Choke on Your Misery

Zack

The first few days at Dulaney went by pretty painlessly. Most people ignored me after the first day, which I was fine with. The less people that talked to me, the better. I had Rian or Alex in all of my classes except for English and French, which was nice. Even though Alex wasn’t my friend, it was good to have someone to sit with who I kind of knew. The kids in English weren’t too much of a bother so far, but that could change at any time. I was also alone in French, however, which meant I didn’t have a partner to do activities with. I had to work with the teacher instead. That wasn’t a very good first impression; it made me look like a teacher’s pet.

I walked into French class on Thursday and immediately noticed something different. The class was louder than usual, and I found the source of the noise in the seat next to mine. The seat had been empty for the last few days, but now a lanky boy with skunk hair was sitting there, talking to the people around him and laughing. I hadn’t seen him in class before. I walked over to my seat slowly, setting my books on the desk. The boy turned around and cocked his head, looking like a confused puppy dog.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Zack,” I mumbled, looking down.

“Oh! Zack, you must be the new kid my friend was talking about!” the boy exclaimed. “I’m Jack Barakat.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said softly, sitting down next to him.

“You really are quiet, huh?” Jack said, and I raised an eyebrow. What friend had told him I was quiet? “I like your hair, it looks like mine. But less blonde... and shorter.”

“Thanks?” I muttered, opening my textbook.

“Where did ya move from?” Jack asked happily, not backing down at all. Did he really not realize that I didn’t want to talk?

“Towson.”

“I know some people from Towson! They’re jerks,” Jack said, and I snorted at his bluntness.

“They’re all jerks there,” I sighed.

“Really? Some people have to be nice,” he insisted, but I shrugged. “Well there are lots of nice people here, so don’t worry! I’ll be your new best friend!” He swung his arm around my shoulder, and I flinched. This was going to be a long class period.

••••••••••

French was my last class of the day, so I headed to my locker for my stuff afterwards. Rian wasn't waiting for me like he had been the last few days, and I remembered that he had a dentist appointment right after school. His mom was picking him up, so I had to brave the bus alone. At sixteen, I shouldn't have to feel nervous about riding the bus, but I was. I had already endured a bit of teasing the day before, and Rian stuck up for me. Without him, I was pretty much helpless - and the kids here were already starting to realize that.

Alex suddenly popped up next to my locker, and I jumped. "Did I scare you?" he asked, and I nodded. "I'm sorry. I was just wondering if you would like a ride home from school. Rian mentioned that he wasn't able to ride the bus today, and he sounded concerned about you, so I thought I'd offer you a ride..."

"Um, sure. That sounds good," I said, feeling slightly relieved. I grabbed my stuff and followed Alex out of the building. The cold air stung my cheeks, making them turn pink.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, my friend is going to be riding with us. He needed a ride home today," Alex added.

"Oh... okay," I said. Why was I suddenly disappointed that it wasn't just Alex and I? We got to his car and my eyes widened when I saw the skunk-haired boy from French class.

"Zack, my buddy!" Jack exclaimed, jumping up and down when he saw me.

"Oh, dear God," I mumbled. I was beginning to regret this.

Alex furrowed his thick eyebrows, looking at Jack and I. "You know him?" he asked me.

"I met him in French class, Alex! He really is as quiet as you said he was. He's nice though," Jack said, grinning.

So Alex was the one who had mentioned me to Jack. That was interesting to know.

"Uh, well, Zack, this is my best friend, Jack. He’s kind of weird," Alex said with a shrug.

“I’m not weird – I’m special!” Jack said.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Just because your mom thinks you’re special doesn’t make it true.”

“Yes it does!”

"Whatever; go ahead and get in," Alex said with a chuckle, unlocking the car doors.

"You can sit in the front!" Jack offered to me with a big smile.

"Thanks?" I said uncertainly, getting into the front seat of the car. I had assumed that I would be stuck in the back seat while Jack and Alex talked in the front. Instead, Jack hopped into the back seat and buckled up.

“So, you’re Alex’s new neighbor?” Jack asked me as Alex pulled out of the school parking lot.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“I wish I was Alex’s neighbor. Then I wouldn’t have to walk half a mile when he’s too lazy to pick me up and take me to his house,” Jack said. I didn’t reply, and he changed the subject. “What’s your favorite color?”

“I’m colorblind.”

Jack was quiet for a moment, before asking, “Really? Or are you just fucking with me?”

“No, I’m actually partially colorblind,” I said.

“That sucks,” Alex said, and I shrugged.

Jack switched the subject again, “Do you play any sports?”

“Used to play football,” I replied.

“That’s cool! I love football. Why did you stop playing?” Jack asked.

“Personal reasons,” I mumbled, and Jack stopped asking questions.

"Turn the music on!" Jack said to Alex after a few minutes of silence.

Alex glanced over at me, "Do you like Blink-182?"

I smiled slightly, "Yeah, that's one of my favorite bands."

"Awesome; mine too!" Alex said, popping a CD into the player and turning the music up as he drove. Jack quieted down a little, silently rocking out in the back seat. When we pulled up to his house, he jumped out.

"See you tomorrow!" Jack called cheerfully, slamming the car door shut and going into his house.

Alex chuckled, turning the music down as he looked over at me. "I'm really sorry about Jack," he apologized.

"He seems a little... crazy," I said.

"He's just got a ton of energy. He's really fun to be around, though, and he's harmless," he assured me, pulling out of Jack's driveway.

"That's good to know," I said. We were quiet for a few minutes as Alex drove. "Um, thanks for the ride. I really didn't want to ride the bus alone."

"No problem. I can give you a ride every day if you want me to. We are neighbors, after all," Alex said. He looked over at me as we stopped at a red light, frowning. "Have you been having a hard time on the bus?"

"Only yesterday," I shrugged it off, hoping he would drop the subject.

"What for? There's nothing to tease you about," Alex said. “I mean, you just got here.”

"I dunno. Just about how I barely talk and that Rian's so close to me lately," I said, pulling my hoodie sleeves farther down past my wrists as I spoke.

"Don't let it bother you; some people are jerks," he told me with a shrug, driving as the light turned green. I sighed; if only I could brush it off that easily. If he knew what had happened back at Towson, he would probably just laugh, leave me, and not look back.