Surviving
Day One
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The unrelenting buzz of the alarm clock sent chills
down Drake Bedford's spine. It was D-Day he thought. The day most dreaded in
every kid's life. It was the day that nightmares are made of, the day that
inspired stomach aches, sweaty palms and frayed nerves among children all over
the world. Today was the first day of school. To make matters worse, it was
Drake's first day at a new school, in a new town. He didn't know anyone. He
didn't know what his teachers would be like. He didn't know if he was at the
same level in his subjects as the other kids his age. There was only one thing
he was certain of and that was the fact that today was going to be a really bad
day. Drake groaned and he remained buried under his covers. The very thought of
getting out of bed and facing the terrible fate that awaited him was enough to
turn his stomach. Then there was a knock on his bedroom door. Drake knew that
his mother was on the other side. He let out a long, deep sigh and braced
himself for the inevitable. For he knew it was only a matter of seconds until
she opened the door and forced him to get up and get ready for school.
"Drake,
are you awake?" Drake's mother called out to her son and then she slowly
opened the door. She shook her head as she saw the piles of toys, clothes,
books and pieces of model airplanes that littered Drake's bedroom floor.
Although she was annoyed at the mess, an amused smile spread across her lips.
Her pretty blue eyes shined as she thought about the funny quirks her young
child possessed. She called out to him once more. When he gave no response, she
walked over to the bed. Drake was completely covered with his blanket,
preventing his mother from seeing his face. Only his left foot was visible and
it still wore his sneaker from the day before. His other foot was bare and just
his toes peeked out from beneath the covers. Drake's mother called to her son
again.
"Go
away, I'm sick!" Drake muttered as he clasped the blanket tighter around
his body.
"On
the first day of school? I don't think so, young man. You had better get up and
get dressed. You cannot be late today." Mrs. Bedford heaved an annoyed
sigh as she reached out and pulled the blanket from her eight year old son's
grip.
"No,
Mom. I'm really sick. My stomach hurts. I think I'm gonna puke." Drake
insisted that he was ill and vehemently protested as his mother removed his
covers and set them on the floor just out of his reach.
"It's
called 'First Day Fever' and it will pass. Everyone feels that way, especially
going to a new school. I promise it will be alright. Do you want me to drive
you? I can walk you to class." Drake's mother lovingly sat beside her son,
and stroked his brown hair as she spoke.
"Oh
yeah, that'd be great. I mean there's nothing cooler than having your mommy
walk you to class. I'll make friends in no time." Drake added emphasis to
his sarcasm with a toothy grin and thumbs up. Drake's mother gave an annoyed
glance and a slight scoff at her son. Drake could be incredibly sarcastic when
he wanted to; of course most children his age are experts at this type of
behavior. Mrs. Bedford had already raised two sons and she had a teenage boy
still at home. Sarcasm was something that she had gotten used to and she was
painfully aware that it would get worse as Drake got older.
"Well
then you had better get up and get ready because if you miss the bus that is
exactly what is going to happen," Mrs. Bedford said with a toothy grin of
her own. "Plus you need to get a shower before you go because you are
filthy."
Mrs.
Bedford gestured toward her son's disheveled appearance. In addition to wearing
one shoe in bed, he still had on his jeans and t-shirt from the day before.
Both were covered in dust, mud and food particles from the previous day of
play. Drake's hair was standing straight up in the front and was sticky in the
back and he had ketchup and dirt caked on his face.
"Fine!"
Drake exclaimed as he reluctantly climbed out of bed. A look of pure disgust
was plastered his face. Drake's mom told him to hurry and then to come down for
breakfast once he had showered and dressed. Drake sleepily made his way down
the hallway. His feet making an odd clumping sound on the hard wood floor, as
he still wore just one shoe. Just as he approached the bathroom, the door
opened and a cloud of steam barreled out, spilling into the hallway. Drake's
seventeen year old brother Michael stepped out wearing only a towel around his
waist, drops of water still clinging to his hair and chest.
"Sup,
Twerp?" Michael said with a tilt of his head and a quick tousle of the
child's hair as he passed. Michael was head and shoulders taller than Drake and
he was muscular and athletic. Drake wondered if he would ever look like his
brother. At this age, Drake had his doubts. He passed Michael without so much
as a glance. He was annoyed about having to go to school to begin with and his
brother's teasing just added to his irritation. He went in the bathroom,
relieved himself and then he turned on the shower. There was no hot water left.
Well that's just great, he thought. A perfect start to a perfect day.
Drake shivered in the cold water but he
cleaned himself thoroughly. He brushed his hair and his teeth. Then he put on
one of his coolest outfits. Sleek black jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt that
featured one of his favorite video games, black high-top sneakers and a hat
with the bill turned sideways. Then a quick spray of his Dad's cologne and
Drake was ready for school. He may not be big and strong like his brother, but
Drake did look really cool and he has very happy about that.
Drake
made his way downstairs for breakfast. Eggs, toast, milk and sliced peaches
were waiting for him. No sooner had he reached the table when his mother
informed him that he had less than ten minutes to eat and get out to the bus
stop. Drake shoveled food into his mouth and then drank his milk as he put on
his jacket. His mom had his backpack ready to go and they headed out the door.
Michael shouted a quick goodbye as he passed them on the way to his car. Drake
was slightly envious of his big brother, who did not seem the least bit nervous
about starting a new school. Then again Michael was going into the twelfth
grade. After this he gets to be done with regular school and would be off to
college. Drake was going into fourth grade and to him the end seemed to be
light years away. Drake wondered why Michael wanted to go college next year
anyway. Drake thought the idea of going to school past the years that you had
to go was pure insanity, but Michael seemed excited about it.
When
Drake and his mom got to the bus stop, their next door neighbors were there
with their son. His name was Carter Simmons. Carter was the same age as Drake
and really the only kid that Drake knew. Drake's family had only moved to
Lakeview a couple of weeks ago. The Bedford's were still unpacking their stuff
and getting settled in. Drake had met Carter last week when the saw each other
in their adjoining backyards. It was an instant friendship and so Drake was
happy that he had a friend to sit with on the bus. He really hoped that they
would be in the same class as well. Drake asked Carter who his new teacher was
and was delighted to find out that they both had Ms. Parker. Nodding glances
and exchanges of the word "awesome" followed this information as both
kids were pleased that they were going to be together. Mrs. Bedford and Mrs.
Simmons seemed equally pleased and they discussed it happily. The conversation
was short lived however, as the bus arrived only a few seconds later.
Drake
swallowed hard as he stepped onto the bus. He was still nervous but he didn't
want his new friend to know it. He wanted Carter to think he was super cool and
any sign of weakness would just defeat his efforts. Carter was also trying to
put on a brave face, but he wasn't hiding his fear as well as Drake. Carter was
a really small boy for his age. Drake was a whole head taller than Carter, as
were most of the other kids in their grade. This made Carter even more nervous
about the first day of school. Previous years had taught him that someone was
going to pick on him because of his size. Sweat dripped down his face and he
looked even more pale than usual. Drake noticed but he didn't want to call his
friend out on his fears, so he decided to talk about something other than
school.
"So,
I got Zombie Destruction yesterday.
It's freaking awesome! Do you want to come over and play it after school?"
Drake asked.
"Yeah!
Dude, I saw videos about that game. You get to either be the zombies and tear
apart the whole town and eat people's brains and junk, or you can be the
vigilantes and take out the zombie hoard." Carter's enthusiasm for the new
video game clearly replaced his anxiety.
"Oh,
Dude, it's so cool. There's like a hundred different weapons you can use as a
vigilante but you have to unlock the really good ones. If you're a zombie,
that's cool too because you get attacks like puking on guys, tearing people's
heads off, eating their brains and spraying acid out your nose, like toxic
boogers, it rocks!"
Drake was
clearly as excited as his new found friend. The boys continued to discuss the
details of the game for the remainder of the bus ride and the walk to their
classroom. They happily forgot most of their first day jitters in the process.
Their conversation was interrupted when the teacher asked everyone to be quiet
and take their seats.
The first
task of the school day was attendance and each then child was supposed to stand
up and introduce themselves. Drake dreaded the idea, to him it seemed like
public humiliation to stand up in front of the class. So of course he was
picked to go first. When the teacher pointed at Drake he sighed, rolled his eyes
and slowly walked to the front of the class. The teacher instructed him to give
his name, age and tell the class a little bit about himself.
"Sup.
My name's Drake Bedford. I'm eight. I like video games, skateboarding and
watching shows on ghosts, cryptids and other paranormal stuff. Oh and I just
moved here from Silver City about two weeks ago." Drake looked as his
teacher in hopes that she would let him sit back down. She welcomed him to
Lakeview and then told him to return to his seat. Carter was selected next.
"Hi.
I'm Carter Simmons. I'm eight years old.
I've lived in Lakeview my whole life. I already know Drake, cause he
just moved in next door. It's cool cause he's the only kid my age on the block.
Plus he has an awesome video game collection and I love games too. I also like
riding bikes, skateboarding, playing baseball and football and just hanging
out."
Carter
sat down next to Drake when he was done introducing himself. They were both
relived to have that part of the day over and done with. They whispered to each
other as the next few kids took their turns. Then the teacher caught them
talking and told them to pay attention so they could get to know their
classmates. The next kid to get up was a heavyset boy with reddish-blonde hair,
braces and chocolate stains on his shirt and around the corners of his mouth.
He walked up to front of the class really slowly, with his head down but with a
devious twinkle in his eye. He stood silently in front of the class for a few
minutes before busting out an impromptu rap.
"Tommy
Rudder, in the house! Yo my name is Tommy, so don't run to your mommy. I know
I'm kinda big, but my rhymes you can dig. Dude, I want some candy. Yeah I want
some candy. Who's got some candy? Boy!" Then the kid crossed his arms and
tried to lean back on the teacher's desk but he lost his balance and fell right
on his butt. Drake and Carter could hardly contain themselves. That was the
funniest thing they had ever seen at school! They knew right away that they had
to make friends with that kid. When the boy regained his posture they invited
him to sit next to them. The teacher tried not to laugh as she brought up the
next child.
The next
victim happened to be a tall, skinny girl with light brown hair and glasses. She
wore a pretty pink dress with white ruffles and she had a matching pink and
white ribbon in her hair. Drake thought she looked like she was dressed more
for church than for school. She walked to the front of the room with staggering
confidence. Unlike every kid who went before her, this girl did not seem the
least bit nervous. She stood up straight, smiled and nodded at the teacher and
then she addressed the class with a loud and clear voice.
"Hello
everyone. My name is Trisha Saunders. This is my second year at Lakeview
Elementary. Last year I was class President of Mr. Kirk's third grade, as well
as a key participant in several student based extra-circular activities."
Trisha ended this sentence with a confident smile and Tommy Rudder made snoring
sounds while Drake and Carter tried to stifle their laughter. Trisha shot them
a warning glance and then continued her speech. She went on and on about her
plans to start clubs and organize student activities and she was clearly
launching a campaign for class president, even though it was months away. The
boys were less than impressed and Trisha gave them another annoyed look before
taking her seat right in the front of the class.
The next
kid was a beautiful Asian girl who was dressed like a boy. She had on a t-shirt
on depicting a popular first person shooter video game, matching dog tags, blue
jeans and a ball cap. The only thing that was feminine about her style was the
collection of bracelets that practically took over her arms. Most of these were
friendship and homemade charm bracelets. She also wore several silver rings on
her fingers and her nails were painted black with little silver flecks. Despite
her tomboy style, she was really pretty and most of the boys noticed. At their
young age it was a confusing and awkward feeling and her presence made them
more uncomfortable than anything else.
"Hey
all. My name is Kristen Cho. I'm nine years old. I'm into sports and motocross.
I ride ATV's too. I play paintball. I draw comics. I skate and like most of
you, I'm a serious gamer." After her introduction the girl sat down and
started sketching on her notebook. Drake, Carter and Tommy exchanged approving
glances. Now this was a girl they could relate to. Tommy was basically love
struck and he tried really hard to hide it, but he kept looking at her with a
goofy smile.
When each
child had taken their turn, Ms. Parker stood up to introduce herself. She was
tall, thin and pretty. She had short red hair and green eyes. She was fairly
young, probably between 25 and 32 and she had a warm smile and a soft,
reassuring voice. During her introduction she talked about her teaching
experience and her family. None of the students cared about this at all.
Although everyone was glad that she seemed nice, to them she was just another
adult who was going to tell them what to do all day. The only kid, who did seem
to care about what Ms. Parker was saying, was Trisha Saunders. This was the
same girl who had given an entire speech for her introduction. She wanted to see
pictures of Ms. Parker's children and hear about where Ms. Parker went to
college.
"Can
you say, teacher's pet?" Tommy whispered with a shake of his head. The
children within ear shot of this comment broke out in stifled laughter and
tried to hide their smiles from the teacher's watchful eyes.
The rest
of the school day went by fairly quickly. It was filled with easy lessons that
were pretty much a review from last year's material. There were also a lot of
introductions to things. The teacher spent more time going over rules and
policies than anything else. In the afternoon, the class had art and then gym.
Drake liked both classes since neither one involved math nor writing; these
were his most hated subjects. Carter and Tommy didn't like gym though. Carter
liked sports and he was really athletic, but his small frame always led to
teasing and criticism from other kids. He hated gym because he looked down
right scrawny in the school issued gym clothes. Tommy hated exercise in
general. He had breathing problems on top of being overweight. Physical
activity always left him red in the face and gasping for breath. The first day
was ultimately humiliating for him as the children had to take a start of the
year physical assessment. This involved seeing how many sit-ups and pushups
that each child could do. Drake did 40 sit-ups and 10 pushups. Carter did about
50 of each, but Tommy couldn't even do one. Then he got mad and stormed out of
the gym, only to be dragged back in by the hall monitor five seconds later.
Then Tommy sat on the bench grumbling to himself. Kristen Cho was amazing in
gym. She beat everyone for all of the physical tests, and then she danced
around singing her own praises.
The gym
teacher was a huge man, who looked like an army soldier. He had muscles upon
his muscles and a completely shaved head. He was really tall and most of the
kids found him very intimidating. Whenever anyone struggled with a task he
yelled that he was going to get them into shape this year. Tommy felt like he was
going to have a heart attack just thinking about it and Carter thought the huge
man might decide to just step on him and squash him like a bug. Thankfully gym
was the last class of the day and the kids were thrilled to learn that it ended
half an hour before the school day was over. This was intended to give the
children time to clean up and change out of their gym clothes. Tommy, Drake and Carter all got dressed
quickly and they were allowed to gather their things and head out to wait for
the bus. When they got outside, they noticed a large boy hovering over a much
smaller kid. The bigger boy pushed the other child down and punched him square
in the face. Someone yelled for a teacher and the unknown bully took off
running. Drake, Carter and Tommy looked at each other. They knew that there was
at least one boy that they should avoid.
When the
bus came, Drake and Carter asked Tommy to sit with them. On the ride home the
three of them discussed Drake's new video game. Drake asked Tommy if he wanted
to come over and play with them, but Tommy said he had to ask his mom first. So
they exchanged phone numbers to give to their parents. Kristen Cho was sitting
two seats ahead of the boys. When she heard them talking about playing Zombie Destruction she leaped over the
seats to join in the conversation.
"Did
you guys get the 'Brain Buffet' achievement yet?" She asked. When Drake
told her game was new and that they hadn't really played it yet, Kristen took
the opportunity to share all of her tips, tricks and cheats. Before long she
had exchanged numbers with the boys as well and they were already planning a
weekend for the four of them to get together to play. Drake smiled. The first
day hadn't been so bad after all. Plus he made two new friends that loved video
games as much as he did.
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