I had a life but school ate it.

Escape

Everyone has an escape

Some do drugs

Others drink

Most have sex

Together, it all is a link

What do we escape from?

Our life

This job, our boss

Running and hiding, with a gun or knife

You're out of breath and look back

Seeing people waving good-bye

Face forward, What do you see?

Emptiness. Regret. Loneliness. All fill you, don't you dare lie.

You chose our path, Now face the consequences

The drugs made you high; the drinks addle your brain

The sex is over; the ecstasy leaves your body

You're left alone, all that's left is your soul with a stain.

Beep Beep Beep! The alarm goes off

You jump out of bed, out of breath.

The smell of your favorite meal fills your nose

You sigh thankful for what you have and treasure your health

Those who escape are the ones in need.

They turn their backs, forget everything, and are gone

But never withhold your hand, always keep it outstretched

For one day, they might need you, the one lone shoulder to lean on.

We look down to see the school. The beginning of chaos is started but this is just the cinder of a fire ready to blaze.

Duncan outside of school, smoking what looks to be tobacco, but what is it really? Pot? Maybe. Inhale, exhale, the easy steady rhythm gives the punk purpose, as he waits for his toy- no, his girl. He tries to smother the feeling that is slowly growing in his cold frozen heart but not even his precious pot can mask his true self. One day Duncan must face his demon, or in the case, his saint.

Courtney is trying to black the world by running blindly down the path of literature. Books have always been there for her and the absence of their safe secure walls fills our little prep with anxiety. Courtney has finally been introduced with reality, the scary world, literature helped block out of her view.

Gwen in the corner of her art class, the sketchbook lying on her skinny lap, sketches upon sketch fill every single page. What lies in between those artistic pages? Littering her feet are pencil shavings, small almost inexistent eraser by her worn pencil sharpener, a pencil case with the pencils that guide Gwen through her misery to brighter places.

Make–up. Tons and tons of cover Heather's white pimple covered face. Cover up after cover up cannot hide the shame and depression creeping into her heart. The crack, still fresh and throbbing when Courtney had unknowingly threw the salt into the aching wound in her chest. It was not Courtney's fault Duncan picked her; even through Heather was desperately trying to find out a way that would make that preppy saint the scapegoat to all her pain ad suffering. Heather still could not bring herself to blame Duncan or herself.

These poor four teenagers have intertwined their future with despair. Each have chosen their path and only one person has chosen the correct path. The other three will need to find the correct oath on their own, with only minimal help from one person, the most important person in their life.

Ahhh…. The sanctuary of class, no Gwen, no Heather and no Duncan, just me, the teacher, and my long time friend, knowledge. I am still waiting for the alarm to wake me of this nightmare but I need to accept the truth that's staring me in the face. Literally! I can't even sit in class without receiving a note that says way to go prep or die you slut, Duncan's mine.

In the past seventeen years of my life, I had always avoided drama whenever I could but I guess I couldn't outrun it forever. Drama found me, hiding behind my books, tracked me down between my academic classes, and had me trapped under his clutches, with no way out but to fight back.

"And now I believe that we have worked enough today. Take a well deserved break and no homework today," my teacher said. I smiled and sighed gratefully and turned my head towards my best friend, Noah, who sat next to me in AP Government.

"Well wasn't that nice of Mr. Piper?" I said, while stowing away my notebooks.

"Please Courtney, don't be so naïve. The only reason he is being so nice is because you shot down Duncan Russell," Noah said scoffing behind his book, which I happily notice is The Hunger Games, I've been trying to get Trent and Noah to read that series for months. I just love that series.

I glare at my best friend and say, "No, it isn't. Noah, just because I rejected Russell, doesn't mean that the teachers are going to favor me more."

Noah scoffs again and says, "Courtney, teachers are people just like the rest of us. What makes you think that having to bend to Russell's every whim did to the teachers? They hate his guts and now you are the favorite of every adult in this school just because of what you did."

I bury my head in my arms as I drop it like a ton of bricks onto my desk. I groan and mutter something unintelligible.

Noah sighs, closes his book, and leans to my desk to pat my shoulder awkwardly. He says, "You wanna repeat that please?"

I lift my head to look him dead in the eyes with my fear-stricken eyes wide as I say, "Then who is this horrible school isn't expecting to do something! Noah, I'm either a hero or a villain! Either people want to congratulate me and put me on a pedestal to parade around town or they want to kill me and feed my dead carcass to vultures! And the sad part is that most people belong to the latter group! I've walked myself straight to a cliff and now I'm just waiting for someone to push me over to my doom! I'm doomed because I have no support that is willing to go up against Russell!" I groan and bang my head back into the desk.

Noah shakes his head and says, "You're not alone Court! You have Trent, the band geeks, the choir nerds, math club, the chess club, the Academic Decathlon, the Debate Team, the ASB, and me! You have every geek and nerd in the school by your side! We will be by your side every step of the way! We may not have united before but now, that you are our leader Court. You are the person we can rally WITH to defeat Russell's tyrannical reign. Together, we can do this!"

I look into my best friend's face and see something I barely ever see, determination and the drive to do something. I know Noah is serious. I let myself feel hope that I could do this but when I remember how the nerds and geeks in this school count for less than ¼ of the school and even less in my grade, my hope dampen.

I sigh and remind myself that even little support is better than none. I give Noah a shaky nod and let my head fall gently to the desk and cover my head with my arms and let the noise of the classroom fill my mind as I empty it of every thought of my current predicament.

Noah returns to his book, knowing he won't be able to cheer up Courtney up, that's Trent's job. He was the cynical best friend that made sure Courtney stayed within the boundaries of reality; it was Trent, the shy awkward band geek that could make Courtney smile and forget her problems. Noah made a mental note to tell Trent to stop by Courtney's house before band practice.

The bell rang and it the only blessing Courtney would have that day is that only other geeks and nerds heard her and Noah's conversation and none of her potential enemies had an inkling of the plans the geeks and nerds had for their confused leader.

Courtney did not have a sixth period since she had a zero period, so every day she went to school from seven in the morning and stopped at two in the afternoon. So as Courtney exited the school and started walking home with her messenger bag over one shoulder and the Princeton Review AP Government book, firmly pressed to her chest. Courtney was a natural fast walker but today she had an urgent need to get home and with good reason. Our favorite punk was skipping his sixth period to follow his and our favorite prep.

Pretend to care for her then get what I want, short, simple, and full proof. I follow Princess as she practically runs to her house. I smile 'cause this hunter is hungry for some fresh meat. I stuff my hands in my pockets and walk quickly over to her. As I turn the corner I just saw Princess turn I trip over something and fall head first into the ground. I look up and see myself surrounded by fucking nerds!

There is the biggest nerd of all staring down at me, with his stupid red hair, dorky glasses, annoying nasally voice, and I knew that Harold Petoskey had tripped me.

I glare at the nerd and get up in a flash and deadly say, "I got somewhere to be so you got 3 seconds before my fist breaks your nose, again."

I can see the fear in Harold's face but it has something else in there…

Harold gulped and said in a shaky voice, "No R-Russell. I-I'm not going to let you take advantage to Courtney! She is precious and I-I'm not letting you anywhere near her!"

Fuck. This nerd has some balls on him after all. I scowl and throw the nerd to the ground and watch as his little nerd friends help him up and block the path to Courtney. What the fuck happened to the nerds around here? A week ago they would be feeling in terror at the mere sight of me and now they have all grown balls and are getting in my way.

Harold is finally up and says, "All of us are never going to let you get near Courtney." He stands right in the middle of my path and stares me in the eyes and I see determination mixed in with the usual fear. I scowl before smirking, effectively punch Harold right in the nose, and hear a triumph crack that means his nose is broken, again. I push nerds aside and give them lasting bruises to remind them why they need to fear me and walk calmly out of the school alley whistling to myself.

I look around and cuss as I see I lost Courtney. I don't know where the fuck she lives and now I lost the opportunity to fins out. I cuss loudly before running back to the alley to discover all the nerds are gone. Probably at the nurse's office getting Band-Aids and calling a hospital for Harold's broken nose. Either way, it would be in my best interest to get out of here.

I walk away, letting myself get lost in my most perverted daydreams that would soon become a reality when, not if, I got my way.

Wow, Noah was right when he said to visit Courtney after school. I knock on her door only to find out it is already open and the crying coming from the upstairs rooms is unmistakably Courtney.

I sigh as I watch my best friend being tortured by that jerk Russell. I ran up the stairs but ran back down to close the door and lock it. I run back up the stairs and go all the way down the hall to my best friend's room.

Normally I'm not allowed this far into the house but Courtney's parents are famous lawyers away on a business trip in the middle of Europe for another month so Courtney lets me and Noah into her room to study and hang out.

I open the door and see Maxwell's black furry head pop up at the sound and he leaps off the bed, wagging his tail and licks my empty hand. Maxwell is Courtney's purebred black Labrador and she got him about four years ago when he was a two-month-old puppy. This pup has seen every up and down of Courtney's high school career and he can read Courtney better than her parents, Noah or me. This pup is a genius, just like his master.

I sit on the bed and pat Courtney's back softly while she continues to cry until she slowly quiets down when Maxwell gets back on the bed and licks her face. Courtney finally mumbles something like "Get off," but I wasn't entirely sure so I asked, "Whatcha say?"

Courtney replied, "I said get your hands off my bra strap you perv."

My hand is off her faster than I can strum a chord, which I must say, is pretty fast. I hear muffled thanks in reply.

"You know, I think Maxwell wants to hear his favorite song by his favorite musician or he'll start eating some of your homework," I say enticing a smile out of my best friend.

"Nice try but you and I both know Maxi would never do that. He's too evolved to do that," Courtney hits me in the head with the pillow she was crying into, smiling at her achievement.

I smile with her and say, "If Max was like normal dogs he might."

Courtney scoffs and says, "Who wants a normal dog! Maxi is one of a kind, just the prefect match for me!" She pets Max's head and kisses his nose. I can't help but envy for the dog foe getting all of Courtney's attention, especially that kind of attention.

I know I hopeless and that Courtney and I will never amount to more than just friends but I can't help but like her. She is so independent, determined, driven, intelligent, and beautiful. Her smooth soft hair, her womanly curves, that soft perfectly brown skin, and her smile… Oh her smile makes my heart melt every time.

I'm in love with my best friend but with Duncan Russell as my competition I didn't think I would have a shot but when Courtney rejected him, my world brightened at the chance she gave me, the chance to shield Courtney from Duncan and become Courtney's first boyfriend, what an honor that would be…

The two of start talking about random things like music, movies we want to see, and band competitions until my phone alarm goes off and is alerting to get to band practice. Courtney says good-bye and hugs me. I hear a soft, "Thanks for making me feel better Trent. You're a great friend," I stumble out of the room and say a quick see you later before existing the house.

Maybe I do have a chance with Courtney Garcia… Just maybe…

Trent always makes me feel better, no matter how crappy my mood is, he can always make it less crappy. I lie down on my bed and pet Maxi's head before sighing in relaxation. Maybe, just maybe I can resist Russell's charm with the help of my great friends and allies like Heather and Gwen but that was on Thursday. Tomorrow was Friday and Heather and Gwen had something in store for me that I would never forget. Why must I be so gosh darn innocent?

So what do we think?