Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 23:17:11 EDT From: Roman Genesis <romangenesis@hotmail.com> Subject: The Dreamer - Chapter 2 -------------------------------------- About this story: This is my first try at putting a story up on this nifty web site. Please Email me at Romangenesis@hotmail.com with your reaction to this story and any questions or comments you have. I'm only planning on continuing the story if their is interest in it because I don't want to waste anyone's time, including my own. Thank you, and without further ado... -------------------------------------- The Dreamer - Chapter 2 I sat in the School Resource Officer's office staring down at his desk, not really listening to the reprimand I was getting. My mind was occupied at the present time. I was thinking of Justin and what he had said to me in the bathroom. "Alex, are you listening to me?" I looked up. "Huh?" He looked at me for a second with a look of defeat on his face. "I don't think you understand how much trouble you're in. I could give you a number of punishments, including suspension. You can't just storm out of a classroom if you're having a bad day." I returned my gaze to the desk in front of me. The officer continued to explain his reasoning, about kids bringing guns to school and such, but I only half listened. Justin had acted so calm and confident in the bathroom. There was something not right about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it and I still couldn't think where I had seen him before. "So, are you going to learn to control your temper?" "Yes, sir," I replied, finally looking up at him. Something behind the officer caught my attention and I looked out the window behind him. I couldn't believe it. Just outside the Resource Officer's room, in the main office, Justin was talking to the secretary. "All right, I'll let you go to your last period class before the bell rings," he said. I looked down at my watch and noticed that there was only ten minutes left in the school day. The officer opened his drawer and got out a pen and started writing me a hall pass. I looked back out the window and saw that Justin was still talking to the secretary. If the officer hurried I would be able to talk to him before the school day was over. "We just can't have kids running around the school without permission," the officer continued. Damn. I thought he was done with his little lecture. "Yes, sir," I chirped in quickly to shut him up. He finished writing the hall pass and I snatched it up and went out into the main office, but Justin was gone. I looked around frantically, but it was hopeless. I began to feel depressed again and, with backpack in hand, made my way to my last period class. My teacher handed me the assignment they had been working on just in time because the bell was ringing. I walked out to the bus and sat down in me and Michelle's usual seat. For some reason, I couldn't get the image of Justin out of my mind. I was now almost certain I had seen him before somewhere. Justin walking across the class to Mrs. Croon. Justin in the bathroom placing his hand on my shoulder. Justin telling me, "Don't worry," as if he could read my very mind. I had only been sitting on the bus for a few minutes waiting for Michelle and to my surprise, someone else plopped down in her seat. I was about to say I was saving the seat when I saw who it was. "Hey, Alex. How are you?" It was Steve, sitting down right next to me with this strange smile on his face. It was one of those faces that just told you a prank had already or was about to be played on you. "I'm fine," I answered hesitantly. He then turned his gaze away from me toward the bus in front of us as if he was waiting for the buses to leave. All premonition that I had detected in his manner were replaced by a blank serene look. Before I could figure out what was going on Michelle was walking up the stairs onto the bus and she looked and saw that the spot next to me was taken. She gave me a strange look and I slightly shrugged my shoulders and she took the seat in front of me and Steve. Steve usually sat across from us and basically kept to himself. I had no idea what was going on. "Hey, Alex," Michelle said, looking back at me with a funny look. She could tell that I was weirded by the fact that a complete stranger was sitting next to me. I don't think she knew me and Steve kind of knew each other. "How's it going?" I asked Michelle, pretending like Steve wasn't there. "Pretty good. How did your presentation go today?" she asked. I looked down at my book bag as if I had forgotten that I did a presentation for my English class today. It was hard to concentrate with Steve sitting next to me. I was getting really nervous for some reason. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Steve was looking down at my book bag just like I was. "What classes was that for?" Steve asked me. I looked up at him and saw that he was looking directly at me. He had really beautiful eyes, but the eye contact made me inadvertently turn my eyes away from his. "My English class," I answered, gulping down my nervousness. I think he could tell my voice was shaking. "Oh really? Who do you have?" He wasn't going to leave me alone. "Mrs. Croon," I answered without looking at him. Michelle, staring at me with her ever smirking face, made me grin. This was a very awkward position I was in and we both knew it. "Oh cool," Steve said. "I have her too." He reached down toward the bag in-between us and I instinctively flinched. It looked like he was reaching down to grab my hand. He must have seen me flinch because he asked, "Can I look in here?" I figured he was looking for my props that I had forgotten. "Sure," I said, not looking at Michelle. I would have busted up laughing if I looked at her right now. The driver closed the door to the bus and started the engine. I was glad we were finally on our way. I didn't know how much more of Steve I could handle. As Steve rummaged through my bag making random comments about Croon's English classes me and Michelle talked about our days and I told her how I almost got in big trouble. A few times Steve would bust in on our conversation and act like we were old buds who have known each other for years. The whole thing was getting really weird when we finally got to the first stop. Half the people on the bus got up and started getting off. Michelle grabber her bag and stood up and said 'bye' to me. As she got off the bus I looked over at Steve. This was his stop too, but it didn't look like he was making any effort to get his stuff together. He saw me staring and looked over at me. "Isn't this your stop?" I asked as casually as I could so it didn't look like I was coming off as saying, 'Can you get away from me now?' "Yeah, but not today," he answered. I waited for an explanation, but none came. He looked off at the road ahead of us with the same blank look as before. If anything, he looked nervous. I stared out the window and tried not to think about it anymore. I was tired and sick of the little games. I suddenly didn't care what Steve was doing. He could have been waiting to kill the bus driver or me for all I cared. We got to the second stop which was mine and Steve stood up. I thought he was just letting me out, but he headed for the door and said 'good-bye' to the bus driver. I grabbed my stuff and got off the bus as well. I was the only person who used this bus stop and Steve was really starting to freak me out. The bus drove off whipping up a cloud of dust and when it had settled, it was just me and Steve standing there in the road. We stood there staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The tension between us was thick enough to cut with a knife. "Well," I finally said. "See you later." I turned around and started walking toward my house. "Hey, wait up," I heard him call from behind me. He ran to catch up and there we were, walking down the road together toward my house. "What's up?" I asked. "Oh, I was just on my way to my friend's house. I didn't know you lived down here by him." Now it was his turn to be nervous. His voice was shaking like a mad man. "What's his name?" I asked, pressing him on. I felt in control of the situation because he was so nervous. I didn't know of anyone else from our school that lived down here by me. "Bryce Fielder. You know him?" he asked me. I looked over at him and studied his face carefully. "No, I don't." We continued walking in silence. I figured he would come up with something else to say, but he was as speechless as I was. We finally got to my house and I turned to him. "Well, have fun at your friend's house." "Thanks," he said. He didn't move though. He just stood there looking at me. He looked so cute standing there dumbfounded. I wondered if he had set this up just so he could see where I lived, but then I dismissed the idea. That would have been cool, but I couldn't have that kind of luck. I was suddenly becoming depressed because of my disability to find a working relationship. I always think of the most depressing shit for no reason. "Well, I guess I'll catch you later," I said, the depression apparent in my voice. I turned around and started heading up my driveway. "Hey, Alex," Steve called from the road. I turned around and saw that he hadn't moved. I just looked at him without saying anything. He looked like he was going to tell me something, but then just said, "I'll see you tomorrow." I studied his face for a moment and then nodded my head slowly and then headed back toward my house. No one was home so I got my key out and unlocked the door. After I was inside, I ran to the window to see if Steve was still out by the road, but he was gone. My mood sank and I stepped away from the window. I don't know what I was getting my hopes up for in the first place. Sometimes I think guys are kind of cute, especially Steve, but I wasn't gay. I knew that much. I walked to the kitchen and started making myself something to eat. I looked out of the big sliding glass doors behind my house that looked out over the water. There were some sea gulls flying around and fighting over something on the end of my dock. I put my sandwich down and watched with interest. It must have been some fish that one of them had caught and then the others, deciding they had just as much claim to it as the one that caught it, had come in to steal it. After the frenzied feeding was over, the sea gulls all flew away, probably off to steal some more food from some other unsuspecting bird. Then, I noticed that there was one bird left at the end of the dock, just standing there looking around. That was probably the bird that had gotten robbed. A big grin crossed my face. That bird had been robbed, picked on, and shitted on by it's own species. None of those animals cared if the others lived or died and the feeling was fucking mutual. I chuckled to myself. I knew exactly how that bird felt and I found it funny for some reason. I began to find it funnier and funnier and laughed so hard I couldn't even stand up any more. I leaned over and laughed my ass off. No one cared if I lived or died and the feeling was fucking mutual. After I was able to control my laughter I looked up and through teary eyes looked out the sliding glass doors. The bird still sat there, completely oblivious to either of our plights. I wanted to destroy something beautiful. End of Chapter 2 -------------------------------------------- Email me and tell me what you think of my story. Questions or comments are welcome. I'm writing this for you all, so feel free to give me some suggestions or whatever. Chapter 3 should come in a few days hopefully and get ready for a surprising turn of events (if the feedback is positive).