The Alpha Years: A New Beginning

After my crazy years at the private school, I was ready for a change. What I didn't expect was a switch to a small charter school. When I finally got to see the school, I knew what my options were. I wasn't going to hide anything about myself. Instead, I'd be myself for the first time in 2 years. Oddly, during this same time, I was watching anime every Saturday night. I felt a connection to a few characters I watched and had developed a personality to match my favorite ones. I was invited to join a group because of my crazy personality. This group consisted of two people. One was nicknamed Pikachu and the other one I'll call J. Pikachu would become a great friend, but I also had an academic rival for the first time. His name is Emmanuel G. Rayas. I soon competed with him without knowing that I felt intimidated. Overall, the year was going well despite my every reservation against the school. Although I made another friend after realizing Pikachu wasn't a consistent source of help.

That friend is Christian. He was never one to openly look for trouble, but it found him just as it found me. He quickly became a kindred spirit amidst disaster. And disaster came quickly despite all odds. That fall I became very ill, an entire week was missed thanks to the sickness that I got. When I returned, I was given an odd welcome, among them were Pikachu and Emmanuel saying they already had a funeral service for me. I grew used to this treatment and learned to laugh alongside them rather than take things personally. With each passing day, I forged bonds with more students in the class. I nicknamed some of them after what I remembered about them. There were the twin towers and the wall among others. But, I still kept near Pikachu and Christian out of a fear of being alone.

I soon realized each teacher had insane methods compared to any previous one. From the History teacher who taught what history wasn't to the English teacher who focused on two stories throughout the year. I was fascinated by the fact that the classes were doing so well, even state tests were easily completed with high marks. I still chose to secretly compete with Emmanuel, but I slowly realized he was actually better in academics than I could ever be. At that point, I stopped trying. I was glad to be second in class if it meant I had people who would be friends despite my actions. I was still a bookworm and gamer. But I felt more like everything was different thanks to having people who were like me by my side. This charter school was just the kind of change I needed.

My self-esteem was at an all-time high by the beginning of the spring semester. I soon felt like things were about to go wrong at any time. My luck hadn't lasted this long without something going wrong before, and I felt like it would end up going bad soon. In fact, things changed in a different way. In the first week of the spring semester, my class got a new student. She showed up an hour early on her first day at the school to complete paperwork. I showed up around 10 min after she did. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw her. To me, she was glowing, and I struck up a conversation. To my surprise, she told me she loved music right off the bat. I had just started feeling comfortable singing after what happened at the previous school and felt like it would be a good time to try it out. Alas, her mother called her to sign a few papers. I went to the cafeteria and started talking with Christian about her. I didn't know what grade she was in, but I felt like she was a caring person already. After a few days, she became a close friend to Christian and me. I started feeling an attraction to her, but wouldn't act on it despite making plan after plan to try. I would get her gifts with what little money I would get from the foster parents and always felt like she was a great person to stick by my side. I had learned a lot of people didn't want to be near me and Pikachu, but Alexis kept by my side despite everything Pikachu did. She was so happy all the time, I started calling her Princess Jolly or just PJ as a way to say it without alerting everyone in the class.

I soon realized the foster parents were trying their best to isolate me after I was invited to a friend's house. They would begin booking appointments on days I would tell them I was invited to one place or another. When the end of the year came, I was close enough to everyone in my class to publicly call them my family. This was something the foster parents hated, but they allowed me to stay at the school despite wanting me to go back to public school. I was even more ecstatic when I found out the principal had been able to place everyone on the list for a trip to a summer camp that summer. It gave me time to get up my courage to ask out PJ. The summer trip came and I was put with the twin towers and Pikachu into a small cabin. Our bunkmates were crazy, but we didn't deal with them that much. In fact, we hardly saw them after the first day if it wasn't for lights out.

As soon as I got out of the bus, I realized I was being watched by a few girls. I knew the feeling too well, and it didn't sit right after all the planning I did to talk with PJ. The first morning was a hassle just trying to find PJ, and three girls immediately followed me to the game room. I wasn't one to push people away anymore, and I couldn't get these girls to leave me alone for anything. I decided to start heading to the pool daily since I was told by one of the other students from my class that PJ always went there the first chance she got. After two days, things were getting dicey between myself and the three girls. One of them started following me with more of a passion than the rest. On the third day, I was having trouble getting into the restroom during an event, and decided to run to the only place I knew was unlocked. I ran halfway across the grounds to my cabin and barely made it in time to the toilet. Sad to say, I broke the plumbing for the rest of the trip. As I walked out, I knew things were worse than I imagined. That one girl had followed me while I was focused on getting to the restroom. She had already gotten into the cabin and was laying one of the beds. Let's just say, she wasn't alone. The other two blocked the exits. I didn't feel safe, but I also wasn't in good condition to get past them. They jumped me, and I won't say the rest since I want this kept to a family-friendly side of things. Just know, I wasn't the same after and I would come to hate myself for allowing it. That day, I ended up giving up on my plans for PJ while at the camp. I didn't want anything of this to be heard by her until I was ready to tell her myself. Not even Pikachu or Christian knew any part of the story for years. With that, the trip would have ended on a bad note for me if not for the next day. I entered another talent show, but this time I decided to write my own song. It was a great song, but I didn't sing it how I wrote it down. I was given my night medication around 30 minutes before I had to perform. I sounded amazing and did great. Yet, I was unable to get my award because I couldn't wake up for it. I had finally shown my hidden talent to the people who I wanted to hear it. And it felt great. Though, the summer would hold a few more surprises.

In July, PJ showed up at the new church I was going to. Out of nowhere, yet I felt like she knew more about than she let on since my class didn't know what church I went to. She said she had family who went there, and that she wanted to know the location before a concert that was a few weeks away. Sadly, I never saw her show up for the concert because I was the new lead guitarist for the youth ministry that month. But I knew the future was full of possibilities, and I just had to reach for them.