CHAPTER 2

A SHADY FRIEND

On a new day Atreyu wakes up early repairing the glove in his case writing on a silver hardcover journal with a broken red triangular emblem on the front. His eyes were very baggy from his lack of slumber, the fight between Kevin and him was pondering in his mind. He wrote into blank pages in the journal. He stopped to hear footsteps walk form the hall to his room wondering who it was. There was a light knock on the door. Atreyu paid full attention to the thin shadow remaining still.

“Who is it? Atreyu shouted.

“Its me sweetheart. I’ coming in.” Millie muffledly said.

Millie walked inside hunching close to Atreyu. He resumed his writing. Millie pulled a short white wooden stool to sit behind Atreyu. She was intrigued on what her child what scribbling.

“What you up to Atreyu?”Millie questioned.

“What do want mom? I know you’re trying to get something from me.”

Millie tugged on her green blouse and dropped a nervous face of paranoia.

What are you talking about? I’m just checking on my little boy; that’s all.”

Millie said.

Atreyu sighed.

“Every time you tug on your shirt, you always are nervous and have something else on your mind. That’s why you have a guilty look on your face.”

“Okay fine, I just wanted to check on you and be a little nosy.”

“Oh boy.” Atreyu said in a tiresome voice.

“I just care about you and I’m trying to make sure that you’ll stay out of trouble. And I’m even more intrigued by your so called plans for the future.”

“Well yeah I have plans to take tons of resources for another plan for future plans.”

“Hmm, sounds like a lot of plans.”

Millie nodded in agreement. She started to smile and gave a peck of a kiss to Atreyu’s warm cheek.

“I love you so much sweetheart, you focus on people and how they feel and you have your lovely idealistic obsession.”

Atreyu started to blush on his cheeks.

“What obsession! I’m not addicted to anything I just hate conformity and I want the world to be in a state that will benefit everyone, that’s all.”

“Exactly! That’s what I love about you; your ideology of this messed up world and the undying faith you have to change the world is something that not many people have anymore in this day and age. You fight for the underdog with an undaunted amount of intelligence to make something a reality, you’re really a good kid; regardless of all the fights and trouble you cause.”

Paranoia started to grow from Atreyu’s face from Millie’s compliment. He pounced from his minor tinkering on the gauntlet to control Phantom and rushed to pack all his belongings for school.

“I should get going to school to get my plans in action; I love you and I’ll see you later.”

“Oh; okay well I’ll see you later. One more thing, try to make at least one friend.” Millie exclaimed.

“What do you mean? I never had any friends, so why would I need any now; I’m use to going solo.” He casually pronounced.

“While that’s true I know you sometimes feel lonely even if there’s not many people to trust in a harsh world like ours, but a few but there are people in the world that care about you and want to be close to you, just think about it. Last year we lost R from that incident and I noticed from that time to now, you’ve changed to a more distant person. I just want there to be someone who you can trust other than me.” She rambled truthfully.

Atreyu was nervous and dragged his voice. “I better get going.”

Atreyu put on his clothes the same as yesterday with a plain crimson shirt beneath the same parka jacket. He grabbed his duffel bag attempting to zoom out the room without being stopped. As he zoomed out the room, Millie intercepted Atreyu’s exit with her body. Her arms were crossed with a menacing death glare directly in his eyes. He paused and gave in with a response.

“Alright mom, I’ll keep it in mind. We’ll talk about R later. ”

“I just care about you sweetheart, there’s so much I want to tell you, but I need to know that you won’t lose control like last year.”

Atreyu slipped past Millie’s fortified defenses and glanced to her worried face. He made a facade of happiness and positivity. He lunged over to to her head and spoke.

“I’ll try!” He whispered.

They both laughed it off. Millie shoved Atreyu out the door as they both giggled.

“Get outta here ya little goofball and go make some friends.”

Although the both of them had serious intentions on their slightly scratchy thoughts about their past; the love they have for one another will never weaken. Atreyu’s departure left a stasis of silence and an awkward vibe within the distance of him and mom. As he departed turned back to peer over to a clutter of grey apartments of different sizes. He contemplated on how he handled their minor argument making him think on the incidents of his past. Through the same train, Atreyu left to school in the same high speed bullet train, but he had a troubled look on his face thinking about what his mother said starting to get under his skin not enjoying the morning ride on the bullet train. He arrived to the school with the same man cleaning the entrance sign with even more graffiti on it than yesterday walking through the halls as passerby students stare but with cowardice, nodding their heads in respect. He was the top dog and nobody could say anything about it. Atreyu entered his classroom with his head held up high dropping his bag sitting down with his own classmates even more terrified than the passerby people in the halls. Through all the tension there was an interruption by the loudspeaker system. An announcement went off with a dorky monotone female voice speaking snobbishly into the microphone.

“Atreyu Wilder please report to the main office at the front of the school you are needed by the principal. Please report to the principal office.”

“Great, what now?” Atreyu mumbled.

All the male students were making childish echoes speaking in unison pointing at Atreyu having a taunting laugh with each other. The girls in the class gave echo in unison while they taunted.

“Oooo you’re in trouble!” Everyone said in synchronization.

“Oh will you all shut up and act your age you blind, ignorant barbarians! How about you focus on your boring lives instead of leeching off of pointless drama.” Atreyu shouted.

The teacher interrupted letting Atreyu leave the class but the students kept shouting infuriating the teacher.

“All of you shut your mouths. You are the last to be talking; at least he gets his work done and has a future compared to the rest of you so called men. And ladies, why don’t you focus on your classwork instead of getting someone pregnant.” She assertively spoke.

“Thank you Mrs. Helena. I’m going to the office now.”

“Alright and remember to stay out of trouble, we don’t want anything getting pushed to the limits. Take your stuff with you since we’re having an early release day. From the sound of the principal needing you. it might take a while.”

“Okay thanks for letting me go.”

Atreyu grabbed his belongings and walked through the empty halls as athletes scurry by in fear of Atreyu preparing for practice on the outside of the fields. The cheerleaders followed Atreyu carrying with them, golden pom-poms in small bright orange colored uniforms. A lady walked through the herd of giggling girls that continuously pointed at Atreyu calling him over. He turns around stopping in place, the girls walk over in a together like a swarm of insects.

“Hi Atreyu, can we talk about something?” The leading cheerleader wondered.

Atreyu squinted his eyes in confusion.

“And you are? Atreyu asked puzzled.

The girl flipped back her blond dyed ponytail making a girl hold her bag.

“Where are my manners, my name is Cynthia Howitzer, captain of the cheerleaders and assistant of the new ruler of the school elites, which is you.” She pompously decreed.

“Listen we’ll talk once I come back from the office, I just got called up and to stop having them waste my time so we’ll talk later; okay?” Atreyu said briefly.

Cynthia turned her head around speaking to her team as they start to retreat into the nearby gym.

“Oh, okay we’ll wait here then, the rest of the girls can head off to practice.”

Atreyu stormed off a bit troubled. Many thoughts started to crawl under his skin as he was being overwhelmed by his own mind. He entered the front office producing no sound from his footsteps towering over the small lady with hanging librarian glasses hanging up the white phone with bulging circular eyeglasses. She jumped up, startled from his ominous arrival. He pulled his hood off with a polite smile.

“Excuse miss, me I came because the principal called me down for something?”

She spoke in a quivering elderly voice pointing to an entrance that read Principal at the front.

“So, you are Atreyu, my, my. You gave quite a startle young man; yes Principal Stickler is waiting for you in his office.”