An excerpt from my novel:
As Draven read the final words of his report the final bell rang. It was a moment he had both dreaded and hoped for. The final day of high school was supposed to be an important event in his life, but that was overshadowed by the increasing danger of the war. The commencement festivities had been cancelled, in order to prevent an act of terrorism on the happy day. Instead, the students would receive their diplomas via mail.
From behind Draven heard footsteps as someone slowly approached him at the computer.
“Aren’t you excited?” said the dark haired girl when she was behind him.
“Oh thrilled. I can’t wait to get my piece of paper in the mail. I’ll finally be able to die.”
“Hey,” she almost seemed offended, “don’t talk like that. You act as though it’s the end of the world.”
“Hmm… it isn’t?” he retorted.
“It’s just the end of school, not the end of life as we know it.”
“Well, you never know. The nukes could fall any time,” he said this as he crammed his remaining items into his book bag and prepared his paper to be turned in. The girl stared at him during this whole process. She appeared a bit irritated, but still interested in him.
“Jenica,” he spoke as he got up, “you know I’m only kidding. I can’t help but be pessimistic lately.”
“It’s ok. I understand,” she turned and walked towards the door to exit with the other students. As she turned he could smell her fragrant hair. It made him feel a little creepy and a little emo at the same time, but he surmised that those two probably could equal love in some cultures. Although he wanted to follow her to the train, but he had other things to complete before he could leave.
He quickly handed in his paper to the teacher and walked out of the classroom in search of his friend Allistor. Now Allistor wasn’t like his other friends. Even though the bell had rung, Draven was positive Allistor hadn’t moved from the spot he had most likely occupied for most of the day. These assumptions were proven correct when he entered the school library to find him reading at the desk.
“Let’s go nerd!” he demanded.
The short, brown haired boy did a small jump as Draven disturbed him from his readings. He pushed up his glasses and turned a page in his novel.
“I know you’re in a hurry, but I only have 4 more pages to go. I’ve been reading this book all day and I want to finish it by dinner,” Allistor replied.
“I don’t care. You can read on the train. It’s the last day of school and I want to go home. I don’t feel like waiting 40 minutes for the next train.”
A bit perturbed, the other boy reluctantly gathered his things and did as he was told.
They left the building and didn’t look back as they walked among other students down the road to the train station. The city was busy as usual for that time of the day. The weather was also very nice and it was certain that summer had virtually arrived. The other students acknowledged this via their attire: short sleeve shirts and shorts. Many wore sandals or no shoes at all as they entered the city park, the final leg of the walk to the train station. Allistor didn’t like the city, and he made that known daily as he complained about various things to Draven on their walk. Meaningless nothings like the honking of cars, the way the landscaping company had arranged the trees in the park years ago, or the vandalism that was apparent upon the various benches along the path. Draven saw things in another light. The cars reminded him that he too grew tired of the city, but he somehow liked that feeling. The trees were calming in a town that seemed to age and decay at a rapid pace. The benches weren’t that badly vandalized, and he even liked the tags on some of them. One they passed daily had “New World Order” sprayed in black paint across it’s back. It made him think of politics and the current state of the world. Chaotic as it was, the criticisms his friend had of their world reminded Draven that he was still alive and breathing. Despite his attitude, that was something he valued.
Even today Allistor complained, but Draven ignored it. How could he be concerned about such things? Today was their last day of high school and they would never have to return to this place if they so wished. Draven didn’t care either way, but he was positive that Allistor never wanted to again, but he was certain that he would return despite his hatred.
They approached the station and went through the turnstiles to wait on the platform for the next train. On the other side of the track he could see Jenica talking with her friends. They were all pretty cool. They were smart, some of them sporty, but generally speaking, a well liked group among the hierarchy of the school. Jenica lived in his hometown also, so he saw her frequently, and they had studied together occasionally for various classes. This was yet another thing that Allistor frequently commented on, because Draven never really studied, and if he ever didn’t grasp the material completely, he knew he could count on Allistor to fill him in. But he didn’t study with Jenica to further his academic prospects. He did it to further his romantic ones, but that was hard for Allistor to grasp. He was your typical nerd. His only girlfriends were Ann Rice and Ayn Rand. While only authors, they were slutty enough, and he didn’t want Allistor to turn into a man-whore; literarily or literally.
He thought all this in an instant as he continued to stare at Jenica. In the meantime, Allistor stood next to him reading as the train quickly pulled into the station. The platform became crowded and the pair pushed their way into a car. The students, families, and businessmen piled in also and the doors soon closed. Allistor took a seat near the door, his eyes affixed to the text the entire time. Draven took his place beside him. A short blond woman took a seat on the other side. Across the car Jenica sat down and they exchanged a look and a smile as she continued to chat among her group. Draven turned his head lest he become repeatedly and forever creepy in the mind of Jenica and in his own and focused on the scenery outside. The train glided slowly out of the white train station and the trees, grass, and buildings outside soon became a blur as they achieved top speed. Traveling along the magnetic track, the stealth of the train reflected Draven’s state of mind. For some reason, he was thinking very rapidly about a number of things, none of which connected. Unlike the train they traveled in, these ideas veered off of their tracks and crashed into a million other possibilities. Not one of them made sense or were easily grasped by Draven. These thoughts and the blur he saw outside bled together until their colors converged into blackness and he thought of nothing.
