- Text Size +

Chapter 2: Jace

            “Jace, are you ok?” Brianna, Jace’s best friend asked as she was collecting the garbage from the lunch table. “You haven’t been yourself for the past week.”

            “You don’t remember what day it is do you?” Jace looked into his best friend’s deep brown eyes with his own blue-gray ones.

            Brianna lowered her eyes and her voice, “I tried not to think about it all day today. To be honest I almost forgot about it until Warren didn’t show up to first period today. I can’t believe it’s been a year already.”

            “I can’t believe it either,” Jace ran his fingers through his medium length brown hair which he normally kept spiked up. Brianna sat back down next to him and rubbed her hand on his back to try to comfort him. “I just can’t believe it.”

            “Were you able to pay attention in any of your classes at all today?”

            “No. The only thing I finished today was an art project but that was it. I think my teachers understand why I’m like this though. Besides I think my mom called the office this morning when I left the house.”

            “The teachers probably do know,” Brianna nodded her head. “The whole school probably knows,” she added with a little disgust in her voice.

            “And that’s what I hate about this. Nobody in the school except for a handful of us actually gave a shit about her when she was healthy but ever since this day last year everyone in this frigging school acted like they cared. It pisses me off because they don’t care. Not like you, Warren and I care. Graduation can’t come soon enough so I can get away from all these fake people.”

            “Jace, lower your voice just a touch. I know how you feel. We were always the odd men out in this school and we were always looked over and yes a lot of these bitches and bastards in this school are fake, especially the teachers, but there are some genuine people here, like Mrs. Nesworth. And you have to admit that this entire town banded together pretty well to help out.”

            “It didn’t last long though. Once everything seemed to be doing fine that all stopped. Then things turned for the worse and… and…”

            “Say no more,” Brianna pulled her best friend into a tight hug hearing his voice crack and seeing his eyes start to fill with tears.

            The bell rang to signal the end of the lunch period and the beginning to the final class period of the day for both Jace and Brianna.

            “Come on bud let’s get you up to Mythology class. At least we only have one more class to go,” Brianna looped her arm with Jace’s and practically dragged him to their next class.