Varsity Commitment - 2. Chapter 2 An Old Friend with an Old Grudge

‘AAAANNNTTT’, ‘ANNNTTT’, ‘AAANNNTTT’, ‘AAANNNTTT’

My alarm clock was being bothersome. All I could hear was the earsplitting shriek it was giving off. I was still tired from yesterday…well, I was still tired from summer. I don’t know if I was ready for a new school year to begin.

‘AAANNTTT’, ‘AAANN…’

“Shut the…!” I screamed harshly, using my arm to reach over to my clock and swat the snooze button. I didn’t feel like moving today.

My bed was so soft, and securely keeping me warm. It was so cold in my house. Making my bed covers warmer. It was becoming easier to slip into a relaxation period for a few minutes. School can wait…I’m tired, and my body is too weak to accompany me in getting up this morning.

‘Yawn…’

[6:05 a.m.]

‘AAANNNTTT’, ‘ANNNTT’

Oh my lord! Not this again. I flipped out of my bed. Experiencing a brief moment of cold air grabbing my arms, legs, and body. Shivering, still somewhat, I went to the alarm clock shutting up for good.

Ooooh, it’s so cold in this house. What did mom put the air on? It feels like twenty degrees, at least! Still shivering with chill bumps spiking up my arms. I walked back to the warm coziness of my haven.

Slipping back under the silky inviting covers, and going to sleep.

As the temperature rose. It warmed my chills offering me back into its snuggly hold.

Ahh. This is much better. No noise, no worries, just me laying here in peace. I suddenly began to gradually flow into sleep.

[6:15 a.m.]

Smack! Smack! Smack!

I woke up in a jolt. I forced myself groggily up to see what was stinging me! I felt something…

When I lifted up,

Wham! Wham!

A belt was swinging at me! Wham! It slapped me leaving a biting sting behind. “Mama said get up!”

My little sister Breece yelled. She had a belt. She flung it at me barely missing my face. The belt came down and thrashed over my bicep with a loud smack. “Get up Brice, Get up! We have school!” she swung again.

I couldn’t believe out of all the ways to wake someone up, my little sister, Breece, thought in her possessed mind this would be the best solution.

Before she could swipe me again. I dodged the next lash, I rolled over my sheets and launched at her.

I didn’t care that I still was groggy, or my body was weak feeling. I was livid! I had got blistering mad!

The first day of school, you want to whoop me with a freaking belt?... I’ll show you!

When I rose from the bed, she took off full speed. Dropping the belt on the floor behind her.

I ran, picking the belt as it clang alongside me. For some reason I was able to run just coming out of sleep. Surprising it was for me but when I’m mad, I find out just how amazing I am.

Fueled by anger, I speeded down the hall. I saw Breece cut the corner towards the living room.

Oh she is about to pay the price!

I quickly, cut the corner in short timing. She was on the couch, waddled up behind the pillows laughing. It was irritating. She wasn’t the cute, innocent person everyone made her out to be.

I swung the belt hitting the pillows. I kept swinging as she moved the pillows to block my swipes with the belt. She can only block for so long.

Out of a rush of anger. I held my arm back as far as it would go, and flung the belt at her.

Smack!

Yes, I had made contact! She’ll learn never try to wake me up like that again.

“AHHH!” I heard her piercing cry. It was her agony penetrating my eardrums. She shouldn’t have woke me up like that. That’s how I felt when she hit me. So, I’m just returning the favor.

My mom came out of nowhere, snatching the belt out of my hands. “Boy, what is wrong with you?” she asked but before I could answer her. She was already yelling again

“Why are you hitting on your sister like you have a mind problem?” she slapped the back of my head. “You are sixteen. You are about to be a grown man in two years. And you want to hit a child with a belt?” my mom was wrapping the belt around her fist.

“Mom, Breece came in my room…” I tried to explain. But mom hit me with the belt. Hitting me once in the back, then she wrapped me across the back of my thighs. The sting made me want to kill Breece. She was the one who got me in trouble. I guess my mom thought. I woke up thinking, ‘it’s the first day of school. Hmm, I guess I’ll go whoop Breece with a belt. Yeah, that’s brilliant.’

“Get in there and get ready for school.” my mom snarled at me spitefully. “And you better be in time to catch the bus, because if you miss it, I don’t know how you are getting there.” she stressed.

I went to the bathroom, seeing that I only had thirty minutes to get ready. The bus will be here at: 7:15a.m.

I put a hot steamy towel over my face. Brushing, gargling, applied cocoa butter against my almond complexion. I hate ashiness, and who wants to start their first day off like that?

I brushed my hair. Which wasn’t much but I still loved it.

I left the bathroom, to go in my room. After making my bed, smoothing out the wrinkles. I grabbed my new turquoise and white collar shirt made by Abercrombie. This shirt had black writings and symbols all over the turquoise background. I put a white shirt under my collar shirt, to bring the white hints out. I figured my dark rinse jeans would put a spectacular spin on my appearance.

Finally I put on a fresh pair of socks then my all white and silver reebok shoes. Oh my… I have really out did myself. I was prepped and ready to make a sophisticated proper entrance to my returning wishers and haters at school.

When they see how fabulous I look for the first day. They will pile me up with compliments. I can already hear it.

As I walked around the house grabbing my backpack, and an extra pair of clothes for cheer practice. My shoes were starting to squeeze my feet. They had a snug fit around the ankle but around the ball of my foot burned a little, I was trying to get use to them but at the same time, I’m ready for my first day!

People might say ‘Brice Crowns you have changed!’ but if they think so, I changed for the better.

I held the straps on my back pack close to me, as Breece and I stepped over the thresh hold of our apartment door, out into the damp morning air where you could see the sun slowly rising. Coloring the clouds with tints of pink, and orange. Right over head the indigo morning sky, set my first day into play.

We were at the end of the street. By the stop sign accompanied by other bad brats. They all were running around playing, talking about: Who’s your teacher?... It was a scene of regret. It’s the part of the first day that makes you want to go back to the summer.

We waited and waited, I was actually thinking ‘maybe the first day was tomorrow’ or ‘I’m about to go lay back down if the bus doesn’t show up by 8:00a.m.’

I still found the stinging pain from the fight with the belt I had with my sister, nagging me. I glanced at Breece, she was just standing there rocking from side to side with her pink Barbie backpack. I should have hit her with the belt harder. She got away with murder today, but I will not let a six year old hit me and get away. I will think of something to get her back with later.

The bus had finally rolled to a stop in front of us. Noisily opening its doors to let us on board. The engine of the bus was a rattling that stayed in my head until the line of kids finally picked up their feet, and found their seats.

When I got on the bus, the fat bus driver looked at me crazy. Her face said ‘I don’t want to be here.’ She opened her mouth and a deep voice came out. “High schoolers in the back, elementary kids up front.”

I knew when the bus driver said that, I wouldn’t be sitting by Breece. YES!

I moved through the aisle. Past the wondering stares, the ugly little kids, past the kids I tried not to burst out laughing at because they had on the same clothes from last year. All the way back to find my permanent seat. The seat I would claim as mine. The seat nobody would sit in because it was ‘Brice’s’. My seat for the year,

Weeding my way past more ugly people. I made it to the second to the last seat, finally sitting down in my permanent seat…Before I threw up from some of these kids’ faces. (How could their parents send them out like that?)

With a jerk the bus began to drive on the road. We came over a few bumps and humps, but it was smooth sailing, ride. Taking my backpack off, laying it over my lap in front of me. I sat alone in the seat watching the trees zoom by and houses zip through our path to school.

I took my mp3 player out around this time. I did it because I didn’t feel like talking to any of these kids on board. They weren’t on my level of communicable species. I certainly didn’t feel like listening to these kids morning talk about their first day. YUK!

Where’s my best friend Levi when I need him?

I played a few good songs. Some songs that would help me get started for today.

The bus made more stops swinging its doors open, for more high schoolers and little kids. I was too glad that nobody dared to sit by me. I can say my ‘don’t even try it glare’ I gave them was really working!

The bus made another sudden stop. I looked out my window trying to wait for everything to get moving again. That’s when I saw him.

Bram was walking down the aisle heading my way!!

His skin had not changed. He was still the honey wheat color he had always been. I could tell he just had a new hair cut too. His auburn eyes were searching for an empty seat on the full bus.

He wasn’t going to find an empty seat up there. It was a part of the bus driver’s rules. That means he may have to sit in one of the only empty seats in the back with his ex-best friend. ‘Me!’

Then maybe we could kill the old drama from last year during tryouts, and we could start the first day off with clean slates.

He’s coming back here! Uh-oh!

What is he going to do? I tried to guess his reaction when he had to sit by me. I took the head phones from my ears, and paused my music.

What is he going to do?

His face was just how I remembered it. Well shaped nose, chiseled jawline, the penetrating eyes, straight even white teeth, and the lean limbs that were toned from football practice.

Uh oh! He’s five seats away! He still hasn’t found a spot. I squeezed closer to the window of the bus seat. Trying to think of his next move for him. He must have been thinking too, because he was biting down on his pink tint lip at the bottom.

When he came close I lost all the air in my chest…he was right next to my seat. He was really going to sit by me.

Without looking at me, he threw his bag down in the seat across from mine. Not even acknowledging my presence. He sat in the open seat gazing out the window.

I can’t believe he didn’t sit by me! I can’t believe that he is carrying those old hard feelings from May over into the new school year.

If he wants to be a soggy rat, and stay bitter. Then two can do that, but I can do it a little better.

While he sat on the right side of the bus, I sat on the left. Every now and then I would check across the aisle to see if he would acknowledge me…but to my disappointment he never did.

Putting my ear phones back in, I turned my music up on my mp3. Bram needs to grow up. I chose cheerleading, he chose football. Big freaking deal!!

I leaned my forehead against the coolness of the window. Shutting my eyes thinking to myself: ‘I shouldn’t let him ruin my first day, or my year.’