Almost immediately after waking up, I already wished I could just roll over and go back to sleep and sleep until school was over and I could be free forever.

This was, of course, impossible on so many levels. First of all, it was my first day of High School. A horrible horrible thing. My mother had actually gotten teary eyed over as she described her experiences. Secondly, Elmore's test law, The Truancy Mandate, officially came into effect. After dealing with at least two-thirds of their students skipping school last year to attend a week-long party, Elmore ISD had the brilliant idea to go to the city council and implement a law that would force students to go to school. The summer had come and gone like a breeze, and now the so-called "public education institution" was making us pay for last year's misdeeds. Sure there were those that thought we deserved it, if not something harsher. But those people also think Baltimore is a real city.

Of course, there were benefits to the new law coming into effect. At least that's what mom had said last night. Dozing off on the long bus ride to our equivalent of prison, I couldn't remember what exactly these benefits were.

I jump off the bus and head into the lobby, which is also where all the lockers are located, and consequently where most people hang out before school. Not that any like to hang out with me. I'm not exactly the most popular kid in Elmore. In fact, most people would say they hated my guts and would love the opportunity to find me tied up in a dark alley. To say I've never been at great with social situations would be an understatement.

Luckily I did have my own group though, and it was towards our usual meet up spot that I headed after grabbing my stuff from the locker. There were four of us: Winston Thompson, a tall, bulky gorilla who was co-captain of the JV soccer team; Darwin Watterson, my best friend, an orange fish with legs he had a knack for being able to get into the toughest of security systems; Darwin's brother, Gumball Watterson, a blue cat who was also on the soccer team.

And then there's me. I hate looking at myself in the mirror. I'm a white Tigard, the child of a Leopard and a Tigress. For that reason alone, both families hate my guts. My Mom's family for not getting invited to the wedding, or even being told there would be a wedding. And my Dad's, for marrying someone who vastly despised by their family and then having a child with said person.

Avoiding the groups of peeved off seniors looking for someone to take their anger off on, I slipped into the school library and headed for the back tables. There I found Darwin typing away at his laptop.

"Darwin," I said coming up behind him and watching as he jumped out of his seat.

"J-Johnny!" Darwin glared. "Why do you have to do that every time you show up?"

"Not my fault no one ever hears me approach." I said, grabbing a bag of skittles from my backpack. "You should pay better attention."

"He's right, bro." Gumball agreed as he and Winston walked up. "You aren't exactly known for being on point most of the time."

"Is that so? I'll remember that the next time you guys need me to change your grades." Darwin muttered under his breath. He replaced his laptop and stood up as well.

"Oh, lighten up Dar. They're just kidding." Winston grinned. "Can't you take a joke anymore?"

Darwin sighed, whispering something we couldn't hear.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I said, I need to get something out of my locker before we class starts." He replied heading for the door.

At his locker, we waited watched as Darwin returned his laptop and then retrieved a small vial of glowing blue liquid. Grabbing the vial, he slipped it into the pocket of his jacket.

"What you got there Darwin?" Gumball asked.

"Nothing." Darwin replied, hurriedly closing the locker and walking away. He was immediately grabbed by his brother and dragged back.

"Since when is it ever nothing with you?" I said grabbing the vial out of his pocket. "Now spill it. Is this another one of your projects?"

"Absolutely" Darwin nodded, shaking off his brother and grabbing the vial. "I was planning on waiting till lunch but since you guys insist on getting in my business..."

He lowered his voice. "Do you guys remember last week when that hazmat truck turned over?"

We nodded.

"And how all these guys in fancy white full-body suits, as well as Johnny's mom showed up and kept everyone back until the mess was cleaned up?"

We nodded again.

"And how anyone who had been involved in the crash was never heard from again?"

"Darwin! Just tell us what this is already!" Gumball cried.

"Yeah Darwin. Stop with all the suspense and just tell us before we have to hurt you." Winston agreed.

"Basically I was able to salvage some of the compound they spilled and put it in that vial. I was planning on using one of the science labs and trying to figure out exactly what it is."

We all stared at Darwin.

"I was planning on telling you guys the results after school. But seeing as how you guys never seem to leave me alone. I'm thinking of changing my plans and trying it out first period, when we have Chemistry together."

We continued to stare at Darwin.

"Guys?"

For five full minutes we were at a loss for words. Then, our conversation was interrupted by Darwin being shoved against his locker. It only takes us a second to figure out who it is.

"Hello nerds. Mind if I join you?" The voice and the manicured hand both belonged to Jamie, a bully who's been picking on us since the seventh grade. It's bad enough getting beaten up, but when you get beaten by a girl it's just embarrassing. Back then, she was only a lackey and didn't have much power, but since Tina moved away she has more than made up for it. First taking over the entire cheerleading squad, and then working to become the most beautiful girl in the school. Now with a gang of her own, Jamie was out to rule the school.

"What the heck do you want now Jamie?" I replied coolly. I popped some skittles in my mouth and slowly chewed them while maintaining a glare at Jamie. "Is there something I can do for you, or are you being a waste of oxygen again?"

"Screw off John" Jaime replied flatly. "I'm not here for your smartass." Jamie lifts a shapely leg, showing off the spiked heel at the end of it. "You get anywhere close to me this time, I'll ram this into between your legs so hard, you'll forget what it was ever like to be a guy."

"Yeah, I figured." I said, subtly hiding Darwin behind me. "So why did you come?"

"The geek owes me money for lunch," Jamie began with a troubled sigh. "In exchange for me not revealing his horrible secret to the entire student body. I assume you know what I'm talking about, John?"

"Nope." I said with a small grin. "Though if you threaten him again, I'm going to beat you within an inch of your pathetic little life."

There was a long silence, followed by some snickering from Gumball and Winston.

"Excuse me?" Jamie said with a hint of warning. "What did you just say, you? Do y-"

"-ou even know who I am?" I mocked, swinging my backpack over one shoulder. "I have no clue what the heck you're blathering about. Or even care. But seeing as you can still walk, you should probably stop being an uptight little ball of hormones and get on with your pathetic excuse for a life. If you don't I'll be forced to do something I'm sure we'll both regret."

It was at this point that Jamie's muscle-bound friends grabbed me and slammed me against the floor roughly, pushing Darwin against a locker next to me. I couldn't see what they did to Gumball and Winston but I heard them crying out in pain. I didn't fight back, my eyes staying with Jamie's, who stood above me and glared boiling poison.

She kneeled and sucker punched me in the face.

"Here's the thing, John." She said as though she were a mob boss. "You and your worthless little friends had best do what I so politely ask for or I'm gonna make your stay at this school a living hell. And I swear if you dare threaten me like that again it'll be the last thing you ever do." She spat. She smacked me across the face, leaving long trails of red nail polish. I barely flinched, looking to the side without a word. Jamie scoffed, turned around, and stepped on my hand with her 4-inch heel. From the locker, Darwin screamed in protest.

"And you, Darwin, are to finish all my homework tonight, or it's gonna get much worse." She shoved Darwin against the locker once and walked away with her friends in tow.

I got up and lowered a hand to help Darwin up. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Sorry for getting you guys involved."

Before I could answer someone came up behind me and pushed me back to the ground.

"Darwin! Are you okay?" Anais asked, giving her brother a tight hug. "Did they hurt you?"

"He's fine." Gumball replied. He was sporting a black eye and a few cuts on his arm. "You don't bite the hand that feeds you."

"That was close," I sighed.

"Close for you," Winston laughed. "It's not like they were going to kick my butt."

"Screw you," I said casually. "What about that cut on your face?"

"This?" He pointed to the cut. "I tripped."

Anais glared at us. "What were you guys doing? Did you have to get into a fight on the first day of school? You couldn't have waited till next week?"

The bell rings, loud, shrill, and thankfully saving us from being put through one of Anais' lecture. It's the cue for me to turn my brain off and get ready for busy work. My friends and I nod, wave at Anais and run through the crowded hallways.

First class was Chemistry, or the class where we get to play with explosive things and hope you don't accidently sent something off. I rush into the classroom, take a seat at the back, and immediately close my eyes. I could fall asleep right then and there. But I can't, not on the first day. Have to make somewhat of a good impression. So instead I sit up and try to force myself awake.

Our teacher, Ms. Davis came in wearing a pink dress and matching heels. If the gossip was to be believed, she had to be the worst person to be teaching Chemistry due to her complete lack of knowledge there for. Plus, the fact that she was so oblivious made it easy to get away with things in her class.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like this would be one of those times.

"All right class, settle down. Today we will be working in the lab. If you would all pick up your sheets and choose your partners we will get to work."

Shaking my head, I followed the other students and snapped to the task at hand. At the back I found my instruction sheet, met with Darwin at the other end of the classroom. "So, what wonderful lab does Davis have for us today?"

"Sounds simple enough." Darwin said, looking over the sheet. "We're doing controlled combustion."

"I get to play with fire on the first day? I might actually enjoy being in this class."

"I knew you'd like it. You're such a pyro."

"Am not. I told you that building exploded on its own. I just happened to be nearby."

"Right. Let's just get our supplies and get started."

We grabbed the burners and vials. Darwin went off to get the required chemicals while I set up the burner, and scan over the prep sheet. The exercise looks easy enough. Get a fire started, heat some non-explosive chemical compounds over it, and record what happens. To be honest I was secretly hoping something would spark, or blow up, or at least do something somewhat cooler than simply bubbling.

Darwin came back and we got to work. Darwin measured out liquid, while I played around with the fire getting it to the right temperature.

"Uh, Darwin. What are you doing?" I said eyeing the vial of blue liquid he was pouring into a beaker. "That's not the liquid we were given."

"No. No it's not." Grinning he lifted the beaker and carefully set it on the flame. Then making sure Ms. Davis wasn't watching, slowly raised the temperature. "Make sure Davis stays away. I don't need her interfering with this."

Suddenly, there's a loud shout from a group in the corner of the room. I looked up, and notice two students fighting near the open chemical cabinets. From their various places, the other students began cheering the two on. As I watched, one of the active burners tipped over, falling directly on top of a container of powder someone had gotten out. It promptly went up in purple flames, reaching up to at least four feet in the air. Many of the girls, along with some of the guys screamed.

Davis, clever as she is, put on a pair of heavy rubber gloves and lifted up the container, instead of going for the emergency fire extinguisher in the corner. She looked around wildly, and then threw the container into the open cabinet. Another student slammed the cabinet door and pushed a table in front of it. Out of sight, out of mind.

Or at least it would be if I hadn't noticed the big sign with a picture of a fire hanging on the cabinet door.

For the moment most of the panicking students calmed down. Wiping her forehead, Davis pulled off her gloves, looking relieved. "That was close. Is everyone all right?"

Various voices answered her. No one was hurt, though a few were shaken up

Before we can relax though, there's a tremendous whistling, and the cabinet door exploded clean off its hinges sending a couple students flying into the opposite wall. It's followed by a sonic shockwave rushing through the room. Several students got blown off their feet and into a counter.

"Darwin!" I screamed as I pushed him down and used my body to cover him.

There's a sharp pain as something smashed into my head. I screamed in pain and rolled off of Darwin, pulling pieces of glass out of my skull. Before I could regain my senses, something hit my chest with the force of a train. I screamed hoarsely as one of my ribs broke and I fell to the floor. Still screaming, a burner also fell on top of me and lit me on fire. Then as it all went dark, I noticed the blue liquid dripping down my face and mixing with my blood on the floor.