Short Story

“First day of school!  How ya feeling, champ?”

“Could be better,” he replied.  In fact, he’d be feeling a lot better if he didn’t even have to go.  It’s only been a week in this new house and he certainly wasn’t happy with the change.  So many things were swirling around in his mind like moths to a flame and it seemed like he couldn’t get a moment of silence.  He knew deep down that something was going to go wrong today, that’s just what his life has shown itself to be like.

The school looked like prison and as Owen walked on the jagged pathway to the entrance, it started to feel like one too.  He was keenly aware of all he saw, the walls that restricted his movement, the flood of kids passing by his gangly form and the open ceiling that seemed to close in on him.  All the sights around him, but nothing was really registering in his mind, just emptiness.

Somehow, he made his way to first period and as he stepped into the classroom, he felt a tap on his shoulder.  Confused, he turned to see a boy with blond hair who tried to start up a conversation.  He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was most likely appointed by someone to be friends with the new kid. But he didn’t want to be treated differently just because he was new, he was fine without anyone coming over to him. Things had already been different enough recently. So after a quick nod, Owen rushed over to find a seat.

But the blond didn’t seem to get the picture and after the hour of algebra they endured, he came over and introduced himself as Levi.  Again, he didn’t seem to have any bad intentions. Nevertheless, Owen was put off by his demeanor and willingness to talk to someone like him, someone who’s not normal.

Getting through the rest of the day also proved to be a struggle, since Levi was apparently in every class that Owen was in.  Pretty soon, avoiding him became a natural occurrence. In the few hours that he’d been at this school, he was already starting to grow a distaste for the students, especially Levi.  But he pulled through and somehow made it through the day. So walking home from school, he had another “chance” encounter with the kid.

“Owen!  Hey, what’s up?  I just wanted to see how you’re doing on your first day.  Who knew it was so hard to track you down? Anyways, I’m always around if you need any help!”

Nodding, Owen held a tight-lipped smile as Levi spewed his speech.  Then, he turned away to finally make his way back home. As he walked, he unconsciously put his hand to his ear, feeling his hearing aids slowly.

Whew, today was a really tough day…  I hope tomorrow gets better.

Writing Process

Reflection:

This piece was a bit problematic in many ways. This sounds really dramatic, but I’m not stretching the truth too far. First, I had writer’s block when I was thinking of what to write about. I was scared my twist would be really predictable, but also that it wouldn’t be a surprising enough twist. But eventually I reached a topic, which brought the problem of actually writing the piece. Again, I was nervous that my writing wouldn’t make sense and that it wouldn’t unfold correctly. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t entirely focused on this story when I was writing it, since it was exam season. But in the end, I think I ended up with a story that works and that I’m not entirely disappointed by.