The Woods (Original)

I'm Just A Kid And Life Is A Nightmare

I reluctantly got out of bed and chose what clothes to wear that day. I had a plain black T-shirt with some sort of emblem on the righthand side of the chest, I had no idea what it actually was. Then I put on my blue jeans that had faded from time, and finally slid on my old black converses.
"I cannot wait to go clothes shopping..." I thought as I looked at how my appearance was in the mirror. "And maybe a haircut too," I noted, threading my shaggy brown locks between my fingers. When I was finally ready I walked out the door to be greeted with a red motorcycle and a red haired girl.
"Meet your new chauffeur," she said as she greeted me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I figured you might want to ride, it's a lot better than walking isn't it?"
I just laughed as we both got on the motorcycle and were on our way to school.
Petra propped the bike with the kickstand as we stopped in the parking lot. When we both got off I could see Aiden and his gang walking towards us, immediately making me nervous.
"Yo, Petra, what's this reject doing with you?" Lukas said. I looked down at the ground to hide my emotions.
"Say that one more time and I'll be ejecting my fist into your teeth," she threatened.
"Cool down sister," Aiden joined in, "we just figured you weren't cool anymore," he said with a smirk as he got closer and closer to her, sliding his hands onto her waist. That earned him a combat boot to the crotch.
"Don't touch me. And if you do it again there's more where that came from," Petra scolded with Aiden on the ground.
"C'mon Pet, don't be like that," he said with a groan.
She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, "And don't call me Pet," she said through seethed teeth as she threw him back onto the ground.
She pushed her way through them and I followed closely behind, making sure to not make eye contact with any of the leather-jacketed delinquents.
"Are they always like that?" I asked when we were far enough away from them.
"Yeah, they tend to like the game of pissing me off," she replied.
"Well they shouldn't treat you like that," I said.
She looked at me and smiled, "I'm glad someone thinks so."
We walked into the school and parted ways as we both went to our first classes. "I'll see ya soon," she said.
"Alright," I replied as I dreadfully went to U.S. history. I was terrible at history, always have been. I don't know what it is about history that I just can't crack.
Thankfully all we did was watch a boring movie, so I had an easy day off. I met Petra in the hallway and we walked to our next class, algebra 2.
   I instinctively made my way to the corner where I usually sat when a hand grabbing my arm stopped me. "You sit with me now," she said with a smile.
I sat with Petra in both classes I had with her now, and I felt so much better. Her presence really calmed my nerves.
Before I knew it lunchtime was here, and soon I had a conflict in my brain. "Who will I sit with? I want to sit with Petra because Axel will be with Olivia but he will wonder why I didn't sit with him... If he even notices..."
Almost on cue Petra walked up beside me. "Hey Jones, where ya sitting?" She greeted.
"Uhhhhh... Well I... I don't know," I admitted while looking at the ground, my foot tapping nervously on the linoleum floor.
She giggled as she set her tray down on the table beside us, completely empty. "Let's just sit here then," she said.
   I reluctantly sat down, looking over my shoulder at Axel the whole time.
   She grabbed my face and turned it away from him, "Don't worry about him," she told me.
   "Right... Sorry. It's just..." I trailed off.
   "It's just what?"
   "I really want to talk to him about what happened and just everything, really. Everything that I've been feeling lately and all that. But I'm just scared that it'll go wrong..."
   "That's his problem then," she said as my head snapped up from my tray in surprise. "If he wants to get mad at you over something that's his fault, then that's his problem and that makes him a bad friend."
Eating with Petra was the best thing ever. When I sat with Axel, I was completely ignored and I just sat there in silence. Petra and I have interesting and funny conversations about some of the teachers, we play with our food (even though our parents taught us not to) and we just laugh and have a good time. It was way better than Axel's table.
   Soon lunch was over, and my next class was with Axel. Just Axel, no Olivia. My heart was racing as all possibilities crossed my mind.
   "Hey man-"
   "Ah!" Axel greeted me, almost jumping out at me, causing me to flinch.
   "Whoa dude, what's up?" He asked, seeing as my nerves were on edge.
   "Oh... Nothing... I just wasn't paying attention," I lied.
   "Ok..." He didn't seem too convinced. I started rethinking my decision of confronting him, my heart racing and a huge wave of heat coursing through my veins. I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "Hey where were you at lunch? I noticed you weren't there."
   A fire stirred within me. "Oh, you noticed, huh? Just like you noticed that I didn't ride home with you from the party that you made me go to? You noticed that you left me all alone? You noticed that I ran out of there on the verge of a panic attack? Axel, you didn't even text me to ask where I was, if I was ok, how I got home or any of that because you forgot about me!" It all came out at once. The fire within me exited through my mouth in the manifestation of words.
   Axel seemed shocked and taken aback, completely without words.
   "You always ditch me for Olivia," I continued. "It's like you don't even care about me anymore. You promised me that you would be with me the whole time. Axel, that promise didn't even last 30 seconds." I said as my voice raised in emphasis. People in the hallway began to turn their heads our way, but for once I didn't care.
   "Maybe if you ever had a girlfriend you would understand what it's like to be in love," he said getting angry.
   "Oh really?!" I challenged. "So that's what you think this is about? Jealousy?! No. You couldn't be more wrong Axel. You are the one who doesn't understand what it's like to be utterly abandoned, thrown away like yesterday's lunch. And I'm done putting up with it." I said as I started walking away into the classroom.
   "What I'm saying is, Jesse, is that you don't understand the emotions I feel and why I act the way I do." He called out to me.
   "Oh no Axel, I understand perfectly fine," I said as I turned around. "You care only about Olivia. It's just Olivia, Olivia, Olivia, always on your mind. It's like I don't even matter anymore, like you're not even scared of losing me. And for once in my life I have a friend that understands me, and treats me like she should. Something you never did," I finished as I finally entered the English 3 classroom. The dramatic scene from a soap opera was over, the crowd in the hallway dissipated as everyone else soon went to their classes as well. We sat at different ends of the classroom, Axel with a furrowed brow and crossed arms.
   He wasn't happy but I couldn't be more relieved.