Ray walked into school not feeling at all confident. He looked for his locker in the eighth grade hallway, he found it locker number 230. He did his combination putting his stuff in his locker but kept out his comic books and notebook. Oh gosh he thought as the big time, hot shot, superstar, Brandon, walked down the hallway with his girlfriend Brittany. He tried to look away and hide in the crowds but it was too late Brandon saw him. Brandon shoved him into the lockers, "Where you going nerd?" Brandon slapped Ray's stuff out of his hands, revealing his comic books hidden under his notebook. "Wow look at the little baby still carrying around his picture books!" Brittany laughed her annoying laugh at her boyfriends stupid joke. "Yeah what are you three? No one will ever date a nerd like you!" She exclaimed as everyone around just sat there laughing and agreeing. Brandon grabbed Ray's stuff and threw it down the hallway to Taylor he was Brandon's best friend. Taylor simply threw the notebook outside along with the comic books into the winter snow, leaving them sopping wet.

The bell rang and everyone left Ray to go get his stuff by himself because they knew he'd be late and that was enough satisfaction for all of them. Ray went out to get his notebook and comic books drying them off ever so carefully. He went to his locker one last time to put his comic books back because they were almost completely ruined, but when he got to his locker he saw someone next to him. He shifted his glance to see a short boy doing his locker combination at the locker right next to his, he happened to be wearing an Iron Maiden shirt too. "Nice shirt," Ray said looking at the boy hoping he wouldn't be mean like the others. "Thanks" the boy said looking at Ray's Iron Maiden shirt, "I like yours too." He said smiling. Ray inspected him to see he had shorter black hair, a lip ring and skinny jeans. The boy peered into Ray's locker seeing his wet school supplies, "umm what happened with all your stuff?" Ray glimpsed at his comic books and just replied with "Oh nothing just fell on the way in" Ray didn't want the kid to realize he was the bottom of the food chain the boy would probably pick on him too. "I'm Ray, Ray Toro" Ray said reaching out a hand for the boy to shake. "I'm Frank" he replied, "Frank Iero." Ray realized that he was super late he suddenly had a plan, "hey Frank what do you have first hour?" Frank looked into his notebook casually, "I have history I believe," Ray was suddenly filled with relief "Oh okay cool so do I, I can show you where it is." "Thanks that'd be great!" Frank said happy that he'd made a new friend so quickly. Frank grabbed his stuff out of his locker and followed Ray to a classroom, room 416. Ray walked in and everyone in the class turned to him. "Raymond you are late again." Mrs. Percy said in a strict tone. "Yes I know ma'am, I just was showing this new kid around." He looked behind him and Frank sat there with a weird expression on his face. "Very well, you may have a seat but I still wish to talk with you after class." Ray nodded and took his seat. "And what is your name young man?" she asked Frank in her strict tone again, that's how all her sentences sounded, strict and cold. "I am Frank Iero," he looked around for a seat and Ray knew where he'd be sitting too. "Well then Frank you may go take a seat next to Brandon." Ray looked worriedly at Brandon who was grinning, he knew Brandon was not going to put in any good words for him. He just sat there thinking the whole class. Maybe he'd finally have a friend, maybe. He just wanted to be home, first hour blew by fast. In fact so did the rest of the day, Frank sat by Brandon in lunch while Ray sat alone, he knew that his chances of friendship were gone.

Ray was called to the principals office at the end of the day. "Raymond Toro, you were tardy for class again, plus you get detention for writing your names all over the urinals in the boys bathroom on the second floor." "What? I didn't write my name all over the urinals!" "Ray we have you on tape going into the bathrooms and after that Mr. Bell walked in and informed us." "show me the tape then!" Ray demanded and he didn't, there was a badly dressed version of a fake Ray going into the bathroom with permanent marker. "But I din't do it I swear! That's not me!" Ray tried to get his way out of this, he knew it was Taylor dressed up like him. "Raymond if you'd just admit to this it'd make it a whole lot easier, but you have detention at 3 and if you don't show up you will get several more weeks." This wasn't fare Ray thought, he turned and left the office just to meet Taylor right outside the door. "Watch where you're going Faggot!" Taylor pushed him. Ray had had enough of this, he threw a punch at him and hit Taylor in the face. "Oh you're gonna get it!" Taylor yelled as he chased Ray down the hallway, he caught up to Ray and gave him a wedgie, and put him head first into a stuffy trash can. "That's what you deserve retard!" Taylor walked away as Ray tried to get out of the trash can. Ray heard some giggling and was so embarrassed, somebody came and helped him get out of the garbage can. When Ray saw who it was he was shocked but it wasn't really that big of a surprise because no one in the school would've helped him. It was Frank, "This wasn't just falling down was it?" Ray just stared at the ground. "It was Taylor wasn't it? He's a jerk." Ray just looked at him, "well thanks for helping me out I have to go to detention now for something Taylor did and pick my brother up later then usual." Ray started walking away when he heard Frank mutter something under his breath, what he heard had to be "goodbye friend." and for once even though it was probably one of the worst days of his life, Ray was happy.