Dreams Or How I Live My Life in Daydreams

Mad Zach

Ire in her movements, Autumn crumpled the flyer in her fisted hand. "No.  I will not be your date to the dance."

"Why not?" Maddox said crestfallen.

Her amber eyes swept over him, scathingly. "You're kidding me, right?" "No, actually," he replied. She sighed, wishing at that moment that she had magical powers.

With a flick of her hand, she would send the bothersome boy floating down the hall to the shrieks, gasps, and astonished stares of the student body. She smirked at her wily thoughts.

"What's so funny?" 

Her smirk vanishing, she narrowed her eyes. "Is this part of some prank, Mad Zach?" He shook his head. "No. It's not."

She regarded him as he looked at her with hopeful eyes. This was the same boy who left Jenny in an inconsolable state after his latest prank involving orange juice and hot sauce.

Autumn wasn't in the cafeteria when the incident occurred. She had heard about it after the fact. She knew, however, that the girl ended up transferring to another school because of the nonstop teasing.

Her mind made up, she frowned. "No. I will not be your date. Don't ask me again!" 

She brushed past him, stalking down the hallway. A rush of floral-scented air followed her.

Pretending to drop his bag, he watched her retreating form, at her hips swaying as she walked. Her faded jeans clung to her skin as though painted on. He felt a quiver in his belly.

Heavy footsteps approached. Dread came over him. He knew those footsteps well, memorized it. They were the bane to his existence like the villain in a Marvel movie announcing their presence. This wasn't a superhero movie. He wasn't a hero. Not after...

"How'd it go?" 

Bile rising in his stomach at the menacing voice, Maddox rose shakily to his feet. He kept his eyes trained on the dirt-trodden floor. "She said no," he mumbled.

A large hand pressed down hard on his shoulder, applying pressure. Every muscle in his body tightened. Exhaling a shallow breath, he kept his feet planted firmly in place.

Turning, he stared into a pair of ocean blue eyes. Icy blond hair and white skin completed the look making the taller boy look like the physical embodiment of Jack Frost but with sinister attributes.

"Try harder," he warned.

"I will," Maddox snapped.

Releasing his iron grip, the medium-built boy slithered away into the bustling crowd. Maddox gritted his teeth. There was a way to stop the boy from bribing him—-coming clean. However, doing so would ruin his chance of living a normal life. He may even serve time in jail. He would lose everyone's respect, most of all, hers.

He swung his bag on his shoulder, shoved his hands in his pockets, and ambled down the hall. Becoming Mad Zach was the worst mistake he had ever made.

As expected, Autumn found Nara in the library.  The atmosphere smelled earthy and woody; rich from the mixed aromas of old and new books.   Inhaling the pleasant scent, Autumn approached the redhead, her head bowed with thick-rimmed glasses lodged on her face, peering at her tablet while scribbling on her notebook.

Autumn plopped down into the chair across from the plain-faced girl. She leaned forward. "Do you know what the assignment was in Mr. Axel's class?" she whispered.

Without looking up, the redhead pulled from under her notebook a heavily marked sheet of paper titled, Homework Assignment. "Thanks," Autumn mumbled.  It was lunchtime, the library was empty except for a few who used the time to read, socialize, and work on assignments.

Autumn rarely ate in the cafeteria.

Coming from a low-income family, she qualified for the School Lunch Program. Her excitement of not having to pay for her lunch deflated when one of her classmates saw her voucher and designated her with the cringe-inducing nickname, "Welfare girl."

In tears, she fled from the cafeteria.

Nowadays, she spends her lunchtime in the library where she can escape in books and daydreams.  It didn't abate her hunger pangs, especially with her having skipped breakfast that morning.

Her stomach grumbled.

"Here," Nara said, discreetly shoving her mini candy bar across the table. Tears swimming in her eyes, Autumn took it, tore off the wrapper, and tossed the chocolate bar into her mouth. "Thanks," she said, her words garbled.

The redhead pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and nodded. Days like today, Autumn felt grateful to have a friend like Nara in her life.

After copying the notes, she handed it back. "See you in fourth-period class." "Okay," the redhead said with a warm radiant smile like a beam of sunshine chasing away the darkness of an otherwise dreary day.

Autumn headed out the library when she noticed a group of students in trendy clothes gathered by the lockers loudly discussing the dance and whose name brand they would be wearing. They were a popular clique in the school. Most aspired to be a part of the group to avoid being on the receiving end of their brutal insults. To Autumn, they were a pretentious bunch who acted as though their shit didn't stink.

Most times, she avoided them. Today, luck wasn't on her side. She picked up the pace. The group quieted. The main instigator of the group, Timothy, a pampered drama king, quirked his lips.

"Where d'you get those shoes?  Goodwill?" 

Laughter followed like the laugh tracks used on a sitcom. Walking faster, Autumn took a detour to the restroom.  Her hand trembling, she jerked the door open and checked each stall to see if anyone was in them.

Satisfied that she was alone, she faced the mirror at the tear-streaked face staring back at her and wiped her eyes.

Skipping the third period, Maddox pulled his 2020 cherry red Ford Escape into the hospital parking lot. Shutting off the engine, he sat for a few minutes, resting his forehead on the steering wheel.

Sitting up, he exited the vehicle and headed towards the entrance. Two weeks had passed since he last visited. Each time, the guilt ate away at him.

Avoiding eye contact with the hospital staff, he headed towards the elevators and pressed the up button.

The door opened. He and a few others stepped inside. He pressed the button for the eighth floor, the rehabilitation institute.

After what seemed like long minutes, the door opened. The last one to exit, he stepped out, making sure that he turned his smartphone off.

The floor was eerily quiet.  Stopping to gather himself, he proceeded to the waiting area. A dark-haired woman with a pixie cut sat quietly in the chair. She snapped her gaze at him. "Hi, Maddox."

He looked around the area; the magazines stacked neatly; the staff working quietly, his eyes resettling on her.

"He's in physical therapy," the woman said as though reading his thoughts. Muttering, "Okay," he sat opposite her. 

"He'll be glad to know that you're here," the woman continued. Her eyes brimmed. "You don't know how much I appreciate the kindness that you've shown to Marc. You are a good person."

He tore his eyes away from her, self-loathing churning in his gut. He didn't deserve her gratitude.

You wouldn't feel so grateful if you knew that I'm the reason for Marc being brain-damaged, he thought.