The Difference

Chapter 1

Levy

   The alarm buzzed over and over again. I suppressed a groan as I reached over and slapped the snooze button without looking at what I was doing. These morning lacrosse practices were death served up on a silver platter. I laid in bed for a few more minutes, wishing I could sleep in past 5 in the morning. I thought Mondays couldn't get worse, but here we are. Finally, I gathered my strength and pushed myself out of bed. I threw on my practice clothes, brushed my teeth, tied my shoes, and hit the button to turn off the snooze alarmist before I walked out the door. The grass is damp and by the time I reach my truck, my shoes are damp and my fingers are stiff from the cold. California doesn't ever actually get cold, but February mornings are damp and it's much colder than I'm used to. I climb in my truck, shove the key in the ignition, and it roars to life. I twist the knob to get the heat going and roll out onto the street, driving the few miles between me and the school very quickly with no other cars on the road.

Southview just your typical small town. Well, small for Las Angeles. It's a mixed bag of apartment buildings, horse properties, condos, houses, and Garden Hills Estates, or just the Hills. My truck was just heating up as I reached the only high school in town. I was a few minutes early, so I just sat there, willing the heat to absorb into my body. The dew from my shoes had given the air inside a warm, humid feeling. I loved when it rained — though it rarely did — because I could escape to my truck after school, crank the heater, and watch the windows fog up slightly. Also sometimes that meant practice was canceled. My eyes snapped open. I hadn't realized I had begun to drift off to the memory of the mesmerizing sound of rain. I turned the key, and opened the door, feeling the cold seep into my bones. This was the beginning of a long day.

"Levitt, let's go!" Coach Keys yells as I jog up to where everyone else is beginning to warm up.

"Sorry, Coach. I fell asleep in the car." Keys laughs. He likes to pretend he's hard on us, but because he's so young, he's really just another one of the guys.

I pull my right arm across my body, holding it with my left. The pull on the muscles hurts but in a good way. "Henderson's assigning a group project in Chem today." I jump.

"How do you move so quietly?" I grumbled. My best friend, Darrin, just laughed. Another group project? I moaned to myself. I hate them with a passion. My schedule is insane with practice and other homework. It's impossible to find a time when everyone in the group is free to meet up and work on it. Also, there's the problem of other people not contributing as much as they should...

"Listen up, boys," Keys gets our attention when everyone is finished stretching and warming up. "We have a big game tomorrow, so take it easy today. You've got three miles, then you're free." The team lets out a collective groan. We always have to run absurd distances before games. Coach doesn't want us doing any hard workouts or drills to keep us from being sore or injured before a game, so running it is.

I jogged my laps as fast as my body would allow me to travel for that long, then hit the shower. The warm water was a relief and helped loosen the unwarranted tension in my shoulders. I got out, dried off, got dressed for the day in jeans, a Southview Lacrosse t-shirt, and a Burton hoodie. I shook all the water out of my hair the best I could, grabbed my bag, and left the locker rooms, heading for my first-period class. The first bell had just rung by the time I took my seat, so I pulled out my phone as I waited. I saw text with the newest weather report from the nearest ski and snowboarding resort and sighed with longing. Five inches of fresh snow with more expected today and tomorrow. There was no way I'd be able to go snowboarding, with tomorrow's game, my regular homework, and this new group project that was being assigned.

My train of thought was in the middle of thinking through the details of how group projects are exactly like a miniature form of Communism when the bell rang. The room had filled around me while I brooded. I did my best to fix my face into something that looked less threatening. I was a happy person in general, but I got really deep into my thinking and I'd forget I was in public. Never one to waste a moment, Mrs. Hinderson was talking before the bell was even finished.