Street Youth Rising ~Septiplier~

Perfect With Problems

--Mark--

We bolted in as soon as we got to the school. Lunch was just ending, like Jack had told me, so we'd made incredible time; especially since we'd been halfway across town and back in the midst of our thirty minute lunch break. Just as Jack had said, thirty minute mission. I was impressed at his timing skills and at the fact that we had gone a good distance in such a short time.

Our feet padded down the halls as we kept our heads down, rushing down the long hallways. People stared at us and whispered. I couldn't say I blamed them. I'm pretty sure the shy guy and the rebel running on the same train tracks wasn't something people often saw. I guess when they did see it, word spread like wildfire.

Oh well, what could I say?

My breathing was heavy as we went into the boys bathroom, pretending to wash up after lunch. We were the only ones left in there as a few guys walked out, chuckling something under their breaths about a dick joke. The regular immature kids my age, that was all they were.

I slowed my breathing and splashed my face with water. Jack washed his hands. His breathing didn't even falter as he looked over at me. He apparently had great stamina (either that or mine sucked) and he more than likely did this a lot.

"That was impressive." I admitted to Jack. He had successfully calculated the time it would take to go across town and back. Then he made it happen... On a skateboard!

"There's a lot more where that came from." He says, smiling at me. However, it was the next line that chilled my blood as his smile quickly turned into a smirk.

"That was just your initiation." He says, leaning against the wall beside my sink.

"Initiation?" I squeak in surprise.

He turns and looks at me, his shoulder pressed against the wall and his legs casually overlapping as he crossed them and faced me.

"Yes. An initiation. Just to see if you would go through with the whole thing. To see if you would actually trust me enough to escape from here only for a short while." He says, a smirk playing on his lips as I looked at him in astonishment.

His hair was slightly unruly yet perfectly fixed by water, toning down what used to be a light frizz. It made him look tough and more rebellious than he already was. His smirk made him almost look evil and his eyes glimmered with mischief as he continued.

"See, that was nothing compared to what I normally do. That was a small step to me, a big step to you. I'm going easy on you. That's just a little taste of what else could be in store for this year if you decide you want to run with me. Think about it." He said, casually stuffing his hands into his pockets and sauntering out of the bathroom.

I stared into the open space where Jack stood only moments before. That felt like a scene from a movie. A paragraph of a book. Everything about him in that moment was perfect. As if he'd planned that whole thing. Not a hair was out of place. Not a glance was out of order. Not a word was misspoken. It was all perfect. He made it perfect. Wait, what am I saying?

I snapped back into reality when the warning bell rang. I quickly bolted down the hall to my next class before the late bell and sighed in relief when I flopped down in my seat, ready to begin my science class.

•••

I walked through the door to my small house. The smell of beer hit me like a slap in the face and all I could think is 'oh no' as I quickly, yet quietly, sneak past the living room to the stairs. My dad was asleep on the couch, holding a beer bottle. Go figure. I softly walked up to my room and slip in, silently shutting the door to get away from the drunken man on the couch.