Playing Hero

Chapter Fifteen: Blue Johnson

                                             *I'm that person everyone replaces after a while*

Sophomore year:

Blue tugged on his sleeves hiding the bruises from home. His summer wasn't pleasant. After his father had lost his job, it added to the pain from his mother's death and his sister's sickness. Bills after bills were piled up and Blue did everything he could to help out. Picking up a job at the diner, he was now a busboy and going to the school he attends, nobody can know his title.

Especially December Eliza Jack.

"Come on boy! Pick up your slack. Stop daydreaming!" Blue blinked, his last day of summer was spent working. He felt his work was a getaway from all the tension at home. Remembering how angry his father was before he left this morning made him frown. Was this his life now? Struggles and fresh marks on his already fragile skin.

The doorbell rang, indicating new customers. With a glance at today's work atmosphere, Blue tensed up at the sight of familiar faces.

The football team.

"You boy, Go over there and pick up their order. What are you waiting for stop slacking around." Once again his boss ordered him at the worst timing possible. With a grumbling attitude, he made his way towards the table and gulped.

"Welcome, may I take your order?" The team watched blue recognizing him from around the school last year.

"Hold up you're the new kid from Texas. Johnson is it? Dude, My dad told me he had this new employee working at his company and got fired in less than 2 months."

"How long you been working here?" One of them asked Blue. He was already cautious knowing how his kind worked with people like them. Now that they know exactly who he is didn't make the situation better.

"2 weeks." He whispered.

"2 weeks huh? Alright newbie, show us what you got. Hopefully your not trash like your father."

They all roared with laughter as Blue lowered his head gritting his teeth, writing down their purposefully complicated orders.

Some workers couldn't wait for the clock to hit the right time, allowing them to leave their hell at work and arrive in the comfort of their homes. Whereas Blue dreaded each step he took closer and closer towards his real hell. The one floored home, covered in veins and weeds that have never been taken care of, a tall tree by the side hovering over what he calls home, and empty beer bottles on the front lawn from pass Byers who mistaken the building as a dump.

Walking through the front door, Blue's heart thumped inside of his chest inhaling the Tabaco air and joining his tiny friends.

Little critters hid as quickly as their 6 legs could carry them into the hidden holes in the walls and the couch. Shivering in disgust, he heard a cough and knew his father was home.

"I'm Home!" He whispered not knowing why he even bothers bringing his arrival to attention.

"Come here, boy." A grumbling voice called out, scratchy and rough already affected from the toxic in those sticks. Slowly walking to the opening of the kitchen, the sink filled with dishes and dirt on the fridge. With mom gone and his older sister sick in the hospital, the house hasn't been cleaned in a while. Every time Blue makes an effort to clean, he earns a beating with the long broken stick outside, digging into his flesh marking his pale skin with nasty red marks.

"This house doesn't deserve to be cleaned!" His father would always repeat with each swing of the stick.

"Where's your money?" His father mumbled, exhaling a puff of smoke from his lips watching the scrawny boy stand before him in his stew-stained uniform that was a size too big. It was all they had left at the store and his unfed body couldn't wear anything that could fit, else it would show the story of his life.

"I didn't get my paycheck yet sir." Blue shifted lying once again to his father. He had money stashed hidden in the floorboards of his room, if he gave the money away to his father none of it would go towards the bills that needed to be paid for food on the table.

"You said that last week and the week before. I know you ain't sitting around in that job of yours. Now gimme your money boy!" Charlie Johnson was never a happy man. Growing up believing the way to show love was from aggressive actions, he never had a hug from a mother or congrats from a father. He grew up with harden eyes that never smiled and crooked teeth that never revealed themselves to the world. That was until he met the love of his life. Purity Ellis Johnson.

She taught him the true way to life. That man can cry and show emotions because he is human. He shared her mother's love with him and her father's support. He believed just for a second that life is more than toxicity and pain. He believed and then he lost hope. With his daughter dying slowly on her death bed and his wife gone from the world, he was left all alone. No one wanted to be alone.

Life never seemed to be on Johnson's side. Everything turned into dust. The roof over their head was barely stable and was soon to collapse, it only would take matters of seconds.

He stood up angrily stomping towards his "boy" stumbling, his mind injected with liquor. Grabbing the collar of Blue's shirt he used the energy swirling in his body from the anger and adrenaline, as he inched his face towards blue's fearful face.

"I-I don't have any m-money s-s-" Blue couldn't finish his lie before he was pushed into the wall and his nose cracked from the rough punch he received from the man before him.

*

The first day of school felt like every day of living for Blue. Now coming from visiting his sister, his day was already ruined. The doctor said without surgery soon, she is not going to be able to last long. With a broken nose and a dying sister, Blue entered the school with a frown on his face and a ticking bomb inside of him. His eyes flickered upon the crowd of chattering students as they met up with the friends that they haven't seen all summer. Blue couldn't help but search for a specific pair of warm eyes praying that maybe he has the guts to talk to her more than he did last year. Which was never since his first day here at Beverly high.

"December! There you are." Sarah ran down the hall through the crowd of kids hugging December tightly laughing. As December chattered away with her best friend, Blue eyes widen and he felt a flicker of hope. Taking a deep breath, thinking this is it, he walked closer and closer to the two girls. All he had to do was open his mouth and call out her name. He knew it very well, so why not use it?

"H-Hey-" Before he could squeak out her name, blue was pushed to the side once again slamming into a wall. The bell rang but nobody moved. December and Sarah stood there in shock as everyone made a circle around the little situation. The football team stood before Blue with a smirk.

"Hey, busboy. How's life at the poor residence?" A joke that wasn't funny earned laughter from students who just wanted points with the popular crowd. Blue tried to stand up but he was pushed back down. As one of the members crotched down in front of him, he poked at his chest.

"People like you don't belong in this school. Get your poor ass out of here, your infecting this school with your presence." Standing up backing into the crowd with a dancing smirk on his face, they all left but not before calling out one last remark. "And find a shower. You fucking stink."