Triggered - part 1

Alex sat in a scarlet pool that gathered on his faded jeans. He grimaced and felt his heart pounding like the slow sound of beats on a war drum. He clenched his teeth and cocked his head to peer behind him. He saw petite hands with cracked blue nail polish facing the floor, palms praying toward the sky. Janie. His breathing rapidly increased and sweat soaked his face as if he just got a bucket of water dumped on him. Grey specks swarmed his vision and his head became a pile of bricks. Then the world was dark.

—

Yesterday

Blue and silver banners decorated the halls of West End High School and students wore everything from neon leg warmers and scrunchies to poodle skirts and loafers. All bright faces walking down the halls, excited for the upcoming pep rally.

“I loathe decades day,” Janie groaned, “we do it every year on Thursday. I need change!”

Alex snickered and tugged at Janie’s scrunchie playfully, “And yet you participate?”

She rolled her eyes and coolly replied, “But of course! We are seniors. I must partake in traditions. It’s a rite of passage!”

“A rite of passage in order to graduate?” Alex asked mockingly.

Janie smacked the back of his shoulder, “Yes actually. But it would have been nice if one of these four years we had variation. Maybe a Nobel Prize day?”

“And what would you dress up as?” he asked genuinely curious.

Janie’s smile grew in size as she proudly replied, “Marie Curie! And you would dress up as radium.” Alex laughed at her answer because he truly loved her mind. Janie was so unique and much more intelligent than he’d ever be and he knew it. He grabbed her hand and kissed her on the cheek as they walked to class.

The bell rung for third block classes to begin. Alex had history, but he longed to be in English with Janie. She was in Honors English and he couldn’t keep up with the work. Besides, he refused to look like a complete idiot in front of Janie. Next to him sat Jackson, head down with wisps of dirty brown hair sneaking off of his black hoodie. He smelled musty and his clothes looked raggedy.

Alex turned towards him with a concerned look, “Jackie boy, you ok?”

“Don’t call me that,” croaked Jackson.

“I’m sorry,” Alex whispered, “but you look real rough. Is home ok?”

Jackson switched the way his head lay on the desk. A muffled voice replied, “Like you care.”

Alex eyeballed the teacher to make sure they wouldn’t get in trouble for talking during the lecture. He placed his head down low as he spoke, “I actually do Jackson. Is there anything I can do?”

“Fuck off,” Jackson said apathetically.

Alex rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. If his friend didn’t want his help, then he wouldn’t help. He went back to doodling on his notes and daydreaming about Janie.

—

Freshman Year

The bus route was different in high school than it was in middle school. There were more neighborhoods and more kids. Alex didn’t mind. He liked making friends. He sat on a cracked brown seat over one of the wheels. Last stop. The grimy stop. The poor kids. The trash of West End. Alex hated all the nasty names that the kids whispered a little too loudly on the bus, but he did not have the courage to say how he felt.

Only one kid got on the bus. He was about Alex’s height and scrawny. His hair was a messy mop of brown that covered his green eyes. He wore tattered jeans and a black hoodie. He didn’t have a backpack.

As he walked past the seats, the kids scooted so that he would not be able to sit. It was like a cliche movie scene. Alex couldn’t bare the thought of this kid not having a seat. Alex waved him over and all the others stared as he slowly made his way to Alex’s seat.

“Hi I’m Alex!” Alex said with a toothy-braces-filled smile.

“I’m Jackson,” the boy replied dully, “Nice backpack.”

Alex face brightened when he realized that maybe his Batman backpack might have been cool, “Thanks! I see you don’t have one. That’s cool. But you might need a notebook and a pencil. I have extra. My mom always buys a ton of extra supplies.” He reached into his backpack and handed Jackson two glossy, new spiral notebooks and two pencils, freshly sharpened.

Jackson took the good of his head and let a smile sneak across his face, “Uhm thanks. You talk a lot.”

Alex laughed and it echoed through the bus, “I get told that pretty often. And now you have a friend to talk to too!”

Jackson smiled when the word friend left Alex’s lips. The bus arrived at the school and the two boys bounded in the school not knowing how much their paths would divide.