To Be a Hero

Chapter 1

Why do I do this every day? Alfred thought. He slumped back into his chair, hitting his knees on the metal bottom of his ancient desk.

There were many people who could sit at a desk all day, learn all day, and survive until the end of the day. Alfred was not one of them. He had to basically crawl out of the front doors by the time the bell rang.

He let his eyes wander around the classroom, glazed and dazed. The posters covering the biology walls were too colourful, distracting the eye from the information. The white-painted brick walls were old and slightly chipped around the corners. Diagrams and models were everywhere, surrounding Alfred and the other students with their exposed tendons and bones and muscles.

While there were many things to look at in the room, he, of course, opted to look out the window.

The Phys. Ed. class was outside, playing flag rugby. Alfred would have rathered to be out there than being stuck in an enclosed space. Like a classroom.

The class was too far from the biology room to watch the game, but he could still spot one person. Ivan Braginski.

He and Ivan had gone to school together for years, so they went way back. They'd been together through the crazy kid years, the awkward preteen years, and now, the shitty teenage years. It would make perfect sense to be friends considering how long they'd known each other, but in reality, Alfred couldn't be around him for more than a few minutes without going absolutely insane. Why? Alfred had no clue, but there was something about the other boy that made him either want to strangle him or... yeah, just strangle him.

Alfred watched as Ivan caught the ball and started to run with it. The guy was a giant, and though his usual jeans and baggy shirts made it look like he wasn't fit, his rugby uniform didn't. Ivan's thick thighs were on show thanks to the black shorts with crimson stripes. His strong calves were flexed as he ran. The guy was a tank, his huge chest and impressive guns made him look years older. The only thing childish about him was his face--Alfred had looked at it enough times to know every detail of it. The cold, lilac eyes that shone with a constant mischief. The full set of brows that couldn't be natural. The condescending smile he always wore when he was around Alfred. He had a rounder face, or so it seemed--his long, off white scarf always covered from his lips down.

He always wore it. Even now, during a Phys. Ed. class, the scarf was billowing behind him as he ran. He looked like a bull; a very tall, very strong bull. A childish bull. A bullshi--

''--Isn't that right, Mr. Jones?''

The voice broke Alfred from his trance, and his head snapped toward his teacher who was standing right in front of him. ''Umm, what?''

His teacher, Ms. Laea, looked down at him. She wasn't tall, but she wasn't short. Ms. Laea was a bigger woman, with short brown hair and an easy smile that showed all her teeth. Today she had a light brown and white flowy skirt with a white blouse tucked into it. As she looked, a joking glint shone in her eyes. Alfred had obviously missed her question--nearly her entire lesson--and she knew it.

''I said, 'the most important human system is the nervous system'. Do you agree?''

Alfred blinked. ''Oh yeah, of course!'' He grinned.

She smiled almost slyly. One thing you learned quickly about Ms. Laea was that she was very laid back, so much so that she was almost like another student. Just a bit more grown up. So when she gave Alfred that look, he knew immediately that he'd screwed up. ''Wrong. All the systems are equal. If one starts to fail, the entire body will be in trouble.''

The class laughed, and so did Alfred. He rubbed the back of his neck. ''Yeah, that makes more sense.''

Ms. Laea rolled her eyes, sighing. She walked away, deciding that this was a lost battle.