Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2015 22:43:41 -0500 From: Landon Blake Subject: A Step In The Right Direction-1 The sun was shining through my blinds and making me feel like a vampire as I got my blanket and pulled it over my head. I looked at the clock and sighed. You'd think that the last day of school was supposed to be exciting since it marked the beginning of summer, but I'm a sophomore and it's just another realization that I'm still stuck in this hellhole. I finally decide to roll myself out of bed and get ready to head out. I look at my body mirror I had hanging on my closet door and evaluate myself. My brown hair looking disheveled from last nights sleep, some "sleepies", as my mother called them, covering my green eyes and some remnants of last nights wanking session strung over my chiseled torso. "Well done, Landon," I said with a smirk as I traced the remains of jizz. Just then my phone rang notifying me that I had a text message. I looked at the screen and smiled at the message my best friend Zach had sent. "Hurry up and get ready, faggot! I'll be there in 15 minutes!" Normally, it upsets people when derogatory words like that are said, but not me. Well, not from Zach at least. He's my best friend and has been okay with my "gayness", as he calls it, since I came out to him freshman year. I type a quick reply and jump in the shower to prepare for the day ahead. Zach arrived 15 minutes later on the dot. That's what really irritated me about him, always punctual. I ran down the stairs and kissed my parents goodbye and walked out to meet Zach in his over-glamorous Dodge Charger, and head to school. "Really? You're wearing that?" Zach said as he eyed me up and down. "Yeah? What's wrong, with it?!" I asked as I looked at my blue jeans and polo shirt. "Nothing, you just look a bit too nice for a normal day at school, that's all." He said with a smug look. I rolled my eyes and cracked a smile. "Hey, I'm the gay one, shouldn't I be judging you based on what you wear?" "Just shut up before I smack you," I couldn't help but smile at his response. Having a straight friend, especially one that's a guy, has got to be the biggest relief that there is. It's not that I have to worry about bullies or anything, but it's nice to know that not all guys are as horrible as the ones you see on TV or in the movies, especially since we're in the middle of "everyone knows everyone" Texas. Zach knows all of my deepest secrets and has been there for me from the very beginning. He was the first person I came out to, the first person I run to when I have boy problems (even though he doesn't like it sometimes) and he's always there to be crazy and sing/dance with me for no reason at all. Basically, he's going to be my best man when I decide to get married. After what seems like a lifetime of driving, but in all reality it was about 10 minutes, we finally arrived at school and were greeted with the bustling of students walking from the busses and cars to the school all with the same perpetual look of "why am I awake this early" written across their faces. We meet up with our friends Ashley and Tanner and attempt to put in some quick gossip before heading into our first class. Before we parted ways, I noticed that Ashley's hazel eyes were gazing off into the distance, so I slyly poked her arm to see if she was all right. Before I knew it she had my 6'2" frame pulled down to her smallish 5'4". "Look at that guy," she said pointing into the crowd. "See him? Is he new?" I quickly scanned the crowd of mostly familiar faces to see who in the world she was talking about. That's when I saw him. It was as if the Greek gods had reincarnated Adonis into a human being and sent him to our high school. It was then that I had noticed I might have been staring a little bit too long, because I heard Tanner and Zach whispering and pointing at me while laughing like a bunch of school girls. I looked over and gave them an evil glare and turned to walk to my next class. I had to stop for a quick second to make sure that there was no drool, but as soon as I realized I was safe my thoughts went straight back to Adonis. Who was he? Why would he move to such a small town like this? Why is he so perfect?! My mind was literally racing. I arrive to my English class and sit front row. English was my favorite class and my teacher, despite being one of the hardest teachers in the entire high school, was also my favorite. I just loved the deep and personal connection I got with each book I read and how the story can speak to me on a meaningful level. Mrs. Anderson was a strict teacher, but she knew what she was doing. She was sitting at her desk with her glasses sitting on the tip of her nose and began to gain control of her classroom. "John F. Kennedy once said `Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors," she stated in a loud, booming voice. "Can anybody give me an opinion on if they agree or disagree on this statement?" My hand shot up in the air and I looked around and realized mine was the only one up. A small smile crept across Mrs. Andersons face. "Of course, you would be the first one with your hand in the air, Landon. What's your opinion?" See? This is why I loved her. I love having a teacher who's so open to having other student's opinions in the classroom rather than a long and boring lecture. "Because it gives us a reason to start questioning what is going on around us. How are we as humans supposed to learn and grow if we cast aside anything controversial? Our land was built upon controversy." Then, a voice popped up in the back of the class. I looked up and immediately lost my breath; it was the Adonis from earlier. His smooth, sexy voice immediately filled me with so many emotions. "Yeah, we were built on controversy, but we've tried to minimize it since we revolted ourselves. However, your point is moot because war has nothing to do with authorship. Controversy for the sake of controversy should be discouraged, it's pointless and just causes us to divide our nation even further than it is now." My heart sank. How can my Adonis talk like this?! My heart went into a frenzy as a I realized that my imagination had been shattered by a harsh, heartbreaking reality of how completely ignorant he was. My frenzy soon turned to anger, and the next thing I knew, words were just dripping out of my mouth filled with malice. "This country cannot move forward unless we have controversy. It was Martin Luther King, JR's controversies that lead to equal rights of African Americans, it was the controversy of women wearing short dresses that lead to the foundation of women's rights who still struggle to this very day! Just because you choose to be a hateful, judgmental and Hitler-like oppressionist asshole doesn't mean we all have to twiddle our fucking thumbs and do nothing. Some of us actually like to see our society change for the better rather than keeping us stuck in this bullshit era that we're currently in!" My anger had finally subsided and I was welcomed with nothing but a deafening silence. Before my teacher could say anything else I grabbed my backpack and stood up. "Don't worry, I'll see myself to the principals office." I looked at my fallen Adonis, who now looked absolutely disgusting, but still completely sexy, in my eyes, and made sure he felt my anger. With that, I stormed out into the hallway to take the short walk to the principal's office and accept my fate. Author's Note: Hey everyone! I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of A Step In The Right Direction! This is my first time writing a Nifty story, so any feedback is welcome! I can be reached by email at landon.a.blake@gmail.com All the best, Landon.