CaptainPeriwinkle
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
Almost everyone including the teachers of George Washington Carver High School had their eyes trained on a clock. In a few short moments, summer would officially begin. For some, summer represented a three month long break from work. For others, it meant a three month long break before their real education began. For Benjamin "Benji" Watson, it meant the first day to the rest of his life. Benji wasn't college bound. He was one of the lucky few who received the "school isn't for everyone" speech, but never was quite able to fall through the cracks. He couldn't even say school was really worth anything to him. He had never been the most book smart person or the most sociable. He had his small group of friends, and that was good enough for him. He wasn't ever really interested in anything the teachers were teaching, and he never took part in any school extra curricular activities. As far as he was concerned, it was just something he had to do so he wouldn't get arrested. It wasn't to say Benji didn't have his own aspirations though. His band was going places. They had played in a few bars and consistently had a few venues that were trying to book their services. It was becoming a lot to handle running a band and Benji knew they would need some kind of manager soon.
Slowly, the second hand ticked away. Moving past the 11, and then the five little hash marks until it reached the 12. There was a slight delay, causing some students to look at each other for a brief moment until the bell rang. Teachers tried valiantly to get in a last word before the halls were flooded with students. The doors to the school burst open, and out spilled the entire student population of the smallish school. George Washington Carver High School was actually in a decent part of town. The majority of the kids were from middle class families. Kids spilled into the streets, looking for their bus of their ride home. Already, there were a few students who had been advertising large parties to commemorate the beginning of summer. There were more than a few options for students to choose from. Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, was Benji. As he walked, he tried not to get trampled by the other students.
Eventually he made his way onto the bus. His brown hair sticking to his forehead a little bit from the sweat on his brow. He wore a black tee shirt with a graphic of some obscure band on the front and a pair of black jeans. Even in the middle of summer, he had to maintain his "look." He was sure it was something he was going to regret in a few years. It was something he was already regretting with the summer sun beating down on black fabric. All he needed to do was get through the bus ride, and he would be home free. He was eighteen now, which meant he was an adult. He could make his own decisions and do basically everything he wanted to do. His parents had tried their hardest, but even they too came to realize that Benji was never going to go to college. He was certainly smart enough, but he didn't have the motivation. Benji climbed onto the bus before finding the seat he normally sat in. Plopping down, he waited for his Gabby to board.
The two had been almost inseparable from the beginning. As luck would have it, they both lived in the same apartment building. Her family lived a few floors above his, but it made things quite easy for the two to spend a lot of time with each other. There were pictures on Benji's family's refrigerator of Gabby and Benji during their first actual Halloween. Even with his band, Gabby was his closest friend. The members of his band, he viewed almost as coworkers and for better or for worse, prevented himself from getting too close to them. He would party and hang out, but that was about where it ended. With Gabby, he felt as though he could tell her anything. He had told her many secrets, cried, expressed his anger, but most importantly, shared countless laughs and good times with her. With his depression, some days were better than others, and Gabby always seemed to know how to roll with the punches and say the right thing to get him out of his funk. She was a lifeline for him, and he knew he could never replace her.
As he stared out the window, he got lost in his own head for a moment. There was one thing he hadn't been able to tell her. He had never been able to tell her his true feelings for her. He watched helplessly as she got a few boyfriends here and there. Hell, he even physically fought one of them for something that he had done to her. All the while, he harbored these feeling for her that never seemed to come to light. Now it was summer of their senior year and he was still holding back. He knew she was destined for college and great things, whereas he was likely to be stuck in their hometown working some dead end job at some massive corporation. She had put in the work, he hadn't. It was pretty cut and dry. He doomed himself to this fate, but there wasn't anything he could do to change it. This was the main reason why his band had to work out. It offered a glimmer of hope against a bleak reality.
Suddenly, he was struck by inspiration. Pulling out a tattered and ragged notebook from his backpack, he began to scribble down some lyrics that came to his head, just as he felt someone sit next to him. Finishing the lyric, he quickly closed his book before putting it away. If anyone else got their hands on that book, he would probably be arrested. It was a journal in many ways, but anything he couldn't tell Gabby ended up in the notebook one way or another. Turning towards his friend, he smiled. "We made it!" He said as the bus lurched forward. Living in the same apartment building meant that Gabby and Benjamin had the same stop, and their stop was towards the end of the line. Benji took in a breath, knowing this would be his last school bus ride ever. "Make a decision on which party you are going to tonight?" He asked her finally looking over and meeting her eyes.
Slowly, the second hand ticked away. Moving past the 11, and then the five little hash marks until it reached the 12. There was a slight delay, causing some students to look at each other for a brief moment until the bell rang. Teachers tried valiantly to get in a last word before the halls were flooded with students. The doors to the school burst open, and out spilled the entire student population of the smallish school. George Washington Carver High School was actually in a decent part of town. The majority of the kids were from middle class families. Kids spilled into the streets, looking for their bus of their ride home. Already, there were a few students who had been advertising large parties to commemorate the beginning of summer. There were more than a few options for students to choose from. Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, was Benji. As he walked, he tried not to get trampled by the other students.
Eventually he made his way onto the bus. His brown hair sticking to his forehead a little bit from the sweat on his brow. He wore a black tee shirt with a graphic of some obscure band on the front and a pair of black jeans. Even in the middle of summer, he had to maintain his "look." He was sure it was something he was going to regret in a few years. It was something he was already regretting with the summer sun beating down on black fabric. All he needed to do was get through the bus ride, and he would be home free. He was eighteen now, which meant he was an adult. He could make his own decisions and do basically everything he wanted to do. His parents had tried their hardest, but even they too came to realize that Benji was never going to go to college. He was certainly smart enough, but he didn't have the motivation. Benji climbed onto the bus before finding the seat he normally sat in. Plopping down, he waited for his Gabby to board.
The two had been almost inseparable from the beginning. As luck would have it, they both lived in the same apartment building. Her family lived a few floors above his, but it made things quite easy for the two to spend a lot of time with each other. There were pictures on Benji's family's refrigerator of Gabby and Benji during their first actual Halloween. Even with his band, Gabby was his closest friend. The members of his band, he viewed almost as coworkers and for better or for worse, prevented himself from getting too close to them. He would party and hang out, but that was about where it ended. With Gabby, he felt as though he could tell her anything. He had told her many secrets, cried, expressed his anger, but most importantly, shared countless laughs and good times with her. With his depression, some days were better than others, and Gabby always seemed to know how to roll with the punches and say the right thing to get him out of his funk. She was a lifeline for him, and he knew he could never replace her.
As he stared out the window, he got lost in his own head for a moment. There was one thing he hadn't been able to tell her. He had never been able to tell her his true feelings for her. He watched helplessly as she got a few boyfriends here and there. Hell, he even physically fought one of them for something that he had done to her. All the while, he harbored these feeling for her that never seemed to come to light. Now it was summer of their senior year and he was still holding back. He knew she was destined for college and great things, whereas he was likely to be stuck in their hometown working some dead end job at some massive corporation. She had put in the work, he hadn't. It was pretty cut and dry. He doomed himself to this fate, but there wasn't anything he could do to change it. This was the main reason why his band had to work out. It offered a glimmer of hope against a bleak reality.
Suddenly, he was struck by inspiration. Pulling out a tattered and ragged notebook from his backpack, he began to scribble down some lyrics that came to his head, just as he felt someone sit next to him. Finishing the lyric, he quickly closed his book before putting it away. If anyone else got their hands on that book, he would probably be arrested. It was a journal in many ways, but anything he couldn't tell Gabby ended up in the notebook one way or another. Turning towards his friend, he smiled. "We made it!" He said as the bus lurched forward. Living in the same apartment building meant that Gabby and Benjamin had the same stop, and their stop was towards the end of the line. Benji took in a breath, knowing this would be his last school bus ride ever. "Make a decision on which party you are going to tonight?" He asked her finally looking over and meeting her eyes.