EVERLASTING

CHAPTER 1: YES SIR.

 "Wake up!" Gale yelled as he hit his friend repeatedly with his hands

   " I don't want to, now can you please do me a favor and fuck off you little piece of shit." Zachariah said annoyed by Gale's attempt to wake him from his slumber.

   "No, I won't and don't you speak to me like that ever again. It's been over a week and you have barely left this bed. If you don't get your shit together you're gonna fail the finals."

  "You sound like my father. Now FUCK OFF."

   "Fine, do whatever you want but when you finally get back to your senses don't say I didn't try". He got up and stormed off with his pointy elbows going every which way.

   Gale was Zach's best friend  or atleast something close to it. Gale was the only one willing to treat him like any other guy. All the other pupils at Ridgewood high school would look at Zachariah with pity or with disgust but all had many questions. Many questions Zachariah didn't feel obliged to answer.
  
"Hey look if it isn't the lazy self entitled son of a bitch!" Daniel exclaimed with clear distaste for Zach.

   "You're not funny Daniel. Leave me alone, I'm sick."

   "I know. You've been saying that shit for over a week and you might have the teachers fooled but I know that you're just pretending. I know that you're really just a lazy little bitch that doesn't want to learn."

   Daniel was one of many boys at Ridgewood that despised Zachariah for reasons like his very existence. He was unlike Zach highly motivated and self righteous. He was also Zach's annoying roommate.

   "If you don't leave me alone I will tell the house master that you accused me of faking my illness".

   "Forgive me for this but what exactly is your 'illness' called" he uttered sarcastically

   "It's called none of your business syndrome and it's really none of your business now leave". Zach said annoyed once more by the presence of a life form other than himself.

   "I thought so". He knelt down and poked zach with his index finger and walked away to his bed space. Zach did nothing in retaliation of course because fighting him wasn't worth it. Zach was going to  lose, he was half Daniel's size plus he starved himself for days having a meal or less a day and was even weaker than his usual self.

   This was a wake up call. Zach realized he had to cut the bullshit and get out of bed. Staying in the dormitories wasn't doing him any good because at any given moment any one of the members of the Zachariah hate club could get bored and decide to eat him alive. Besides he was behind on school work and even with an excellent gpa he still needed to attend class to keep the sponsorship.

   He got up and made his way to the showers. He had to be quick because class would end in less than an hour and he wasn't about to be the one dude walking out of the showers mid-day. The water was cold in the public showers. He washed every inch of his body, it felt weird considering he hadn't showered in over a week due to his supposed illness...he was faking it.

   All the boys flooded back into the dormitories as they rushed to leave thier textbooks behind and make it to the cafeteria for lunch before the que got too long to bear. Luckily for Zachariah he was done twenty minutes before the bell.

He sat patiently awaiting Gale as he was sure he was going to pass by and lecture him on how he needed real food and not the cookies he was surviving on. Gale was right.

  Gale entered the room sluggishly, he had no more energy to swing his pointy elbows north, east, south and west.

   "Oh wow, if it isn't his majesty the prince Zachariah back from the ruins of perdition". He said sarcastically

   "Ha ha, joke all you want. I'm feeling better now so if you're going to the cafeteria I suggest you make those chicken legs of yours useful and go get ready".  He did so without hesitation. Hunger does that to people.

   When they got to the cafeteria they found themselves in an unflattering predicament. They were about two hundred pupils late.

   "Come on let's get in line"  Zach said as he let out a sigh.

   "Back there? You must be kidding. We're eleventh graders we don't have to go all the way back there. Let's just cut in line".

   "No, that wouldn't be right and you know it. All these kids are just as hungry as we are, what kind of lesson would we be teaching them if we just cut in line?".

   " Oh my the Zachariah is all of a sudden concerned with equality? Let's just go it's not like we're killing anyone. Besides we've got twice as much homework and three times the stress of these younger grades so we would be dumb to wait." Gale said in a tone Zachariah found unsettling but what the heck all the others did it why couldn't he?

   They both made their way down the que and Gale cut first and Zachariah followed. The chefs served a few kids and then Gale. Zachariah stepped forward and placed his plate on the table when all of a sudden the chef threw it back.

   "Did you think you could just skip ahead of everyone else and just get served?" The chef asked annoyingly. "I've informed the principal of your behavior and he wishes to see you."

   Zachariah walked out of the cafeteria in utter silence and with a wounded ego. Everyone including Gale watched as he left and as soon as he did they all began to murmur.

   "Come in Zachariah or should I say Zach?." The principal was a fat caucasian man. He had no hair on the top of his head and was in his late middle ages. He sat comfortably on a chair behind a wooden desk. He was going through papers when Zachariah walked in on command.

   "The chef told me you wanted to see me." Zachariah said as he st down on the chair opposite to the principal.

   "Well yes. Mr Walter told me that you thought it was okay to cut in line."

   "Well every other eleventh grader did and I don't see any of them in your office."

   "Are you implying that Mr Walter is being unfair by sending you here?"

   "Well yes I am implying just that." Zachariah said as he proceeded to fold his arms angrily, a gesture the principal didn't seem to appreciate.

   "Those are bold allegations Zachariah. Now let me make something clear to you. You do not cut in lines or do anything outside of the school's rules because you simply cannot afford to." He leaned forward and looked zach dead in the eyes and said,"You do not deserve anymore than anyone else at this establishment and therefore you shall have nothing more. You will clean the cafeteria by yourself and you will apologize to Mr Walter for inconveniencing his cafeteria. Let me also inform you that this shall be considered your first strike. As per the agreement with your organization you have three strikes before you can be expelled from this establishment and I intend on upholding that to the letter. Now go on and clean the cafeteria understood?"

   With a tense and angry voice zach managed to let out a "yes sir." Before heading to the cafeteria where he began his punishment.