Zane
The rest of my shift went on smoothly. No naggy customers, or very demanding ones. I cleaned the last table of the day and said goodbye to André and then left. It was a little chilly outside so my jacket hugged me closer.
Whiffs of mom's cooking hit me right as I walked inside the house. Her food always smelled heavenly.
We ate in silence, which was common. My sister talked a little about what she did at school, but other than that no one talked. The clanking of spoons and plates was the dominant conversation.
I liked silent dinners. My family was all around me and I was comfortable sitting with them, without worrying about having to keep a conversation going.
After dinner I excused myself to my bedroom and shut the door. I was really tired and couldn't wait to place my head on the pillow.
I was out in seconds.
--
Have you ever hated something so bad that you didn't want anything to associate you with it in any sorts? Like, you didn't want anything to do with it but you were obliged to deal with it every single day? I hated my alarm.
I hated a lot of things in life, but the alarm had a special place.
Why did school have to start so early? 6:30 am was not a healthy time to wake up at, just saying. But I did wake up eventually. Eventually.
So I missed breakfast, big deal.
I went through my morning routine quicker than ever, but still didn't end up with enough time to eat.
I arrived to school minutes before the first bell.
As I was getting off the bus, I saw a car enter the parking lot. Out of it stepped Gavin and one of his friends, Davis. I looked a little beyond Gavin's fancy car and my face brightened up upon seeing André biking his way towards the bicycle rack locks. He was too pure for this world.
The day passed on, class after class, until the last bell of the day rang announcing that we're free to leave the prison. I was about to reach the exit doors when I was yanked by my arm.
"Where do you think you're going?" André asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Home?" I answered with an obvious look.
"Oh no, no, no," he dragged me backwards, "You said you'll watch the game with me." Oh, shit. I forgot about the game. I thought he'd forget about it when it was its time, but I wasn't lucky enough.
"Is it today?" I asked, acting dumb, which I technically was, because why the hell did I promise him I'd watch a football game with him when I know nothing about football except for it being dudes chasing a ball?
He peered at me with a look that could melt rocks, and then I remembered that that's the look he used to get me to agree on attending the game.
"Ugh, fine. I'll watch the game with you." I didn't have the time to finish what I was saying before he was dragging me to the football field.
"We need to find good seats, hurry!" André yelled. He loved football way too much.
"It's not like it's the World Cup. Watch the stadium, if we can call it that, be half empty."
"You're no fun whatsoever." He grumbled as we reached the field located behind the school building.
Like I said, the bleachers were not even close to being half-full. I was going to be watching my first ever school football game after all, and I was not merely excited.
--
The rival team was in one corner of the field, standing in a circle with their coach gesturing with his hands furiously, while our team was still in the locker rooms.
André was so enthusiastic about the game that he couldn't sit still. I was so into the game to the point where I had a sketch pad resting on my knees and I was sketching aimlessly. The crowd started cheering wildly, so I knew that our team had gone out to the field. I looked up and saw them. They were wearing our school colors, blue, gold, and white. Go Blue Cats!
The team was looking at the crowd excitedly, which was now twice the number. My vision set on Gavin. He was scanning the attendees one by one. It seemed like he was looking for someone. He kept looking through them until he settled on me and I could've sworn he became flustered. I was able to see his face from my position and he definitely had a blush for a few seconds, then he looked away quickly.
What was that all about?
I looked behind me, wondering if he was possibly looking at someone sitting a little higher. Indeed, there were three girls who looked like they're gonna drool any second.
My innocent mind shrugged it off and my innocent hand continued doodling, which was starting to look like an alien dog.
The whistle announced the start of the game and the Away team scored three minutes into it. I didn't know much about sports, but that definitely meant that they were good. Rivertown High and Eastmill Secondary were fierce rivals. No wonder the game was hyped as hell; First game of the season, with the biggest competitors against each other.
My vision switched between my sketchpad and the field. That was until Gavin got all sweaty and his attire stuck to his skin. I knew he was a really horrible person, and he bullied me on several occasions, but that didn't mean I didn't get to appreciate a very hot body. He glanced in my direction a few times as if to make sure that I was watching the game. I thought about testing the hypothesis so I told André to keep an eye on Gavin's behaviour while I stopped watching the game all together.
I was drawing pointlessly when I heard the whistle blowing and the crowd yelling in resentment. My eyes shot up to see Gavin on the floor.
"What happened!?" I asked a standing André with his hands in his hair and muttering curses.
"He wasn't paying attention and ended up being tackled from behind." André said after sitting down, along with the rest of the crowd.
"Oh my God. I'm horrible." I said involuntarily.
"What? It's not like it's your fault." Was it really not? My theory could be false but it seemed legit. Well, I hoped he wasn't too hurt. Even though he'd hurt me before, I just couldn't wish something bad at anyone.
Fortunately, Gavin was back on his feet in a couple minutes and they gained the kick that they get when they're hurt in the white square thing.
"André what's the kick called?"
"I swear Zane you're a disgrace to sports. It's a penalty kick!" Right, that.
The crowd roared as Gavin scored that kick and they were now tied 1-1. He was hugged and piled by the rest of the team. They played well, even his dysfunctional friends from the café yesterday were good.
Towards the end of the game, the Blue Cats scored again and it was 2-1 with about 5 minutes left. Thank God for that (the 5 minutes). I couldn't watch anymore. It was just too boring and repetitive.
The cheering got louder as they won, and we were finally free to leave.
We went down the bleachers and we were near the field. The players were getting congratulations from enthusiasts and it was quite a mess.
André wanted to say "hi" to them but he backed down when he saw my glare. I could swear he worshipped them for some reason. They were students like us. Just because they had better athletic abilities and maintained high grades didn't mean they were superior.
We turned to head to the exit door when I heard a "Hey wait!" from a voice that was familiar. What the fuck?
"Hey, did you enjoy the game?" Gavin asked with a hitched breath.
"Yes mate! You were all incredible! And way to go on that penalty kick!" André blurted the words out so fast. For a second there, I thought he wanted my opinion. It made sense that he was talking to André. He liked football and had the school spirit.
"Thanks! I appreciate the compliment. And you Zane?" Oh. So he did want my opinion.
"Yeah, 'twas good." I said. He nodded slightly and turned back to his teammates.
"What was that about?" André asked.
"EXACTLY!" I yelled. "Ugh. Can we go home already?"
--
The next day, everything was the same. Same boring classes, same boring teachers, same annoying Gavin. But it was good. I liked boring. Better than chaotic, I guess.
I've always managed to keep my cool, and control my temper, but when Art class started and I found my painting ruined, I became more furious than I've ever been. I could literally feel anger surging through my face and chest.
Who the hell would do that!? Why the hell would someone do that? They've written "Fag" in red all over my canvas. I looked around at my classmates who all seemed busy with their projects. They either pretended they were too busy, or no one dared to look. However, one thing caught my attention:
Gavin had red paint residues on his sleeve.
"YOU FUCKING DID THIS!" I screamed abruptly and ran over and lunged forward, knocking him to the ground and clutching his shirt by its collar. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID SUCH THING!"
"What!? I didn't do anything!" He yelled defensively and he even looked scared. I didn't manage to do anything else as I was forcibly dragged away from him by the teacher and two other students.
"Zane, Gavin, to the principal's office right now!" the teacher screamed and we both stormed out of class.
He was so dead.
A/N: Hello, thanks for reading. Vote and comment I'm thirsty for attention. More soon x.