Girl in the Red Cape

Chapter 1

        My summer wasn't the best you could say, but it wasn't bad either. It was filled with video games, books, movies and sometimes staying up late to surf the web, or just watch YouTube. Either way it was boring, and my parents didn't help.

They'd say stuff like, 'You need to go hang out with your friends! You need to go and find something to do, go play in the dirt, throw a rock at something or someone, go to a bar! Something!'

But the problem is whenever I wanted to go outside it would start raining.... I guess that's what you get for living in Seattle and being socially awkward. It's not that I don't like the rain, I just don't like having soiled shoes.

Anyway the bottom line was my summer was boring. B-O-R-I-N-G, like the rest of my life.

As usual I signed up for school around the middle of August. Mom and I walked into school during registration and found my locker, my schedual, classes and saw a few people at from school I hadn't seen sense the doors closed for this ratchet place.

My friend Matt would say, "Man! Dude, you got so much whiter!"

He'd just gotten so much tanner, and his hair a tint lighter, lucky duck has family members in Southern Cali and he visits them every summer.

Comes back looking like a greek God, with a six pack well defined, and crispy brown. He was tall too. Almost 6'5. Not fair. Wasn't popular, though. It might be that his forehead is just slightly big and teeth aren't alligned. He's said that his family is going to get him braces but, I don't think they ever will.

My other friend Ashton is another fairly intresting dude worked two jobs during the summer. Running a popcorn stand at the fairs, and as a life gaurd for the local pool.

He was a big fella, muscular yes, but half of him is Samoan and the other half is Tahitian. He had the typical accent for living in Samoa most of his life, moved here in seventh grade. He's super laid back and chill and was the one friend I really saw during the summer.

"Aye, man! How've you been, brahda?" He'd say and give me a huge hug that consisted of me not touching the ground and almost popping my hips and back out of place.

"Hey guys." I reply. I was shorter than both of them. I litterally came to Ashton's chin. He was 6'3, I am 5'10. Short in my sense of being short, but for an 11th grader not bad.

I was also kind of chubby. Not fat, but I had love handles, my stomache jiggled, and my arms weren't defined in muscle like Matt.

My hair was this thick mess that would frizz out if I didn't keep it neat, I looked something like Einstien I guess. My eyes a mossy green, my skin a gross cream white, and my head, fairly normal shaped.

"So... what did you do this summer?" Matt would ask me.

"Oh, you know...The usual." I'd say.

"Oh, man! I went to my cousin's house in Arizona, and caught a few lizards. I brought one home and named it Naddie." Ashton said.

"That's so cool, bro!" Matt gleamed.

"Yeah, cool." I commented.

"What did you do Matt my brahda?"

"I went to Cali, again. Picked up a few chicks. Got my first hicky by one of them, and as usual, had a good time with my family." He said. We all nodded and that's when our moms took us away to go home.

Two days later school started. My first class was English. I walked in and on the board projector there was a seating chart with all our faces. I found mine after my eye went straight to question marked profile picture type thing that was right next to my own. In the back, as usual. That's how I like it though. I went and sat down.

A few moments later, the chair next to me was still empty.

Mr. Mcfarland took role and came to a name that was new to all of us.

"Hobbson Radmark?" Mr. Mcfarland said. Everyone looked around. Except me. I knew who it was. It was the person who was suplose to fill in that seat. A thousand thoughts ran through my head.

'A new person. A new friend? A new start. I could totally let him join my group. Hobbson... Sounds like a pretty chill name.'

I already knew Ashton would nick namd him Rad-for his last name and Matt would call him Hobs. I'd probbly switch off every so offten and name him both. Hobs in my phone contact with some cool alien emoji. It would be awesome. I hope he likes Warcraft, Game of Thrones, or...

Oh, God...

He better like The Walking Dead.

He better freaking love The Walking Dead.

TWD is why I live.

I live to watch the Dead walk!

Ashton and Matt like it but they don't understand my love and obbsession with it.

All these thoughts ran through my head quickly as I tried to imagine what he looked like.

Probably has blonde hair, blue eyes  behind thick glasses. Maybe a bit nerdy and loves math.

Or maybe he had really dark skin like Ashton, with thick hair and dark eyes that make you scared the moment you make eye contact with him.

In most of my classes Hobbson's name came up in it. In gym, science, art, drama, but he wasn't in two of my classes. Study hall, and History. Maybe he just had them switched around. That happened to Matt and myself in seventh grade, and it turned out Ashton was in those classes with us.

At the end of the day I got in my car and drove home. Mom was cleaning the kitchen, this time deep cleaning and reorganizing. It was an all day affair and would most likely happen when school started back up. I don't know why she chose to clean the kitchen out of any other room in the house.

"How was school?" She asked from under the kitchen sink. I could hear her scrubbing and smell the bleach on the floor.

"Good." I said.

"Don't come in here, I just mopped the floor." She said giving me a look I couldn't see but had the rest of her face contorted to a double chin.

"Okay." I said and took my shoes off and sat on the counter closest to me.

"Really, how was it?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Okay." She said and sat up.

"There is a new kid in my English, Science, Art, and a few other classes, I can't remember." I said looking at mom. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"He sits right next to me."

"What's his name?"

"Hobbson Doninique Radmark." I said. Her eyes went big.

"What's he like?" She asked.

"Oh. I don't know. He wasn't there today."

"How do you know his middle name?"

"Mr. Dawson says everyone's middle name. Mostly if they're in trouble."

"Oh... So he calls you Charles Logan Smith?"

"Yeah... Charlie sometimes." I said. I know, I know, my parents named me after X-men characters. What can I say? I was born on the day the flippin movie came out, like, right after my mother saw the movie, her water broke. Now, I don't know why she didn't just name me after the director, but.... I guess it's pretty sick. Personally I wish I was named after Heath Ledger. Now he was a legend. Either way, my name is and always will be Charles L. Smith.  My friends call me Charlie for short though.

"Well, tonight we might have chinese. Depends on your father's mood." She said, getting up and washing her hands. She then came over and sat on the counter with me.

"Okay. I really don't care what we have."

"Okay, good, cause I'm craving Chinese!" She said grabbing my hand and clasping it.

We sat in silence and we both breathed in and out quietly in the still room.