MARCO BRRRIIINNNGGG!!

The bell rang, signifying the end of the torture known to some people as "school." I had been trapped in Mr. Parker's class for the last hour. He was this creepy old man who loved to lecture. I grabbed my books and threw them into my bag. I wanted to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible.

By the way, my name is Marco. I'd tell you my last name, but why would you care? I don't need people knowing all about me. You can't trust people. You trust them, then they go and stab you in the back.

On my way out of the school, I heard a voice behind me.

"Ay! Marco! Man, wait up!"

I stopped and turned around and inwardly groaned. It was Chase. Chase was the main man on campus. The one all the girls liked. The one all the guys wanted to be like. He was perfect. Chase didn't talk to me too much. And when he did, it was because he wanted something.

"Hey Chase. Sup?" "Marco, my man! Where ya been? Me and the guys have been looking for you!"

I shrugged. Should I tell him now that I had been hiding from him because as much as I hated to admit it I was scared of all the power he now had and of what he could and would make me do?

"I've been around." "Cool." He smiled winningly at me and started to walk beside me. "So, Marco, you low on cash?"

I stopped. "Look, Chase. I'm not getting involved in another one of your plans, alright? I got enough to deal with without you trying to get me in jail!"

Next thing I knew I was slammed against the wall with his fist threateningly beside my head. "Marco, I don't care whether you like it or not! I don't have time to put up with your s**t. (A/N: sorry people, I haven't decided whether or not to cuss in this) We need a lookout. You're coming with us. You're coming with us or the whole school is gonna know about your mommy. And you wouldn't want your daddy to end up like her, would you Marco?" He sneered into my face.

I shoved him off of me. He smiled and dusted himself off. "Well, I'll see you Saturday at 12 at my house. Then we'll go." He turned and sauntered away.

I stared after him. When had my life gotten so pathetic? Back before, when Mom was okay, things hadn't been this bad. If only that stupid gang hadn't come to the shop where Mom happened to be in! And if only Mom hadn't tried to save the old lady next to her! Then we wouldn't be living in some cheap apartment, and Rosa wouldn't have dumped me for not laughing anymore, and Mom would be okay, and Dad wouldn't be a mess, and I wouldn't have to be the adult in the house, and I wouldn't be forced to go along with Chase in his plans to steal and hurt others.

I stopped walking for a moment and looked up. I remembered something Mom had told me, back before. Back in the days when I was the class clown, when joking around was as normal as breathing. She had said, " Marco, hijo, you can choose to laugh or frown. And frowning doesn't get you anywhere, does it? So laugh. Laugh and the world will laugh with you."

I glanced back down at the ground. Well, it was hard to laugh, now. And Mom herself wasn't laughing. Nothing was funny anymore.

I sighed and started walking again. Suddenly I felt a prickly feeling on the back of my neck, like I was being watched. I looked around, and saw a short, black girl staring in my direction. For a minute, I stared back at her, envious. She probably didn't have to deal with all the crap that I did. She was lucky. She had a future.

Did I have a future? Hey, who knows, maybe one day I would be a millionaire. Yeah, right. I didn't have time to deal with all the thoughts in my head. I was at my destination. I needed to hurry. After this, I still had to head to the mall to pick up some stuff. I sighed, and plastered on the happy-go-lucky grin that was customary for me to have when I came to visit Mom. She didn't need to be any more stressed than she already was.

I walked into the building.

CASSIE

I watched as the latino boy strolled into the mental hospital, smiling. Why would anyone be smiling when walking into a hospital?

I shivered. What was I doing in this part of town anyway? Mom and Dad would be getting worried. I needed to get home quick. After all, Mom was taking me to the mall after I did all my homework. I cut through the woods that connect to the barn that's right next to my house.
Yes, the barn. I'm a farm girl. I decided to sit down for a moment in the woods. It was nice out.

I liked sitting here in the woods. At times it felt like it was my only refuge. Not that I don't like my life. I like my life. It's simple, and it's not perfect, but I like it. I had my parents, the barn, the animals, the woods, and my few close friends. What more could I want, and what more could I need?
I smiled to myself, glad that we had moved here. I liked the country so much more than the city. The city was bustling, with so many people, always rushing, moving, hurrying, pushing, going somewhere. Here, in the suburbs, things were calmer and serene. More peaceful. I liked it. There wasn't always something to do. Speaking of things to do, I had something very important to do.
I got to my feet and ran home. Ran through the house, with a quick shout of "Hey Mom, hey Dad!" and threw my bags on the floor. I turned on my computer, and started typing my email to my cousin.

Hey Tiffany! How are you? I'm fine. I came home and immediately started writing this cuz I know how important it is to you. By the way, you asked me if I was having any of those weird dreams again. The ones with that old man in it, telling me that "I will see." No, I haven't had any. You were right. Moving here was good. Maybe it was good for me to get away from Maurice. How is he doing? I want to know, but don't tell him I asked. Here everything is calmer. The air is cleaner, and we have a barn! I know, if you were here you would roll your eyes and tell me I need to be with people. I know you're still worried about me because of the whole Maurice thing. But I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. I'm over him. I like it here. Well, I've got to go. I'm gonna do some homework. See, I'm getting off to a good start! I miss ya, Tiff. Stay cool.

Cass

As I clicked the send button, I wiped a tear from my eye. The tear that came every time I thought of Maurice. I had lied to Tiffany. I wasn't fine.
I missed him. I still loved and hated him at the same time. I wasn't over him; not even close. Even after what he did to me, I still loved him. But I wasn't going to think about him.
I pulled my homework out, and started with math. And I smiled a little to myself. Living in this new town, starting all over again-it was gonna be great.

AX "Go long, Max!" I backed up, further and further until the football sailed perfectly into my hands. I looked down at it with astonishment. I jogged back to my brother. "Sweet catch, Max!" He congratulated me.

"Ax," I corrected, even though I was beaming with pride. I had decided that I didn't want to be called Max. I was Ax now. It sounded tougher.

"Whatever," he shrugged. Then he grinned. "So, Ax, how's genius school coming along?"

My brother's Al. I attend a special honor role school for gifted students, and just because of this he thinks that it's a perfect opportunity to make fun of me every chance he gets.

"It's not genius school," I told him. "It is just a unique learning facility for those who exceed traditional or conventional limitations and expectations of students." "Whoa, no need to get all smart and philosophical on me." He smirked. Then he glanced down at his watch. "I've got to get going. I'm about to go over to Amy's house. Her old man wants to talk to me."

I shuddered. Amy was Al's girlfriend. I had met her dad once, and he creeped me out. He was this eccentric old man who always acted like he knew something more than you. He was, in short, eerie. Al caught me shuddering. "Hey, Max, you wanna go somewhere when I get back?"
I nodded, so happy that he had bothered to care that I didn't make any remarks on how he had said the wrong name.

I watched as my brother drove away in his car. Al was so cool. He was my role model. But not matter how hard I tried, I would never be as great as Al was. I would always be the sniveling little brother who looked up to and worshiped the amazing and god-like older brother. He would be the one who would get all the girls, the one who won the football championship, the one who got into college on a full-paid scholarship, while I would be the one in the background. It was my destiny. I accepted it.

After all, why shouldn't I? Al deserved it. He was the best. And I didn't mind the way things would be. I was always second-rate when it came to Al and me, and we both knew it.

If we were in a palace or a castle, Al would have been the prince, and I would be the lowly servant.

I shook my head, shaking myself out of my thoughts. And I turned and walked back into my house.