High School Flames

Kane Boone

    His heart skipped a beat when he stood up from the couch at once and said in a cold voice, “what do you mean we are moving in a week?” Zachery’s eyes widened at the realization. He was going to have to face a new life in another city, a new high school, and he was not ready.

    “Oh, c’mon! Don’t act all surprised now. You said you weren’t comfortable in your current school. We’ve been talking about moving for months,” his mother said, her gaze focused on the television screen.

    “Yeah, but I didn’t think it would happen so fast, you could’ve at least given me some time to prepare!” It’s not like Zachary had any friends to say goodbye to, but change has never done any good for him. It only made him more anxious and in need of a getaway. 

    “We didn’t get time to prepare, either, but we can handle this as a family, we have no other choice,” his father said from across the room; he was making them salad in the kitchen.

    Zachary sighed. He knew it wasn’t about them being a family, but rather about what was going to happen to him when they move; once he is alone at the new school. If he got picked on by others, they wouldn’t be there to be ‘family’ to him, he sure wouldn’t want them to, anyway. He sat back on the couch, leaning his head backwards, processing the news. Maybe it would be good for him, after all. 

    “Well, honey, why don’t you go and get some shut-eye?” His mother suggested.

    If he were to go to sleep now, the only thing that will get a shut-eye is the lightbulb hanging in the ceiling of his bedroom. He turned to look at his dad in the kitchen, “I also want to eat salad,” he concluded. “Yup,” Zak thought to himself, “that’s a good excuse!”

    “And..” his dad waddled his way to the living room, a bowl of salad in one hand and two in the other, “the masterpiece is ready!” He settled the bowls on a table in front of them and sat at one end of the couch beside Zachary.

    “Thanks Dad,” Zak said, grabbing the cold bowl of fresh salad with his hands.

    He looked at the ingredients in it, beans, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, apples. It tasted great, especially because he hadn’t been eating well; he never has.

    That night, he laid awake in bed, thinking of all the things he would have to pack up. Should he start tomorrow or wait until the day before? The answer seemed obvious to him but he didn’t want to deal with the reality of moving away yet. He thought about how he had gotten to his school’s hallways, every corner, every room, every shortcut; he didn’t want to give up all that. Moving away meant that he would get lost, putting him in the position where he would either have to ask for help or walk around like an i***t. He closed his eyes, thinking that he would also have to say farewell to his room, the one that he’d gotten so used to. He somehow managed to fall asleep through his rushing thoughts but had to wake up early in the morning to face another school day.

    “Zak?” His mom called, standing by his room’s door, “are you doing this on purpose? It’s like you want to be late!” She crossed her arms and leaned on the door while watching him.

    He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and lifted himself up in bed, “Mom..can I not go to school today?” He was hopeful that she would let him stay. He couldn’t imagine going to that school another day, that thought made him relieved about the fact that they were moving.

    “Zachary Hawk. I have had enough of your constant complaining. What is so bad about going to school? You learn things! Don’t you want to make something of yourself? Or do you want to lay in bed and be lazy all the time?”

    “What’s happening?” Zak’s dad said in the background, trying to make sense of the situation.

    Zak rolled his eyes, it was probably the billionth time he heard this speech. He knows his mother is mostly right, but she didn’t know the reasoning behind his desires..he barely did.

    “I’ve had it up to here. Your son refuses to go to school. You deal with him, I’m done,” she raised her hands in the air and walked away.

    “What is it buddy?” His dad said as he sat next to him on the bed.

    “I just..it’s just, what is the point of going? I am going to move in a few days, anyway..” he couldn’t think of a better argument for not going to school today, he had run out of reasons. The excuse of being sick had already expired years ago.

    “I know,” his father said, “but do you think you can try a little harder? Just a few days, like you said. Part of life is putting effort into everything you do and say even if you personally don't like it.”

    “If only you knew..” Zak thought, but didn’t say.

    “Alright now. Quickly get ready because I’m going to drive you to school today.”

    “What? Why? It’s okay..I can wal-” Zak’s words faded as his father stood up and left the room, leaving Zak there to face his reality.

    “Yay..school!” He said.

    He went to the washroom, washed up with cold water and went back to his room to dress. He knew perfectly what to wear on days like those; he opened his small closet, grabbed a black hoodie and black jeans, and speedrun changing his clothes. A comb ran through the strands of his dark hair, swinging them backwards, away from his face, and back, slightly touching his forehead. He lifted his half empty backpack from the floor and put it over one shoulder as he headed outside, where his dad was waiting for him. They got into the car, Zak taking the front seat. The ride was silent. His gaze remained focused on the moving canvas of the car’s window until the picture of his school came into frame. 

    “Thanks, Dad,” he said as he stepped out of the car.

    “Have a good day, son!” His dad said, sharing a cheery smile that Zak couldn’t find in him to share it back.

    The car pulled away, and as soon as it did, it started again. It was a group of them and they were following him as he made his way to the school’s main entrance. Great.

    A hand laid harshly on Zachary’s shoulder. “Good morning, Freaky Zak. Who was that who dropped you off? Were you so scared you’d get lost that you made your papa drop you off?” The hand’s owner said.

    Zak made an effort to ignore him; if he argued with him, the guy and his friends can make Zak look like the bad guy, and then he would get into trouble..and suspension once again.

    “Hey!” The guy said, “I’m talking to you.”

    “Keep ignoring, Zak..” he told himself.

    “You know what, Zak-O-Poop? I think we tease you too much and I wanna do something nice for you, for once,” his hand was still on Zak’s shoulder, the grip only getting tighter.

    Zachary stopped in his tracks, considering what he just heard. Was he being serious or was he joking? The guy grabbed the strap that kept Zak’s backpack on his shoulder and lifted it. Zak held on tight to his backpack, resisting the hand pulling it away from him.

    “Hey..” the guy said but didn’t stop pulling, “I just wanna be nice! I’ll carry it for you.”

    “Really?” Zak’s face lit up. He let go of the strap, blindly trusting the hand that now possessed it. He couldn’t believe someone was finally being kind to him.

    “Yes! Really.”

    “Thanks,” he said with a smile. That moment, Zak realized how little he smiled, he always either had a blank, depressed expression on his face or anger in his eyes, but now, he was smiling.

    “I’ll help you carry it to your home!” The guy said while carelessly chucking the backpack in the trash can. “Oops..”

    Laughter filled the guy’s friends, “got ‘em!” One of them said. More laughter.

    Zak’s hands unwillingly clenched into fists, his anger was boiling inside of him like a volcano that was about to erupt. He closed his eyes for three seconds and took a deep, shaky breath. “Stop, Jason,” Zak firmly said.

    “Who’s gonna stop me? You and who else?” Jason put his arms on his waist, daring, mocking, showing how ‘powerful’ he was.

    “Ahm,” one of Jason’s friends nudged him, pointing with his eyes behind them where a teacher had parked his car and was now heading towards the entrance.

    Jason immediately stood in front of the trash can next to Zak. The bullies activated their innocent mode, acting like they were Zak’s friends. You know, just a group of teenagers messing around, nothing suspicious. They all fell silent, waiting for the teacher to go away.

    “Is everything good boys?” The teacher asked looking back and forth between Zak and the others.

    For a moment, Zak just stared at the teacher, with his big eyes begging..wishing..just hoping. He felt Jason’s sharp, stabbing gaze daring him hardcore. “We’re just hanging out,” Zak finally said. He forced a smile upon his face but the look in his eyes remained the same.

    The teacher was conflicted and for a moment, he opened his mouth and was about to say something when the bell rang, indicating the start of classes. “Well, gentlemen, looks like you all are gonna be in trouble..”

    Relief washed over Zak and he knew very well that fear was striking Jason and his friends because he caught them shooting each other nervous looks.

    “I have no other choice..” the teacher said as he pulled something from his suitcase, a piece of paper. He then pulled a pen from the pocket of his jacket and handed it to Jason. “Write your name and home room,” he demanded. The bullying was finally coming to an end.

    Jason’s hand shakily grabbed the pen, he supported the light weight of the paper with his knee as he jotted down his name, "Jason Ashford", and handed the paper to his friends. One at a time, they wrote their names, until it was Zak’s turn. He didn’t know why he needed to write his name but he did it anyway, making sure to place his name a good distance on the paper away from the bullies’ names so they don’t mix them up. He then handed the paper to the teacher, who folded it and placed it in his pocket, along with the pen.

    “But sir..” Jason began.

    “I don’t want to hear it!” He said, “hanging out with friends is no excuse for you to be late to class. Three strikes and you will find your teachers talking about it in a parent-teacher interview.”

    Zak’s heart dropped. His rapid breath was suffocating him on the spot. Just when he thought it was over, just when he thought the bullying would end..he was a fool for thinking it would ever end. A fool for thinking someone would hear him without him saying a word. He was a fool for staying silent and he knew it, but he could never find it in him to stand up to them. The fear of becoming one of them scares him, the fear of being denied holds him back. The truth is, he was afraid, he was broken, he was trapped. No one could ever get him out of the situation he was in, or rather, the armour that he put up.

    “Okay,” Jason said happily, “don’t worry, sir, it won’t happen again.” He put an arm aggressively around Zak and continued, “I’ll make sure my friend here doesn’t make us late anymore.”

    That sent shivers down Zak’s spine. What did that mean? He made a mental note to look out and not let his guard down.

    The teacher shook his hand and lifted it to glance at his watch, “alright, hurry to class, now. Scatter!” He clapped.

    Jason took his arm off Zak and headed to class along with his friends. Zachary pretended to go to class but secretly hid after turning around the corner until the teacher went into the staff room. Now, he was free to retrieve his bag. He navigated his school’s hallway carefully, checking every way before making a single turn. The thought of his own possessions being stashed in the trash like that sickened him to the core and made his stomach feel sick. He couldn’t believe how cruel they were to him. He was just a student like them, he had his own set of problems and didn’t need their bull.

    After taking a side exit, eager to get to the trash can as fast as possible, Zak jogged, one feet after another, he broke his jog into a run. Once he was there, he questioned his morals. Was he really going to search in the trash? Is this what his life has come down to?

    Jason’s words cut through Zak, “who’s gonna stop me? You and who else?” He thrust his hand into the garbage and snatched the backpack. An old couple were strolling along when they saw him from across the street; he could see them shaking their head at him in disgust. The strand of the backpack had gotten caught on to something else in the trash, he dug his other hand in there to free it. Tears were dancing along the lining of his eyes, he took his hand back out to wipe them; he would never allow for his tears to fall. He continued to untangle the bag. At this point, he didn’t care what anyone thought, he will always be looked down on, no matter what. The backpack finally snapped free, it smelled awful almost making Zak puke. He opened to check that everything was there. It was. Unless ... He checked the final pocket. His phone was gone. His feet slipped him to the ground. With the backpack in his lap, he let out a long and deep sigh. Frustration overwhelmed him with emotions and he felt the earth’s gravity begging him not be up on his feet again. He questioned whether he should go to class or skip the day. 

    “Psst,” a voice called.

    Zachary flinched, grabbing his bag tightly for dear life. The first thought that ran through his mind was, “snap, I got caught”. He glanced around him to find the source of the voice until he found the figure. First, he noticed the shoes, unstained and on brand, leading to the person’s jeans, ripped at knee, 

    Zachary flinched, grabbing his bag tightly for dear life. The first thought that ran through his mind was, “snap, I got caught”. He glanced around him to find the source of the voice until he noticed the figure standing a few feet left from him. The shoes are flashy, unstained, and on brand. Jeans are unwrinkled and ripped at the knees. A leather jacket covering a striped T-shirt. His hair neatly styled and brown like his jacket. The figure just stood there, giving Zak a curious look. He took it personally because the guy must be judging him hardcore. 

    “Are you okay?” The guy asked, his face expression not changing.

    Zak put his backpack to the side so he can get up; he leaned on his right arm to support him, laying his hand on the cold stone of his school’s front area. 

    “Here, let me give you a hand!”The guy offered, stretching his left arm.

    Zachary froze mid rise. He stared at the boy coldly, making him pull his hand back to his side. He stood up and fetched the bag from the ground. The boy would’ve probably pulled a prank or some kind of trick on him, or at least, that’s what Zak thought. He walked back towards the school, leaving the boy behind.

    “Hey!” The guy insisted, “hold up, buddy!” He jogged and caught up to him.

    “Buddy?” Zak thought, “save it,” a smirk emerged on his face. He walked faster; he was a fast walker regardless of not always being the tallest kid in his class.

    “Why in such a rush?”

    Zak wished he would go away, one more incident and he was going to go insane. His anger and rage had already maxed out. “What do you want from me?” He said, having enough of being followed by jerks all the time.

    “Were you looking for something?” He asked.

    Zak refused to be fooled by the guy’s genuine face, “so what if I was? That’s none of your business.” A hand wrapped around his forearm, making him turn to look.

    “Is it my business now?” The guy asked and pushed his other hand in the pocket of his leather jacket, making sure not to let go of Zak’s arm. Out of the pocket, he pulled a dark shape, a phone … Zak’s phone.

    “Hey!” Zak shouted, jerking the guy’s hand off as he grabbed the phone. “That’s mine, why’d you take it?”

    “I didn’t. Well, I did bu-”

    “Can you just leave me alone?”

    “No, wait! You don’t understand.”

    “What don’t I understand?” Zak placed the phone safely in his own pocket.

    “I didn’t mean to steal it. That wasn’t my intention. I saw it beside the trash can and I took it …”

    “You took it. You stole it. You took it!”

    “To give it to the office! I figured if someone lost it then they would go looking and ask the office. And when I saw you …”

    “Searching in the trash like an i***t,” Zak helped him.

    “I thought it must’ve been yours,” innocence never left this guy’s eyes, which made Zachary believe him.

    Zak considered the explanation. “You said you were going to give it to the office but it was on you,” he argued.

    “Well that’s because I just found it!”

    In defeat, Zak nodded his head and pressed his lips. He looked at the guy once more, noticing that his entire outfit screamed “expensive”. He turned to leave once again.

    “Wait! What’s your name?”

    His pace slowed until he came to a stop, still not turning around to face the dude. He considered faking his name just this once. What if this guy hears others talking about Zak? What if they spread rumors around. If uses a fake name, he could just save himself from the trouble.

    “My name’s Kane. Kane Boone.” The guy said, his face slightly smiling.

    “Zak Hawk,” his real name came out of his mouth automatically, but Zak wasn’t sure it was completely automatically; part of him wanted to be honest with this person, with Kane. He had been really nice and genuine, why shouldn’t Zak trust him? He was already getting bullied, he had nothing to lose.

    “Short for Zachary?” Kane asked.

    “You got it,” Zak said with a small fake laugh. That stressful morning had made him tired. Although, he has been more ‘tired’ before, so this was a piece of cake to him.

    “Dude you look horobile …” Kane said, looking at Zak from his head to his toes and the other way around.

    “Aight, I’ll see later,” Zak gave him a small wave and turned to leave.

    “Wait!” Kane said, trying to talk through his laughter, “I didn’t mean it like that.” He erased what Zak assumed was a tear in his eye. “Come back! Don’t leave dude, I meant you look like you haven’t eaten in days.”

    He tried to look at himself the way anyone would try to look at themselves and realize they can’t. He couldn’t deny that he was more on the skinny side, especially lately. Breakfast wasn’t a word in vocabulary anymore. The only meals he ever has are late lunch and before-bed snacks. “And you look like you haven’t spent money on anything other than your clothes,” Zak couldn’t help himself. He almost couldn’t believe that the words came out of his mouth instead of floating around in his pile of unsaid insults and causing him to giggle in the middle of class. “Sorry …” he mumbled an apology.

    Kane laughed again, “nah, man. No worries. I am a wealthy boy, what can I say?”

    “Hehe.”

    “That’s why, wanna grab a bite?”

    “Uh …” he didn’t want a favor from anyone, “I’ll pass but thanks.”

    “Oh, c’mon! You want me to eat alone?” Kane insisted.

    Now that Zak thought about it, being rich and cool, Kane would be extroverted. It would make sense that he would want to be with someone, anyone; even if it meant it had to be a loser like Zak. “Guess not.”

    “Yes! I know the perfect place.” He led the way and Zak followed.

    In silence, they walked two blocks away from their school until they arrived at a common fast food restaurant that students stop by at all the time during lunch break. This time, it was empty because all students were meant to be in class. 

    “So,” Kane started, turning to face his new friend, “what would you like?”

    Zak never really went to fast food restaurants or restaurants in general. He didn’t have any friends to begin with, and, even if he did, he was broke anyways. That made him feel awkward being with someone who had all the money in the world to spend. Kane was cool, rich, and popular. On the other hand, there was Zak, broke, lonely, and a loser. They were the exact opposite of each other yet standing together side by side. He wondered if Kane felt the same way but decided to ignore that thought.

    He shrugged, hoping that he would get him whatever. Zak didn’t have a cent to contribute, nor did he have the audacity to pick what he wanted; especially not when that delicious iced coffee was more expensive than a bottle of water. Nope. He stopped looking at the menu, it was for the best.

    “Hmm … How about iced coffee?” Kane pointed at the menu above their heads.

    Zak’s eyes sparked. “Can he read my thoughts?” He wondered, “did I make it too obvious?” His mouth slowly opened, “I don’t know. Whatever you want, man.” He immediately regretted not agreeing to the coffee, he had always wanted to try it.

    With squinty eyes, Kane examined him, rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb.

    “How may I help you?” A young lady smiled from behind the counter.

    “Hi!” Kane began, “can we have two cheese burgers-”

    Zak’s disappointment was immeasurable.

    “-and iced coffees, please?” He ordered, looking back and Zak with a knowing grin.

    Zak quickly looked away, wondering if his skin was the type that blushes easily. He sure hoped it wasn’t.

    The lady repeated the order to confirm and sent them aside to wait for their food. It was a couple of minutes of awkward silence, at least for Zak because Kane apparently found it okay to stare at people for no reason and without saying a word. It’s like he was inspecting every aspect of Zak’s face, every wrinkle on his clothes, every messy strand of hair. At this point, Zak was sure that the guy was also judging him for smelling bad from the trash earlier. He decided to stare back, making it a staring competition, but he looked away in defeat, not being able to handle the awkwardness of it. Maybe that was just what social people do, and he just wouldn’t know that.

    Their order number was called and Kane left to fetch their food. They grabbed a table in the corner, away from any windows. The burgers, which were placed in a brown paper bag, smelled scrumptious and very appetizing, making Zak realize how hungry he was. He watched as Kane slowly took a sanitizer out of his hand and squeezed a small amount of it on his hands, then he rubbed them together. He then took a tissue from the tissue box on the table to dry his hands with. Zak wished he would just hurry up, his stomach was getting louder every minute and it seemed like the whole restaurant was against him by going quieter.

    “Don’t be shy!” Kane finally spoke, “take your burger, I know you’re hungry. Oh, and, the coffee tastes better after the food. I don’t know just personal preference.”

    Zak was not listening to the part about the coffee, he hoped it wasn’t a question. He was too busy listening to the sound of the cheese burger’s wrapper brush against the paper bag. It was a delightful sound. He unwrapped one burger as his friend unwrapped the other. It took one bite for him to realize that a cheese burger didn’t just have cheese in it, it also had a meat patty. Bite after bite, Zak finished his burger before Kane, he wished he had eaten slower, now he had to sit there waiting, with the delicious taste lingering around on his tongue.

    During the time that Kane was finishing up his food, Zak took little sips from his iced coffee as a realization started sinking in. He had broken a promise, he had skipped … skipped class. He felt every sip of coffee struggling to go down his throat. His parents were going to be more than disappointed. He had made a serious promise to them, they’d had a talk about trust and sticking to one’s word. He knew he would eventually break that promise, but he didn’t think it would be so quick. They will think he is doing it on purpose. He had to come up with an excuse, a good one. Potential reasons for why he would skip classes ran through his mind, he mentally put a strikethrough on every excuse that didn’t make sense or that his parents wouldn’t believe. His heart was beating faster in his chest as he could imagine the confrontation with his parents; he hadn’t even begun to think about the confrontation with his teachers! He thought about how lucky Kane must be, being rich probably meant that he could also get away with anything, he could be spoiled for all Zak knew.

    “Is something the matter?” Kane asked, putting down his burger’s wrapper on the table.

    “Huh?” Zak finally snapped back into the here and now.

    “You look … off. Are you okay?” He had a serious and worried look on his face.

    “I’m fine,” he answered and took another sip of his iced coffee before it became not so icy anymore.