GREENWOOD TOWN
October 2006
"You've just lost in all three bets, boys!" I smirked as I throw the billiard stick on the pool table, signaling that the game has ended, and I, the ultimate winner on this bet.
"There's no way! You cheated! And you're dead!" He couldn't believe he lost all his money and now he's watching me count them in my own hands. Ah, I love the smell of cash in the morning.
"No, you simply sucked, Joe." After I counted the cash, I stashed it in my pockets and grabbed my leather jacket to leave the pool hall but Joe was fast and devastated— he pushed me by the glasswall with all his strength.
"Where do you think you're going, asshole?" His puppets closed the exit and hovered near me.
"Okay, chill." I managed to spit out and chuckled.
"Give me back my money, you bastard!"
I noticed how he started to pull out something from his pocket, he has a glint of terror in his eyes and an evil smile on his face while his puppets are enjoying the show.
"Let's draw a fucking scar on that face, huh, pretty boy?!"
"Not before I ruin your shitty face first!"
I threw a punch on his jaw but his puppets ganged up on me to stop. They were holding both of my arms as Joe scoots closer with a small dagger in his hand.
Fuck. I am so fucked up!
Before I even free myself from the grip, an approaching sound of siren filled the avenue, getting closer to the location of the pool hall.
"Oh, holy shit! Run! Run, boys!" they sprinted their way to the backdoor, leaving me trapped.
"You've gotta be kidding me..." I muttered and ran up the second floor of the building. I managed to hide before the cops opened the main door in the first floor. That was freaking close!
There's only one thing left to do... I've gotta jump the hell out of here. I'm in the middle of making decisions, standing at the edge of the building when the door blasted open, with the cops pointing guns at me, "Don't move, kiddo!" they shouted.
"Gotcha! You little rat!" the head cop pointed his gun at me, calculating my movement.
"Adios, fuckers." I bid my goodbye and smirked, letting my mindless body jumped down. I opened my arms wide, feeling the air and the adrenaline rush while waiting for the perfect landing.
I heard them gasped.
"Shit!" And that was it. My fucking landing on the ground. This was all Joe's fucking fault! I'm gonna kill him!
But there was no time to comfort myself from the pain because I have gotta get going. I ran all the way to school and brushed off the fact that I almost got caught up in a big trouble again.
---
I banged the classroom door too hard so the attention of the class shifted to me.
"After three days, you finally showed up, Giordano." The teacher sarcastically stated.
I stayed silent and walked over to my desk. I was absent for three days, well, of course for some valid reasons, like who the hell is interested in these subjects, and why the hell should I care?
"Dude! You're a legend!" Hans didn't care how loud he is. He's throwing punches on my back.
"Stop that, you're annoying." I put my feet above the desk.
"You have a lot to explain, buddy." he warned me with his eyes.
"Yes, mom." I mocked him.
"Boy, that's a real attitude problem, there." he laughed which made the teacher frown.
"Get out of my class, both of you! Now!" The teacher screamed and pointed his meter stick in our direction.
Geez, no need to scream, old man. I'm more than willing to get out of the room. "You're a pain in the ass! Your presence is not needed here!" shouted the teacher once again.
I gave him a cold, mean stare before kicking the door open.
---
"Hey, wanna skip fourth period?" I asked Hans while scrunching the soda can with my right hand.
"Dude, you wanna get expelled?" He is carefully wiping his skateboard with the cuff of his jacket.
"It's just... everyday is fucked up, meaningless, you know. Especially in here." I looked down the campus. We're just passing time at the rooftop of the main building. It's forbidden but I had my lawless ways. Up here, I can still hear the bickering of the students. I can smell the rusty pile of old chairs. I can feel the tin can of soda marking the skin of my palm. I can see the world so bleak.
"That's mental, dude."
"No, this is mental." I let out a maniacal chuckle and positioned my hand in the air, holding a can of soda.
"Bet I could drop this," I said with a grin.
"An asshole like you could." Hans stood up and plopped his skateboard down. He started riding on it with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"You suck," I uttered bitterly as I finally free the can from my grip. I looked down and saw it almost hit someone on the head. To my surprise, she was safe, and so the can just rolled and rolled. It looks like she was in a hurry so she dogded the impact. The girl looked up but before her sight landed in our direction, I hid against the wall. That was close! I wouldn't want that girl to cry if ever I ruin the ribbons on her hair.
"Get a life, Noah. You're a Giordano, you have all the—" I cut him off, my eyes burning with anger. Hans quickly stepped on the edge of his skateboard to pick it up.
"Don't ever mention that again!"
"I'm just saying, you don't have to fear your identity." I wanna choke this asshole to death!
"I've got no fear, I'll be leaving this shithole school anyway." I thought about it. I see no point in attending classes. And I figured out it will still be okay if I just drop it. No one would notice. No one even cares. My existence is just plain a disgrace.