uh chapter of my book (DRAFT)
Chapter 1: “Suffering Is My Everyday.”
-Ollie Pineoak
It’s currently 6:00am, I’ve been lying on my bedroom floor for 4 hours straight. In those hours, I stared at the ceiling. I refuse to relax on my bed then go to sleep because there’s a big art project I’m doing for no reason, holding my bed hostage. The first thing I’m always greeted in the mornings is the mess on my floor. I don’t mind it though. I glance at my sketchbook, sticking out of the clutter in my room. Buried beneath old drawings, crumpled homework assignments, old newspapers, and a broken machine that looks like a suitcase I found in dad’s old stuff. I don’t really care about it, so it's just there, collecting more dust than before. My dad died 10 days after I was born, but even though I never met him, I still feel connected to him. My mom says she doesn’t know the reason why he died and how, because she was still in the hospital with me and dad had a thing to attend to at his job. So I’m just gonna assume he died in a car crash like in those movies.
I stand up to stretch, then look at myself in the mirror. My messy and shaggy blonde hair is a disaster as ever. My tall body being skinny as a fucking stick. My ribs poked through a tiny bit. Then the bags under my eyes, telling people two messages: (1) I haven’t slept since 1880, and (2) Get the fuck away from me.
When I hear my mom, Millie’s footsteps coming up to my room, I immediately get ready. I take off and throw my crusty boxers, then I put on new ones. After that I continue to put on my sweater, jacket, shorts, then my dirty socks I reuse since our laundry machine isn’t working. Swiftly, I grab my scattered school notebooks—I think I accidentally picked up some newspapers, stuff them into my bag, zip it up, and put it on my back. “Ollie? Are you awake?” my mom questioned, sticking her head into my room. “Obviously,” I said flatly, as I exited and walked downstairs to get a piece of white bread.
But of course, Officer Charlie, mom’s new boyfriend, already packed my breakfast, snack, and lunch. Officer Charlie is a bit strange (well in my opinion). Take his hate for donuts and love for chicken nuggets…now that’s a red flag right there. Seriously though, what kind of cop says “Donuts are too sweet.” Anyways, before he can say anything to me, I dash, snatch white bread, and run.
Once I close the door and exit my house, I see Dexter Spring. Dexter is also 13 years old, but for some reason, he decides to make a little business where he goes around the village and trims people’s plants for money. Especially my plants since he has a crush on me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy, and I’m not straight (I’m actually bi), it’s just that he’s utterly annoying. So if you ask me if I’ll date him anytime soon, I’ll answer with “not in a million years.”
“Oh, hi Ollie!” He says with his normal cheerful demeanor that makes me want to shove him or myself into the nearest garbage can. “Hi there, Dex.” I say, sarcastically. “I’m heading to school” I tell him, without hesitation. “But school doesn’t start until an hour from now” Dexter says, confused. What a dumbass, doesn’t he already know I like to come to school early? Well whatever, I’ve got bigger fish to fry.
I finally arrived at Lakeside Middle School. I take in the “beautiful” scenery of trash on the roof and ripped banners all over the gloomy and dusty school. I gotta say, if it’s a shitty school, then it has shitty security. Once during the month of March, we were attacked by a man with a gun. All of us were okay, I guess, but a kid named Hamish Foster lost an arm. He’s still alive of course. But worst of all, we have absolutely no surveillance cameras. Who knows what’s happening in the classrooms when the teachers leave? Sexual jokes being made on the girls in our school? GAMBLING ON ERASERS!? Well, no need to think about that right now, but it’s most likely someone has lost their virginity.
Then, I immediately spot my best and only friend. Robin Lemonseed, sitting on the stairs of the school entrance. Robin is 11 years old, red hair, tan skin, big round glasses, short as fuck, always wearing headphones, a hat with 2 pins on it, a green jacket, and- how do you say this? An interesting person. Her behavior is chaotic and her reputation as daredevil is the craziest thing. BUT THE FACT SHE’S SO SMART, SHE GOT TO GO TO 8TH GRADE EVEN THOUGH SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE IN 6TH GRADE IS ABSURD. Once when she was 5, she literally ran on the road while a literal truck was like- inches away from her, and she did it just to catch a dragonfly.
“Yo Oatster, wassup?” She said, sipping on a chocolate milk carton—I promise you, she is OBSESSED with chocolate. “What do you think?” I say with the amount of sarcasm I give to life everyday. “Uh lemme guess, like shit” she said, grinning with the hope that my day is actually worse than that. “Exactly, and don’t get me started on-“
“Dexter Spring?” She cuts me off, mid sentence. “Obviously I don’t wanna hear you rant about him right now, it’s like 6:45 in the morning, do I look like I wanna suffer as much as you?” Once she said that, it actually makes me want her to suffer as much as me even more.
“Anyways, the usual?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Yup” then as Robin confirmed my question, she tossed me my favorite drink, a slushy. Look, I blame JD from Heathers. He’s the one that taught me that slushies are amazing and a cheaper version of therapy. “Well, wanna hear the latest news?” Robin asked. If you’ve known Robin for your whole life, you would already know news could mean anything, from someone pulling the fire alarm to her discovering some secret about our math teacher’s double life as a “circus performer.”
“What is it this time?” I sighed. “I heard the vending machine that’s been malfunctioning for years works just a little bit if you kick it or put in a random combination! Looks like it’s a good time to trick it!” She said, winking in a sly demeanor. My eyes light up, if one of the vending machines are malfunctioning, plus, slightly working in this school, then it’s heaven all day. “Well what are we waiting for? We’re here at school early with nobody else but us, let’s get our asses up already!” Then I grab Robin’s wrist and dash into the school.
Once we’re in the school, it’s empty, well I mean it is 6:50am. Then I spot the vending machine, which we nicknamed as barfy since it just barfs up smoke. Okay, do your- chaotic magic or whatever.” I said to Robin, as I threw her near the machine. “Okay, okay, Jesus Christ. Fine” Then she kicked it, hard, and it spat out two ice cream bars. “Yes!” I cheered. Then for some reason, I hear footsteps. Looks like someone wants to talk to us.
“Hello kids, I see you’ve come in early” Well of course, there she is, Principal Hawkwings. I really don’t like her, she’s so- I don’t know, odd. She has this glare where it’s like she knows what’s going on in your mind or she’s telling you she’ll do anything to push off a cliff, and it feels like she only reads your secrets. Like cheating on a test, or some other shit. One of the weirdest things about her is that she wears a mask and a lab coat, the mask is the main thing that makes me feel uncomfortable, not like I can do anything about it. “Oh, h- hi there M- Ms.Hawkwings.” Robin said, stuttering sarcastically. Ms.Hawkwing’s left eye twitches. “Sigh, well just go to your home room already, wait for your teacher and the rest of your class.”
I look at Robin, then Robin looks at me. We both shrug and walk our way to where she told us to go. “Pretty bossy, huh?” Robin chuckles. “Must you always see things as a joke?” I ask her in annoyance. “Yes.” She answered, bluntly.
After we drop off our bags at our lockers. We enter the classroom, sit down, and relax. The classroom is always illuminated by the sun. The only light source in the room that isn’t the sun. Is a lantern, hanging on top of the entry door. Our homeroom is also filled with pictures of students and alumnus that used to be here. Then I realize something. “Fuck, we forgot our food from the vending machine! (not to mention that I also left my SLUSHY).” I said as I run my fingers through my hair. “Janitor Spine’ll get it.” Robin answered, waving her hand in the air and giving no damn whatsoever.
Janitor Spine, that name always gives me a chill down MY spine (pun intended). He’s pretty much the definition of deranged. He has a black pupil on his left eye and a white on his right. Once he thought that a kid was teasing him, so he hit that kid with his mop, to the point that poor child had to have surgery on his forehead! Another thing about him is how absurdly tall he is, and yet he has scoliosis. It makes look like a wendigo, I’m not kidding. Also he’s British. Robin and I think his brain isn’t working well because of an accident we don’t know of. Or it’s either he’s on cocaine and every drug there is in the book. Anyways, let’s just say he’s on my list of Avoid all interactions with…
“I suppose so...” I grumbled. “Now that’s the spirit!” Robin said, nudging my shoulder. Then we hear the sound of the door opening, signaling our classmates came in. Along with our classmates, Dexter was also there. To my “surprise” he spots me. “Hi, Ollie!”
“You already said hi to me this morning.” I told him, annoyed. “Well, I’m saying hi again!” He smiles happily, a bit too happy in my opinion. I groan, then Robin tugs my sleeve “You know, there’s two seats at the back. We could move there.” She suggests. “I would very much like that.” I said, quickly. Then, Robin and I stood up, and made our way to the back.
The back of the class is a whole different world. It doesn’t have any light source, whatsoever. Sure it does have the sunlight from the front reflecting, but that’s beside the point. It’s really dusty and full of food bits (maybe from past students when they wanted to eat during class, I don’t know) One thing’s for sure, it’s the safest place for Robin and I to get away from everyone.
Class, after class, after class. It was finally time to head home. As me and Robin got our stuff. We started to exit the campus. But we’re blocked in the middle of the hallway, by a classmate of ours. His name is Jax Arch. Jax is one of the strongest kids in school, but he’s also the biggest bully. His personality is arrogant and selfish. His darkish-purple hair is really messy, but his black varsity jacket makes up for it. What I mean by messy, is in a way where girls get swooned easily. I envy him for that. To make matters worse, he’s the nephew of Principal Hawkwings.
“Hey nerds.” He said, leaning his back. I don’t say anything, I just really wanna get out of this. “Quiet, eh?” Then he crosses his arms. “I don’t think you know this.” He starts to talk, with a very annoyed and sharp tone. “But, quiet people, piss me off!” He added a growl to his voice at the last three words. Before I could ask if that was a Delatarune reference, he grabbed my collar and yanked me across the room. When I’m finally able to open my eyes, I see Robin. Looking at me with no feelings whatsoever. Then Jax looks at her, confused. “Aren’t you gonna stick up for your BEST friend?” He asks her. She shrugs. Then she walks over to me and grabs the back of my collar as if I was a stray cat, dragging me out of this wretched school. I know why she’s acting like this, it’s because she knows Suffering Is My Everyday.
