E.D. BAYS ALEX HENRY
MY OWN GLORY
A TRUE STORY
"The Last words he said to me were; 'I'll see you tomorrow.' "
MONDAY, 10.4.10
Falcon Cove Middle School was bustling with activity. From soccer to basketball. Also, there was a talent show. Tryouts were today. And Alexander Henry was determined to pass. Me I had no idea who Alex Hennery was.
My name is Edward Bays. This is my story of the awful incident of Alex Henry. Let me tell you a little about Alex. Alex was tall, very tall, well built, and can jump amazing heights. Perfect for playing basketball. It was almost second period, P.E. for Alex Henry. This week would be last week of his life.
The bell rang and Alex went to his locker and changed his cloths. He then had a chat with friends and went into the gym. He went over to a basketball hoop and jumped up and hung of the rim. As others went into the gym he settled down and sat down. The rest of the day was boring.
But when tryouts came around he got into his game. Coach Bean determined who could play by shooting three pointers and lay- ups. Alexander made each shot so he knew he was on the team. Except, games were not until next week. Also a kid named Jacob Brills probably made it.
TUESDAY 10.5.10
Alexander got dressed for school and ate his breakfast. He watched television. His parents allowed him to watch MTV for thirty minutes. He then walked to his bus stop. And so did I. But I live in Savannah. A good distance away from him.
We both hang out with our friends. I bet he listened to Eminem. From what I hear, he's not much different than me. He likes basketball. I like basketball.
"What's up?" I say to my friend. I pound their fists and sit down by the curb of the street. They pat me on the shoulder. Right now as I'm writing this book I think of our differences. In elementary school I was a bullied, tortured soul who never let anybody into his life. For Alex it was different. He grew up and became a jock and was never bullied or ever bullied another person.
I get up as the bus stops and I sit in the front of my bus while he sits at the back of his bus. My best friend Dylan sits next to me. On the other bus Alex sits with his friends who are cool. Another difference between us is that I listen to weird music like the Backstreet Boys and Phil Collins while he would listen to Eminem and those crazy rappers. Finally our buses arrive at school. I hop off the bus and walk towards my friend, Luis Moreno. Twenty minutes later the first period bell rings and I go to Language Arts. I met up with Jacob who is in my classes. I asked him if he made the team. He said he did. I was glad for him. We entered the class quietly. The rest of the period went pretty slowly. Soon it was second period. I head over to my Spanish class while Alex heads to P.E. along with Luis. My Spanish teacher welcomed me into the class while Alexander asked if he passed the tryouts. The coach said he did. He must have been happy about that. The rest of the day went by fast.
Wednesday, 10.6.10
The morning was rough. My mom and sister were angry about something. I got up early to work on my VENOM book. I have had good compliments from my friends and, of course, bad ones from my non-friends. Later in the day (second period), everyone was happy and joking around with me.
And Alex he was having fun playing dodge ball in P.E. He pegged Luis so hard he fell down. They both were laughing.
Third period was okay. I gave a copy of my Jamestown book to my social studies teacher. He gave me good compliments about it. And I began working on my second book series, MONSTER ARENA. I want to become an author when I grow up.
After third period ended I headed straight to P.E. I was anxious to peg my friends to floor while playing dodge ball. That's when I met Alexander. He was tall, had a nice smile, and very polite. I stopped to gawk at his height. I regained myself and walked to P.E. I got changed and headed out into the gym. Following me was my friend Jabulani. He is sensitive. Then one by one the rest of the class came out of the locker room. I said hi to my friends. Zachary, Jacob, and Jonathan come out and sit down.
We sit quietly while the coach takes attendance. The coach finishes and we get together with my friends. But then I sometimes join in on conversations other people are having. They tell me to jerk off. We do our stretches and begin playing dodge ball.
Fourth period ends and I head over to Science. After that I go to math. When sixth period ends, I hop on my bus and it takes me home.
What a good day. I hope it was as good for Alex as well as me.
Thursday 10.7.10
Alex wakes up. I'm already up. But I, again, was working on my VENOM book.
It's about 7:40 am when I get breakfast. I finish at 8 O'clock sharp. That leaves me a half an hour to get ready. I throw on plaid pants and a white tee shirt. I get my ID badge on and I put on my socks and shoes. I head out the door at 8:29. When I get to the bus stop I sit down and cry. I was remembering the death of my friend in elementary school. Dylan comes by and sits next to me. He comforts me with reassuring words. I stop crying and I say,
"What's up."
"The sky." He says.
Alex is off the bus by the time my bus arrives at school. He's chatting with his friends while I ask to go to the library. I like to read. I also like big words. Did you know that the fear of big words is a big word? The librarian says the library is not open today. I slump down onto the floor and I start reading my Jamestown book. Alex passes me. Who knew today would be his last day on earth. Jonathan stands next to me and just talks.
Love is a powerful thing. Everyday I see it. Love is all around me. I love my friends. I feel bad for them when they get hurt. Alex has a family. They love him more than anything in the world. And soon that love will be ripped from their hearts.
I walk to first period. Jacob is walking beside me along with Luis. Soon it's second period. Alex walks to P.E. I take out my mp5 while I walk to Spanish. I turn it off when I get inside the classroom. Its third period and I enter and begin the process of taking out my notebook, pen, and a piece of loose leaf paper. The teacher comes in.
Fourth period was fun, I sniped a ball right into the players face. Everyone cheered on my team. My friends pounded their chests together. Fifth period wasn't much to be proud for. And neither was sixth.
Alex hops on his bus. His friend was coming over. That friend was in my P.E. class and in my math. When he gets home he rushes through his homework. He waits outside and soon Preamo arrives. They play basketball until night arrives. Then they head inside. Preamo's parents arrive and Alex says to him, "I'll see you tomorrow in school."
"Yeah." Preamo says and then they are off. Alex takes a shower and goes to bed early.
Me? I was watching Fatal Attractions on Animal Planet. I was eating my dinner while watching the blaring screen. I got tired soon after so I headed to bed.
Friday, 10.8.10 Midnight
Alex was sleeping when he hit his head. I forgot to mention that Alex was epileptic. He started going into shock but then started going into a seizure. He tries to breath but only moans and violent convulsions would happen. After a few minutes the body shut downs. Hours later he is found dead in his own bed.
Friday, 10.8.10, 8 A.M.
I woke up happy. But others did not. My sister was grumpy. And so was Alex's family. A few hours earlier Alex was found dead in his own bed. But at the moment nobody knew. It was until fourth period that I found out. Preamo came in crying, along with some other of his friends. I asked what happened. They explained that Alexander Henry, a dear friend to them, died early this morning.
This was heartbreaking. I could barley breath.
Somebody died, I thought.
Death. ALEX HENRY.
I decided to go into the gym. Others there were crying. I just could not stand it. The tears streamed from boys and girls. I sat with a group of eighth graders and talked out our feeling. Some say he had glory. Others said nothing at all. I said, "It's not fair."
"Your right. It's not right." Jacob exclaims.
"At least they have the weekend to get over it." Jabulani said.
"It's not going to take a weekend to get over it. Years at the least." I said.
"I'm not forgetting this."
"Nobody is." I said.
"How do we keep ourselves from forgetting?" Jabulani asks.
"A book." I said.
"What?" Jonathan asked.
"A book. If I could create a book about his last week alive, we may never forget this sardonic day." I explained.
" That's actually a good idea." Jabulani said.
"Yeah." The others agreed.
Whispers of acceptance filled the group. The coach came out and took attendance. He then ushered us out to the basketball courts. Preamo sits down not playing. I sat down next to him. Preamo started to sob. I told him that Alex had gone to a better place. Preamo sniffles and gives me slight smile and a sob.
Jonathan comes around and puts out his hand. "No one wants to see you like this, man." Preamo takes his hand as I take the hand of another student.
"So, what are you going to name the book?"
"My Own Glory." I said, not bothering to look at who said it. All I knew was that Alex disserved my respect and I'm going to give it to him.
THE END