Kayden
by Ryan Keith
Chapter 1 - First Encounter
I love my life. I'm young, I have friends, a loving father, and I'm an okay student. I'm your average boy.
Those thoughts have repeated themselves every day for the past ten years of my life. I'm happy. I truly am. I don't have a mom, but my dad and I have been doing great by ourselves.
Here I am, standing in the form God gave me, looking at my reflection as water drips from my hair. I love my hair like this. This wet, down, drippy, spiky-hair look. I think it fits me great. The problem is, it's just wet hair clinging together, and I'll never get it to stay like that. By the time it dries, it will be a bit shaggy and not spiky at all. I'll need a shitload of gel to make it stay like this. My eyes are brown, but sometimes people say they have a yellowish tint whenever light hits them. When I was younger I would joke about being a werewolf. I scared quite a few of the other kids.
The name's Zachary Hunter, by the way, but I hate that name, so I go by Zac. It's an interesting name. Why my dad chose it is beyond me. My friends think it's a cool name, and the girls squeal every time they say it.
I guess I owe my body to swimming. Been swimming since I was six. My dad got me to love the water, and he's told me stories of his youth and how many competitions he won.
I'm not ashamed of my looks, and maybe I tend to exhibit some of my features more than others, but it's all in good fun. I'm pretty happy with what God gave me. My face has not a single pimple. Thank God I have no acne at all. I like to think my eyes, ears, and nose are well proportioned, and I guess I have a boyish look. I usually keep my hair short, spiking it with a touch of messiness, but it kinda grew during the summer and I'm debating how I should wear it.
Yup, today is the start of a new school year. I'm now in grade 10, attending St. Michael's Secondary School. Grade 9 was a blast. I met a lot of people, and kinda established my group of friends. There are about twenty of us who are good friends, and go to parties and such, but there are only three guys I stick very close with. They've been my best friends since we were six and seven, when I moved here to Whitby and then Scott did the next year. For those of you who don't know, Whitby is a town in Ontario, about an hour from Toronto.
I'm really excited to find out what classes I'll be in and who else will be in them. You know, that first-day-of-school excitement. Then after you find out, it's like an “I want my summer back!” sort of deal.
Looking at the digital clock in my bathroom, I quickly decided to get a move on. Dad was going to leave in a bit, and I wanted to catch a ride with him.
I hastily threw some gel into my hair, messing it around somewhat to give it a wild kind of look. At times my hair is fairly thick, but when it's not, it's very thin and easy to control. Today is a thick hair day, so I fixed it the best I could. I quickly threw on my school uniform. Guys have to wear grey dress pants, with either a white golf shirt or a white polo shirt, with a white t-shirt underneath. I hate the golf shirts, but the polo shirts tend to feel nice and make me feel well dressed and professional.
I grabbed my bag and made my way down, snatching a granola bar from the kitchen. Dad was there reading the morning paper and sipping his coffee.
Let me tell you a bit about my dad. He is the coolest dad in the world! And he's only thirty-one. Very handsome. I guess looks are hereditary. He met my mom in grade 9, and they went out until grade 11, when she got pregnant. She wanted to have an abortion, but my dad fought to keep me alive. In the end, my dad's parents paid her off to have me. Soon after I was born she left Whitby, and my parents have never seen each other again.
My dad was a smart kid, and my grandparents were bomb, too. They helped raise me while Dad finished school. We lived with his parents while he commuted to the University of Toronto, and he was able to get his bachelor's, master's, and finally his doctorate in aerospace engineering. He took an accelerated program and was able to finish all of that within 9-10 years. My grandparents are loaded, so providing for me while paying Dad's tuition fees was simple for them. Dad is an only child, so they took me as their own child too, but Dad never failed to support me emotionally. Even during his studies, he managed to spend time with me as I grew up, teaching me all that a dad should.
I remember when I was five I wanted a dog and my dad said I couldn't get one. I was whining and complaining in the pet store while my dad tried to calm me down, saying we would let me have a dog when he was done with school. I laugh at that memory sometimes, primarily thinking about how funny that must have been. A five-year-old crying and calling a twenty-one-year-old “Daddy.” Dad looked like he was still eighteen at the time. I still remember the looks on some people's faces when they found out I was his son. They were surprised, not shocked, and they looked like they were going into a dream state. I guess it sounds kind of romantic; a single father raising his child by himself, since the tender age of sixteen. My dad still looks like he's twenty-five or so.
After the morning jostling with my dad, we headed out to his car, a new 2003 V6 Honda Accord. My dad works for CSA, Canadian Space Agency, and is making quite enough for just him and me. I rolled the windows down and took in the nice breeze. It's September, but it was still hot and felt like June.
“…so, I think it's best if you guys reserve it tonight, or else it might be booked,” my dad said as he turned onto the main road.
“Huh?” I asked in confusion.
Dad turned to me and grinned. “You really should pay attention. If you did, then I wouldn't have to complain about your grades. They're good, but not the best,” he said.
“My grades are good enough,” I asserted, brushing his concerns aside.
“Zac, there are different types of people,” he said, returning his attention to the road. “Some party all throughout high school, making friends and having the best time of their lives. They have fun, but they don't have a bright future,” he said sadly.
“Others study like crazy, and get amazing grades, but they lack friends and have no social life. That's the lonely path. But because they grow accustomed to that loneliness, when they go out into the work force, they lack what many people need: communication skills.”
I didn't know what he was getting at but I guess he was trying to share some experience from his high school years.
“Then of course there are those who party hard, make tons of friends, and manage to do extremely well in school. They get great results, have friends who support them, family who are close, and have high morals. These people are hard to come by. They need balance, though… a state of equilibrium.” Leave it to Dad to bring his scientific terms into his pep talk. “The stress from studies is released through family and friends. The need to be alone is quickly relieved through studying.” That kinda made sense.
“In grade 9, I was the party type. My work was dead last and by the end of grade 10, I knew I was in trouble. I became the smart type and lost a lot of friends. It was hard, and there was no one I could turn to who was my own age, except your mother. Even she was getting sick of me.”
The thought of the mother who had wanted to abort me made me sick. To me she was some woman I didn't matter to.
Dad continued, “I soon figured out how to balance everything by working hard and setting goals that seemed hard to achieve, while still having some time for friends.” He turned to me. “I'm telling you this because I want you to know you can have fun and still do good in school, but it takes a lot of work, and balance. Don't be put off by people who say that is impossible. I'm living proof it's possible.” I swear, sometimes I think my dad is the smartest man in the world.
Being the teen I am, I replied, “Yeah, I know. I'll try harder this year.” It didn't sound like much, but deep down I knew I was going to try my best. I love my dad and I hate to disappoint him.
“Anyway,” he continued, “while you were zoning out, I was talking about your birthday coming up next week.”
Suddenly I was excited. My birthday is on September 9th and I always do something with the guys, and this time we're going to a Blue Jays game. “The baseball game will probably end around eight o'clock, so it may be better if you guys go to a nice restaurant, explore the city a bit, and crash at a hotel. It'll give you boys a chance to explore your youth.” This is why I love my dad; he thinks of the coolest things. He isn't strict on rules, and he knows what it's like to be young and to want to have some new adventures.
“That would be so cool!” I almost yelled.
My dad, seeing my excitement, smiled and said, “I can book you boys at the Fairmont Royal York. It's about two blocks from the SkyDome. They don't have a room for all four of you, but you can get two rooms.” I love my dad.
Getting no response from me, he shook his head and turned in towards my school. “We'll talk about it some more tonight.”
“Sure,” I replied, my face plastered with the biggest grin in the world.
As I got out of the car, I turned to my dad and gave him a hug. “I love you, Dad.” I felt him choke a bit. “I love you too, Zac. You make me so damn proud.”
I got out and waved at him. I didn't care if people saw me. I love my dad. He's my support and the one person I tell everything to. Everything. You see, I'm gay, and I have known that for a while.
Dad confronted me in grade 8 about some of the websites I'd been visiting. I didn't know about site history, or the fact that the computer keeps a record of it. My dad knew, though, being an aerospace engineer.
I remember wanting to run away when he asked me if I had something I needed to tell him. My worst fears were realized when he told me he knew what I'd been looking at on the Internet. Before I could run he grabbed me and hugged me tight. I was bawling at the time, telling him I was sorry and begging him not to leave me. I was fully torn as to whether or not he was going to kick me out or beat me. I had heard the stories. I was scared. But he held me and let me cry until I was worn out. When I finally looked at him, he too was crying. I thought that maybe he was disappointed in me for being gay, but my dad was in fact sad for me. He told me that because I was gay I was going to have to face a lot of hardships. He feared for my wellbeing, because he knew he couldn't always be there to protect me.
That night he told me he had suspected my sexuality, but never pressed forward. He said he had a gay friend in high school who was the nicest guy in the world. His friend killed himself because his family rejected him. Dad said he didn't want me to go through the same thing. His suspicion that I was gay was the main reason he had wanted me to start karate in grade 5. I was amazed, hearing that, because it wasn't until grade 6 that I realized I like guys, but my dad suspected it when I was in grade 5. I had never taken my lessons seriously, but Dad told me I should, so that I could learn how to protect myself. He was right, and I knew it, so I started working hard, and by next year I'm going to earn my brown belt.
I took off my bag. Sometimes it gets a bit too hot with the bag on and all, and I didn't want my shirt to be drenched. As I walked up to the school, I felt a sharp pain on my back. I turned to see my best friend, Jett Emerson, smiling happily at me. I could feel there was going to be a big red handprint on my back.
“Hey, Zac,” he said, grinning at me, his spiky blond hair shuffling a bit in the wind. “Ready for your big fifteenth?”
“Jett, that hurts man,” I complained, trying to reach my sore back. He knew I'd been swimming all summer and I had run in the triathlon a few days ago and was still sore.
“You'll be fine,” he grinned, mercilessly. “Our night out next week is going to rock!”
We walked through the front foyer and made our way to the café, where our friends hang out and where our classes would be posted.
“You won't believe how much better it's going to get,” I replied, a cocky smirk on my face.
“Dude, what's the game plan?”
“Let's just wait till the rest of the guys get here, so I'll have to say it only once.”
Jett frowned at that, looking like his eyes sagged a bit, truly giving a new definition of “puppy face.” Jett is extremely cute. Yeah, you know… the best friend relationship and all. But despite his looks, he has never attracted me physically. I guess we've known each other too long. He's more like the brother I never had.
He doesn't know about me, thank God. I really don't know what his standing point is on gays, and I've been too scared to even hint about me. I recall one time last year in the gym locker room he punched a guy `cause the guy was badmouthing a friend of ours, saying he was gay. With Jett's playful mood, it's almost impossible to get him angry. He's nice and controls his anger most of the time, but when he snaps, he snaps. I like to think that, out of my group of friends, he has the most self-discipline. He doesn't have a bad body, either. He keeps in shape by playing hockey and working out. In fact he's huge for his age, but he's always kind and gentle with everyone. Like he's afraid he might hurt them. We occasionally work out together at the recreation center where I swim. He waits until I'm done with practice, occasionally running the track while waiting for me to finish.
As growing boys, we both lost our baby fat fast, and maintained healthy diets. I'm not a breakfast person, but I usually have grapefruit in the morning. Our bodies, however, are different. I'm slim, but keep a strong figure. He has bright blond hair. Some people think we look like brothers, and think I'm the younger sibling. Jett is more built than me, about my height, and still growing. He reached about 5'9” over the summer. We both grew up together; him without a father, and me without a mother. His father died of a heart attack when he was four. I guess we depend on each other whenever we feel out of place or we're just upset. He has three older sisters, two of them already in university, and they have worked on developing his charms and gentleman-like attitude.
It was cute watching him sometimes, his sisters teaching him to open doors for ladies, pull chairs up for ladies, and talk smoothly with them. It impresses me every time he grabs a new girl's number. He doesn't brag or anything like that. His sisters would beat the shit out of him. Even when the guys are comparing notes in the locker room, he tells them to mind their own business; that it's between him and the girl he's seeing. He's a modest punk, but he occasionally tells me, and only me, about some of his experiences. That's what best friends do!
We found out we aren't in the same homeroom, which sucks, and we wouldn't know our classes until we picked up our schedules in homeroom. We waited patiently, talking about this new girl Jett is seeing. He never bothers me about getting a girlfriend, and whenever some of the guys ask about me, he backs me up, saying I'm too picky to want the girls at our school. With someone like him covering me, I'm left alone. But I'm not a fragile kid who shies away from crowds; I have my share of bantering with other students. Occasionally, what I've learned in karate is a great help. I guess I just piss off a few of the guys in our grade. Many girls tried to get close to me in grade 9, but I somehow kept them at bay, never giving in to their seductive approaches. I mean, I am gay, after all.
It was 10 minutes to the warning bell when the rest of our pack walked in. I should probably describe those guys. They're my close friends, but they are each other's best friend; as close as Jett and me.
First, there's Scott Kendal. He's usually all talk, and his comments sometimes get him in trouble. When he talks about wanting to `get some' from the ladies, Jett tries to shut him up, saying he's talking about women like they're objects. Scott and Jett are often on each other's bad side, but that's just part of their weird relationship. No matter how angry they make each other, when it's called for, they are tight. I mean, they watch each other's back. They have a weird kind of rivalry going, where each of them can insult the other, knowing it's in good fun. It's a love/hate relationship, where they do all they can to piss each other off, as a way of showing how much they care about each other. It's always fun watching them tussle, going at it in fake fights that look real, but they both hold back. Scott isn't really into sports a lot, but does enough to keep in shape. He is the only one among us who smokes, but not around us, though. He knows we would bitch until he was red in the face and lost interest in the cigarette. He's into computers and science, reads a lot of books, and is usually quiet with new people. When he gets to know you, you can't shut him up.
Scott is a skater, and he hangs out with a few skaters sometimes, but usually he's with us. He isn't into smoking weed, but he wears skater clothes and hats. He's great at his skateboarding, and he did a few competitions at the Exhibition during the summer. (C.N.E., Canadian National Exhibition.) The girls think he's cute. I have to admit, he does have a great smile. He is kind of hard to approach, so people tend to think of him as someone who belittles others, but he's not like that at all. He's part of a ton of clubs, like Amnesty International and stuff. He has started several petitions and written many essays. He's really passionate about living. His heart once stopped when he was a child. I'm not too sure about the details of that, but he seems to think God gave him a second chance. We believe him. He always goes to church and even participates. People either avoid him because of his seemingly arrogant and selfish manner, or they like him for his unbeatable sense of humor. We're cool with each other and he tends to share more of the important stuff with me. Scott used to wear glasses but hated them, so he wears contacts unless he forgets them or rips them. Shin tutors Scott, which is a good thing, `cause Shin actually keeps Scott in line, most of the time.
Shin is a real piece of work. He's one of the most interesting, funny, wild, and charming guys anyone could ever meet. His name is Shin Matsura, a Japanese kid. He was born and raised in Whitby. His mom is a gentle lady. She isn't Japanese. I think she's Chinese. His dad is okay, a lawyer and a smiley kind of guy. Shin shares his father's passion for baseball and has played since he could pick up a ball. He's pretty amazing, too. Both his parents are strict on school, so Shin has to work extra hard to keep his family happy. But despite that, he's always laughing and saying something or other that is funny to our group. He sometimes does things he knows we won't understand, just for the hell of it, and he's really playful. He's shy around some girls, but he's straightforward with a lot of them. He's a charmer, like Jett, but Shin was a hell of a lot more fun.
Shin has wild hair, thin and black, and he wears it in an Asian style, messy and spiked and always dyed. Usually, he highlights his hair red, which looks really cool, but over the summer he bleached his whole head, and now wears his hair in a new form. It's still spiked, but chunks of hair fall forward and to the sides. It looks amazing, and it looks like he spends hours on it. Shocked me to find out it takes no more than five minutes. He was a bit chubby as a kid, but he lost it all and became fairly well built when we reached high school. He loves martial arts but doesn't take it, which sucks, because it would be cool to have him in my karate class. And did I mention he has a kickass sword collection? He has a bunch of bamboo swords called shinai, and a collection of katana and other Japanese swords. Shin took kendo, and he is really cool in that. He also loves games, so when we aren't chilling he's sitting at home playing export games they don't have here.
It amazes me that I can be associated with these people. Each of them is unique and real, but they never make me feel small. To them, I'm the group's counselor, but also over-confident and slightly cocky. I'm the easiest to talk to and easy to get along with. I sometimes think Shin is the one easiest to get along with, but then again he has the shortest attention span ever known.
I sat there grinning at Scott and Shin as they walked in.
“Is there a secret behind that smile, or are you just happy to see me?” Scott joked as he took a seat across from me.
“I just have a few good news items to shed on your small brains,” I retorted. He laughed it off.
Shin then sat on the table close to us and commented, “Well, you're smiling a bit too much. Looks like you got laid, or something.” Jett gave him a look, and Shin playfully slapped himself for the crude joke, but then asked, “Anything on your mind?”
“Actually, I was just thinking about how amazing each of you is, and how we kinda fell into our little group”
By now Jett and Scott were blushing at my straightforward comment, but Shin was displaying his grand smile. It wasn't a hot smile, but it was certainly a happy one.
“Geez, what brought that on?” Scott asked, clearly embarrassed by the praise. “I mean, you're just as amazing, Zac”
It was Jett's turn to speak up, “Yeah, man, did you forget that you are unbelievably talented with your guitar?”
I probably failed to mention it, but I do play the guitar, and I'm fairly good at it.
Jet could probably read my face. “Don't try to hide it. We all know how cool you look with your guitar and stuff. Your voice ain't half bad, either”.
I felt proud of my friends. They aren't fake. They are true. We all grew up together… well, of course, I didn't come here until grade 6… and we don't have any problems expressing our friendship. I just hold back from telling them my biggest secret. I just hope when I'm ready they will stay by me.
“Anyways!” I shouted, trying to escape the embarrassment, “Now that we're all here, I can tell you the great news.”
I could tell they were waiting, but I just held on, trying to fill them with suspense.
“Well? What are you waiting for, man?” Shin demanded.
I just smiled; I knew I was going to pay for it if I let them hang for even another minute.
“My dad told us to go to a restaurant after the game this Friday… you know, for dinner.”
“Well, obviously. You think we'd just hop on the train and come back hungry?” Scott asked, obviously disappointed with the surprise.
“And we're going to stay at a hotel and chill around downtown all night.”
I saw their faces light up, and they were looking at each other like they couldn't comprehend what I'd just said.
“Dude! Your dad is so cool!” Shin said excitedly, but then his smile faded. “Guys, what are we going to do in Toronto? We're too young to do anything, you know?”
He was right, we aren't even 16. What would we do?
Jett already had it figured out, though, “We can go to a movie, and there's this mini-putt place my cousin works at, and we can probably get in free. Plus, there are tons of arcades there.” Already our faces were lighting up again.
Then the bell rang.
We said our goodbyes and went separate ways, none of us having the same homeroom. Jett was heading upstairs like me, so we stuck together, talking about my birthday.
“Your dad is so cool letting us go like this. I'm sure if he tells my mom it's ok, she will believe him.” He was right; all my friends' parents trust my dad, maybe because he's young, or maybe because he's a single parent, like Jett's mom. But whatever my dad says, goes with the moms.
“And all my sisters think your dad's pretty hot. I'm sure if your dad came over and personally asked, my sisters would try to help him anyway they can,” he joked.
“That's so sick. Dammit, that's my dad!” I cried, laughing at the thought of it.
We split as soon as we reached the top of the stairs and I walked into the familiar room of religion. Great first period is hearing a teacher tell us what he thinks we should hold important to ourselves. It's going to be a boring semester.
First one in the classroom. Great! I took a seat somewhere in the middle. I don't like the back because I can't pay attention, and I don't sit at the front because you just don't.
I watched as the students walked in. A few of them were classmates from classes last year, and we just nodded to one another, acknowledging the fact that we're in the same class. I saw Maya Claire walk in. She's probably one of the most attractive girls I know. I think she's beautiful, but she doesn't do anything for me. She saw me and waved. We aren't really friends, but we have talked a bit at a few parties. . She is really a kind girl, and from what I've heard, still single. I guess people think she's picky about her guys, like I'm picky about girls. She's popular, but people who think they can leech off her don't last long. She has a thing for that, and knows who is using her and who is real. She smiled as she walked over and took the seat beside me. I didn't care. She's nice, and probably could help me pass the time in this boring class.
As soon as she moved through, several people also moved. It looked like the room was centered on Maya and me. Our teacher came in and quickly decided that the seating arrangement wouldn't work. I knew the ass would do something like that. I had him last year, a boring guy with no sense of humor.
He started to call out our names. When my name came up, I think I heard a few girls let out sighs. I just ignored it, but Maya was giggling. I knew practically everyone in the room, and I'd seen the rest at one point or another last year. No new faces in this class. I lay my head down and tried to plan out my birthday in the city. That's when I heard something new.
“Is Kayden Pierce present?” asked the teacher.
I could see everyone look around; probably like me, not recognizing the name. It was a unique name. I wondered what type of person that name belongs to. But I guess he wasn't there, `cause no one claimed it.
Just as the roll call was over, a kid practically fell into the classroom, catching himself at the last minute and making a grand entrance. He stood up, obviously out of breath, and tried to explain his reason for being late. His back was to us, so I didn't get a good look at him. Our teacher seemed to understand, and looked at us.
“There's a new student here today. Please help him feel welcome. He got lost,” the teacher said. It was almost like he said that to spite the new guy.
I felt sorry for the kid. I knew the rest of the class felt for him, too. They know the teacher is a bastard.
The kid turned around, smiling. I suddenly couldn't breathe. This boy stared right at me; his blond hair combed back, his bangs slightly forward in a way that seemed to make way for his face. He had the most amazing blue eyes I've ever looked into. He was about my height, maybe taller, but probably no more than 5'9”. I couldn't tell about his body. He was wearing the polo shirt and he had it only halfway buttoned, showing this really cool silver chain with a kickass symbol hanging from it. His shirt was untucked, like everyone else's. His pants seemed a bit too baggy to be uniform pants but they still looked like it. His smile was so inviting, and seemed more heartfelt that Shin's smiles. I couldn't tell if he was holding back, but I sensed something about him. I couldn't really understand what it was. I suddenly wanted to know everything about him; where he went to school, his interests, if he had a girlfriend….
I couldn't believe what I was doing. For the first time, I found myself gawking at another boy. Sure, I'm attracted to guys, but I had never felt it as strongly as I did at that moment. I also realized that he was in a tough situation. New kids always have problems in a new school, and our teacher wasn't really making it easy for him. I knew he was upset that the boy was late, but he could have cut him some slack.
When he looked right at me, and the left side of the boy's lip began to rise, giving me a hot grin. But before I could completely take in his smile, he introduced himself.
“Hey, nice to meet you all. Like the teach said, I'm new, so please look after me.” He was smiling again as I felt my throat dry up. Never had I felt this way about another boy. The kid was far from finished; “My name's Kayden Pierce, but my friends call me Kade.” It seemed as if he was enjoying this little introduction, and I was glad he wasn't intimidated by the teacher's words.
“I like to read fantasy books, play basketball, and take long walks. Pizza and ice cream are my favorite foods, my birthday was a few months ago, and I'm 15. Umm… I think that's it.” He turned to the teacher, who was clearly pissed that his words hadn't affected him one bit.
“Just take a seat,” our teacher said. What an asshole.
I could tell the whole class was relieved with the way it turned out. Kade seemed to be an easygoing guy and it looked like he wasn't going to have any trouble at all fitting in. I could also detect a bit of love vibes coming from the female students around me, but hey, they weren't alone in adoring this new teenage god. Kade took a seat at the front, where the only remaining seats were.
Our teacher then looked around the room. “My name is Mr. Sergeant, and I will be your religion teacher for the semester. I will not tolerate any foolishness in this class, so be warned.” Holy shit, we haven't even done anything yet and already we've been warned. He then looked over the rules and code of conduct, which each teacher was supposed to have read at homeroom.
He looked around the room again, and then stared at Kade. “Mr. Pierce, please stand at the front.” I couldn't believe him; he still hadn't done enough. He was determined to embarrass Kade. Kade simply walked up, still smiling while the teacher looked him over. “Class, parts of the school rules involve the uniform and how it should be worn. As you see, Mr. Pierce is apparently breaking several of those rules.” This was too much. Who does this to a new kid? I thought the kids were supposed to pick on the new guy.
“First off, his shirt is untucked. Second, only three buttons are allowed to be undone. He has five, and his pants are clearly not uniform pants,” Mr. Sergeant ranted off. I felt sick to my stomach, feeling so bad for Kade.
But before the teacher could continue, Kade interrupted, “Sorry, Sir, I didn't realize the school was strict on uniform. My last school wasn't too strict. Thanks for pointing out my mistakes.” Kade then simply buttoned his polo shirt as required, and tucked his shirt, right in front of us. That looked rather exotic, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought so. When he was finally settled, he turned towards the teacher, smiling kindly. “Sir, these pants are uniform pants, from the same retailer as the rest of the uniform. I just got a bigger size because I like my pants baggy.” He then thanked our teacher again and turned towards his seat. I couldn't believe what had just happened. The new kid had simply evaded all of the teacher's traps, and even made him look like more of an ass that he already was. I don't know what came over me, but I started to slowly clap, and when Maya got the signal she followed suit. Suddenly the whole class erupted in a bunch of applause and whistles. Kade just smiled at all of us and quietly took his seat.
Mr. Sergeant was furious, and was trying to shut the class up, but then the bell rang. Thank God it was a shortened day. Each class was going to be thirty minutes, since it was preparation for the semester. Our teacher hadn't had time to give us the overview, but we were already outta that hellhole with our schedules. I made my way to the door as I watched the boy of my dreams turn around and give me a warm smile. He then walked away. Was that directed at me? I turned around quickly and found no one else by my side. That smile was for me.
Shin was in my next class, English. I actually don't mind English class because it's a break from numbers and boring lessons on nothing. Shin was already seated near the back. I motioned him to come forward, but he simply shook his head. At first I was confused, but then I got the message. The goddess… well, Shin's goddess, anyway, walked in. This fairly tall Asian girl Shin has had a crush on for a while walked in and suddenly smiled in Shin's direction. I knew they were friends, and I was kind of rooting for him to get with the girl. She is pretty. Actually, she's hot. Her name is Mai. Shin always says her name like `my', but everyone else pronounces her name as `May'. Not that big of a difference. She had her hair pulled back and tied, which made me see why Shin is so attracted to her. She had a few strands of hair at the side of her face that hung loosely and made her look hot, I guess. She is kinda bossy and usually in control of everything. She wears glasses, which make her look even more sophisticated and smart, like a young businesswoman. I could tell that if they ever get together, Shin will be whipped, but I guess I've always suspected he would fall for that type.
Anyway, Mai quickly took the seat next to Shin, and I saw them engage in some small talk. I think I saw Shin's eyes sparkle a bit. Mai was covering her mouth, hiding little giggles. I guess she did look cute. Only one who can bring Shin down to Earth is someone like Mai, and the only one to put a smile like that on a person like Mai is someone like Shin. They looked perfect together.
I didn't really know perfect until I heard a sweet voice behind me. “Hey, is this seat taken?” I recognized the voice, and spun around the wrong way, actually taking a 270° spin before facing my new definition of perfect.
Right in front of me stood Kayden, and he looked so good. He was smiling and had his hands stuffed in his pockets and a binder sticking out from under one arm. It was then that I noticed his shirt was untucked again, and that he'd unbuttoned his shirt. Too bad we have to wear those damn t-shirts. He looked really sexy, like an angel with a devil's pitchfork.
I had to say something, and fast, but I didn't want to sound too eager, or even worse, uninterested.
This is it Zac, it's either sink or swim; he's gonna like you or he's gonna think you're an asshole. It all depends on your reply, your tone of voice, and your facial expression. Too much will give you away and scare him. Are you willing to risk it? You can simply shy away, and save yourself some embarrassment.
The little men in my mind started to pull strings, trying to influence my response.
“No, it's not taken,” I replied. I smiled a little and watched his smile grow, if that was even possible. Wow, that was pretty easy. I tend to over react in situations like that. I always manage to put everything in black and white.
“Thanks,” he said, pulling the chair closer to me. “I don't see anyone else here from the last class except you. I'm glad I saw you.”
“No, no, I'm glad I didn't screw this one up. You're just so hot…” is what I wanted to say, but I knew I couldn't do that.
Instead, I nodded and replied, “Yeah, sucks being the new guy. That teacher last class gave you a hard time. He's a real asshole.”
The look on Kade's face was priceless; he looked so innocent and unaware of anything around him, like a lost puppy. “He was giving me a hard time? I thought he was trying to be funny. I think he was trying to ease my first-day jitters, but its alright, I never get those.”
I couldn't believe him, he actually thought that devil in disguise had good intentions. I sighed inside. What a pure, innocent boy you are, I said in the back of my mind.
Before we could continue our little chat, a tall man with gelled hair walked in. He appeared to be around my dad's age. He looked us over, then grinned, nodding his head.
“I had a bunch of whiny grade nines a while ago, and because I had to read the code of conduct, I couldn't grab a bite to eat.” He placed himself at the front of the room.
“The semester breakdown is at the front. You kids read it, and then talk amongst yourselves. I'm going to go to the cafeteria. No one leaves until the bell, got it?” His question was serious, but a noticeable smile hid behind the cool stare.
We sat there, stunned. A teacher we didn't know trusted us enough to leave us unattended. Something tells me this guy is going to be a lot of fun. That was kind of cool. I decided to get Kade and me the breakdown, but before I got up, I noticed Kade walking towards me. He already had two sheets with him. How the hell did he move so fast? I wondered.
“Here, I got one for you.”
For the first time, I noticed how white his teeth were, and they were perfectly aligned. I had braces when I was in grade 5. They're gone now, so that's a good thing. Something else I noticed was his eyes. He had the most amazing blue eyes ever. They looked so inviting, like an ocean ready to carry me away. I could've sat there staring at those eyes, never getting bored, but that wouldn't have been a good idea.
I simply nodded and said, “Thanks.” Somewhere inside, I wanted to know everything about him. He looked very interesting, smart, and cute. The list goes on.
“So, is there anything to do around here? I just moved up here with my parents and I don't know where anything is.” He looked at me, not faltering one bit, his voice calm, stern, and full. This boy had no faults.
“Actually, this place is kinda the shithole. We have a crap mall, but there's a pretty good one about fifteen minutes from here. A lot of my friends just hang there sometimes, watching movies occasionally.” I answered his question like a pro.
“Like mall rats, huh?” he asked innocently, flashing his great whites.
“Dude, I totally love that movie!”
“Me too, just way too funny. I guess hanging out at the mall is pretty cool.”
I don't know what came over me, but suddenly I was talking with this beautiful life form and I wasn't scared. I wasn't shy. It felt so natural to be around him. He was so beautiful it was unreal to think we were of the same species. It was like he took away all my worries and that we'd been friends forever. I was surprised by what suddenly came out of my mouth.
“Yeah, man, you should hang out with us some time, it would be really cool. We can all go to a movie or something. I don't mind showing you around.”
I saw his eyes soften, and his mouth close. A slow smile crept across his face. If I hadn't been sitting, I literally would have fallen down. My knees felt weak, and I was transfixed by the look he was giving me. I was overcome by a sense of peace.
This guy… why does he make me feel like this? I wondered to myself.
“I would really like that. Thank you, umm…” He sounded troubled, and I suddenly understood why.
“Sorry, I never introduced myself,” I said, sheepishly lowering my head, embarrassed. “My name is Zac. Nice to meet you.”
His eyes flashed again, so bright, like the vast ocean…yeah, yeah, you heard me mention that already. It took a lot of effort to break away from my daze and actually listen to him.
“Cool. My name is Kayden, but I go by Kade, and…” I suddenly cut him off.
“And your favorite foods are pizza and ice cream, right?” I asked jokingly.
He grinned wildly at me. “Damn straight!”
We chatted for a bit, and I looked around when we took a break from our endless chatter. It was then I noticed we had more than half the class staring at us. Probably all wondering who Kade was, and why I was talking so openly with him. I also saw Shin give me a wicked smile as he got up and walked towards us, quickly followed by Mai.
“Hey, Zac!” Shin walked over and gave me props; we pull our fists and knock knuckles, a cool way of greeting a buddy.
He looked at Kade, who sat there smiling at us, like he knew our friendship was tight.
“You gonna introduce us, man?” Shin asked, knowing I was going to probably blush and mess up somehow.
“Uhh, right,” I began awkwardly. “Guys, this is Kade. He's new here,” I said, aiming a thumb at Kade. “Kade, this is one of my best friends, Shin, and this is his soon-to-be girlfriend, Mai.”
I had to take advantage of the situation. I knew they were both going to murder me afterwards, but it was the spur of the moment.
Mai simply bit her bottom lip and smiled widely. “Asshole.”
I had to snicker a bit; I just knew I had caught them.
“Too bad for you, we're already going out, and nice to meet you, Kade. I'm sure you'll be a good influence on our Zac.” I didn't know that Mai and I were on such a friendly basis, but I was cool with it. She is actually really fun to be with once you get to know her, but I was still surprised by what she said.
I turned sharply towards Shin, who was trying to hide the fact he was embarrassed. He unknowingly scratched his forehead, a thing he does when he feels embarrassed or confused.
“DUDE!” was all I could say.
After a short moment, I continued. “Why didn't you tell me, you modest bastard?” I joked, slapping him on his back.
He smiled; obviously embarrassed at the situation he was in. “You guys never asked. We've been going out for a week now.” At that he moved up behind Mai and grabbed her waist and she seemed to like that position, clasping her hands around his. Wow, I never knew shy, wild Shin could be that forward with the ladies.
My smile refused to fade while I stared at both of them. I was really happy for Shin, but I envied him, too. He had someone important; I wanted that. But I couldn't just come out and tell a guy I felt attracted to him.
Shin seemed to sense my thoughts and quickly shifted to a new topic. “So, Kade, have you seen all of Whitby yet?”
“No, not yet,” the beautiful boy replied. “I moved here last week, but I've been busy taking care of some things back at home.” The way he said `things' made me wonder a bit. “Zac said he's going to show me around sometime.”
“If you have five minutes to waste, then go right ahead. We should really rename this town Shitby,” Mai quipped. We all laughed at that for a while.
“That's cool,” Shin said. “You should hang with us a bit. It would be cool to show you around, man.”
Kade simply nodded, acknowledging Shin's invitation. I really like the way Shin is able to meet new people. People like him don't have any enemies. Everyone likes him, and he has the coolest personality anyone could ever have. He's smart but modest, popular but easy to talk with. He never looks down on anyone, and he's usually his silly self, often breaking down any social walls people place around themselves.
Before we knew it, the bell rang and we all went to the door. Kade had art next, and surprisingly, so did Mai, so they went on their way, talking like they were long-lost friends. I just stood there and watched my angel walk away. Suddenly I felt sort of empty and dry without him near me. My dry throat got tight, and it was hard to swallow. Why does Kade make me feel like this?
The rest of the students dispersed, leaving me in the empty hallway. It felt cold. Rather, I felt cold. I felt alone.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Well, there you have it, Chapter 1. There's more to come. Please send any questions or comments to Ryan_Kayden@yahoo.ca. Flames will be ignored. Please don't try to get me to alter the story. I'm pretty much writing this story for my most important person, and myself. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.
Copyright © 2003 Ryan Keith