Bad Boy Blues

chapter one

It's funny how everything can change in such a short period of time, I thought to myself.

My mother ran around the kitchen, spilling things as she grabbed a plate. I sighed to myself. Not everything.

"Arthur, here," she said, placing a plate full of steaming hot pancakes, with maple syrup on the side. This used to be my favorite, before I became James.

Not bothering to reply, I dug in. She merely chuckled to herself as she sat down in front of me. It always stuck with me how she and I looked extremely similar. As far as I can remember, I only inherited one obvious trait from my dad. "Arthur," mom said, "when did you dye your hair? It was such a nice color too...reminded me of your dad."

I stopped mid-chew. My mom saw I had trouble gulping down the pancakes, so she slid her glass of orange juice to me. "Thanks," I said, reaching for the orange juice. I took a full swig, and gulped the pancakes in one go.

"I dyed it this summer, mom," I said, wiping my mouth with my sleeve, "remember? I FaceTimed you?"

She squinted her eyes at me. "I forgot," she replied softly, looking down at her plate. Deep inside, I knew that dyeing my hair was gonna hurt her. "I just miss your dad so much. The first thing I noticed when we met was his red hair, you know."

A pang of sadness hit me. My dad was the best person I ever knew, my first best friend. "I know, mom," I replied quietly, "but my hair is gonna grow back, you know? That's how hair works, in case you forgot..."

The corners of her mouth started to curl up. "Oh, Arthur," she chuckled, "you always knew how to make me laugh."

I chuckled myself, before returning to my pancakes. You know how people say that their moms are the greatest cooks on earth? Well my mom is the greatest cook on earth, period. She might be clumsy, or messy, or absent minded, but when she cooks she cooks masterpieces.

"You lost a lot of weight too, Arthur," my mom said, cutting into her pancakes, "and it looks like you gained some muscle. You've been working out?"

I nodded. "Marlo and Theo helped me get into shape, at Marlo's summer home in Florida."

She leaned over and pinched my cheek, hard. "I miss my chubby widdle boy!"

"Mom!" I protested, "stop!"

Thankfully, she let go of my cheek. "You've changed so much, Arthur. I just want you to know that you'll always be my boy."

I didn't know what else to say, so I just finished my pancakes. "Thanks mom," I said, when I was finished, "gotta go to school now."

"You're welcome sweetie," she replied smiling at me, "have a great day! I love you."

It took me a moment before I could tell her I loved her too.

-

Theo pulled over at a free parking space like a deranged maniac. Panting heavily, I undid the seatbelt and got out of the car as fast as I could. Marlo just laughed, in the backseat. "Jesus, man!" I said, "you wanna get us all killed?"

Marlo got out of the car, smiling to himself. Marlo, tall and lean with skin like ivory, was someone obviously used to a maniac driving. He combed his fingers through his blonde hair and leaned against the car. "What's wrong dude?" he said, "scared?"

"More like shaking in his boots," Theo said, slamming the door behind him. While Marlo is pale, Theo is copper-skinned and not as tall as Marlo.

"Just shut up," I said, turning around. The school, large and almost menacing in the harsh sunlight, was not a welcome sight. "When are they gonna make this place look decent?" I asked to no one in particular.