What Love is

Chapter 1

Love is something that lives in all of us. We all love something even though we don't want to admit it. It burns, hurts,wounds,stinks and goes away. Its a warm blanket and cuts like a cold knife. Women have been to taught to appreciate romance and passion. Men want to spread their seed as it is in grained in their DNA.
Its what we dream about, what were made of. But like all living things, it eventually dies. This is that story. This isn't a story about heart break. This isn't a wives tale or a sob story. This isn't an uplifting story of the human spirit. This may hurt you. It may not.
But you should know, its all based on reality.

In the beginning, there was autumn. Red, orange and brown leaves littered the ground and blew in the breeze. The roads glistened from a hard night's rain and puddles reflected the light grey sky.
Greenfield was anything but green this time of year. Its was early October and the wind sent a chill into the bones of all the students of Lancaster Private Academy. The prestigious school of nobodies.

The school looked like a Gothic castle and was shrouded in forests. Students would either take the school bus or, if they had the funds, would drive themselves in their own cars.

The students packed the halls of the school. Girls in their skimpy mini skirts and boys with big muscles. The girls bought the designated skirts one size too small to attract the attention of boys. The boys were all hunters and the girls were their prey. Each taking their trophies to bed and climbing their peaks only to tell about it the next day.

They all piled into the classrooms but one young man in particular was sitting with his head on his desk fast asleep. Not the kind of funny sleep that you could drawn on their face and laugh at, but an angry sleep that reeked of a rough night.

Leon was his name. 17 years of age, black of hair,brown of eyes. He exercised because he needed to be able to defend himself. Boxing. That way he didn't have to talk to anyone. He wasn't anti social, just quiet. He only spoke when something needed to be said. Really said. However he wasn't mute. He was more soft spoken.

Leon drew in his black leather sketch book often. Mostly girls. Usually they were girls he saw around the campus or around town. He liked women. They had a certain grace and classiness and not just any girls would do. They had to be real women, strong but gentle, firm yet caring, sexy but still left something to the imagination. He wasn't the type of guy to admire the back of a girl's head and not let her know his name. He usually gave the drawings away,signed.

"You're really good at drawing." Said Kimberly, one of his class mates. She had short blonde hair and red painted lips." Could you...maybe draw me"?

Leon peered up from his work,"Uh, yeah...but I can't do it while you're watching me".

"How come ?" Asked Kimberly.

"I like to get my subjects in natural poses".

"Oh...uh okay well just let me know when you're done please..."

The bell rang and the rest of the students came in.

One caught Leon's eye more than anyone. Maria St.Clair, she had bruises on her arm and had a look of forlorn on her face.

Her and Leon had a history. He caught her boyfriend, Randal being a little too rough with her once and got into a fight with him after school. He broke Randal's nose but gained a concussion when Randal hit him over the head with an aluminum trash can.

Maria,was beautiful. She had thick black hair and big brown eyes and soft full lips.
She was perfect.

Leon was hesitant to call Randal and Maria's relationship a "relationship".
Maria never kissed or hugged Randal. In fact that's probably why he was so rough with her. Randal had a history of being almost abusive towards any girl he was with. Girls thought they could change him. It was a romantic idea,but a fruitless effort as Randal is what you would call a "meat head".
He was decent in school, but didn't understand any of it.

Together,Maria and Randal were like beauty and the beast.

Leon sat in class sketching Kimberly. Occasionally he would look up at Maria and admire her beauty from a far for now.