Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 23:01:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Sky Pro Subject: I'll Be, Chapter 1 Legal: If you're not old enough to read this, please go away... Now, for the rest of you.... I'll Be by Skyler Chapter One: Ah, the trusty alarm clock, never failing to pull him from the dreamy wonders of the nether, back to the stormy, dark land of reality each school day at 6:15. You'd think a person might grow accustomed to this routine after nearly two years, but that wasn't to be. He rolled to his side and viciously slapped the noise-box, silencing its tinny, metallic "bleep", but painfully aware that it would spring to life again in just fifteen minutes if he didn't get moving soon. Besides, the bus always arrived promptly at 7:00 and he needed to shower and eat before leaving. Missing either of those daily routines always managed to spoil the rest of his day. It never failed. Grudgingly, he crawled from beneath the warmth of the covers and padded his way down the hall to the bathroom. After turning on the shower and taking a leak, he determined the water was at desired temperature, stepped out of his shorts and climbed underneath the steaming spray. A few minutes later he increased in consciousness and started feeling much more human again. Getting out of bed on time did have some advantages, he smiled to himself, glancing down at his morning wood and remembering that day awhile back when he woke up late and his mother walked into the room just as he was climbing out of bed, hard as a rock. In his shock and surprise he'd managed to quickly cover himself with a nearby pillow and yell for her to get the hell out. More embarrassing was that several days later, during dinner of all times, she commented that he was "developing just fine"! He always wondered why he'd been blessed with a pediatrician for a mother. He recalled how red his face had gone when she said he would have nothing to worry about in the girl department, once they found out. A reassuring, if not downright flattering statement in itself, but from the mouth of his mother? If she only knew, he laughed lightly to himself. Shaking that train of thought from his mind, he killed the water, grabbed a nearby towel and hurriedly dried off. This morning he would shave again. A special, rewarding event even though it occurred maybe once a week and lasted for only a minute. Then it was do the hair, add deodorant and a shot of cologne, just for good measure, and finally trudge back to his room, still wrapped in a towel, to choose the day's ensemble. Today he settled on an orange Hilfiger T-shirt, stonewashed Levi's and brand-new Nikes. Adding his black leather jacket and Oakleys on the way out the door, he deemed himself to definitely be stylin'. He pocketed two strawberry Pop-Tarts and a bottle of orange juice for the bus ride. As always, by the time he'd gotten to the bus stop at the entrance to their subdivision, he found the bus waiting and the pastries completely devoured. To bad he hadn't grabbed four. He climbed aboard, glancing for an empty seat among the other half-awake passengers, selected one halfway back and immediately zoned again, sipping his juice and staring blankly out the window at the chilly October morning. It really sucked that he was still riding the bus. At 16, all his friends had cars, except him. He had his license, but his parents said he didn't need one yet, primarily because all his friends had cars and he should just catch rides with them. Unfortunately, they all lived across town and while they had no problem coming to get him on the weekends, none of them were ever interested in waking up any earlier just to pick him up for school. It wasn't as if his family couldn't afford another car either, since his parents were a doctor and an architect, earned high six figure incomes and drove a Mercedes and Porsche respectively. Yet, no matter how hard he begged, mom and dad just wouldn't give in. Twenty minutes later he was roused from his thoughts as the bus arrived at Evanston Senior High School and he disembarked with the rest of them, navigating slowly through the never-ending sea of people in route to his locker. Like always, Cameron was already there, waiting on him, dangling car keys and grinning happily. "Morning, bro! And how was the magical journey of the cheese wagon today?" Cameron laughed at him, bopping him playfully in the arm. "Screw off, dude." Tyler said acidly, smiling back at him, a part of their usual morning exchange. Three months earlier, upon successfully obtaining his license, Cameron was given his dad's old car to drive. "Old" was really a relative term, considering the yellow 2001 Lexus IS300 with black leather interior had just 800 miles on it. Boy, was Tyler jealous! Then again, so was everybody else. Cam knew it, too, and like any good best friend should, rubbed it in every possible chance he got. Together they walked to History, first class of the day and one of the many they shared this semester. Cameron chattered away endlessly as they went, discussing the upcoming basketball try-outs and whether or not either boy, both of them being juniors this year, even had an ice cube's chance in hell at making varsity. Tyler mostly just listened, occasionally inserting single word answers or comments when appropriate. He never could understand how Cam always seemed brimming with life this early, as he himself was never fully awake until at least third or fourth period. Moments later the boys took their customary seats in the back corner of the classroom, close to the door, to begin their mental preparations for fifty straight minutes of sleeping with their eyes open. Enduring this subject just had to be one of the most terribly boring exercises encountered by students everywhere, Tyler thought. As Ms. Fraser drone on monotonously about the socioeconomic conditions during the War of 1812, Tyler couldn't help but wonder if she was speaking from personal experience. The woman was certainly as old as dirt, after all, so that idea was perfectly palatable. A quiet snicker escaped his lips as he pondered exactly when she might tell the class about her experience during the life of Christ. He felt a lightning-fast slap upside the skull, looking over to see Cam glowering somewhat curiously in his general direction. Apparently Tyler's soft laughter had disturbed his friend's sleeping pattern. The remainder of the period went by uneventfully. At least there was no homework assigned. Whenever the "Old bag", as the students affectionately referred to her, managed to talk nonstop for the entire hour, everyone always seemed to get out the door at the very instant the bell began to ring, affording the witch little or no chance to dish out anything productive for the next day. At this point Cameron and Tyler parted ways for a while, one to Physics, the other to Calculus. Math definitely wasn't Tyler's strongest suit, either, so he was always thankful that Cam went first and took excellent notes. With those distinct advantages, plus the occasional cheat on homework, he figured he stood a halfway decent chance at passing the course anyway. The boys met up again at lunch, taking their usual table in the cafeteria, surrounded by friends and teammates. Several conversations always took place while they ate, lunchtime being the central point of the day to catch up on the latest news or gossip. A key issue in debate this particular day was an upcoming party this weekend at Cody and Cory Mills' house. The twin sophomores were immensely popular and well known, so the "Who's Who" list would be enormous, since everyone who was anyone at school just simply had to be there. Cameron and Tyler both agreed they'd be there, as the event was sure to be the first big party of the school year. The Mills brothers had a swimming pool, game room and huge barn with a real dance floor, so there would be plenty to do and excellent music for sure. Plus, there might be some alcohol or other assorted pleasures available, since they lived in the country and there was little threat of getting busted. Their parents were way cool about that stuff anyway, though they were rumored to be out of town. Naturally, then, everyone was pretty upbeat about the impending possibilities, especially considering that when any kid whose parents were away threw a large-scale party, anybody in attendance would definitely have an excellent chance at drinking, getting a little high or even catching a piece of tail, if that's what they were after anyway. It seemed like the entire school was bursting with newfound energy and excitement as the bell rang and people scurried in various directions to their next class. Tyler agreed to meet his friend later that evening for a quick pick-up game, since try-outs were coming up in the next few weeks and then the boys went on with their day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yeah, I know its short again... Please email me (skypro21@yahoo.com) with any thoughts, ideas or suggestions... This one is coming together kinda slow. Peace! -Skyler