I really don't like school. The teachers are mean. The work is hard. And the other kids don't like me. But there's nothing I can do. I tell my mom I don't want to go anymore, but all she does is laugh and say join the club. Dad was no help either. He just shrugged and said that's life. Yeah, life stinks, but it's about to get worse.
It's just before school and a bunch of kids are playing all around me. I'm bouncing a ball against the wall. Somebody steps in and kicks the ball over the fence. I turn, ready to get angry. I stop dead. The kicker is the biggest guy in my class, Buzz Ackerman. He's looking at me and my blood is freezing inside.
He tells me he's going to beat me up after school. I ask why. He says it'd be fun. Fun for him maybe. He walks away laughing. The whole day I thought of nothing but the beating I was to receive and I had no delusions. Buzz is going to beat me into the ground, end of story. I'm dog food if I don't figure a way out.
All through my classes I feel like a scared bunny rabbit with my heart beating as though I'm running. I can't concentrate. Everything reminds me that I'm running out of time. Should I go to the teacher? That won't solve anything. He'll just say he was joking and beat me up even harder at a later date.
I try to focus on my multiplication tables, but they only remind me of how many bones I have to break. Science is no help. We're learning about amoebas, one of the smallest animals on the planet and I keep thinking yeah, I'll be joining you soon. And history sure isn't any help since we're learning about ancient armies and the siege weapons they used to break down the walls.
Lunch rolls around and I decide to hole up with my sandwich in a janitor's closet just in case Buzz decides he wants a taste of the meal to come. I try to eat, but my insides are in knots and I feel like my stomach is in lockdown. Not even a twinkie, my all time favorite snack, can entice me to even take a bite.
I throw my lunch away and head back to class before the bell goes off. The second half of my day fares no better than the first and I can feel the tick of the clock through my very bones. The final bell goes off and I'm no closer to a solution. I figure I'll just wait till everyone leaves, head out and sneak inside dad's car. The plan goes off without a hitch except for one fact, Buzz is standing near to my dad's car and he isn't moving.
I freeze in place and have no idea what I should do. I watch as Buzz turns his head and before he catches sight of me I take off. I run as fast as my legs will carry me and don't stop till I'm several blocks away. I sit on a stoop and let myself breathe while I check to make sure I have not been followed. I give it a few minutes and decide I'm safe.
I give myself time to think about my situation. If I go back to school I'm going to have to face Buzz and he's likely going to be more upset that I ducked out. If I go home my parents aren't going to be very sympathetic to my problem. They'll just tell me to face my bully, maybe even throw in that it builds character. Easy for them to say they can call the cops on their bullies.
I know there's a solution to my problem, but I just can't see it. The only thing that makes sense to me is to keep running and never look back. I stand up and start walking. Kid with a backpack leaving school, no reason to look twice. I keep on my way and make it to the edge of town, which isn't far.
I step out onto the gravel and make my way onto the train tracks. I figure I can find a train and hitch a ride just like the hobos do. It's gonna be a long walk since I can't see a train on either end of the tracks. That's okay. I don't mind walking. Fresh air, plenty of exercise. I'll be the most fit, homeless vagrant that's ever lived.
I'm walking along the train tracks when I hear something strange. The sound of crunching gravel. The sound of someone walking behind me. I turn my head to find a man walking with me. He startles me, but I keep it inside and take note of the all black he wears and the hands he has tucked inside his pockets.
"Where you headin' mister?" I ask as I keep moving forward as though someone appearing out of nowhere is normal.
"I thought I might hop the next train out of here," the stranger tells me as he walks alongside me.
"You tryin' to leave town too?" I proceed as I walk along and kick a rock.
"That's the plan," he replies and kicks a stone himself.
"Where ya headed?" I pry and choke up on my backpack.
"I figure south is the way to go," he explains his plan and gazes at a bird flying through the air. "It gets warmer the closer you are to the equator. I'm so sick of the snow."
My mind focuses on the weather report I checked before heading to school. It said the weekend was likely to get really chilly. "The only thing I like about it are snow days," I continue and follow the bird till it's out of sight. "Even though we now have a virtual set up so we still can't get out of school work."
"School, those were the days," he chats on and fidgets with his nose. "Except math. I never had a head for math."
"Math is easy," I insist and chew on my hoodie's cord.
"Just wait till you get to algebra," he remarks and snatches up a stone before hurling it into the surrounding trees. "And don't even get me started on English."
We walk along for a bit with nothing but the sound of crunching stones filling the air. I keep stealing glances of the guy and try to size up who he is from his appearance. His face is not one I recognize and there seems to be nothing unique about it. It makes me wonder what I would tell a sketch artist should things turn bad.
My stomach growls. "Sorry about that," I apologize and sink my head a little lower.
"You're sorry for being hungry?" he responds as he casts an eye on me.
"Yeah, I meant to eat earlier, but my stomach was giving me issues," I declare and think about the meal I passed up and why I threw it away instead of holding onto it for later.
"I know a great place to eat," he tells me and looks about his surroundings.
"I don't have any money and I don't do, things, for food," I make sure he understands where I stand as I ball my fists in case it gets ugly. He's got a slight build, I should be able to sucker-punch him in the nuts and run away.
"You don't have to do anything, the food is free for all," he continues and starts to walk away from the tracks. "You just gotta know where to look."
I look down the tracks and the freedom they promise. Then I look to the man who is walking away and not looking back. I really should keep going, but my stomach tells me I better not. I reach down and pick up a nice size rock and keep it in my hand. I carry on after him, but do not hasten my steps. I want to have a proper buffer in case anything sketchy should happen.
We walk along the streets and wind our way to the back of a burger franchise. A burger sounds nice right now with onions and smothered in ketchup. But wait, he said it was free for all. Is he going to rob the place? Is that what he meant about knowing where to look? I increase the distance between us. Soon as he draws a weapon I'm hightailing it out of here.
He stops at a dumpster, lifts the lid and pulls out two garbage bags which he sets on the asphalt. "Dig in," he tells me and sits himself down.
"You can't be serious," I declare as I approach and stare at the bags.
"What's wrong?" he asks me as he tears into his bag.
"What's wrong?" I repeat as I point at the offending thing. "You're about to eat garbage."
"What's wrong with that?" he responds and dips his hand into the bag.
"What's wrong with that?" I parrot his words and gaze at the bag I'm meant to rip into. "Garbage is garbage. Besides, aren't there shelters where we can get a proper meal?"
"Not if you want to stay off the grid," he informs me and grabs a handful of pink meat which he shoves into his mouth.
I leave the disgusting, uncooked meat aside for the moment. "What do you mean by 'stay off the grid'?"I proceed with the questions and sit myself down next to the bag I was offered.
"You don't want to go home, right?" he carries on and tears at some moldy buns.
I nod.
"Then you can't go to a shelter," he informs me and sets the bag down. "Shelters are required by law to report any kids that enter their doors."
"Are you for real?" I inquire and tear into the bag, figuring that if he isn't lying that this is my only means of sustenance.
"As real as it gets," he returns while looking me dead in the face. "You can look it up on your phone if you don't believe me."
"I don't have a cellphone," I admit and turn a shade of red.
"For real?" he comes back and sits forward.
"For real," I respond and pull a half eaten burger out of my bag. 'My parents say I'm not mature enough to have a device that will allow me to see anything I want."
"Don't eat that kid," a voice cuts into our conversation.
I flash a look and see an employee of the restaurant holding a bag in his hand. I make ready to run, but look to the stranger and see that he's not tense at all. So I relax myself and accept the bag the employee offers to me as he sits down with us. He looks first to me then to the stranger before eyeing the ripped bags.
"Look at yourself man," he starts in on the stranger while pointing a finger at me. "Look what you're doing to your kid. Do you think that living on the streets is any way for a kid to live? I know you got problems, but is that any reason to subject a kid to this life? Look at him, he's scared and he's hungry. You can't do this to him. He needs a house, a steady environment to grow up in. He needs a home."
The last word hits me hard, Home. The place I left because I was afraid of getting beat up. The place where my family is waiting for me and worried sick over my disappearance. I can just see my mom crying her eyes out while dad tries to comfort her. And then there's my little brother. He looks up to me and this is likely going to scar him for life.
For the first time this day, I start thinking with clarity. "I'm ready to go home," I announce as I stand up.
"That a boy kid," the employee congratulates me and stands up. "I'm sure your dad is a great guy, but that doesn't mean you have to follow every step he takes."
"He's not my dad," I declare and look his way.
"Then who is he?" the employee enquires and follows my eyeline.
I take a moment to really think about it. "He's a stranger, I met on the tracks," I summarize my dealings with him.
He smiles, stands up and walks away, back to the tracks. In the meantime me and the employee head to the burger joint. He uses his cellphone to call the cops and at my request my folks. A few minutes later a cop car shows up with my parents in the backseat. They enter the restaurant and after a reunion full of tears we sit down.
The cop asks me why I ran away. I take a moment to consider how much I should tell. I go ahead and tell them all about my run in with Buzz. I then wait for my parents to let me have it, but they don't. Instead, they ask me if I'd like to switch schools since there are two other schools in our district that offer the classes I would need.
I start crying again. I feel ashamed that I didn't give my parents the benefit of the doubt and made them worry so to boot. What kind of son am I? The cop carries on. He wants to know what happened next. I give an account of everything that happened to the best of my memory which concludes with the stranger from the tracks.
This is the point the cop wants to know all about. I really don't have much to give. He wore all black which included boots and had a stranger's face. He ate raw burgers and moldy bread and he walked away once he knew I was going home. The cop says he's got enough, but to give him a call if I remember anything else and escorts us out to his cruiser where he gives us a lift.
He drops us off at home and advises me to think twice before running. It doesn't end problems, it just compounds them. I tell him I'll never do something so stupid again. He tells me I've got a good head on my shoulders and drives off. Mom and dad walk me to the house and I apologize over and over again.
They tell me it's okay and advise that I get some rest. I follow without complaint while they talk to grandma and thank her for watching little Isaac and assure her that I'm fine. I creep inside my room and keep the light off since my little brother is asleep. I wish him a goodnight and lay down myself. Within twenty minutes I'm out.
I dream of the man in black. I see his face as it peels away and reveals my own underneath. I'm looking at myself. My face in a grown up body. He leans down and holds out both of his hands, closed with the palm facing down. I touch the one on the left and the hand twists before opening. There's a flower inside that has not been crushed and is fully open. It has blue petals with a white center.
I wake up and scratch my head. I have no idea why I dreamed that. Isaac is awake and full of energy. He wants me to play. I'm guessing mom and dad haven't told him about my running away. I decide to keep it that way. I apologize. He doesn't know why. I tell him he doesn't need to. He only has to know I'm sorry.
We both head down for breakfast where everything appears to be normal. Mom and dad are busy in the kitchen whipping up some delicious food. We all dig in and talk about things that do not involve me legging it for a day. It's almost as if it never happened and I'm not looking for any threads to pull. This reality is just fine.
My belly properly full, I escort my brother to his school before leaving for mine. I make it to school and head into my classroom. The first person to greet me is Buzz. He asks if I was too chicken to meet him yesterday. I say nothing. Then he laughs, claps a hand on my shoulder and tells me it was all a joke. He had no intention of beating me up.
I smile, join in the laugh and slug him right in the nose. He staggers backwards and holds his face as blood streams from behind his hand. The whole room is stunned and all conversations cease as a multitude of phones capture the moment. And if a record of what happened wasn't enough the teacher was entering the room just as I punched him.
I'm sent to the principal's office and am given three days detention since it was my first offense. I used that time to reassess my life. It's time for me to take matters into my own hands. It's time to put myself out there. It's time to start living a life that is worth living. But most of all, it's time I stop being so scared to live.