law where Astro lived, just another way the government rips them off) .
He then stole his manga back and finished it, his eyes were getting droopy, but he refused to sleep... not just yet...
He unzipped his sleeping bag and pulled out his sketchbook from his bookbag.
He had some finishing touches to make.
"Bye guys!" Astro waved to his friends, it was Saturday morning, and Astro was leaving to head off home.
"Bye Astro!" His friends waved goodbye to him.
Astro walked home, but something came over him, he suddenly felt empty. It was like everything he was and is was stolen, robbed from him like children in a candy store.
But he always felt like this, what was different?
He wasn't sure...
"It'll be fine, you will be okay" he told himself.
But it didn't work...
Then he realized something, something he's always wanted to do... and now... now, was his chance.
He was gonna run away
END OF CHAPTER ONE!