Chapter 1
The linoleum yellow floors and white and red painted cement-block walls left an empty feeling in his gut as he walked through the hallway. He knew this was cliché; teenage boy feeling existential in his crowded high school- surrounded by people but alone in the world... and all that shit. He had his ear buds in, and was listening to Jimmi Hendrix's Voodoo Child and was jamming pretty hard. He didn't notice all the bodies pushing him and bumping his shoulders on their way to class. He didn't even notice the bell had rung until he was left alone in the hallway. He pulled one headphone from his ear and looked down the hall. What class was I going to? He started regretting smoking that bowl of pot in his car before third period, when the door two yards away opened and what looked like some parents and their son walked out closely followed by the dean. He quickly backed up against the wall so he wouldn't be seen, and debated skipping class. He wasn't really listening to the conversation, until he overheard,
"...this certainly has never happened before on the premises, and we will make efforts to-"
"Make efforts? You're damn right you'll make efforts- my son could have been seriously injured! where was security? How does a homeless man just wander in like that?"
"Sir, we're reviewing security tapes and I assure you we will find-"
"The police are going to be the ones that find this nut- and I'm taking Jason to the doctors immediately. If this... this wound becomes infected or in any way effects his hockey scholarship for next year you can expect my lawyer to be contacting you."
The sound of the dean fumbling over his words continued down the hallway as the parents and son stormed out and Alex laughed to himself. A homeless guy? This school really is going to the dogs... He pushed off the wall and started walking toward Health, the class he should have been in six minutes ago. He paused in front of the door and glanced into the wire-reinforced window. The lights were of and a substitute teacher was reading a book at the teachers desk while the class watched a movie on the dinosaur of a T.V. strapped to a cart complete with VCR. He opened the door and held up a random scrap of paper and said he'd been talking with a teacher and had a pass ( in other words a receipt from Taco Bell that had been stuffed into his pocket). He didn't worry though, because the middle-aged and balding sub barely looked up before nodding and returning to his novel. Alex took a seat in the back of the room behind that pretty Hispanic girl and looked up at the movie. Ugh, blood. Great... Their teacher had left an athletic injury movie with the sub, and it was filled with joint popping, bone snapping detail, and Alex hated it. He couldn't stand the sight of gore.