Chapter 1 - Fateful Beginnings

1/25/2020 5:00 AM

Beep! Beep! Beep! Ryan Davis peeled open his eyes and groggily rolled out of bed. Padding down the hall he slumped down the stairs.

“Good morning!” his sister Lucy Davis chimed happily as Ryan entered the dining room.

“Hm” grunted Ryan as he plopped into his chair and blinked stupidly, the fatigue of the morning just wearing off. Humming cheerfully, Lucy slid a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon in front of him.

“Happy birthday!” Lucy chirped.

“Thanks Lu!” replied Ryan using his affectionate name for her “Happy birthday to you too!”

“Thank you”

“Mmm” Ryan commented agreeably as he dug into his delicious morning meal. “I assume mom and dad have left for work already?” Ryan asked.

“Yes” Lucy said as she bustled around getting ready for school. “By the way, I packed your books in your backpack for you.”

“Oh, thanks” Ryan half mumbled, still disappointed his parents did not even bother to stay to wish him a happy birthday. Lucy sighed, let down by Ryan not noticing her going the extra mile in helping him get ready for school. Finished with breakfast, Ryan, slightly more awake now, thumped up the stairs to the hallway bathroom. Combing his black hair, he then crossed the hallway to his room and threw some clothes on before he hustled back downstairs, snatched up his backpack, and rushed outside to catch the bus.

Struggling to pull his books out of his backpack, Ryan hurriedly threw his backpack into his locker and scurried through the halls to get to his math class. Nate, loitering near the door of his class spotted Ryan coming down the hallway and tripped Ryan with his leg. Falling hard and spraining his left ankle, Ryan tumbled to the floor. Ryan’s books flew everywhere and Ryan’s binder burst open, and scattered papers everywhere.

Nate, spying Ryan’s homework, nonchalantly picked it up and strolled back into his classroom. Ryan scrambled to gather all his papers together and pick up his books. This task accomplished, Ryan hobbled down the hall. Hearing the bell ring, he tried to move faster to his class. Five minutes late, Ryan quietly entered the classroom.

“Ah, Ryan Davis how nice of you to join us” Mr. Lee said in a condescending tone. Flushing with embarrassment, Ryan stumbled to find his seat…in the front row’s middle desk.

“Great” thought Ryan “I get to walk the gauntlet.” Fuming by now, Ryan opened his binder to find his homework missing. “Oh well,” thinks Ryan, “things can’t get much worse.”

Looking around the classroom, Ryan cannot find his one and probably only friend Michal. Figuring Michal was sick, Ryan settled down for a lonely and boring day.

Sinking deep into a gloomy mood, Ryan only vaguely heard the PA chime announcing an incoming message. “Ryan Davis could you please report to the principal’s office?” the speaker seemed to blare as Ryan was jolted awake. Being called to the principal’s office is almost never a good thing.

“My 16th birthday is just going fantastic” Ryan grumbled as he limped down the hallway. Entering the principal’s office, Ryan sat down in the chair across from the Principal’s desk with a feeling of apprehension. The principal looked up from her papers, her hazel eyes filled with empathy. Ryan, startled by this unexpected look on her face wondered what it could be.

“Ryan,” she began, seemingly clueless on how to start, “I just got a call from Michal’s mother. Michal was late waking up this morning and missed the bus. While she was driving Michal to school, a semi truck hit a patch of black ice and crushed the back of the car where Michal was seated. By the time the firemen pried open the section of the car Michal was in, he was long gone. I am so sorry this happened.” Ryan was too shocked to hear anything else she said. His best and only friend, who he saw as a brother, was gone. He hadn’t even got to see him in the hospital and say goodbye.

“Would you like to go back to class?” the principal asked him. Ryan vaguely nodded, exited her office, and numbly tottered down the hall, into his math class and sat down. The rest of the day passed in a blur for Ryan. Before he knew it, it was time to go home.

Nate and his band of thugs, drawn to Ryan’s emotional injuries like sharks to blood, flocked to Ryan in an empty hallway on the way to the school doors. “Hey shrimp, lose this earlier today?” Nate taunted, dangling Ryan’s math homework in Ryan’s face. Failing to provoke a response other than a benumbed stare, Nate decided to kick it up a notch. “Hey I heard that odd friend of yours finally bit the dirt. So glad we only have one wimp left to deal with in this school. I can’t wait for you to be removed from the gene pool as well.”

With these last barbs, something inside of Ryan broke. Screaming angry curses, Ryan sprang at Nate with all the force his scarce 120 pounds of weight could muster. Smashing Nate’s nose with his fist, Ryan was finally wrestled against the cold hard metal of the locker doors. Wiping the blood from his nose, Nate growled angrily, “You’re gonna pay for that, runt.” Thrown to the ground by Nate’s friends, Ryan was kicked in the ribs and stomped on over and over. Ryan received a savage kick to his bruised and sprained ankle, and cried out. After a few more kicks, the bullies, satisfied with their work, dragged Ryan down the hall.

Ryan, knowing it was useless to struggle, let them tie him up and stick him in a closet. Listening to the bullies laughs and receding footsteps, Ryan struggled to get untied, but found he could not. After a few hours, Ryan heard footsteps approaching. The closet doors swungopen and there stood the janitor, Mr. Cain. “Oh hey Ryan” the janitor says “You ok? You look pretty battered”

“Yeah I’m fine” said Ryan struggling to get up after Mr. Cain untied him.

“Would you like a ride home?” the janitor asked, seeing the pain reflected on Ryan’s face.

“Yes please” Ryan said gratefully.