American Assassins

Chapter 13: Ronnie

                “Yah, I guess you could say pretty well, although my favorite part of the day is watching real doctors and nurses work on injured patients.”  She explains.

                I nod in, “Cool.  I like the part of the day when I have to train with Saige and Ivan.  Saige is wicked with a sword. I can hardly keep up sometimes.”

                “I thought your favorite weapon was a sword?”  She asks.                                                                          

                “It is but Saige is been using it for longer than I have. Although she is liking the whip a little more often these days.” 

                “Yah and probably can beat you with that too.”  I smile as Saige takes a seat next to me on the other side.  Her used to be long hair, is now cut to shoulder length.  It makes her look older.  I wish it didn’t.  I wish we were all still young. 

                “Fine, when we get home, I challenge you to a fight.  You have the whip I get the sword.”  I say putting a hand out.  She grins and takes it the challenge. 

                “Man, you and your sister as a stubborn and as confident as Luka once was.”  She says leaning back crossing her arms.  My smile fades.  Luka was one of the greatest apprentices of all time. 

                “Kimberley is more like Luka.”  I admit.  Saige turns her eyes upward and shrugs, “Maybe, but you’re a lot like her sister.  I could never remember her name.”

                “I guess so,” I say, “but still.”  I plop some more food in my mouth.  Suddenly the speaker goes off. 

                “For all students riding bus number three, please make your way to the pickup spot, thank you.”  The speaker makes a static sound as the person talking hangs up the micro phone.  I look at Saige and Danni then wipe my mouth with a napkin before throwing the rest of my food away. 

                “We better get going.”  I sigh. 

                “But I haven’t finished my bagel yet,” Saige complains.  I grab her wrist while swinging my backpack strap around my shoulder.  “Eat on the bus.”  I say not wanting an answer.  I pull her right out of her seat as she stumbles grabbing her backpack.  I pull her outside as we wait for the bus to pull up.  Danni comes up next to us.

                I see Ivan talking to his friends, probably something about Gores and Guardians.  It’s a mythological game on the computer that he and his buddies play.  Blake and Jason even play it.  I even seen Kimberley try to play it once, but I don’t see her play it anymore.    

                “You’re so lucky you have a family.”  Danni says.  “I wish I could see my cousins again.”  He face is sad and sullen.  I grin and I know it’s hard for her, heck it’s hard for mostly everyone around here, but for some reason I was one of the lucky ones and got to have my family with me.  And I thank God with all my heart for that.

                As the bus pulls up, kids start to pile on.  Then I spot Cooper.  He meets up with Ivan as he is walking up to the bus’s door.  I’ve trained with him sometimes, I beat him every time of course.  He’s not the best sword fighter, but with a gun, he could hit any target.  Cooper isn’t a close friend, but I trust him.

                “Hey, Ronnie,” Saige waves her hand in front of my face waking me up from my daze.                  

                “Wh- oh sorry, I was thinking.”  I say walking onto the bus with my head down.  Saige looks around and finds her friend Brenda.  She doesn’t hesitate to sit with her. 

                “Hey,” I hear someone call from the back.  I look up and she my friend Lacy standing up and waving me over.  I smile and move to her seat and sit down next to her. 

                “What’s up,” I say sitting next to her.  She has brown, pin straight hair down to her shoulders.  She has green eyes and is very thin.  She is pretty, I can’t lie. 

                She is wearing a long sleeved, gray shirt with blue jeans. She also had on an orange sweatshirt and sneakers. “Nothing much, just another stinking’ day of school.”  She sighs resting her head on her hand. “I wish they would give us a vacation soon.  I really need a vacation!”  She growls. 

                “Same,” I agree but not the kind of vacation she thinks.  I need an actual vacation, away from training, school and, practically my whole life.  People here don’t know how hard it is to be an outcast.  They don’t realize how lucky they have it.  They all get to go home and get to do whatever they want.  I have to go home finish my homework by four thirty then head down to the training area with Logan and Kimberley.  We train until six then have dinner.  Then we either go back to training area or somewhere else he would like to take us. 

                So when people say ‘oh my life is so complicated, I have to do this, this and this, and then I have to do blah blah blah,’ I just think to myself ‘wanna trade.’ 

                I practically listen to Lacy the whole way to school.   I just nod or say things like, “yah” or “I know right” to her slide comments she makes, but that’s all.  I look over in the isle to see Danni sitting with her friend Benny.  I think she likes him but I can’t really tell.  It’s hard to tell when someone likes you.  I hope someday someone will like me.  I look over and see Cooper and grin to myself, maybe one day.