Atlas leaves his fingers arched after throwing a precise shot. The basketball spins around the rim, touching the backboard and rolling in. Atlas steps back with a look of proudness, resting his hands on his hips, "Not bad."
Nicholas comes in and pushes Atlas to the ground. He steals the ball from Atlas, running towards the hoop. Atlas licks his wounds and picks himself off the ground, quick to get back into the competition. Atlas chases down Nicholas for control of the ball. Atlas swipes at Nicholas's pass, sending the ball off trajectory, hitting an innocent bystander.
Atlas immediately apologizes for his miscreant deeds. He had no intention of harming a girl in his battle for the ball.
Nicholas heads over to the crying girl providing her comfort and reassurance. The gym teacher helps the girl to her feet, and they both leave together.
"You should be ashamed; you almost knocked her out," Nicholas ridicules.
"Look, I'm sorry, but you shot it. I didn't have the ball."
"If you hadn't gotten in the way, she would be fine right now."
"Yeah, but it's not all my fault. You have to take some responsibility too."
"I'll take some of the blame if you admit you did it on purpose."
"No, I'm-"
"What did you say," Nicholas interrupts, grabbing Atlas by the shirt.
"Fight, fight, fight," The unruly mob chants in the background.
"I said no," Atlas answers in a booming voice pushing away from Nicholas.
"Will both of you monkeys quit it; this charade has gone on long enough," Lukas butts in, noticeably peeved.
Nicholas holds an enraged expression, "Meet me by the cemetery after school. We'll settle things there."
"Oooohh," The crowd taunts behind them.
The gym teacher returns, and the mob of rowdy onlookers disperses. Atlas and Nicholas occupy different sides of the gymnasium. Atlas buries his head in his hands on the bleachers, "Ugh, what am I going to do now. I can't fight that kid; he'll kick my butt. But I can't back down either, or I'll look like a wimp. Dang, I'm so screwed."
"Did you hear that guy's single?" A girl whispers in front of Atlas to her friend
"Wait, which one."
"The cute redhead in the front."
"Shhh, don't be so loud."
"I think his name is Lukas."
"Really? He is; I thought he was already taken."
"Yeah, I know, right."
"Do you think I have a chance with him?" The girl asks, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Your kidding; every girl probably wants a shot with him. Just look at him; he looks like a fashion model. Way more attractive than those no named losers who populate our school."
The girl's remark to each other as Lukas makes a basket; they squeal with excitement in quick succession.
Atlas buries his head deeper into his palms, "This is not a good day."
The gym bell rings, and students are ushered out of the area. Atlas remains lost in thought, weighing his current set of options. Atlas begins an arduous trip to the fourth floor, climbing the mountain of stairs. Atlas and Kyra's paths cross, with Atlas going up and Kyra going down. After passing each other, they both look back to see one another. Atlas isn't paying attention and trips on the steps. He falls forward, grasping the railing to prevent his fall. He stomps the ground with his feet making a loud thud, but he's able to catch himself before falling over. He looks back to see Kyra on the opposite flight. She giggles at Atlas's clumsiness. Atlas sighs, rubbing his head, "Crap, not her too."
"Good morning, class; I hope you've been having a good week. Let's finish it off strong," The teacher says, going behind her desk, near the bookshelf. "Now, just because it's the fourth quarter doesn't mean we're going to start slacking off." She grabs the books off the shelf and begins passing them out to students. "We still have to finish reading our last book before the end of the year."
Atlas receives a book from Diana. The book had an imposing title like no other, capable of producing some of the biggest groans. The book read "Romeo and Juliet."
"Don't forget, guys; we're going to be acting this one out. So, I need submissions for characters."
A slight smirk works its way up Diana's face. "Juliet, huh. Hey Atlas, what do you think about being my Romeo."
"Uh, what. You uh want me and you to be Romeo and Juliet," Atlas blushes profusely.
"Why not? I'm sure we'd make a cute couple."
"Um, wow, thanks."
Diana turns back around, mumbling, "Gosh, he's such a weirdo."
Atlas opens up the paperback and submerges his consciousness into the free-flowing pages. In this imaginary world, he could leave all his worries behind. All of the struggles and grievances that befell him could be wistfully left by the wayside. He finds himself so encaptured by the small booklet that he loses track of time. Before long, it's already time for Atlas to head to detention.
Atlas sits imprisoned in a quiet classroom, waiting for Kyra to rear her head. He was excited to witness the energetic lass, hoping to secure a pleasant conversation with her. Kyra shows up with a tote bag in hand, plopping down on a seat next to Atlas.
Atlas and Kyra start flinging rubber bands at one another. They make a gun with their fingers and playfully pull the trigger. Rubber bands fly across the room as a surge of giggling ensues. Kyra crafts a tiny paper football and prompts Atlas to make a goal post with his fingers. Kyra misses her shot, and Atlas takes control of the origami football. Atlas accidentally hits Kyra in the nose, "Sorry, are you okay?"
"It's okay; I've gotten way worse scars from softball. You should see the other cut I got yesterday; it was huge. I'm glad Lukas was-"
"Oh, sorry, I know you two aren't exactly on good terms," Kyra regrets to inform.
"I mean, he is the quarterback of the football team, the most popular guy in school, and has wealth that could put Bill Gates to shame. So he's not exactly the most likable figure."
"I'm sure you two could come to some agreement. I value both of you."
"Come on; you've never engaged in a petty rivalry before. Surely, there must be someone you're jealous of," Atlas sanctions.
"Well, there is this girl named Diana. She tends to ruffle my feathers quite a bit."
"You mean the popular Diana, the one with long brown hair, a beautiful smile, and a gorgeous set of eyes."
"Yeah, her. The conniving captain of those spoiled cheerleaders. God, they make me so angry."
Atlas remains lost in his thoughts as Kyra rambles on about Diana, (If I didn't know better, I'd mistake Kyra for one of the cheerleaders. They're both beaming with pride and are extremely pretty. But Kyra isn't just all looks. I knew from the moment I saw her that she had a big heart too.)
Detention ends for the two of them, and they're forced to part ways. Atlas begrudgingly heads to the back of the school, preparing to encounter Nicholas in the graveyard. Kyra remembers that she wanted to nab Atlas's phone number and follows the anxious boy through the building. Kyra slowly becomes curious about Atlas's motives as she trails behind him, "I wonder where he's going. Is he not getting picked up. Maybe he's going to meet someone. Hmmm."
Atlas makes it outside the school and hangs a right towards the forbidden burial ground. There sits a small mob of eager passersby, shouting and placing bets. Nicholas beckons Atlas into the ring, waving his hand in a cocky manner. Atlas pushes down his fears and approaches the daunting figure, "Let's get this over with."
Kyra spots the gathering of impatient pedestrians, becoming intrigued by their presence.
Atlas readies his fists, shuffling them back and forth. Nicholas sends a few jabs at Atlas. Atlas blocks them but is still pushed back. Atlas attempts to counter but is hit with another blistering punch. Atlas wipes a glob of blood off his chin, heading back into the fray.
The two release punches at one another in a heated game of chicken. Atlas takes a majority of the blows, considerably hurt from their fierce encounter. Nicholas delivers one last strong swing at Atlas's gut, knocking the poor boy to the ground.
Kyra pushes through the crowd attempting to see what the hubbub is about.
Nicholas turns around, hyping up the entertained crowd. Atlas retains blurry vision as he struggles to find his footing.
"Come on, is that all you got. If only the girls saw you like this. Oh wait, they already don't like you," Nicholas taunts.
Atlas imagines Lukas's face over Nicholas's and is filled with pure rage.
Kyra nears the center of the scene.
Atlas gets up.
Kyra walks into the battle.
Atlas launches a raging uppercut at Nicholas's jaw, sending him flying upwards.
Kyra's eyes widen as she witnesses the devastating impact.