Dad left mom when I was young and I saw everything happen in front of me. By then, she started to raise me on her own. It was a tough thing for me to grow up with only one parent. I compared myself with other children and envied them for having a good father. My mom did a great job raising a kid like me. I think she was happy despite having a troublemaker as her son. Seeing me happy made her happy as well.
My mom and I got along as if we were siblings but the past few years, I did not open up to her that much because nothing new happened. Everyday was just the same story for me. I woke up and went to school, slept in class, hung out with friends, went home to watch TV or talk to mom a bit, then went back to sleep in the end. It was exciting, huh? But that was not the only reason why. Like most kids, we start to keep things from our parents. Mom couldn’t do anything about that.
We are influenced by the people around us and start to compare ourselves with our friends. I became curious with life and somehow, I began to adapt and I just changed my way of life. By the time I realized that my friends were losers who played cops and robbers at the age of twelve and wouldn’t mature, I left them and found myself around normal kids. My mom would often ask how they were doing and I’d answer her with a single word. By thirteen, I was spending more time outside after class. I would go home late and my mom wouldn’t know since she got home an hour later.
Part of puberty, my interests also began to change. From playing toys and games, I started sleeping a lot and doing nothing. My grades gradually decreased each year. I had been suspended many times for cutting class and for fighting. So I was not sure if I could make another year in our school.
I finished my food and said goodbye to mom. She also gave me my lunch and some money. I started walking to school. My school was just nearby and it only took me fifteen minutes to get there.
This city is Northlake, Illinois, the city where I spent my whole life. I was born here and I noticed the changes that occur. This was only a town with a few people before. Little by little, the town changed. Factories, shopping centers, and more buildings have been added, until the time that this town was declared as a city. Countless trees have been removed and replaced with townhouses and condominiums. Now, There are only a few farms. I wasn’t positive whether I could call it a development or a regression.
On my way, I encountered strangers and stared at them fiercely in their eyes. I wanted to see if they would turn away from fear. If they didn’t mind me, I watched what they were doing and I found it senseless.
I made it just in time for school. As I was just about to check my name in the class lists, there was a huge crowd. I forced my self into the crowd and looked for my name in the list. I belonged in class E. I didn’t bother to check who my classmates were because it’s somewhat pointless. I immediately headed to my classroom, which was in the third floor. As soon as I got in, I found a seat beside the window in the backmost part of the room. I didn’t look around me, instead I walked straight and took the seat. While waiting for the teacher. I crossed my arms on the top of the desk and rested my head. I quickly fell asleep.
“Hey Dale!” An irritating voice called while tapping my shoulder.
“Go away.” I whispered half asleep.
“Dale!”
“Go away.” I repeated. And again, after a few seconds, someone tapped my shoulder. I ignored him until I got really pissed because he wouldn’t stop. I quickly stood up and yelled, “Can you please s-“it was the teacher who was in front of me and he seemed really surprised. He was the one tapping me and my best friend Zein who was beside me was surely the one who kept calling my name.
“What were you saying?” The male teacher asked. The teacher was kinda young, maybe in his early to mid twenties. Zein was trying to hold his laugh. He probably had an idea that it would happen.
CHAPTER ONE
Start from the beginning
