Shades of Gray ~A Delinquent's Story~

Chapter Four: Delinquents Always Get the Worst of It

Chapter Four: Delinquents Always Get the Worst of It

        School was never my favorite thing in the world, especially since all the teachers there treated me as a charity case.  They would all talk in that voice that you use for little kids:

        “If that’s too difficult for you, or you don’t have time to complete it, that’s perfectly fine.”

        I never understood why they did that though, I was a relatively good student (I made A’s and B’s) and I tried my best to behave in class.  I guess they just heard about my ‘situation’ and thought it was better to cut me some slack.  But I’m not complaining.

        Anyways, it was my first day back since I returned from the JD Center and after staying at home to look for houses and jobs.  And I guess I became the talk of the school because as soon as I stepped through the main doors, it became silent in the halls.  Eyes turned to stare at me and people started to whisper to one another.

        “I heard he broke into the school and stole some laptops…”  I heard one girl whisper.

        “I heard he killed someone!”

        I looked around, and gazes dropped and people began to scatter, leaving locker doors open and friends standing alone.  I chuckled at the sight.

        Then, I saw her thick rimmed glasses from the other end of the hall.  “Devin!”  I heard her girly voice shriek.  “You’re back!”

        Maci trotted up to me, her black hair French braided back into a ponytail.  “Yep.  I’m back.”  I gave her a slight smirk, amused at the fact that she was the only one who was man enough to approach me.

        “I’m glad.”  I saw her face turn a little bit red.  “Um, Mr. Yancy wanted me to give you this math packet… He said he forgot to put it in when he got your work together.”  She handed me the packet labeled: Angles in Polygons.

        “Thanks.”  I mumbled, putting the packet down at my side.

        Just as I was about to turn towards the direction of my locker, she spoke up.  “Hey, if you ever need help with anything,” here’s that charity case voice again, “let me know and I’ll help you out.”

        I restrained myself from snapping, so I forced a smile and spoke through gritted teeth, “Thanks.  I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

        She smiled probably the biggest smile that I’ve ever seen, obviously oblivious to my annoyance.  “See ya later.”  She scurried off down the hall, ignoring the bewildered stares the ‘brave’ people (the ones still left in the hall) gave her.

        Then they turned to me with their jaws slightly dropped and some football players actually smirked at me.

        “Fuck off…” I muttered as I past them, having no patience for the douche bags of the school.

        Throughout the day, I couldn’t really get my mind off of Maci… And it’s not like I have a thing for her or anything, so I guess it’s just the fact that she actually cared about me and had the balls to talk to me.  Actually, she was the only one who said anything to me pretty much all day.

       It kind of surprised me that someone my own age would care about me.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of nice people in the school, but no one really showed any sympathy to those who really needed it.  It was all about who had the best car or clothes, and if you didn’t have the best, you were pitied and consoled.  Frankly, it would piss me off.  What about the kids that their grandparents died, or they had to move because their parents lost a job?  They were ignored or laughed at.  Sickening.