The final bell for the school day rung, and Alex let out a heavy sigh, but cringed when pain shot through his back. Aside from the pain in his back, Alex was obviously relieved that another dull and boring science class was done and over with. Mr. Renner stopped in his lecture, slightly shocked that yet again, his class had ended earlier than expected. The teacher nodded though, and then addressed his students as they left his classroom in a rush.
"Don't forget to read chapter one of the textbook by Thursday for homework. You'll be underprepared for the test Friday if you decide to slack off." Mr. Renner warned his students, though most seemed to ignore him.
Alex ignored it, that was for sure. He plopped the chemistry textbook in his backpack and fled the science room as if it contained the black plague or something far worse. Alex avoided Mr. Renner's gaze as he walked out of the door, but he still felt the old man's eyes on him as he walked down the crowded hallway. Mr. Renner was really starting to get on the teenager's nerves.
"What the hell does he want with me?" Alex asked himself. He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about the old chemistry teacher. Even during class, Mr. Renner seemed to look at Alex more than everyone else, which only led to Alex giving him a slightly awkward look. "Why can't he ignore me like the rest of the teachers in this damn place?"
Alex quickly put his stuff in his locker, deciding not to do his assigned homework for the night, and slammed the door. He trudged out of the front exit, being pushed and shoved as other nameless students rushed to catch their buses before they left. He cringed his teeth each time someone bumped into him, but tried to ignore them otherwise.
As he was unchaining his bike, he heard someone running over to him. He looked up to see his sister making his way over to him, a smile on his face. He smiled and took her into a hug, it looked like she needed one anyways. Dana clung to him, like a sloth would cling onto a tree branch.
"Something wrong, Dana?" Alex asked as he finally pushed her off of him. He took in her face, and she didn't look sad or worried. Rather, Dana looked surprisingly pleasant and cheery. "What's up, kiddo?"
"I made a friend!" Dana quickly told Alex, her blue eyes flashing with happiness and a smile covering half of her face. This was one of the first times that Alex had ever seen her smile so big. "Her name's Alicia and she wants me to go over to her house for afternoon. Can I go? Please?"
"Uh . . ." Alex paused to think for a second. He didn't know who this Alicia girl was and where she lived. For that that he knew, someone could be trying to kidnap Dana while he was at work. If he said yes, then he would have no idea what kind of trouble he was putting Dana in. That didn't sit well with him.
However, if he said no, Dana would be forced to ride the bus home. And Jodie was home right now, completely wasted. And pissed off, too. Alex took full responsibility for that though, considering that he was the one who destroyed her stash of booze. Still, Jodie was more than likely to be in a foul mood when she woke, and Alex didn't want Dana around her.
"Sure, just get home before six, okay?" Alex reluctantly agreed.
Dana nodded her head and then gave her brother one last hug before running off to a nearby bus. Alex watched her join a dark skinned girl in a light blue dress, which he assumed to be Alicia, and the two girls climbed into the bus. Alex kept his eyes on his bus until he saw Dana's outline sit in a seat. He waved to her before hopping on his bike.
Just as the buses were pulling out of the school's parking lot, Alex shot down the street. He pedaled his way to Tony's Pizzeria to start his next shift, only vaguely aware of the traffic around him. He hadn't gotten enough sleep last night, his horrible mattress a contributing factor. His back ached too much also, though the cause of that was not from the horrid mattress he slept on.
As soon as Jodie realized that all of her alcohol was gone, she had given Alex a beating he would never forget. His back was scraped up so much that it looked like he was dragged across a bed of nails, but that was just from a belt buckle. Alex would be forced to wear a hoodie for the next couple weeks as the wounds healed up. But right now, it hurt him so much that he cringed if he didn't move a certain way.
Alex rounded the corner, and he soon entered the employee's parking area of Tony's Pizzeria. Alex poorly chained his bike to a telephone pole, knowing that he'd have to unchain it soon anyways, and entered the back door. The cooks for Tony's Pizzeria were already spewing out pizzas, and the other students who worked here had already arrived a couple minutes ago. He headed for a cabinet in the back of the kitchen where he kept the company's T-Shirt, which was the only form of uniform he had to wear.
As soon as he was ready, one of the pizza makers came over and plopped five pizza boxes into his open arms. Alex flinched as he tried to hold the weight with his back, putting stress onto his injuries. He tried to cover up his pain, but the cook noticed it.
"Hey kid, you alright?" He said, pausing with his work and giving Alex a look of concern. "You don't look so hot."
"I'm fine." Alex muttered as he started to exit the kitchen. "Just peachy."
"Then tell me how you got those scratches all over your face." The cook demanded, making Alex stop in his steps. Alex turned around, trying to keep a straight face. He had forgotten about the scratches on his face. He had put some of Jodie's makeup on this morning to cover most of it, but it must have worn off through the day. "That doesn't look peachy."
Alex didn't hesitate to give him a fake answer.
"I have a cat at home. He wasn't feeling very affectionate last night." Alex said, his tone of voice dead and serious.
With that, the cook waved him off; his interest in the teenager was already gone. He went back to the stove, and Alex was free to deliver the pizzas. He looked onto of the first box, and noticed that the address was just a couple blocks away. Alex took the chain off of his bike and hopped on clumsily. With one hand holding onto the pizzas, and the other holding the handlebar, Alex took off to deliver his first pizza.
Like always, it was difficult riding a bike while holding onto pizzas, but Alex was determined to keep this job. He managed to get to the first address without much of a hitch. Alex quickly jumped off of the bike and ran up to the door bell of the apartment. Within a minute, someone was down to pick up the pizza. It was an old fat man with a beer belly. The smell of cigarettes clung to him like a thick blanket.
"How much do I owe ya, kid?" The man said with a thick smoker's voice.
"That'll cost you $12.50, sir." Alex said, forcing a smile on his face, just like Tony told him to. After his first day on the job, Tony had received complaints about Alex's attitude. With just a couple threats, Tony managed to drill Alex to be happy to his customers. Alex hated it.
The man nodded before giving Alex a grumpy look. He pulled out his wallet and gave Alex his money. Alex grudgingly thanked the man and went back to his bike. Within seconds, the man went back inside, and Alex was already down the street.
His next address was for the next two boxes, and it was south from here. Alex turned his bike around, and shot down the street. His legs started to burn, but Alex gritted his teeth and continued on ahead. He was forced to stop at a couple red lights, which put him way behind schedule. As soon at the light was clear, Alex shot forward until he reached the suburban area that the address belonged to.
He found the address, and then pulled into the driveway. He didn't even have to set his bike down, someone was waiting for him. It looked like a mother, and she was impatiently waiting for him. He was about to greet her like Tony ordered him to do, but she just grabbed the pizzas harshly.
"How much?" The woman asked, clearly irritated.
"Twenty six, even." Alex stated, meeting the woman with the same kindness that she had given him, which was none. The woman gave him a disgusted look, and that only gave Alex more reason to give her a hard time. "Cash."
"Christ, that's as expensive as hell!" The woman said. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "I'm not paying full price for that."
Alex shrugged, if she wasn't going to pay full price, then he had no reason to be here. He started backing up on his bike, and just as he started to away, he saw the woman's disgruntled look. Alex smirked one last time before pulling out of her driveway.
"For fucks sake," The woman moaned, "That doesn't mean I don't want them. I'll give you a twenty and a chocolate bar. Kids your age like chocolate bars, right?"
Alex gave her a funny look. "How old does she think I am? Fuckin' five?"
"Ma'am, its twenty six dollars cash." Alex stated severely. He glared at her, and he could see that the woman was not intimidated by his harsh expression. Despite his cold personality, he was still a kid to many adults. "We don't accept candy bars."
Finally, after a couple seconds of thinking, she sighed desperately. She pulled out her purse and handed him a twenty, a five, and a one. Alex begrudgingly thanked the woman boxes and left before waiting a reply. After riding around for a few minutes, he realized that he still had another couple pizzas to deliver. He glanced down quickly and noticed the next pizza box was to be delivered in the same neighborhood.
Alex turned around in one swift movement, despite the pain he received from his back, and headed back down the suburban street. As he made his way down the street, he noticed how well off this neighborhood was in comparison to his. He felt like he was in a completely different world, a world that was much cleaner than his own. Alex felt so out of place, like he didn't belong here.
Through the winding streets of the suburban neighborhood, he noticed how nice the houses looked, and how they put his to shame. Even with him trying to spruce the place up for the CPS, his place still looked like a crumbling shack compared to these.
Alex found the correct address and pulled into the driveway. He hoped whoever wanted this pizza was a lot nicer than the last person. He walked to the door and quickly rang the door bell. He impatiently waited for a minute before pressing the button again. When someone finally opened the door, he was surprised to see who it was.
"Da-Dana?" Alex sputtered.
"Alex! I didn't know you were the one who was delivering the pizza!" Dana cried out as she hugged him around the waist. He patted Dana on the head affectionately while holding the last pizza box with one hand. She let go, and then grabbed Alex's free hand, leading him into the unfamiliar house. "Come on in, I want you to meet Alicia."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Dana. I have to— whoa!"
And with that, Alex was forced into the house's living room, where another girl was waiting to finish a board game. She had short, curly brown hair, tanned skin, and wore glasses. The girl, who must have been Alicia, looked up at Alex curiously before looking very worried for a six year old.
"Mom?" Alicia called out, unsure of Alex and why he was in her house. "There's a guy in the house!"
Without further adieu, a woman in her early thirties sprinted out of what Alex assumed was the kitchen. She had a plate and a rag in her hands, but was tensed with fright from her daughter's words. She looked up and down Alex, and then was finally relieved when she saw the pizzeria shirt he was wearing. She set the plate and rag down on the table and came over with her right arm extended.
"Hello, are you the delivery guy?" The mother asked, a pearly white smile on her face. She looked like an older version of Alicia, but with a darker shade of skin and a couple more years of experience behind her. She anxiously looked at Alex's scratched face, but said nothing.
"Yeah, I am." Alex said as he took her hand. "I'm also Dana's brother, Alex."
The woman's eyes lit up with wonder, and she quickly glanced at Dana by the teenager's side. It took her a second to notice the similarities the siblings shared, but when she made the connection, it looked like a light bulb had gone off in her mind. She grasped Alex's hand a little stronger, and it was then that Alex decided that he actually might respect this woman.
"Well, hello Alex. Dana's been telling both of us a lot about you. You must be a very loving brother, and she must be a very lucky girl." The mother said. "You can call me Mrs. Robinson, Alex. My husband works at the school."
The smile that Alex had been wearing disappeared. This was the principle's wife. Not only had he managed to piss the principle off, but Dana became friends with his daughter. This would not bode well later on, he was sure of it.
"I've ran into him." Alex muttered, changing the whole mood. Suddenly, he remembered why he was here in the first place. "I believed you ordered a pizza from Tony's?"
"Oh, yes, I did." Mrs. Robinson said, suddenly aware that Alex was holding a pizza box in his other hand. She took the box and put it down on the table. Alicia opened it immediately, and gave a piece to Dana. "No girls, go wash your hands before you eat."
Dana and Alicia groaned as they headed off into the house to follow Mrs. Robinsons orders. Dana waved goodbye to her brother before disappearing behind the corner. He smiled at her, and then looked up at Mrs. Robinson. She seemed to be studying him, and that slightly set him on edge.
Finally, Mrs. Robinson spoke. "You really care for your younger sister, don't you?"
"More than you can ever imagine." Alex stated as he nodded his head in agreement. "Ah, that'll be $9.50, Mrs. Robinson."
"Oh yes, you have other pizzas to deliver. I'm sorry for holding you up." Mrs. Robinson apologized. She showed Alex to the door, and then bid him goodbye. However, just as Alex got on his bike, Mrs. Robinson called out for him. "Feel free to have yourself or Dana over anytime you want."
"Thanks for the hospatility, Mrs. Robinson." Alex said as he pedaled away. As pulled out of the suburban area, he finished his thought process. "But I'm sure your husband will not return it."
With the time limit fast approaching, Alex picked up his pace. Fortunately, the last delivery was right down Main Street. Alex pushed his body to extreme and ignored his body's demands to quit. Alex just had to remind himself that this was only the first round of deliveries he'd have to make for the day.