"Okay now what's your name, young man?" What the class sees before them is a fifteen year old boy with dirt coloured hair and dirt coloured eyes, draped over with a purple hoodie that looks two sizes too big. Adding on to that with long messy hair that made people wonder if he was really a dude at all.
"H-hello.. My name is Lukas! I-I don't know my last name.." the kid barely gets out while, shivering in place. Making sure that he doesn't look as punchable just yet.
"Ew.. where'd you come from, the drumstar out front?" a kid with a weird ass red and white mohawk and ear piercings in the back insensitively shouts out, making some of the kids cackle in their seats, while the others just sit there uncomfortably.
"That's Enough Xavier! Go to the principal's office. NOW!" The teacher, who Lukas now knows is Mrs. Avery from the poorly written nametag on her piece of clothing that he's never seen before. Points at the battered up door in the corner with a stern look on her very well taken care of face. The kid flips her off and says: "man fuck this teacher, I'm outta here guys!" before storming out of the class, and slamming the door in the process.
"Sorry about him. You can go sit at your desk riiight over there now" the teacher shooed him off to his desk in the back middle row. Lukas shimmings past snickering classmates and sorry looks as he slumps into his seat and thinks: pleeeease don't talk to meeee while zoning out.
Be he knows it, the bell has already rung. Jolting him wide awake from the greatest dream known to man.
Great. Now I have to deal with this for the second time. What even is my class again? Lukas thinks to himself and pulls out his phone to check the next class to suffer though. His face quickly turned into the grumpiest frown when he realised what class he had next.
"Ahh fuck! Gym?! Are you kidding me?!" Lukas whispers to himself while hurrying over to the gymnasium. Like one would do in that situation.
On the way down from the second food of this maze of a school. He trips on his now untied shoelaces, falling down a couple of star steps and landing on his face. Everyone around him started dying of laughter.
"Yo how'd you manage that you idiot" some random kid in a wife beater taunted him. Getting the rest of them to laughter a lot harder than before. Lukas just got up quickly, shot the guy a dirty look, and ran to not miss the bell. God damn it! Can't be late or else I'm screwed he thought to himself as he ran with the wind to gym class.
"Oh look at you! You're a fast kid! Thinking about trying out for the track team next semester?" The short, fat, balding gym teacher named Mr Harris complemented Lukas, but he didn't care one bit. "Nope, no time!" Lukas quickly shot out trying to avoid a long conversation with that fatass of a gym teacher.
"Hey! If you're now gonna try to catch the ball, then get off the goddamn court!!" A kid with a chain and one headphone in scolded him after getting hit in the face with a basketball. Lukas didn't bother to try to stand ground, he just plopped his ass into a corner and sulked for the rest of the
period. Just waiting for the time he gets to himself at lunch.
"Ok finally!" Lukas sighs in relief just after that piercing bell rang for the second time, signifying lunchtime! "Cant wait to eat this sandwich and go crazy on this new game" you guys wouldn't you about it cause it's like super niche and underground.
"Where do you think you're going?" Xavier stopped him right at the entrance just as Lukas was about to go into the bathroom to eat in peace and quiet. "You just think you can walk away without facing some sort of punishment for getting me detention you little long haired bitch"
Oh god the fuck does this guy want? Lukas thought while putting his hands in his pockets and saying: "w-what is it that you want again? Sorry I wasn't listening" Xavier didn't like that from him, so he got all up in Lukas' face and pushed him into the wall. Lukas got onto the ground after that impact. Just as he opened his eyes again, Xavier was looming over him with a scary grin masked on his face.
"W-wait please! NO!!" was the only thing that Lukas could say before Xavier started throwing straight haymakers his way. All of them connected to his face, getting Lukas' blood all over the clear bathroom walls. Even his so-called friends were signaling him that Lukas had enough.
After around a minute of that ass beating. Xavier looked at his masterpiece, just to realise Lukas staring right at him with an emotionless face. "You done?" Lukas asked while standing up and brushing the blood off his face.
"H-how the hell are you still standing?!" Xavier and his friends were in shock from what they were witnessing. "You should have blacked out from that. Everyone else I do that on goes unconscious after 30 seconds!" they all step away from Lukas, waiting for him to say something at all. "I'll be going now.." Lukas says in a monotone and quiet voice before slowly walking out of the bathroom, and deciding to head home for the day. Can't let the teachers see me, I wonder how I'm gonna have to explain this to my pops though he thinks to himself while trying to avoid a faculty worker hotspot.
Walking down the quiet and empty road, he relives what an awesome day he had. It hadn't gone this good in years in fact. So awesome, that he decided to go see what the dealer is doing today. As he walks in front of an alleyway though, he spots a group of kids, crowding around something that Lukas couldn't see. He thought that was too interesting to pass up, so he went to investigate.
When he got closer though, he saw what looked like a teenage girl around his age with roughed up clothes and blonde matted hair with blue eyes. She was crying and curled up in a little ball, while the other kids were laughing at her.
"Aw.. she's crying guys.. You think we should stop?" One of the kids said while looking at the others as they said: "Nope! Haha!! Put some glue in her hair!" they all cackle to themselves like this is the funniest thing they have ever done in their whole lives.
"N-no p-please! Stop it!!" The girl screamed for them to stop, even begged on her hands and knees. Those guys didn't give two shits about that though. They began to smear goddamn elmers glue all over her hair and face. Making her kick and scream as they pretty much violate this poor innocent girl. "Hey." The bullies turn around to see Lukas, standing two meters in front of them with a face on his face and his hair covering his eyes a little bit. They only thing those guys could get out was: "who the fuck are you supposed to be? Her boyfriend or something?" They start giggling a little bit from that. "I mean, they look like they would be a perfect match. Especially with the messed up hair you got here"
Not a moment later, Lukas had the main guys with a buzzcut in a headlock. Choking him out while saying: "what the hell did you just call me? Who do you think you are?!"
He was trying to tap out, but Lukas wasn't having any of that right now. So night night to those guys as Lukas gently places him on the ground. Then looks up and says: "anyone wanna go next?"
"Oh you piece of shit!" a guy with 10 different piercings and a bald head, lunges directly at him trying to tackle him. Lukas dodged it though, letting the guy get back on his feet before blocking some of his jabs and landing a couple of hits himself. Then the guy lands a clean hit in the stomach, having Lukas couch up a little blood.
"You done yet?" the guys asks while hunched over and panting, also down for the count. "Nope, sounds like you are though" Lukas says while hitting a clean right hook, sending this guy crashing into the wall passed out. Lukas didn't even have to say anything for the other to know that they might be next if they don't leave immediately. So they run out of there with their knocked out friends in tow. Bumping into Lukas on the way out. What follows is a full minute of Lukas watching this random homeless girl cry huddled up in the corner, thinking to himself: 'oh god this is so awkward.."
"Um…" Lukas walks up to her and crouches down to her level, softly saying: "Are you hurt somewhere? Do I need to carry you to the hospital? She slowly looks up and stares into his eyes for a second with tears, and shakes her head no while some tears get on Lukas face. "What's your name?" Lukas asks while wiping away the tears on her face. It took her a minute to answer, but what she mustered up was: "Emily.."
"Wow.. what a.. Great! Name.." Lukas mustered out while looking at the entrance to not look bored as hell. "So, I'm gonna go now since you seem fine and dandy. Bye bye!" Lukas slowly walks backwards out of the alleyway. Making sure for her to not notice him leaving there. "Hey dad! Im ho-" a glass bottle goes flying directly at him. Luckily, Lukas dodges it with ease. The bottle shatters into a million pieces on the floor. The only thing Lukas does is sigh.
"You're late. Where have you been?" his drunk step-dad had another beer in hand, slouched over on the couch, and slurring his words like crazy. "Also, where are the groceries?" He gets up from the couch and walks over to Lukas.
"Ah shit I forgot! I could just walk to the store and get it real qu-" he slaps Lukas across the face, sending him straight to the floor with a thud. "All I told you to do, was get some fucking food, and you couldn't even do that?!"
"Look, I had other things that I had to do. Just cut me some slack for this one" Lukas gets off of the floor and back on his own two feet.
"Oh don't gimme that bullshit! You were probably taking it up the butt for some booger-sugar you gay person slur"
Lukas pushes his stepdad to the side, knocking down some trinkets off of the table right next to the door for some reason. The stepdad's face turned into the colour of a cherry. You could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears.
Lukas slams to the door behind him and squats down right at the door, facing the floor. His stepdad was banging his fist into the door, yelling at him to come out and face him like a man.
"Fuck me, I hope that it does not get any worse for me.. Right?"
But it did. For a while, in fact.
For the next three years in graduation. Lukas went through the same cycle, everyday. On the bright side. At least Xavier moved to the US in Junior year, but that just moved the responsibility to next in line. On graduation day. You can see everyone lively and having fun. Talking to their friends about where they're gonna go for college. There's just someone missing from all of this. In fact, he's been missing for quite some time now.
Lukas stands on the edge of a bridge, purple hoodie now finally fits, and nothing going on beyond his eyes. He thought to himself: what's the point in any of this anymore.
He has a leftover burger wrapper that he just munched on not too long ago. In his other hand, is the eviction notice that was tapped to the front door, just this morning. The reason they hadn't paid the bills was because Lukas just blew through the last of his stepdad's life insurance money.
"Hey god! If you truly love me, then you'll stop me from leaping off this railing" Lukas said out loud, hoping that maybe someone would hear it and save him from himself.
He takes one foot, and hovers it a couple of centimeters away from the railing. Just to make sure that he was ready for what was about to come of him.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing over there?" Lukas turns around to see someone who gives him a sort of weird déjà vu. Even though he hasn't met whoever this is once.
He who stands before him is a guy with blonde hair that stops at his back, sorta long lashes, a slender build, and a choker. For a second, Lukas thought he was a she, but the voice gave it away.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Lukas asked with his head down, trying not to make eye contact with this stranger.
"Oh, um.. The name's Ethan! Not what are you doing on the railing there?" He curiously walked up to Lukas, studying his entire body, down to the immense amount of leg hair.
"Well.. My life sucks man, I don't got nothing to live for right now!" Lukas voice cracks a little, trying to hold in his tears.
Ethan reaches his hand to him, saying: "come down for a second so we can talk" Lukas obliges and takes his hand to help off the railing and onto the walkway. Tripping a little from the landing.
Ethan leads him to the park, as they walk Lukas notices that the trees are looking extra vibrant now that it's summer time. There were also some kids from the kindergarten nearby playing in said park. Most of this doesn't really faze him in the slightest right now though. To him, all of this looks dull and boring as all hell at the moment.
They make it to the park, and stumble into the little kids, Ethan shoos them away so they can talk. where they sit down on the bench on the far opposite sides. They both sit there for a minute in silence. Listening to the birds chirp and the leaves rustle in the wind, giving a nice atmosphere for their first conversation.
"You know, I think you go to the same school as me right! I always see you getting picked one since the day you got here" Ethan's hair is flowing in the wind, kinda feeling like a romantic moment if they weren't both two dudes.
"Oh really? Why aren't you at graduation then?" Lukas wanted him to realise how his diploma was on the line so he would leave.
"Nah I flunked out. Got straight 30's all across the board. Even in things like gym class, which seems kinda personal in my opinion" Lukas' strat in fact, did not work at all. Ethan's face morphs into a very subtle frown, and also he points his finger at Lukas' chest. "I was always worried about you, I would always see you so sad and bruised up almost every single day" "I'm sorry what? I've met you before? Where?" Lukas Inquired on where they've maybe met. "When you walk home from school, you would always be slouched over with your hoodie covering your eyes. Now I wasn't in too good of a situation myself, but you face would always break my heart"
"What were you dealing with?" Lukas asked while sliding a little closer to him, now kinda interested in what this guy's gotta say. "Nothing to note-worthy, all you need to know is that I'm a lot better now. I do know where you're coming from with this decision, but killing yourself shouldn't be the answer, you feel me man?" Ethan put his hand on Lukas' shoulder, trying to tell him straight the best he could.
"You talk way too much, but I guess you're right.." Lukas reluctantly said. Getting up right after to stretch his muscles. "So, what are you getting at with this?"
"I think you should come spend the day with–"
"Yes"
"W-wait really? Didn't even think about it?"
"I'm gonna be honest, I don't really care what happens to me right now"
Ethan stared at Lukas for a solid second, letting what he just said ring in the air and marinate. Ethan sighs and gets up from the bench. Then looks directly at Lukas, and says: "alright then, come with me. I've got a lot to show you"
"So.. what kind of food have you always wanted to try out?" Ethan asks as they both slowly walk down town, side-by-side. The warm sun basks the street in front of them in a warm glow. Families are walking around, having a good time with each other.
"I mean.. I've always wanted to eat at a restaurant with someone. As you may know though, never been able to do that"
"Well you're in luck today!" Ethan stops dead in his tracks, causing Lukas to turn and look at him with an eyebrow raised. "Guess where we are.." He points to the building he stopped at, and Lukas' face lit up. "No fucking way.. Is this that one diner I see on TV?!" Lukas shouts out loud in excitement which startles people walking by. Ethan gives the affirmative nod of approval, and Lukas runs into the place.
"oh, hello sir! Do you want a table, or to go?" The person at the front desk asked a confused Lukas. Ethan comes in the save: "we'll have a table for two please"
"Ok! You gentlemen just wait here for a moment while I get one ready for you" the lady goes somewhere that Lukas doesn't know about.
"What did she mean by table for two?" Lukas asks, genuinely confused. Scratching his head and everything. Ethan just moved him out of the way of some random old couple. "Ugh. Why'd they have to bring some homeless guy in here" the grandma snarled. Luka just turns around and points at himself mouthing me?
"Yes, you! You smell like shit! When's the last time you took a shower boy?" Lukas starts getting a little defensive at this point. "Oh yeah you old fart, why don't you fuck off and blow away into dust!" "Hey now just calm down, we can't be picking fights with the elderly, come on now. I'm so sorry ma'am" Ethan apologized sincerely for Lukas' outburst, and guided him towards their table. "God what's her problem?" Lukas snorts while kicking his feet in boredom. Ethan puts his foot out to not let his annoying kicking under the table continue.
"Hey! You can't just pick fights with everyone around here. You'll just tire yourself out" Ethan scolds Lukas while staring directly at the menu. "By the way, anything on the menu that looks good?" Lukas looks down to see a couple of options he could choose from, they all look incredible.
"Um.. What's the 'spaghetti?' it looks really tasty" Lukas asked look put the menu right up to his face so no one would look at him.
"Are you two ready to order?" a waiter shows up out of nowhere, startling Lukas.
"Yeah, we're ready! He'll take the spaghetti and I'll have… a steak please" Ethan lifts his head from the menu to respectfully make eye contact with the waiter. "Very well then" the waiter takes away the menus and walks to the back to give the order.
"Hey Alice! Can you get that homeless guy out of here? He will ruin it for the other customers" one of the other staff members asked her. "Um.. Ok, I'll go do that" the waiter shifts uncomfortably, not wanting to deal with the confrontation right now. Though reluctantly, she walks past a bunch of people staring at the problem.
She goes right up to them real slowly, then says in a quiet voice: "um.. So we're sorry to say this, but you're gonna have to leave this place" she puts there a menu that she still has in her hand in front of her face to hide the embarrassment. After a solid two seconds of silence, she finally looks back at them to see Lukas and Ethan, staring directly into her soul. Scarring the shit out of her. "I-is everything okay?" was the only thing she could muster out.
"Those old farts really snitched on me huh.." Lukas snarled while scanning the room to find them.
"No, it was a request from the staff, your.. How do I say this.. Your appearance will ruin the experience for others. Now like I said we would kindly ask you guys again to quietly leave this place" she backs up just a little bit after noticing smoke comically coming out of Lukas' ears. "whoa, calm down you. The waiter did nothing wrong. She's just doing her job" Ethan rationalizes with Lukas to not go feral on this poor waiter.
"Fuck! Fine I guess.. I'm outta here!" Lukas shouts as head tries to shimmy his way out of the table. Then he bolts out off there while mothing fuck you to the old couple on his way out. Ethan, of course, followed him after giving the waiter a tip for surviving that.
"Hey! Come back Lukas!" Ethan shouted at him to come back right now. "I'm so stupid. To think that for once I could live like a normal person, and do normal things. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that in the first place"
"Oh come on, don't say stuff like that, plus we've only done one thing. There's multiple other things that we can do today" Ethan walks up to him and puts his hand on Lukas' shoulder again thinking: this guy's really far gone, hopeful he ain't on something..
"Hey! How long are you gonna take Ethan! It's been two hours, what are you doing?!" A husky voice came out behind Lukas, who jumped a little from the sudden noise.
Ethan looks past Lukas and says: "Oh calm down, I've got him anyway!"
Lukas turns around to see someone that looks around 21 years old. With an unkempt beard, black hair, black eyes, and an outfit that makes him look like a hillbillie. "Who're you? Also, what do you mean I've got him?" Lukas interrogates the both of them as the hillbillie looks at Ethan with the expression of are we so serious right now..
"Don't look at me, he seems willing enough anyway. So don't worry about it" Lukas gets more and more confused by the second. It's almost like they're not even listening to a word he's saying.
Lukas walks up to the weird guy, gets right up in his face, and says: "tell me who you are right now!!" his hands start to shake a little bit, that means his withdrawals are starting. Lukas is also trying his very hardest to not cry right now.
"Why should I tell you? Is this the new guy Ethan? He kinda looks like a girl.."
"Yes! that's what I was trying to tell you!"
"Oh well in that case.." He looks down and kneels a little but, so Lukas and him are on the same level. "My name is technically Andrew.. But just call me Drew. You got that?" Drew gives a forced thumbs up to Lukas who sees right through it.
Lukas starts physically tweaking, his mind just straight up shut down, but not because of the foretold withdrawals. No.. it was because Andrew knocked his ass out cold. After that, the forced smell he just gave two seconds ago vanished. "Alright, help me carry him back" Drew lifts up the front side of the slumped Lukas while gesturing to him to come over.
Ethan sighs while forcefully stumbling over, and picking up the back half of Lukas. Then they get to walking back.
"Dude, I could've gotten him to come peacefully, but you just had to show up and ruin it for me, now he's gonna freak out when he wakes back up" Ethan grunts while trying to hold up dead weight, which is actually pretty hard for someone to do.
"Oh he'll be fine, by the way.. What's his name exactly?" "Oh his name is Lukas, he's around the same age as me, he also seems pretty fragile mentally, so be careful with him. Okay?" Ethan gives him a really stern look to show that he's not kidding one bit.
"Ok fine, sure, whatever man.." Drew looked sad to hear that, he was really looking forward to doing that.