Chapter 1
" NEW KID "
Hi there! My name is Jonathan, or at least it used to be. To make a long story short nothing will ever be the same—not after those bloodthirsty savages had slain my brother. Now they're after me—good luck!
"Morning Willie!" shouted a voice, erupting into my room.
"Jake, stop it!" I snapped.
"What are you going to do about it, you little punk?" said Jake now resting his full girth over my scrawny frame. "Are you going to cry for mom? Do it, you little crybaby!"
"Stop it! Arghh!" I tried my best to push him off, but he wasn't going anywhere.
My brother was a star athlete at our last school. He was the starting middle linebacker and defensive team captain. Yeah, that's right, my brother was a stud. As for me, I was just a freshmen, picked on by my brother's meat-headed friends. There was one perk for being the kid brother of Jake, and that was protection by my tormentors. In other words, only the football players could pick on me. In most cases, I think I got it worse than other freshmen my age, but that was life.
When tragedy struck, and we were forced to move away, I thought for sure, I could start all over and make a new name for myself. Nope. I guess the code for being a stud transfers over to any high-school because my brother picked up exactly where he left off. As for me, I got it worse because now I was picked on by any random student at this school. You would think my brother would come to my aid, but he was too busy being mister popular to watch out for his little brother. I was on my own.
"Alright, scrub. I'm leaving in like ten minutes. Unless you want to ride in with me, you'd better get your scrawny butt out of bed. Otherwise, walk your ass to school," said Jake.
"Just get out of my room!" I snapped throwing my pillow at him.
My brother was just a few years older than I, but he was always so much bigger and stronger. It wasn't fair. He inherited the best attributes from both of my parents. He got dad's genetics and mom's good looks. I suppose I had my mother's intellect, but what did that matter when I had to deal with a total meathead and his daily shenanigans?
As usual, once I got out the shower, I heard my brother pull out of the driveway. He didn't wait for me. He never did, but this was fine. I would rather walk to school than deal with his obnoxious jokes. At least I had peace during the walk.
Not too far, I kept a decent stride as I paced myself. I didn't want it to seem obvious that I walked to school, so I tried hard not to perspire. Too late!
"Walker!" shot out a voice from a passing vehicle.
I suppose it didn't matter what high-school I went to, walking to school was not the in thing to do. And after several scoffs and derogatory remarks thrown in my direction from some spoiled rich kids driving their parent's vehicles, I was regretting not taking my brother's offer after all.
Scrambling through my school schedule, I was like a lost boy-scout trying to find his way through the forest. Although this school was probably the same size as my old high-school, it was still very different as this gaping labyrinth led me astray, roaming corridor-to-corridor.
"Jake!" I shouted as I crept up closer to my brother.
"Augh—who's the fish, hon?" snarled a squeaky voice.
"Beat it, Jon, I'm busy right now." My brother's gaze never lifted from hers.
"I'm looking for the A building." I tried a final desperate attempt.
"Look!" snapped Jake. "You're a big boy now—figure it out."
Needless to say, I continued to roam the hallways aimlessly until luckily I stumbled across my class by accident. And, of course, I was late again.
"Jonathan—I understand you're still new, but you're going to need to show up to class on time. Starting next week, I'm going to write you up," said the teacher as she continued jotting dictation on the chalkboard.
Grabbing a seat in the back of the class, I buried my face in my book, avoiding any more unwanted attention.
"Pssst!" hissed a voice.
Looking up, I glanced over in the direction of the voice. I knew it couldn't be for me, but I was a little curious.
"I saw one of your graphic novels—You're into Legionz?" said the voice, pausing momentarily before adding, "His supernatural stuff is insane!"
"Ummm, yeah." I shrugged my shoulders for confirmation as I continued under my breath, "I guess ..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing ..."
"Anyways, what are your plans for lunch?"
"Eat—maybe. Why?"
"No reason—Just steer clear from the cafeteria. That's meat-head central!"
"Umm ... thank you—I guess. How do you eat then?" I said with a perplexed grin, causing the furrow on my forehead to slither.
"Come with me. My friends and I hang out by the vending machines."
I didn't respond back, but a simple nod would suffice. Madison High was a new territory for me, and I wanted to avoid bullies like the plague. I would have to take a chance and meet up with him. He looked totally harmless, so I figured I'd be in good company. But he was just as scrawny as I was so if some mindless brutes confronted us, I was pretty sure he wasn't going to come to my aid. Still, I'd rather have company when getting beaten up than no company at all.
At first glance, this small collection of school rejects was no different than any other stereotype from any other teen-flick ever made. There was maybe one female; she was quite possibly the most socially awkward person I met. Then, there was the rest—a bunch of scrawny, awkward teens, trying their best to survive let alone fit in. Fitting in—well, that ship had sailed a while back.
"My name is Bob!"
Our hands shook as we approached his crew.
"Jonathan."
"Jonathan, this is Sabrina, Paul, Duffrey, and Shawn—We're all diehard fans of Legionz!"
It was official—I was a nerd.
I didn't say much after the introduction. I just grabbed a seat and proceeded to eat potato chips, being that oily, thin slices of potatoes and candy bars were apparently the main staple for the rejects. Meanwhile, the athletic pricks running the show beefed up on the cafeteria's well-proportioned meal packs. And, of course, my brother was among the social elites as he inched his way closer and closer to high school stardom.
