Good Times Never Last

Chapter One ~Connor~

The noise was continuous and monotonous as the teacher's shrill voice droned on. Rain trickled down the window slowly as the gloomy atmosphere just fell over the school. It wasn't a good day, after all. It was rarely ever a good day.

It was dark outside, even if it was midday. The clouds covered the sun and they were all dark, almost as if it was about to storm. There was a treeline that Connor could see in the distance that belonged to the orchard. He could remember going there almost every day when he was little and playing with his sister. The apples still grew there on the trees, Connor knew that. He'd been there recently. For a reason, he wasn't quite proud of since he didn't succeed in his attempt, but he saw the apples and the blooming flowers on the trees. Usually, the ones that indicated the beginning of spring.

    Of course, though, Connor tried to keep that out of his mind. There used to be good days such as that, where everything was fun and happy. Now there were just bad days where he fought with his parents, sister, or some kid at school. That's how Connor saw it. Every day was a bloodbath in Connor's life. His parents were assholes (in his mind), his sister was a complete bitch who didn't like him at all, and everybody treated him like shit. As if he was the scum of the earth. Although, Connor had gotten used to the insults, whispers, and weird looks.

    His slender finger tapped on the top of the desk. It was his first day back at school in three weeks. He'd been forced out of the house, forced to get a haircut and to spend more time with his therapist and family. Not to mention some kid he'd never met in his life. Their parents were family friends, but they had only just met. And they were nothing alike.

    Connor looked out the window, a soft breath passing by his lips as his eyes narrowed. He was used to his long hair falling into his eyes as he tried to space out or work on homework. Although, now his hair was short and just sticking out every which way. It was normal and Connor absolutely hated it. He hated normal.

Which was why Connor hated sports. Sports were normal for a lot of people to like. At least, the preppy kids liked sports. He didn't like movies or having short hair as a guy. The mere thought of not being the oddball or the freak was just odd and Connor hated it.

And Connor hated being different as well. Connor hated being called a school shooter and a freak by his peers. He hated knowing that everyone around him despised him just by a single glance. The fact that his only "friend" was forced to hang around with him didn't make shit better at all.

Right, his friend. This kid couldn't seem to care less what people thought about him. The guy was different and he basically allowed himself to drown out the insults, stares, snickers, and rumors about him. Michael was the freak in Connor's mind. A freak was someone who was weird. Who acted different from everyone else and didn't care that he did.

And that's exactly how his friend was. The kid would just dance around the halls screaming Bob Marley music all the time. He wore a hoodie that made it so he literally wore his weirdness on his sleeve. So that everybody could know just how different he was. Connor was almost sure the guy never even tried around Connor or his other friend.

Michael was a freak.

Although, was he really? He was a kid living his life the way he wanted to. Michael didn't give a damn, as he phrased it himself, what people thought of him. Michael was a loner, stoner, and a loser. And he loved it. Connor admired him for that, even if the kid was younger than him.

Connor was the freak and he knew it. He couldn't even go a day without trying to pick a fight with somebody. Hell, he'd punched Michael one day because Michael just said something about... god, he couldn't even remember. It was just that annoying ass voice that would never shut up. Just droning on and on about-