Finding Myself - 11. Chapter 11: Spring Out Of Middle School

April 2 2018

I closed the door to my locker and was about to walk to ELA class, when I overheard some voices several lockers to my right. “What a spoiled little faggot... Your punk friend lives with you in your big fancy ass mansion. And you play with frisbees every day,” Kevin was harassing Jake at his locker! Yeah, Jake’s been a jerk to me for the last few weeks, but I ain’t just gonna let him get bullied.

“Hey! Leave him alone!” I walked up.

The football player laughed. “You two think you scare me?”

I could feel the anger boiling inside me. But I took a deep breath. I was on thin ice at this school. Another fight would get me sent to reform school. “Just stop... This jerk ain’t worth it, Jake,” I said.

Jake, in a surprise show of strength, shoved the bully into the wall of lockers before he kicked Jake, knocking him to the floor “Ack!” Jake shouted.

“Don’t hurt him!” I growled. All bets were off. You hurt Jake, I’m gonna give you hell. I swung a punch at Kevin, but he nimbly dodged.

“Enough fighting...” a teacher stepped in. “You three, come to the principal’s office.”

“Awww...” came a moan from the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight.

“Kevin Wilcox... I expected better from you,” the principal said, looking at him. “Aedan Jackson, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” I blushed and looked down at my jeans. “And Jacob Grant, I never expected to see you in here.”

“Jake did nothing wrong!” I blurted out.

“Quiet!” The principal paused. “Kevin, you first.” I rolled my eyes.

“I was just minding my own business when this hillbilly freak started attacking me!”

“Oh please,” Jake scoffed. “You were totally harassing me.”

“Yah,” I muttered. “Kevin was calling my friend some very impolite slurs.”

“Mister Jackson, considering your very impolite record at this school, I would watch your tongue.”

“Sir, Aedan was just defending me,” Jake said. “I attacked Kevin first. He was harassing me and I got violent.”

Principal Myers sighed. “It seems your friend’s violent nature has, in fact, rubbed off on you, Jacob. I would consider obtaining better behaved friends.”

“You’re kidding? Seriously?!” I widened my eyes.

“Aedan only got involved when Kevin kicked me to the floor,” Jake explained.

“Is this true, Mr. Wilcox?” The principal asked. Kev nodded silently. “Kevin and Jacob, you two get a detention this afternoon since this is your first violation. Mister Jackson, I warned you, in September...”

“Sir, please, it’s been six months!” I pleaded.

“We have a no tolerance rule for fighting. Since you have already gotten enough warnings, detentions, and suspensions for your past behavior, I have no choice but to send you to reform school for the rest of the week.” I sighed. "If you can behave there, then you'll be able to attend classes back here next week."

“That’s so unfair!” Jake exclaimed.

“What a baby...” Kevin scoffed.

“Mister Wilcox... to class...” the principal scolded. “Back to class for you as well Mister Grant.” He took a few steps. “Mister Jackson. You’ll be heading to reform school for the rest of the day. The bus will take you there shortly.”

“If he has to go, I want to go too!” Jake said.

“Mister Grant... Go... now...” Jake blushed and left the room. “Aedan Jackson... I can’t believe you. I thought you changed. But at the end of the day, you’re just another white trash delinquent.”

“Sir…” I scoffed. He fucking hates me cuz I’m not a rich snob like the others in town.

April 6 2018

I was laying on my bed playing Super Mario Odyssey on the handheld Nintendo Switch after a long week at stupid reform school. It was a state owned campus in a town nearby for delinquents like, apparently, me. They released me today on good behavior. I was the only student there this week to not pick a fight or sass a teacher. I did get shoved into a locker though. Why? The bully wanted to pick on the one white kid in the reform school. I had gotten quite the earful from Jake’s parents about the fight Jake had started Monday. They blamed me for it, saying my ”violent nature” rubbed off on their “perfect child”. Jake was banned from talking to me.

My hoodie’s sleeves were rolled up because it was warm in my room. But, I had to be careful to roll them back down when with other people to hide the cuts on my right wrist. It had become a way to have some kind of control over myself after losing my best friend and getting sent to a shitty reform school and not being understood by anyone around me.

As I was playing through a tricky level in the game I heard a knock. “Come in...” I drawled as I pulled my sleeves down to cover my cut wrist.

Jake stepped into the room. “Oh, you have the switch...” Jake muttered.

“You can have it when I’m done,” I sighed.

“Take your time,” Jake blinked. He paused and looked around my messy room. Him and I really haven’t hung out on friendly terms for almost a month now. “Hey, um, Aedan. I’ve really missed you. Will you be back at school soon?”

“Uh, yeah, I’ll be back Monday,” I murmured. “I don’t wanna get in trouble more, so don’t talk to me.”

“WHAT WHY?” Jake asked. “I had a great week. I finally stood up for myself for once. I mean, I got a detention but…”

“Your dad was right. I’m a bad influence on you. You’re becoming like me. So I think it’s best if you’d…” I felt my face get warm and my eyes filled with tears. “Just don’t hang out with me anymore. Also, your little fight got me sent to reform school!”

“I really am sorry about that.” Jake sat on the bed. “I did always want to be more like you. You’re cool and confident while I’m a loser. I guess fighting went a bit too far. I really screwed up.”

“I did too,” I put down the handheld console. “I was being reckless and immature. With the fighting and the flirting... like my dad. And ugh I’m turning into him, aren't I?,” I hugged Jake. During the hug, my sleeve rolled up a bit, enough to expose my cut. Shit...

“You are nothing like-- Uh... Aedan... what is that...?!”

“Uh just a couple cuts. The bunnies claws got me...” I lied. And, yes, the Grants keep pet bunnies in the backyard during the warmer months.

“Our bunnies don’t have claws. Dude, there’s a razor on your nightstand!” Jake gasped. He hugged onto me tightly, and I felt his tears on my neck. “Never do that again, okay... Don’t hurt yourself. It’s scary. And I care too much about you. Promise me you won’t...” Jake pleaded. I nodded silently. When the hug ended, he grabbed the razor and threw it in the trash.

May 4 2018

I brushed my hair out of my face as I stepped onto the grassy field. It was a perfect warm spring day for an ultimate frisbee game. It was like 74 degrees and zero clouds in the sky. I had my team shirt on, which was like a navy blue soccer jersey, and I had on a pair of grey athletic shorts. For games, we could wear whatever we wanted as long as we had our team shirt on. Our game today was against the Milldale Leopards and it was a home game. I was being called in to play after Graham Knox, the seventh grader boy, twisted his ankle. It wasn’t sprained or broken, but he was ordered to stay out of the game. I got a few interceptions, being pretty tall for a middle school boy. The wind made throwing the disk at a target a little tricky, but I got used to the wind, and was able to throw and catch well, even scoring a few points upon catching the frisbee in the end zone. Our team won the match and afterwards I took a shower in the locker room.

I quickly got dressed in a pink tank top and some athletic shorts after my shower. I stopped by my regular locker to get my stuff before leaving school. As I closed my locker, I saw Bailey walk up.

“Hey, Aedan, you’re not together with Jacob right?”

“Uh, no…” I blushed. “Why do you think that?”

“Kevin, my brother, told me you guys were a couple.”

“Wait, y’all are…?”

“You didn’t think Bailey Wilcox had any relation to Kevin Wilcox?” She asked.

“No, I didn’t know that was your last name.” I blushed. “Jake’s my best friend, so, no, I’m not into him like that.”

“Well, I think he’s cute. I kind of wanna ask him out sometime this summer. He’s single, right?”

“Jake?” My eyes widened. “Uh huh yea he’s single.” Girls never really had interest in him. “Just keep your asshole brother away from him. He harassed Jake last month.”

“Yeah. Tell Jake for me?” I nodded. She winked before walking off with Kevin. There was no way in hell I was gonna tell Jake that the sister of that jerk likes him!

Afterwards, Jake and I went out for smoothies and River tagged along too. “River, why’d you have to come?”

“Cuz I wanna hang out with y’all...” River’s voice cracked a little.

“Dude, it’s fine,” Jake smiled to River.

“You’re so lame!” I scoffed when River started doing his math homework. “It’s the dang weekend!”

“Shut up, Aedan,” River pouted. “You could actually try at school and probably do well.”

When our order number was called, I got up and grabbed the cups to bring them back to the table. I sat down and began to drink my smoothie.

June 8, 2018

I stepped out with all my classmates onto the football field for our graduation from Avalon Middle School. I had on a navy blue graduation robe on over a short sleeve grey polo shirt, my red converse, and jeans, along with a navy blue graduation cap with a silver-colored tassel. I’m just glad I survived 8th grade. Yeah, I know, I’m not the best student. Sports and art come easily to me, but not math, science, or ELA, the subjects that actually matter in school.

When the ceremony finished, all the graduated students walked the 400 feet over to the high school building. I had been in there before, but the building would be my school for the next four years until I graduate from high school in 2022.

“We made it, Aedan,” Jake fist bumped me.

“Yup. Thank God middle school’s over!” I cheered.

“If you think middle school’s bad... just wait until we’re in high school,” a goth androgynous teen next to me spoke up. “It’s gonna get WAY worse...”

“Wait... wut...?” my stomach dropped.