The Week Before

This first chapter introduces the protagonist and just warms the audience up to him.

The Week Before

               Friday, 7:30 A.M.

The harsh sound of the blaring alarm clock brought his dream of international fame and glory crashing down and replaced it with a sense of panic when he realized that he had no clue what time it was currently. A frantic glance at the malevolent clock confirmed his worst suspicion; he had missed the bus and was now dangerously close to being late for his first class. The time had passed for getting up; might was well just lay back and enjoy a sick day. But of course, that would never do. His grades were already suffering and he had fallen asleep on Tuesday. His parents would ground him all summer if he couldn’t pull it together. A loud sigh escaped his lips. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Let’s do this.”

Forty seconds of flurried hunting found him dressed in a decently presentable outfit and fast-tracking his way to the door. He ran to the end of the driveway and rest for a moment, hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath in the cold January air. The rays from the early morning sun had not yet warmed up the earth; a chill could still be felt in the air.

Where was the bus? It should have been here by now. Of course, the bus had passed his house twenty minutes ago on its voyage through the suburbs towards Souderton High School. How was he supposed to get to school now? He remembered the girl who lived in the overly large house next door. What was her last name? Jones? Something like that. Her dad drove her to school every morning; perhaps she could give him a ride. Turning towards her house, he could see her father’s SUV just beginning to roll out of their driveway. He racked his brain for any better options and was disappointed to find that nothing else came to mind. “Well, here we go,” he thought.

Sprinting into the cul-de-sac his house was built next to, he frantically waved his arms as the car sped towards him. He could smell the scent of burning rubber as the BMW screeched to a stop in front of him. The darkly tinted window on the driver’s side rolled down as he hesitantly walked around the side of the car.  Her dad looked at him with steely blue eyes, a mixture of surprise and annoyance contorting his features.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, Sir, I am your neighbor and I don’t have a ride to school.” I took a nervous breath. “Could you possibly give me a ride?”

After a moment of silence, he glanced at his watch and replied, “I suppose so. Get in on this side.”

Turning to the back of the car, he said, “Move your stuff over, sweetheart, and make some room for the guy.”

The passenger door slid open silently. I grabbed handle near my left hand and hoisted myself inside the car. As I struggled to find the seatbelt, I could hear the door quietly close as the car gently resumed motion. After successfully buckling myself into the seat, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, happy that I had survived this encounter and would not be late for school. Suddenly, I remember that I was not the only person in the back seat. I turned my head to see the neighbor girl looking over at me with an inquisitive face. “Oh man,” I thought. “What have I gotten myself into now?”

Before today, I really had not paid any attention to the girl next door. Our families didn’t have barbecues together or anything of that sort. I had seen her from afar at school and I knew that she didn’t like snakes from the one time I heard her screaming in the yard about one, but beyond that, I knew very little.

Her pale green eyes stared back at my own, seeming to peer into my very depths. Her smooth, lightly tanned skin gently contrasted the color of her eyes. Straight brown hair flowed over both her slender shoulders and disappeared behind her back. Conservatively dressed in a red printed blouse and dark blue jeans, she reminded me of one of those girls who sing in Glee clubs.

“Hey, I’m Jason,” I said with a smile, extending my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Jason. I’m Christina,” she replied, shaking my hand.

Her hand felt cool in mine. It wasn’t cold enough for gloves, but perhaps she would have benefitted from some. I struggled to think of what else to say.

“How long have you and your family been living in the area?” I asked.

“Twelve years,” her dad interjected from the front. “We moved here in 2004 after I got a job offer in this area.”

Christina smiled at me. “How long have you been living here?”

“I’ve been living here for seven years now,” I replied. “My dad was working in Philadelphia, but my mom wanted to move back home so she could take care of my grandparents, who also live in Souderton. They decided that it was best that we move near them.”

“That is really nice of you all,” she said.

Silence followed as we both contemplated our separate thoughts. We pulled into the school parking lot a moment later amidst the multitude of buses. Her dad deftly guided the car to the curb by the front doors of the school. The doors once again opened with their usual meek air.

“Thank you so much for the ride, Mr. Jones,” I said as I swung out of the car.

He glanced back and replied, “No problem, Kid. Have a good day at school, Chris. I’ll pick you up after.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Christina replied with a smile. “I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart,” her dad said with a wave as he drove off.

We both made a beeline for the three sets of double door, knowing how dangerously close to being late we were. After we passed through the main doors and the inner doors and arrive in the main hall, I wondered what to say next. Fortunately, she helped me out with that part.

“It was nice to meet you, Jason.”

“Thanks,” I said, “It was great meeting you too. I’ll see you around.”

“You too.” She said with yet another of her smiles.

As she turned and walked away, I thought I faintly heard her say something.  Perhaps I was mistaken. I quickly forgot about that, as I now had to face my first period. The joy.

Reviews

[Dave Potter]

Very nice and to the point. There was just enough ambiance to place the reader into the story without too much small talk to distract from the main point of the chapter. Thanks for the post, Dave Potter

[Mike L Johnson]

Thank you for the feedback!