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Superman:
Behind
the Lives of Teenage Boys Drugs,
sex, peer pressure, loneliness, anger, girls, family, life. . . Dedicated to every teenage boy out there I can't stand to fly I'm more than a plane Introduction
I decided to write this set of short stories after meeting other
teenage boys and talking to them about their struggles in life. Most of
the boys ranged between the ages 13 - 16. I was deeply touched and
heartbroken to hear about all the things boys are faced with every day. I,
myself have never had to face what many teenage boys have had to face.
Some of these stories are true and some are fictionalized. I have
changed the names of the real people out of respect. But most of the
events that happen in each short story is true. I wrote these stories in a
down-to-earth way and some are graphic. But I only did this to convey the
emotion and realism of the stories. Story
1: Timothy
Dalton
Elizabethtown, commonly
known as E-town, is a beautiful and welcoming town. Fourteen-year-old
Timothy Dalton had lived there all his life. Once, when he was little, his
life had been like a fairy tale. He could remember his mother, Kasha and
father, Mark who had been very much in love. Timothy was an only child so
his parents had spoiled him a lot. But Timothy hadn’t turned into a
little brat, but instead he was very kind and thoughtful. But all of that
changed one evening. . .
Timothy had been twelve years-old. He lived in a small four bedroom
house with his mom and dad. They lived out in the country and Timothy
loved it. He would go and play with the neighborhood kids and life was
good. One evening when Timothy had come home from playing basketball with
some of the neighborhood kids.
As he stepped into the house he called out, “Mom, I’m home.”
The house was unusually quiet and Timothy grew worried. “Mom are you
here?” he called out. As he neared his parent’s bedroom he could hear
noises. Not knocking Timothy stepped in. The sight that lay before his
eyes were too much to bear. He saw his mother with another man kissing and
when he saw them his heart felt as if it was breaking. “Timothy. . .what
are you doing here?” his mom asked startled. Turning and fleeing the
house, Timothy ran. He ran out of the house and down the country road.
Tears fell down his cheeks and all he could feel was confusion and pain.
That night Timothy finally came home and when he stepped into the
house his mother was sitting in the living room smoking a cigarette.
“Timothy, come here,” she said and Timothy slowly made his way over to
her. She reached out and took his hand in hers and smiled, “Honey, I
know that. . .what you saw today. . .was probably shocking to you. And I
know that it is hard to understand but when you are older you will.”
“Mom, you were with another man. Why? I thought you and Dad were in
love,” Timothy said as tears formed in his eyes. “Things change and. .
.I think it’s time for me to leave. Your dad and I have been having
problems,” Kasha said. “Leave? But. . .what will me and dad do without
you?” Timothy asked, now afraid. “You’re going to come with me,”
Kasha said smiling.
When Mark, Timothy’s dad got home that night from work Kasha
broke the news to him that she wanted a divorce. “What!? You can’t
leave!” Mark yelled. “I can and I am,” Kasha said as she went and
packed her suitcase and Timothy’s. Angry and confused Mark yelled and
chased Kasha out of the house with her suitcase in hand. Just as she was
stepping out of the house, Kasha grabbed Timothy by the arm and pulled him
outside with her. “Where do you think you are taking my son?” Mark
asked angrily. “He’s coming with me and that’s final,” Kasha said
heatedly. “You can’t take him. He’s going to stay with me,” Mark
said as he reached out and grabbed Timothy.
In the midst of all this Timothy was completely terrified and
confused. His parents were too busy arguing to notice the tears streaming
down his face. Finally Kasha and Timothy climbed into the old brown
station wagon. As they drove away Timothy looked out the car window. He
could see his dad standing in front of the house looking baffled and
angry. In one instant everything had changed for Timothy’s whole family.
Now one year later Timothy was fourteen-years-old and a completely
different person. His attitude had changed drastically since his
parents’ divorce. He lived with his mom during the week and went to his
dad’s on the weekends. It was a tough life but he soon got used to it.
He lived in small apartment with his mom in town. It was very small and
the living conditions weren’t very good, but it was all they could
afford. His mother had a new boyfriend every week and Timothy sometimes
wondered if she would ever find someone she could actually love.
It was a sunny day in E-town as Timothy stood looking out the small
window in his room. “Another day of life,” Timothy said sighing. He
glanced over at his little alarm clock and the red letters said
‘12:01’. Lunchtime and Mom isn’t home, Timothy thought to
himself. But he was used to his mom not being home. She was always going
places when she wasn’t working at the local library. Timothy often
wondered where it was she went too but soon he stopped caring.
Sitting down on the small green cot that was his bed, Timothy
heaved another deep sigh. “Well, I think I’ll go out,” he said as he
picked up his billfold. He looked down at the $5.00 in it, “Well that
should be enough to get some pot,” he said as he turned and left the
small apartment house. He stepped out onto the streets and went into the
alleys. It was in the alleys that Timothy found peace. There was an rough
looking man that was always in the alley ways who sold marijuana and other
drugs. Timothy, along with several other teenage boys, would go and buy
drugs from the man.
As Timothy walked through the alley ways he found the man. Several
other teenage boys were standing around the man holding out money. Timothy
joined them and when it was his turn the man asked, “How much you
got?” “$5.00 that’s it,” Timothy said pulling out his money. The
man grabbed it from his hand and handed him a small plastic bag of
marijuana. Timothy took the small bag and put it in his pocket. Drugs was
the only thing that could help him escape the miserable life he lived.
Walking along the street Timothy ran into three teenage boys. One
of them smiled at him, “Hey dude, I’ve seen you before. You live in
that apartment house on fifth street right?” “Yeah that’s right. I
live on the top floor with my mom,” Timothy said as he pushed his hands
down into his jean pockets. “My name’s Hanson,” the boy said.
“I’m Timothy.” “Well, how would you like to hang with us
Timothy?” Hanson asked. “Sure! I’d like that. I don’t do hardly
anything all day so it will be great,” Timothy said smiling. “Okay
that’s good. Meet us here by this ice cream shop at 12:00 tonight,”
Hanson said as he and the two other boys turned and walked away.
Back at home in the apartment Timothy found his mom and yet another
one of her new boyfriends laying on the little brown couch. “Where have
you been?” Kasha asked angrily as she inhaled the cigarette in her hand.
“Just around,” Timothy mumbled as he stepped into the kitchen to get
something to eat out of the refrigerator. When he looked into the
refrigerator Timothy saw that there was no food. Anger rushed over him and
he went back into the living room.
“Mom, why haven’t you gone grocery shopping?” he asked
angrily. His mother sat up on the couch, “I haven’t had time and
don’t you talk to me like that.” “What is wrong with you!? We have
to eat,” Timothy yelled. “Shut up! I’ll get food tomorrow. You’ll
survive I’m sure,” Kasha said as she lay back down on the couch into
the arms of her new boyfriend, who appeared to be high and completely
oblivious to the whole situation.
Timothy turned and went into his room. He slammed the door behind
him angrily. Grabbing a pocket knife that his father had gave him a long
time ago, out of a drawer, Timothy began stabbing his blanket. Anger was
rushing through him as he stabbed the blanket over and over again with the
knife. Finally he left the blanket and took the knife and began to cut his
arm hoping to die from blood loss. As the sharp edge of the knife sliced
his arm blood trickled out of his veins and dripped onto the floor. He
finally stopped and threw the knife at the wall where the tip of it stuck
in the wall. Trembling Timothy fell to the floor where he lay for a long
time sobbing. Soon he cried himself to sleep.
When Timothy finally woke it was dark outside. He sat up and looked
around the room. Standing up he turned on the light and looked down at his
arm. It was hurting and he could see the cut marks from the knife.
Glancing down at the floor he saw dried blood from his arm on the carpet.
He went to the bathroom and washed the dried blood off his arm.
Stepping into the living room Timothy pulled on his worn tennis shoes.
Already his mom and boyfriend had gone to bed so it was safe sneak out.
Already it was 11:56 and he had only a few minutes to meet Hanson outside
the ice cream shop.
Stepping outside into the darkness Timothy sighed. He made his way
to the ice cream shop and was glad to see Hanson and the two other boys.
“Hi guys,” Timothy said smiling as he came to stand beside Hanson.
“Hey there Timothy. You’re right on time. Come let’s go,” Hanson
said as the boys turned and took to the alley ways.
As they walked along Hanson pulled out some marijuana and the boys
took turn smoking it. They smoked away their troubles for it was their
only escape. Just like Timothy, Hanson and the two other boys lived
miserable lives. Drugs was their only means of escaping their troubles and
trials. The four boys walked down the streets and alley ways laughing and
smoking marijuana. When they came to a nearby park they began to climb
over the fence and past the sign that said ‘Keep Out After Park
Hours’. In the park the four boys fell down onto the grass laughing
as they smoked the last of the marijuana.
The next morning Timothy was awakened by the sound of a bird
singing. He sat up quickly and when he did the world began to spin and he
fell back down onto the wet grass. He didn’t know where he was at first
but then it finally registered to him that he was in the park with Hanson.
He saw Hanson and the two other boys lying in the grass asleep beside him.
Timothy ran his long fingers through his jet black hair and sighed.
At that moment he heard someone yell, “Hey you kids! What are you
doing here?” Timothy’s heart seemed to stop when he saw that a
policeman was opening the park gate and coming towards them. “Quick wake
up!” Timothy said as he shook Hanson. Finally Hanson and the two other
boys woke up. When he saw the policeman Hanson jumped up, “Hurry we’ve
got to get out of here!” The four boys took off running and escaped
barely. Out of the park and in a nearby alley way they all stopped to
catch their breath. “That was close,” Timothy said breathlessly.
The boys soon had to go their own separate ways and Timothy went
home. In the apartment Timothy pulled off his shoes and started to go to
his room. “Hey get me a beer,” his mom’s boyfriend, Chad said
groggily from where he lay on the couch shirtless. “Get it yourself,”
Timothy said as he turned and started to go to his room. Chad jumped up
from the couch and grabbed Timothy’s arm. “When I tell you to do
something you had better do it!” Chad yelled angrily. “Let go of me!
I’m not your slave,” Timothy said as he tried to pull out of Chad’s
strong grip. Chad squeezed Timothy’s arm more tightly until he cried out
in pain. Raising his free hand, Chad struck Timothy across the face. The
blow stunned Timothy and for a moment the room began to spin.
“I’m going to teach you a lesson,” Chad said angrily as he
pushed Timothy up against the wall. Timothy struggled and cried out trying
to get away but Chad’s grip was too strong. With Timothy pinned against
the wall, Chad began to strike him. As one blow hit Timothy on the cheek,
he could taste blood in his mouth and felt it trickle out of his mouth.
Chad continued to strike him but finally he stopped and released Timothy.
Timothy fell to the floor unable to move. His arms were hurting and his
eye was slowly swelling along with his bleeding lip.
An incident like that was not the last. With every new boyfriend
came pain. They treated Kasha and Timothy like dirt but still Kasha
continued to date. She always picked rough and bad men who would pay her
money. Timothy remained locked in his room most of the time smoking away
his pain.
One night when Timothy and Hanson were sitting on a bench along the
street Timothy asked, “Is there any other drugs better than marijuana? I
need something else.” “Sure there’s better drugs. Here, I’ll let
you rent this,” Hanson said as he pulled out a needle from his breeches
pocket. “What do I do with this?” Timothy asked as he took the needle.
“Just stick the needle in your arm and inject the drug in your arm. This
drug will make you feel great, but be sure not to inject too much,”
Hanson said as he showed Timothy how much to put in. “How much do I have
to pay you to rent this?” Timothy asked. “Just a dollar but in the
future if you rent anymore you‘re going to have to pay more,” Hanson
said smiling.
That night in his room Timothy pulled out the needle and inserted
the drug into it. He rolled up his shirt sleeve and as he pushed the
needle into his arm he flinched. It stung as he injected the drug into his
arm and pulled the needle out. A few minutes later Timothy lay in the
floor on his back completely unaware of where he was and who he was. The
drug had taken over and had enslaved him
Events like this happened almost every night when Timothy came home
and sometimes during the day. He spent most of his time high on drugs. A
lost and lonely young boy, Timothy was afraid and alone. But the thing
that tortured him so much was the fact that he could not escape, except by
the freedom drugs gave him.
A year later Timothy moved in with his father who had finally
gotten full custody of him. The only reason Timothy’s father had gotten
full custody was because Kasha was proved not a good parent nor a good
guardian. Timothy’s life got better when he moved in with his dad but
things would never be the same. He had grown addicted to drugs and had to
go to counseling. Even to this day he is having to go to counseling to
help him with his addiction and for other problems. Story
2: Alex
Houston
Life is a precious thing. It is something that many people take for
granted. People go about their daily lives never thinking something
terrible might happen. They never think that one day they might be in a
hospital with cancer. I know I never thought that. I am fifteen-years-old
and I just found out that I have cancer. It is a frightening thing to find
out that you have cancer and that you only have three months to live. When
the doctor told me that the cancer in my knee had spread to my liver I
thought that I was going to pass out. I was so afraid and I still am. The
doctor said there was no cure for the kind of cancer I have.
I had so many things
planned and so many dreams but now. . .none of that matters. I had so much
to offer the world. I was going to travel the world and help people. My
one main dream was to become a counselor for troubled teenagers. I wanted
to do that so much. I wanted to help people and somehow make a difference
in this world of lies, fear, and prejudice.
All my life I’ve always known that I was different. I’ve always
had this fear that I would die young and never get to experience life as
it is. Well, that fear has come true. I have one wish that I hope to come
true before I. . .before I move to another world and that wish is to get
my novel published. It took me two years to write the novel and I’ve
longed to send it to a publishing company. Yesterday I finally sent it to
Publish America. They said they would read my novel and get back to me in
two to four weeks. I wanted so much to tell them that that was too long,
that I wouldn’t be here but fear held me back. How do you tell someone
you are going to die soon? How do you explain it to yourself? Whenever you
tell someone that you have cancer, no matter how you tell them, they
always feel sorry for you. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I
want people to treat me just like any normal person.
Sunday at church I told my best friend, Ben, that I had cancer. He
won’t speak to me now. He won‘t even come near me. I guess he thinks
he‘ll catch cancer from me or something. But he’s not the only one
that has shunned me. All of the other guys I know look at me strange and
they steer clear of me. When they do that I feel as if my heart is
breaking. Don’t they understand that I need them now more than I ever
did before? But I’m used to be alone. All my life I haven’t had many
friends because everyone thought I was a little strange. All the other
guys didn‘t like me because I wanted to do right and live a pure life.
I‘m not saying that I‘m perfect or good or anything like that. I just
wanted to live my life the way God wanted me to. The other guys couldn‘t
see that so they labeled me as weird just because I didn‘t want to watch
pornography or smoke pot or do any of those bad things. It has been so
hard living life alone and without friends but now I realize that I’ve
had a friend with me all along. God has been with me through all those
times when I would stand alone while everyone else went to do bad things.
He is with me now as I am coming close to death. I find myself wondering
if maybe God has allowed this cancer to take over my body so I can go home
to be with Him. It is comforting to think that.
My parents say that we’ll do all the things that I’ve always
wanted to do. I will be able to do some of the things but not much of them
because I have to many dreams. They would take a lifetime to do. I have
only three months remember so that isn’t much time. But I’m going to
try and live my life as much as I can.
There’s one thing that I wish I could experience before I leave.
I wish I could fall in love with a girl. I remember thinking about how
when I grew up I would fall in love and marry. My wife and I would have
two kids and life would go on happily. Many people go there whole lives
and never fall in love. I’ve lived my life and never fallen in love and
I’m only fifteen. Even now, although it is foolish, I still dream of
falling in love. But who could possibly fall in love with me? My hair is
almost gone and I’m going to be leaving in three months.
That’s another thing, my hair. I’m almost completely bald and
they say I have to get all of my hair shaved off. I’m trying to be
strong but it is so hard. I don’t understand why this is happening to
me. But I’m trying not to question everything that is happening to me
although it is hard not to do. I have to believe there is a reason for all
this. I have to believe that this is all a part of God’s plan. If I
don’t I will never survive this three months.
My parents told me they will take me to see the ocean in
Charleston, South Carolina. I love the ocean so much and I am really
excited about going. This will be the last time I will ever see the ocean
so I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.
Today I sat outside and it was so wonderful. It was so warm and a
nice breeze was blowing. As I looked around at all of the life that
surrounded me I couldn’t help but cry. It saddens me to know that I will
be leaving this world that I’ve always known and loved. I wish I
hadn’t took for granted all those times when I was free from death’s
frightening grip. But life will go on even after I leave. People will
continue to fulfill their dreams and live their lives. They’ll get to
know what it is like to have a family or to have their book published. As
for me. . .well I’ll be gone. The world will not even know that Alex
Houston has left and gone on. The world will not even remember the name
Alex Houston. I will never be some famous author, or actor. I will never
step foot on the moon or come up with some new invention. I will never
meet a famous person and shake their hand. I will never be known as one
who changed the world. I will never be a happy father. I will never hold
my son or daughter in my arms. I will never be. . . . Story
3: Steve
Kenton
Music, that was thirteen-year-old Steve Kenton’s passion. He
listened to music all the time and had even wrote a few songs. At the age
of thirteen Steve was rather tall with brownish hair. He lived with his
parents and his ten-year-old brother Danny. They lived in a two story
house out in the country. Life wasn’t perfect for the Kenton family but
they got along well.
Steve and his little brother went to the local public school in
Irvine. Irvine wasn’t a very big town and Steve found it quite boring.
He didn’t spend much time in town. But instead he spent his days riding
bikes with his cousin Mark Sparks, who lived right next to him. They would
ride bikes down the country roads and had a lot of fun. Steve and Mark
were best friends, always had been. They had grown up together and got
along great. But that all began to change.
It was a hot summer day and fourteen-year-old Mark Sparks had come
up to the Kenton’s house for a visit. He and Steve went out to the old
swing set and sat down. “So how are things going for you?” Mark asked.
“Well, Mom and Dad are. . .having some problems,” Steve sighed. “Oh,
well I hope everything works out okay,” Mark said sympathetically. “Me
too but I really don’t think it will,” Steve said.
At that moment Miriam, Steve’s mother, called for him and him
only. He went inside with her and Mark stayed outside. Mark waited for
awhile but Steve never came back out. Mark stood up and went to go inside
the house. Inside Mark quietly shut the door behind him. He was standing
in living room but he could hear voices coming from the kitchen. He could
hear Miriam’s voice, “Steve, honey, I know it’s hard to accept but
I’m leaving.” “But Mom please don’t leave!” Steve said with
tears in his voice. Little Danny echoed his big brother’s words too.
Mark heard footsteps and Miriam came into the living room with a
large suitcase in her hand. She whizzed past Mark without even
acknowledging his presence. She went out the door and made her way to her
black Buick. Little Danny went running out of the house after his mother
and Steve followed him. But Gordon, Steve’s dad, never appeared.
The two brothers ran out of the house and out into the driveway.
Mark followed them outside confused. Steve was standing in the driveway
trying not to cry but Danny had run out into the road after his mother’s
car screaming. Miriam never stopped nor did she even look book, but
instead pressed down on the gas pedal and sped off down the road.
As he ran Danny tripped and fell on the blacktop road. Steve took
off running and knelt down beside his little brother and took him in his
arms as Danny cried. Steve tried to remain strong but soon tears were
falling down his cheeks. Mark stood watching them, not really knowing how
to respond to the situation. Finally he did the only thing a good friend
would do, he went over and knelt down beside the two brothers and put his
arms around them.
Two weeks later Steve sat in his room which was upstairs. His walls
were covered with posters as was the ceiling. He was dressed in a black
tee-shirt that had a big skull on the front of it. His brown hair had
grown long and now had the look of a hippie. His eyes appeared to be
glazed over because of the marijuana he had been smoking earlier. Life had
changed for him drastically. His mom and dad had divorced finally and his
mom now lived in town. His father, Gordon, spent most of his time working
down in his car garage. Ten-year-old Danny stayed at his mom’s a lot,
that‘s where he was on that day. But Steve was just kind of thrown into
the whole mess. He didn’t have a home really and was completely alone.
There was an empty space in his heart.
At that moment he heard someone coming up the stairs. He quickly
threw the smoked marijuana out the window and leaned up against the wall.
Soon Mark appeared at the doorway smiling. “I wonder if his mouth
ever gets tired of smiling,” Steve wondered to himself bitterly.
Mark was always smiling and now acted weird around him.
“Hi Steve,” Mark said as he walked over to stand in front of
Steve. “Hi,” Steve mumbled. The marijuana was starting to take over
him and he couldn’t function. He could hear Mark babbling on about
something but he couldn’t really hear what he was saying. “What’s
this?” Mark asked picking up a small package of marijuana that had been
lying on Steve’s little table that sat next to the bed. As quick as he
could Steve jumped up and snatched the little bag from Mark’s hand.
“Don’t bother that!” Steve yelled angrily “Gosh, I’m sorry.
Excuse me for breathing!” Mark said heatedly as he turned and left the
room. Steve heard him slam the door as he left. Covering his face with his
hands Steve sighed and fell onto the bed.
Two days later Steve stood outside on the street in Irvine. He was
staying with his mom for a week and he was a little excited about. “At
least I’ll get to go around town instead of sitting in the house all
day,” Steve said to himself. Since his mom was a beautician she
would be busy all day so he could go walk around town.
At lunchtime Steve started out the door of his mom’s salon shop,
“Mom I’m going out to get something to eat.” “Okay hon, just be
careful,” Miriam said. Steve walked to a nearby McDonalds and ordered a
hamburger. As he sat down at a small booth to eat a boy dressed in black
clothes and who appeared to be sixteen or fifteen came over and sat down
across from him. “Hi there Steve. My name’s Chris,” the boy said.
“How did you know my name?” Steve asked. “My mom and your mom are
good friends and your mom told me about you. She also showed me a picture
of you,” Chris said smiling. “Well, it’s good to meet you,” Steve
said.
Steve liked Chris and he liked him a whole lot when he found out
that Chris loved music. The two boys walked around town talking and
laughing. When they passed a nearby music store Chris stopped in the
middle of the street and said, “Hey I have an idea!” “What is it?”
Steve asked. “You like music and I like music so why don’t we. .
.start a band?” Chris asked excitedly. “That’s a great idea! But
don’t we need more people?” Steve asked. “Sure we’ll need more but
that’s taken care of. There’s another guy, Jake Morrison who is my
good friend and he loves music as much as I do. I’ll talk to him about
it tonight,” Chris said.
A few weeks later the ‘Super Heroes’ band was formed. Chris was
the lead singer, Steve played the drums after a lot of practice and a few
lessons, and fifteen-year-old Jake Morrison was the electric guitarist.
They practiced almost every day at Chris’ house and soon they were
really good. People started asking them to play at parties and at other
occasions.
One night after playing at a party the ‘Super Heroes’ band went
out to hang around town. They went walked around town and went to all the
hang outs where other teens were. It was a night of drinking, smoking, and
just having ‘fun’. Steve had never really been around that sort of
activity and he wasn’t sure how to act. He knew his dad and mom
wouldn’t want him to smoke and drink. But when he thought that anger
rushed over him. “I don’t care about what they think anymore. They
are the ones who have caused everything bad that has happened,” he
said to himself angrily.
As the three boys stood in a deserted parking lot outside a general
store that had been shut down, Chris pulled out a pack of beer. “Here
you go Steve. Try some of this,” Chris said smiling as he handed Steve a
can of beer. “I’m. . .not sure if I should do this,” Steve said
looking at the beer can hesitantly. “Oh come on and just take a drink.
You’ll like it,” Chris said and Jake nodded his head urging Steve on.
Finally he popped open the beer and put it to his lips. Steve didn’t
like the taste of beer. It tasted like flat pop and had a strange twang.
As soon as the alcoholic beverage went down his throat he began to
cough. Chris and Jake laughed as Steve coughed. “Go on and drink it all
down,” Chris finally said. Doing just as Chris had said, Steve raised
the can to his lips and drunk every last drop of the beer. After he had
finished the beer off Chris slapped him on the back. “Great job man! Now
here, have another one while I get the pot,” Chris said.
An hour later Steve didn’t know who he was or where he was. Not
only had he drunk five cans of beer, but he had also smoked some
marijuana. He was a mess and so was Chris and Jake. The band kept going
back to that same deserted parking lot every other night and it was there
that they got high and drunk. No one never found out what they did there.
A week later Steve went back to his dad’s house in the country.
When his mom dropped him off at the driveway Steve saw Danny and Mark
outside playing in the yard. He slung his backpack that was covered with
stickers of skulls and guns over his right shoulder. He sauntered past
Mark and Danny who were laughing and running around. Steve looked at Mark
with disgust. “You’d think he would grow up,” Steve mumbled to
himself as he watched Mark. It wasn’t really surprising to Steve that
Mark was playing with a little kid. Mark loved little kids and always took
time out for them. But then again Mark always took time out for anyone if
they needed him. It was just his way of doing things.
As Steve walked by Mark looked up and smiled, “Hi Steve! Want to
join us in a game of tag?” “Uh. . .I’ve got better things to do than
run around acting like an idiot,” Steve said heatedly as he stepped into
the house. He went into the living room where his dad lay on the couch
watching TV. “Hi Steve,” his dad said. Steve didn’t say anything,
but instead marched upstairs to his room. He wasn’t in the mood to talk
to his dad. He would probably never be in the mood to talk to his dad.
Although he knew it probably wasn’t his dad’s fault, Steve still
blamed him for his mother’s leaving.
Soon the summer ended and it was Christmas time. Snow began to fall
on December 9. Steve was at his dad’s house when the snow began to fall.
He sat looking out the window in his room as the snowflakes fell from the
gray sky and onto the ground. Soon a layer of snow was covering the
ground. Steve sighed and went and pulled out his little metal box that was
in his closet. In the locked metal box Steve kept his marijuana and
cigarettes. He unlocked the box with the key that hung on his silver
necklace at all times. Reaching down he took the small pack of marijuana
and put it in his jeans’ pocket. He finally decided to go for a walk to
the old tree house that he and Mark had built long ago.
Pulling on a sweat shirt, coat, and his snow boats, Steve went
outside. A gust of cold wind hit him as he stepped outside. The snow
crunched under his snow boats as he crossed the barbed wire fence and made
his way to the cluster of woods where the tree house was. Little did he
know that someone was on their way to that exact place too.
When he stepped into the snow covered trees and climbed up into the
tree house memories began to run through Steve’s mind. He remember the
time he and Mark had played army and many other things. He remembered how
they had laughed and had so much fun. But what really bothered Steve was
that those times had been only last year. Now things were different and he
knew that he had probably driven Mark off. He had completely ignored Mark
ever since he had joined the band. Depressed and almost in tears Steve
pulled out the small pack of marijuana and soon he was smoking it as he
sat in the floor of the tree house with his back against the wall.
Meanwhile Mark was just stepping into the cluster of snow covered
woods. His mind was on one thing and one thing only, the tree house. He
went there as often as he could just to sit in the tree house and think
about the ‘old times’. It had saddened him to see Steve change and
become a troubled boy.
Finally Mark reached the tree house and looked up at it. He climbed
the old ladder and stepped in. He was shocked to find Steve sitting in the
floor smoking. “Oh gosh!” Steve said as he threw the marijuana out of
the tree house. Mark just stood there not really knowing what to do.
“I’m sorry if I. . .bothered you,” Mark stuttered. “Ah it
doesn’t matter,” Steve said. “Do. . .you mind if I sit here?” Mark
asked. “No go ahead,” Steve said as Mark sat down beside of him.
For awhile there was only the sound of the winter wind blowing
through the cracks in the walls of the tree house. Finally Steve spoke,
“I was just sitting here thinking about that time we played World War
II. Remember that?” “Oh yes, that was so much fun. I remember when you
pretended to shoot me and I fell out of the tree house,” Mark said
laughing. To his surprise Steve found himself laughing too. The two boys,
who had been best friends once, put away everything that had happened in
the recent year and talked and laughed about the good times they had had.
In a pausing moment Mark asked, “Steve, why. . .have you been
avoiding me?” Steve was rather startled by Mark’s question and he
didn’t have an answer. Standing Steve said, “Listen I have to go.”
He climbed out of the tree house and made his way out of the cluster of
woods. He could hear Mark as he ran to catch up with him. “Steve wait!
I. . .don’t understand. What’s happened to you?” Mark called out.
Steve stopped and turned around to face Mark. “Life is what happened to
me. You live your perfect little life without having to go through
pressure and troubles. You go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, get
straight A’s. But me, I don’t have the privilege of living a fairy
tale life,” Steve said. Mark pulled his coat tighter around him as a
gust of cold wind blew through the trees. “I’m sorry about what has
happened to you Steve. And you are right, I live a sheltered life. But
just because I do doesn’t mean you should envy me. We can still be
friends,” Mark said. “No, Mark things can never be as they once
were,” Steve said as he turned and walked away. Mark ran and grabbed
Steve’s arm. “Please, I need you to be my friend. I have no one and
you are the only friend I ever had. Even if you walk away and refuse to be
my friend I will always be your friend no matter what,” Mark said with
tears in his voice. Steve didn’t know what to say so he shrugged
Mark’s hand off and walked back to his house leaving a hurt and confused
Mark standing in the snow.
Steve continued to play in the band and the more he hung with the
band the more he did drugs. He began keeping a stash of marijuana in the
tree house. It was safely hidden and when he was depressed he went down
there and smoked the marijuana.
That summer Irvine was preparing for the Mushroom Festival. The
Mushroom Festival was a big event that brought people from all over the
states to Irvine. Everybody came to the Mushroom Festival. Steve’s mom
had her own little booth in which she sold handmade crafts. It was a hot
summer evening and Irvine was lit up. People were walking along the
streets looking at all the booths and attractions. Steve went to hang out
with Chris and Jake. The three boys had some pot and they smoked it. They
walked down the streets high and laughing. As they passed through the
crowd Steve saw Mark who was with his sister. For some reason Steve
decided to walk over to them
“Hi,” Steve said. Mark smiled, “Hi, how are you?” Steve
didn’t answer because he wasn’t functioning very well because the drug
had taken over. “Are you alright?” Mark asked concerned by the strange
way Steve was acting. As abruptly as he had walked up, Steve turned and
walked away.
From a distance Mark
watched as Steve wondered around aimlessly. His feet were dragging the
ground and he tripped. Mark knew that Steve was high and it saddened him.
Turning his face from the crowd Mark let the tears fall down his cheeks.
Later on in the car with his parents and sister, Mark turned his face to
the car window and cried. He cried for Steve and he cried because he hated
himself for not being able to do something to help his once best friend.
All through the months Mark watched from a distance as his once best
friend’s life was slowly being destroyed. And he is still watching from
a distance, even to this very day. Story
4: Danny
Johnson
Getting out of high
school was what seventeen-year-old Danny Johnson was focused on. Soon he
would be out of school and he could go on to college. At the age of
sixteen Danny was a handsome young man with jet black hair and flashing
green eyes. Everyone liked him because he was always nice and tried to see
the best in people. He had lived with his parents, Barbara and Kendal, and
his twenty-year-old brother in Irvine almost all of his life and he liked
the little town very much.
Now as he drove along his new black ford truck, Danny was smiling.
The ‘Starship’ band was playing on the radio and he was tapping his
fingers on the steering wheel in tune with the music. He had to drive a
few minutes out of town because his family lived in a comfortable two
story house just outside town. His mom was a barber and she had started
her own little barber shop just beside her house. Everyone in Irvine came
to get their hair cut at Barbara’s barber shop.
Parked in front of the barber shop, Danny climbed out of the car
and leapt up the porch steps and stepped inside the shop. “Hey Deb!”
he said smiling at Deborah, another barber that was partners with his mom
in the hair cutting business.
“Hey Danny, how’s it going?” Deb asked smiling back.
“It’s going great,” Danny said as he walked over to where his mom
stood cutting a customer’s hair. “Hi Mom,” Danny said as he sat down
in the nearby couch. “Hi honey. How was school?” she asked. “It was
good. We had a surprise test today in history class. But other than that
it was good,” Danny said as he picked up a magazine. “So where’s
Jason?” Danny asked. “He went out to Winchester with Karla,” Barbara
said. Danny rolled his eyes and his mom laughed.
Jason had met Karla last summer and he was with her as much as he
could be. That was all Jason talked about was, Karla this, Karla that. It
was easy to see he was in
love with her.
As for Danny, well, he didn’t have a girlfriend at the time.
“Too much going on right now to bother with girls,” he would say.
“You’ll change your mind when you might the right girl,” his mom
would always say.
“Well Mom I got to go,” Danny said as he stood and rammed his
hands down into his jeans pocket. “Where are you going?” Barbara asked
as she finished up the last touches on the customer’s hair. “Ryan
wanted me to go bowling with him at the bowling alley in Richmond.”
“Oh okay. Be careful,” Barbara said. “I will Mom,” Danny said as
he gave her a quick hug.
That night at the bowling alley, Danny and his best friend
seventeen-year-old Ryan, were laughing and having a very good time. They
had been best friends for a long time and did a lot of stuff together. The
two saw each other almost every other weekend.
“So are you excited about graduating?” Ryan asked as the two
sat at a table in the bowling alley drinking pop. “Oh yeah! It’s going
to be totally awesome to get out of high school and go on to college,”
Danny said smiling. “I don’t know if I’ll go to college or not.
I’m thinking about just getting a job in Irvine,” Ryan said. “I’m
going to go to college to be an architect. That’s what I really want to
do,” Danny said as he took a sip of his pop. “Well I hope you make it
man,” Ryan said.
Two weeks later Ryan and Danny got a job at the local grocery
store. Danny was trying to make enough money to help pay for his college
tuition. His parents were going to help him pay for it so all was going
well.
After the boys got off work they said their goodbyes and Danny
climbed into his truck. As he started driving down the country he decided
to speed up a little. He pressed on the gas pedal slowly. The truck began
going faster as Danny kept pressing the gas pedal. Soon he was going
really fast and over the speed limit. At first he didn’t even realize he
was going over the speed limit. But soon a police car appeared from behind
and ordered him to pull over. “Aw man!” Danny said as he pulled off on
the side of the road.
He sat in the car while the policeman came over and leaned up
against his truck. “Son, I’m afraid I’m going to have to give you a
ticket. You were speeding back there pretty bad. Let me see your license
please,” the policeman said. Danny pulled out his billfold and let the
policeman see his driver’s license. “Okay I’m going to need you to
come down to the office with me,” the policeman said. “What!?” Danny
exclaimed. “I’m sorry son but you are in some trouble,” the
policeman said.
An hour later Danny stepped of the police station with his dad
beside him. The police had taken away his license for driving too fast.
“I can’t believe this!” Danny fumed as he climbed into the passenger
seat of his dad’s car. “Well you shouldn’t have been speeding.
It’s your own fault that you are in this mess. Now you won’t be
getting your license back for a few months,” his dad said. “But I
wasn’t driving all that reckless. I just went over the speed limit,”
Danny said sighing.
That Monday Ryan came and picked up Danny in his black Buick. As
they started down the road to the high school Danny sighed, “Man I wish
I had my license back.” “Yeah, well until then you can ride with me to
school,” Ryan said as they pulled into the high school parking lot.
At lunch in the cafeteria Danny stood in the lunch line with Ryan.
They were talking and laughing when Danny looked over and saw a girl walk
by them. She had shoulder length blonde hair and she was very pretty. Just
as she walked by she slipped and began to fall. Danny reached out and
caught her just as she was fixing to hit the floor.
With one knee on the floor and his arms wrapped around the girl,
Danny sighed. For a few moments Danny and the girl just looked into each
others eyes. As silly as it seems Danny felt as if they were the only two
people in that room.
Finally he was brought back to reality when the girl started
laughing. “You can. . .umm. . .let me go now,” she said smiling. Danny
shook his head, “Oh yeah I’m sorry,” and his face turned red. For
some reason he felt like a little foolish thirteen-year-old boy again. The
girl straightened her blue blouse and smiled, “Thank you for catching
me. That would have really hurt if I had hit the floor.” “Ah it was
nothing,” Danny said as he rammed his hands down in his jeans pockets.
“So. . .umm. . .I guess I’ll go now,” the girl said as she turned
and started to walk away. “Oh, wait please! What’s your name?” Danny
called after the girl. “It’s Katie, Katie Hanson,” the girl said
smiling.
Danny watched as the girl walked away and Ryan came to stand beside
him. “Wow you’ve already hooked one,” Ryan said laughing. “What?
No I haven’t,” Danny said chuckling.
A few weeks later Katie and Danny met again. The two talked a lot
during lunch and got a long great. Katie was seventeen and was looking
forward to graduating from high school. The two became quick friends and
spent a lot of time together. Ryan knew Danny had fallen for Katie.
One night while Danny was eating supper at home he kept talking
about Katie. “So Danny have you finally fallen in love? What happened to
‘I’m not going to fall in love, too much trouble’ hmm?” Barbara
asked laughing. “We’re just friends Mom,” Danny said as he took a
sip of his glass of water.
That night after supper he called Katie. They had exchanged phone
numbers the other day at school and promised to call each other. As he
dialed Katie’s phone number he got a butterfly feeling in his stomach.
Soon he heard Katie’s voice on the other line. “Hello? Who is this?”
she asked. “This is Danny.” “Oh hi Danny! How’s it going?” she
asked. “It’s going good,” Danny said smiling. The two talked for a
long time about anything and everything.
Months passed and graduation was almost there. Everyone at the high
school was excited about graduation, especially Danny. He was extremely
happy and feeling as if the world was in his hands. He got his license
back but under sever instructions that if he was ever to speed too fast
then his license would be taken away forever. Other than that all was good
One night he and Katie drove into town to get something to eat. They were
going just as friends but deep down inside they both knew that their
friendship had grown into something more.
As they sat in the car eating outside of McDonalds, Danny smiled
over at Katie, “You look really. . .great in that dress.” “Thank
you, I’ve had it for ages,” Katie said blushing a little. He
couldn’t take his eyes off of her and he found himself flustered when
she would look up at him and he would be staring at her.
After they had finished eating Danny looked over at Katie. They sat
there staring into each others’ eyes. It was then and there that Danny
knew he loved Katie as much as he knew. Without even thinking Danny leaned
over and touched Katie’s lips with his. Their lips met in a beautiful
and innocent first kiss. Danny reached out and touched Katie’s face as
he continued to kiss her. Never in all of his life had he experienced such
a wonderful moment. He didn’t want it to end but finally he pulled back
and looked into her eyes. She didn’t smile but there was something in
her eyes that said she felt the same about him as he did her.
Later on that night Danny drove Katie home and as they sat in the
parking lot in front of her house, Danny leaned over and kissed her again.
After they had kissed Danny smiled and said the three words he never
expected to say and they were, “I love you.” Katie smiled and reached
out and touched his hand. “I love you too Danny,” she said. Finally
she climbed out of the car and walked up to the door of her house. Turning
around she waved to Danny. He smiled and waved back as he backed out of
her driveway.
Out on the road Danny was laughing and smiling with joy. “I
guess this is what it feels to be in love. I’m all happy inside,”
Danny thought to himself. He turned on the radio and let the music blare
as he drove along. If only he hadn’t got his mind off his driving.
Because if he hadn’t he wouldn’t have begun to speed and go over the
speed limit, again. He was singing in tune with the radio as he drove
along not paying attention to his driving. Soon a police car appeared
behind him with its sirens wailing. Startled Danny looked in the rear view
mirror at the police car. “Oh gosh not again!” he said as he pressed
down on the gas pedal. “They’re not going to take my license from me
again,” he said as he made the truck go faster and faster. The police
car continued to pursue him and just as Danny made it to the road that
went to his house, he lost control of the truck.
The truck went spinning across the road and in a horrifying moment
it crashed off the road and into a nearby bank. Danny held up his hands
and yelled in fear. Memories flashed through his mind and then everything
went black.
Seventeen-year-old Danny Johnson was killed instantly in the car
wreck on the night of March 3, 1996. The policeman who had been chasing
Danny was never punished for chasing Danny even though he knew Danny could
wreck and get killed or kill someone else. Everyone in town grew angry and
began protesting that something must be done, along with Katie, Ryan, and
Danny’s family. They said that if a policeman is pursuing someone and
they know that they are going so fast that they could wreck, the police
should stop pursuing them and just get the license plate number. Finally
the court decided that it was the sensible and right thing to do. Although
Danny shouldn’t have been speeding nor should he have tried to escape
the police. His death was tragic but could have been prevented.
Even though the new law would save countless lives later on in the
future, it would not bring Danny back. The people of Irvine will always
remember him. He was a fun loving and kind young man. But in seconds his
dreams were snatched away from him by the most feared thing of all, death.
His legacy will live on even to the end of time. Story
5: Trevor
Knox
Pain, that was what
fourteen-year-old Trevor felt. Not only did he feel it as he pushed the
tip of the needle into his arm that would inject the drug into his veins,
but he felt pain in his heart. Tears filled his eyes but he refused to let
them fall. He had sworn a long time ago to never cry again. All of his
young life Trevor had felt pain and sadness.
He had never met his father and he didn’t even know who his
father was. Rose, his mother, had started working at a whore house when
she was only sixteen. When she had gotten pregnant and had Trevor she
packed up what little belongings she had and went to Atlanta, Georgia. It
was there that she started working at a run down whore house. Rose left
her infant son in the car of her mother who lived in Georgia. But when
Rose’s mother died, Rose tried to raise her son as best she could.
Now years later Trevor had grown into a young man. He had grown up
in a whore house and had seen things his young innocent eyes shouldn’t
have seen. He spent most of his time roaming the streets and buying drugs
in the alley ways. He had no friends and all the people in the little
community would have nothing to do with him. Trevor had never went to
school so he didn’t know how to read or write.
That night Trevor made his way back to the place where his mother
worked. When he stepped inside the smell of smoke and alcohol went through
his nose. He climbed up the stairway and to his and his mom’s small room
that they lived in. As he stepped into the room he saw his mother with
another man in the bed. It didn’t shock him because he was used to
seeing such things.
Not wanting to stay in the room, Trevor turned and left. He left
the building and stepped out into the cold night air. A light snow was
falling and Trevor pulled his shaggy jacket tighter around him. As he
walked along the street he was looking down at his shoes not paying
attention to where he was going. Suddenly he ran into someone. The person
dropped the two books he was holding onto the snow covered street. “Ah
man I’m sorry,” Trevor said. “Don’t worry about it,” the boy
said as he knelt down and picked up the two books. He rubbed the snow off
of the books with his gloved hands.
Standing to face Trevor, the boy smiled, “Hi, my name’s Jason,
Jason Johansson.” Trevor was surprised that the boy was talking to him.
Everyone in town knew about him and his mother and they kept away from
them. But this boy, Jason obviously didn’t know who he was. “I just
moved into the neighborhood with my parents. My Dad is a preacher and
he’s pastoring that little Baptist church,” Jason said. “I. . .uh. .
.I‘m Trevor.” “It’s nice to meet you Trevor. So do you live around
here close?’ Jason asked smiling. “Well. . .not really. I mean I live
in this neighborhood just not around in here,” Trevor said as he pulled
his jacket around tighter as a gust of cold wind blew in. “How does a
cup of hot cocoa sound?” Jason asked smiling. “It sounds great but I
probably should go,” Trevor said. “Oh come on! It won’t take long.
I’ll pay for it too. My Dad gave me some money,” Jason said.
So it was that the fifteen-year-old son of a preacher and the
fourteen-year-old son of a unmarried mother became best friends. They went
to a small coffee shop and sat down to two hot steaming cup of cocoa. It
was there that they began to talk and soon laugh. They talked of different
things and had a good time. It was the best time Trevor had ever had. He
had never had any friends and it made him feel so. . .so good to have
someone to talk to!
“So how come you and your parents moved here?” Trevor asked.
“Well, my Dad thought it was time to move on. So we came here and he’s
now pastoring the little church in the neighborhood,” Jason said as he
took a sip of his cocoa. “I know this may sound weird but. . .I’ve
never been inside a church house,” Trevor said. “It’s not weird at
all. You’ll have to come to church with me sometime,” Jason said
smiling. “What is it like?” Trevor asked as he wrapped his cold hands
around his hot cup of cocoa. “Well. . .it’s really great. First
there’s a singing of old church hymns and then the pastor preaches,”
Jason explained. “What’s the purpose of. . .going to church?” Trevor
asked. “To hear about God of course and also people of the Bible. It’s
something that I’ve always done ever since I’ve been little. I gave my
heart to Jesus and He saved me,” Jason said smiling. Trevor didn’t ask
any further questions but this church thing puzzled and interested him.
“Do you like to read?” Jason suddenly asked. All at once Trevor
felt embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to
read and he knew that if he told Jason that he had never been to school. .
.then. . .
“Listen. . .it’s been great talking to you and stuff but I got
to go. Thanks for the cocoa,” Trevor’s voice trailed off as he turned
and walked out of the store. “Hey wait where are you going?,” Jason
called after him. Trevor could hear Jason’s footsteps in the snow as he
ran to catch up with him. “Do you really have to go?,” Jason asked as
he walked along side Trevor. “Yeah, my. . .uh. . .Mom might be worried
about me,” Trevor lied. “Well can you come here to this same coffee
shop tomorrow? I thought we could hang out and stuff if you want to,”
Jason suggested. “Sure that would be fine. I’ll be here. Bye,”
Trevor said smiling as he turned and walked away.
That night as Trevor lay in the floor of the house his mother
worked at, he sighed. He pulled the shabby blanket tighter around him and
tried to go to sleep. But sleep would not come. There was all kinds of
noises seeping through the walls of the little room. Laughter, moans,
cries, and many other noises could be easily heard. He didn’t know where
his mother was, somewhere in the house, but where he didn’t know. She
made her rounds through the house and Trevor rarely saw her. If he was
hungry he had to fend for himself and that usually meant going through the
trash cans. Tonight though his mind was not on food but his new friend
Jason. No one had never treated him as good as Jason had and it made
Trevor feel. . .special.
The next day when Trevor woke up he splashed some cold water on his
dirty face. He didn’t want Jason to know about his life and his past. So
in order to put on a good impression he was going to try and look as if he
wasn’t the son of a whore.
Before he stepped outside, Trevor pulled on his shabby jacket and
his worn shoes. He left the house and made his way through the alley ways
to the coffee shop. He always went through the alley ways to avoid the
cold stares of the neighborhood people.
He made it to the coffee shop and he saw Jason sitting at a booth
inside reading a book. “Oh great, he’s going to bring up the book
thing no doubt,” Trevor sighed. As he stepped into the coffee shop he
was relieved to see that he and Jason were the only ones there at the
moment. As soon as he could he would get Jason out of there without any of
the neighborhood people seeing them.
Trevor went and sat across from Jason. “Hi,” Trevor said. “Oh
hi! I’m glad you got to come,” Jason said smiling. He closed the green
book he had been reading and placed it in front of him on the table. “So
I thought that after we drink some cocoa we could go look around the
neighborhood. I haven’t got to see any of the town yet,” Jason said as
a waiter brought them two steaming cups of fresh hot cocoa.
After they had drunk their hot cocoa the two boys went out to walk
around the town. “Why don’t we take shortcuts and stuff? I know my way
around here really good,” Trevor said. “Okay that will be fine,”
Jason said as he followed Trevor down an alley. Trevor sighed with relief
for he was afraid that Jason would want him to go walking through town.
Trevor led Jason down alley ways and through old deserted
buildings. As they walked along a light snow started falling. “So where
do you live Trevor?” Jason asked as he jumped over a pile of muddy
slush. “I. . .live. . .in that direction over there,” Trevor said
pointing to what was known as the ‘bad’ part of town. But at the time
Jason didn’t know that.
At that moment Jason pointed to the street, “Oh look! There’s
the widower Mr. Hopkins, our elderly neighbor.” Jason took off running
out onto the street to speak to Mr. Hopkins. Trevor followed closely but
stayed hidden in the shadows. When Jason saw that Trevor was behind he
called after him, “Trevor come and meet Mr. Hopkins.” Trevor didn’t
budge and stayed hidden in the shadows. Finally Jason laughed and stepped
over to where Trevor was hiding. “No need to be afraid Trevor. Mr.
Hopkins is a very nice man,” Jason said as he and Trevor stepped out
onto the street.
When Mr. Hopkins saw Trevor he gasped, “My dear Jason, do you not
know who this boy is?” “His name is Trevor and he and I have become
quite good friends,” Jason said smiling. “I suggest you find other
friends my dear boy,” Mr. Hopkins dropped his voice to a whisper,
“He’s the son of a whore that works at a terrible place. Your father,
I know would not be pleased for you to be friends with him.”
Tears filled Trevor’s eyes and he turned and ran away. Jason was
too stunned to speak at first. But when he finally found his voice he was
angry. “Mr. Hopkins! How dare you say something so cruel as that!”
Jason exclaimed. “I was only telling you the truth. Take my advice and
stay away from him,” Mr. Hopkins said gruffly. “I will do no such
thing,” Jason said as he turned and ran after Trevor.
Trevor had never been so hurt and embarrassed in his whole life. As
he ran little silent tears slipped down his cold cheeks. He could hear
Jason calling after him but he would not stop running. Suddenly he ran
across an iced over puddle of water and he fell down onto the snow. By now
Jason had caught up with him and was kneeling down beside him. “Are you
okay?” Jason asked as he offered to help him up. Trevor pushed away
Jason’s hand and stood up by himself. “You can go away now. You’re
going to be just like the others. You’re going to feel sorry for me but
not associate with me, that’s the way they all do,” Trevor said
angrily.
Sadness filled Jason’s eyes and he stood there looking at Trevor
with his shabby clothes and worn shoes. It was there in that cold dark
alley that Jason suddenly realized why God had brought his family to
Atlanta, Georgia. “Trevor, I don’t care who your mother is or what
other people say about you. I want to be you friend,” Jason said
smiling. Trevor was shocked to hear Jason say that and he stood there just
staring down at the light snow on the ground. Finally he looked up and
smiled at Jason, “Thanks.”
A few weeks passed and Jason and Trevor became best friends. They
understood each other, as odd as it may seem. But trouble was brewing
among the neighborhood. People weren’t pleased that a preacher’s son
was hanging out with a whore’s son. Pastor Johansson knew that something
must be done about his son, Jason.
That night Jason and Trevor met at the same coffee shop and talked.
As they talked Trevor noticed the watch on Jason’s wrist. “That’s a
neat watch,” Trevor said as he admired the watch. “Thanks, my
grandfather gave it to me when I was real little. It was his and I’ve
worn it always, even though it was too big at the time,” Jason said.
“Is your grandfather still alive?” Trevor asked. “No, he died of
cancer when I was twelve-years-old. I miss him a lot because he was the
only real friend I ever had,” Jason said with sadness in his voice.
“I’m sorry. I can kind of understand what it is like to lose someone
you love. Well in my case it’s someone I’ve never met,” Trevor said,
shocked that he was confiding in Jason about his unknown father.
“Who was it that passed away that you knew?” Jason asked.
“Well, he didn’t really pass away. He’s still alive, or at least I
think he is,” Trevor said sighing. He then told Jason of his mother and
his unknown father.
When he had finished Jason sighed, “I’m sorry about your
father. It must be terrible not knowing who he is or where he is.”
“Yeah. . .I hope someday I’ll meet him and he can take me away from
this place,” Trevor said with hope in his voice. “You know my
Grandfather told me something when I was little. I used to love to read
about far away places and I dreamt of going to them. Everyone told me I
was foolish for dreaming such things,” Jason paused for a moment and
then he continued, “but my Grandfather told me that if I truly believed
in something then it would come true.” “Well I really believe that
I’m going to meet my father someday,” Trevor said smiling. “Then you
will,” Jason smiled.
After they parted that
night Jason watched Trevor go his way home. As Jason turned and went his
own way he passed a little shop. He saw a pair of boy’s shoes in the
display window. The image of Trevor’s worn shoes suddenly popped into
his mind. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I bet Trevor never gets
anything for Christmas,” Jason said to himself. So he went into the
little shop and stepped up to the checkout counter. “Excuse me Sir,”
Jason said to the Cashier, “I would like to buy those shoes that are in
the display window.” “Alrighty, let me go get em’. They are a size
ten will that do?” the cashier asked.
Jason looked down at his feet and finally decided that the size
shoe he wore was close to the size Trevor wore. The cashier put the brown
shoes into a box and rang them up on the cash register. “That will be
$16.89,” the cashier said. “Oh, that much? I’m afraid I only have
$10.00,” Jason sighed. “I’m sorry son,” the cashier said.
As he started to put the shoes back Jason spoke, “Wait,” he
looked down at his grandfather’s watch that hung around his wrist, “If
I pay you the $10.00 dollars and throw in this watch, will you let me buy
the shoes?” A few minutes later Jason emerged out of the little shop
carrying the box of shoes, but without his grandfather’s watch.
When Jason got him his parents were both sitting in the living
room. “Jason we need to talk to you about something,” his dad said.
Jason sat down the box and sat down on the couch across from his dad and
mom. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Well, the neighbors have been
telling us that you are hanging out with that boy Trevor,” Mr. Johansson
said. “Yeah, he and I great friends. He lives a terrible life but I
believe I’m helping him by just being his friend,” Jason said. “Your
motives are good, but you are not thinking of your reputation, our
reputation,” Mr. Johansson said. “What do you mean?” Jason asked
puzzled. “It doesn’t look good for a preacher’s son to be friends
with a. . .bad boy,” Mrs. Johansson said and her husband nodded in
agreement.
“So that’s what this is all about. All you can do is think of
your pathetic reputation instead of reaching out and trying to help people
in need,” Jason said angrily. “Don’t you talk to us that way Jason
Pierce Johansson! We know what is best and you are not to see that boy
again,” Mr. Johansson exclaimed.
Jason jumped up and started to go upstairs to his room with the box
of shoes in his hand. “Jason, we haven’t dismissed you yet,” Mr.
Johansson said. “I can’t believe. . .this. You are a preacher Dad. How
are we to help people if we are too stuck up to even offer a hand to
someone in need?” Jason asked with tears in his eyes as he stood in the
middle of the stairway. “I know you want to be his friend but you just
can’t. Pray for him, that’s the best thing you can do for him,” Mr.
Johansson said.
Meanwhile Trevor sat in the little room with his shabby blanket. It
was very cold because the room had no furnace or heat. At that moment his
mother and a made came into the room. From where he lay in the corner of
the room covered with shadows, Trevor watched. He saw things that he
didn’t want to see and soon he grew disturbed and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile at the Johansson house, Mrs. Johansson had come into
Jason’s room. He was lying in bed reading a book. “Honey I know you
are angry at us but it’s for the best,” Mrs. Johansson said. Jason
never didn’t say anything. His mother looked over at the box of shoes
and walked over to them. She opened the box and looked at the brand new
shoes. “Where did you get these?” she asked. “I. . .bought them,”
Jason said. “But why?” his mother asked. “I. . .saw them in a window
and. . .I bought them,” Jason said trying to avoid the real answer.
Meanwhile Trevor was sound asleep. Somehow, no one knows why, a
fire started in the house where Trevor’s mom worked. The flames were
soon out of control and overtook the house, and all who were in it. Very
few escaped, but Trevor was one of the survivors. He had been badly burned
and was misshapen. They took him to the ER immediately along with other
survivors.
Jason and his family heard about the fire, as did the whole
neighborhood. “Dad, I have to go see if Trevor’s okay,” Jason said.
“You aren’t going and that’s final. You have no business over
there,” Mr. Johansson said sternly. “But Dad, if his mother was killed
he’ll have no one,” Jason pleaded. Mr. Johansson wouldn’t give in
but Jason wasn’t going to let that stop him.
With his coat, gloves, and snow boots on, Jason snuck out the house
and went to the hospital. At the hospital Jason asked where the survivors
of the fire were kept. He could hear screams of the few survivors as he
made his way down the hall. As he passed by one room he saw a misshapen
person lying on a hospital bed. The person was crying out in pain and for
some reason Jason somehow knew that it was Trevor. He ran into the room
and came to stand beside the person. Up close Jason could see one side of
the person’s face that wasn’t burnt. It was Trevor. “Trevor, it’s
me Jason.” Trevor looked up at Jason and moaned in pain. He couldn’t
speak for he was in so much pain.
Trevor died that night in the ER from severe burns. Trevor’s
mother was also killed in the fire. People in the neighborhood said that
it was judgment being reigned down upon that wicked house. They said that
was the reason it caught on fire. Trevor was buried in the local cemetery with just a rock to mark the grave. But in front of the little rock was a box of brand new shoes. They remained there through the storms, snow, and the years. |
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