Legacy

The Strongest and Weakest - Part 1

Ark Galtro is a student in his second year of high school about to move on to his third, he is sixteen, 5'9, and weighs 340 pounds.

Antisocial and has almost no friends except for the two that then join him on the table.

Peter Guard and Carter Ford, his childhood friends, sit in front of him and get to their point right off the bat, knowing better than to beat around the bush with Ark.

"Ark, there's a party tonight, come with us."

"I refuse."

Fuck, Peter thought.

"Well, that's that." Carter gave up.

"Don't say that, don't give up just like that, here try it again, maybe I'll change my mind this time, go ahead... ask again." Ark said with an honest tone, but the message was clear as glass.

"Is he pitying us? He is isn't he?" Carter asked Peter, so Peter explained.

Glory Hill, the most popular senior was throwing what was getting known to be the biggest party the school had ever seen, and it was big enough that perhaps it would even convince Ark to go.

"Um, I don't know guys... I'm kind of busy today." Ark said as he scratched his head.

"Cut the shit Ark, you never have plans, you're as lazy as they come, the only thing holding back is yourself, listen, Carter and I have had it with your shit, you either come with us tonight, or we're done." Peter exclaimed.

"Chill dude, we're in the cafeteria." Ark warned as he looked back at the people looking his way. Peter and Carter were very beloved in the school, looking bad with them would give him a bad reputation and would attract people's attention, ruining his invisible presence in the school.

"But tell you what Peter, since we've been coming to this point for a long time now, how about we end it right here." Ark said, spreading his arms in a surrendering fashion.

"I'll go to the party with you and Carter, but... after the party, we'll still be done. How about it huh?" Ark said with a smile.

This was it, this was why despite them growing to be taller and physically bigger than him, Carter and Peter always felt small next to Ark; sitting there with his outstretched arms, Ark looked like a mountain. 

During this time the two most popular girls in the school came in through the cafeteria doors, Andromeda King and Naomi Khan.

Their renown being a cause of their sheer dominance in their respective occupations. Andromeda an MMA fighter and Naomi a basketball prodigy, they were the most wanted in the school, the most hated, the most talked about.

But infamous was he, who sat alone on a table where the two school queens were headed, Leon Krone, a high school junior same as the two girls walking towards him, with the difference that barely anyone knew anything about him.

Andromeda and Naomi however, were his childhood friends and enjoyed his company despite his shyness, as they knew he was a very attractive person when given the chance.

They too were there to invite him to go to the party with them, and knowing better than to disagree with them, Leon sighed in defeat and simply asked them what he should wear for the night.

The girl's giggles could be heard from where Ark and his soon-to-be-as-good-as-strangers friends were sitting. At their commotion the three turned, their conversation turning to gossip, something Ark wasn't exactly a fan of.

Peter and Carter, however, were well known throughout the school now, a clear contrast to their childhood, and were always up to date with the latest news.

Ark looked down at his hands, thinking about why he felt so damn lonely.

He wanted something, Ark's view was far wider than a career and stable occupation, he saw clear past teenage emotions and societal opinions.

He saw himself on top of the highest mountain, overlooking everything that held people down: regrets, worries, goals, love, friendship, feelings, facts, society. Ark wanted something, he wanted to do something, but being realistic and reasonable he kept his opinions to himself.

At the end of the day, he was still just another weakling like the ones around him, and he hated himself for it. Forcing his thoughts to stay dormant, he knew he was being foolish, who was he to challenge the very existence of what kept society in order?

He'd have to be a failure or a hypocrite, not being able to do something himself, he wanted to, but there was just something stopping him, he knew he could put in the work, change himself for the better, but something in the back of his mind... something.

The bell rang and everyone began to move, Leon liked getting to his class first, since he didn't have anybody apart from Andromeda and Naomi to talk to, and even then, he saw them more as responsibilities than actual friends.

Yes, they were childhood friends, but only because their mothers were friends and had forced the three to hang out when they were young. He knew that had that not been the case, they would never have been friends.

But they weren't people he actually thought about sharing his opinions with, they were popular and social, they gossiped and were always caught up with what was trending.

Not the type of people for him to talk about how he didn't want to follow in everybody's footsteps, not the type of people to understand that he had a burning feeling in his chest every time his parents mentioned going to college, they were not the type of people who would support him, without thinking he was crazy if he told them that he wanted to be more than just another person in the world.

Leon wanted more than to just become famous, he wanted more than to be rich, he wanted a purpose, a real purpose.

Everyone around him thought  they had one, they thought they knew everything they needed to know in life, but Leon knew, life wasn't about who the biggest most known person was, it wasn't about the drive to reach a goal, it wasn't even about raising your children so they live their life, no, he wanted to do something bigger than all that, but what could it be?

The question haunted his mind as he moved on: to reach his class, and away from the people who would never understand.

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Please leave a comment with your feedback! It would be greatly appreciated, and remember to vote, as that lets me know how you felt about the story! Also if you know anyone who is into sci-fi please recommend the story! P.S. It's the first chapter and I'm just trying to set up the characters a bit, so give the rest of the story a chance :)