Chapter 1: New Year, New Me
It's a crisp morning in September as I ride my skateboard down the sidewalk. The leaves rustle whimsically in the wind, and the breeze gives me goosebumps through my plaid flannel. The rhythmic sound of the wheels going over the grooves in the sidewalk in combination with birds chirping are a symphony. I'm only a few blocks away from East High now, and I start to see people I've gone to school with my whole life: the jocks who peaked in 7th grade gym class, the nerdy scientists who only talk about their homework, and the artsy thespians who talk at least twice as loud as physically necessary.
As I approach East High, I see my best friend, Big Red. For as long as I can remember, he has been Big Red to me - in fourth grade, I called him that once, and he hated me for it. Later that same day, the girl he liked stole the nickname from me, and of course he liked it then, so it stuck. That bitch, Megan. Luckily, she moved away in sixth grade – that's when Big Red and.I became closer friends. We would hang out and watch YouTube together – he'd show me videos about people's strange addictions, and I'd show him videos about Minecraft, and later, Fortnite.
"Hey, Ricky, how's it going?" Big Red asked me when he saw me walking toward the front door, skateboard under my arm.
I just stared at him. My face felt a little hot, and I quickly sputtered "Great. Everything's great."
Big Red looked at me inquisitively. "Even after all the Nini stuff?"
"It's a new year, Big Red. We had a decent break, and maybe we'll get back together. Things haven't changed that much this summer." I said, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Mhm, sure dude," he said while laughing slightly. "No matter what, I got your back."
We walked through the doors of East High, and the chaotic energy was disorienting yet comforting. We were walking over to my locker, and I kept finding myself looking at Big Red. His freckles were especially prominent from the summer sun, and his dorky outfits were strange, yet charming in a way.
What am I thinking? I asked myself, You just broke up with Nini a month ago. You want things to work out with Nini. Right?
I set my skateboard in my locker, and kept walking with Big Red to our homeroom. We passed the Sharpay Pink Lockers from the High School Musical movies, and as we turned a corner, I stopped in my tracks.
"Yo Nini, what's good?"