"My Life's reality"

Haden had left the house and began walking to school. The last week of school had come up and will soon be gone.

"*I hope I can get through my week without anything bad happening. Please, I just want to get through the week without any trouble.*" Haden had slightly bitten his bottom lip at the thought of Nathan. Both of Haden's hands had been holding his backpack straps and gripped the straps tighter out of the small fluster of frustration.

"Hey, Haden, are you okay?" Seth had interrupted Haden's thoughts. "*Damn it, totally forget he was next to me!*" Haden shifted his eyes to his bottom left to look at Seth. He took out his left hand, smiled, and patted his brother's head. "Of course I am okay, it's the last week of school! I am just super excited for high school!"

Haden hated lying to his brother, but he never wanted to show his brother how weak-willed he was. What he said today with a smile was nothing but the truth. "* I finally get to start over and live up to dad's expectations!*"

Haden flashed back to when his dad had said, "Hahaha! Haden, having friends is important. Friends are what will help you in the future when everyone else leaves. It's never about the quantity of your friends, but always the quality. So don't say that you don't need friends. No one can live a life of solitude." Haden's father smiled, and the flashback ended in that instant.

"*Dad, I might not have real friends right now, but I will in the future, so just relax in heaven and watch me!*" Haden's heart had beaten in a slower, harmonizing motion with the sinking feeling of losing his father.

"Let's get going. We don't want to be late for school, Seth!" Haden started jogging slowly to the entrance gates of the middle school. "Hey! Wait up! That's not far, don't leave me behind!" Seth pouted at his brother's actions and decided to start jogging with him.

"*Haden... although I am your younger brother, why don't you ever talk to me when you are feeling hurt? I know you want to act strong for me, but I hope you will open up to me one day.*" Seth felt sorry for his brother. He never knew what his brother had been going through. He didn't even know much of anything that happened in his school life. Haden's life had never been spoken of inside the house, and Haden had never cried in front of Seth, but rather, he always smiled.

*Huff huff*

"We made it." Haden's hands were on his knees as he bent over, trying to catch his breath.

"Haden, why did you even run when you know that you have, like, zero stamina?" Seth had laughed a bit. "Well, I mean, training and running, *huff* will help improve my stamina." Haden felt as if his lungs were on fire. The muscles in his legs were throbbing and made it difficult for him to stand. "*This is what I get for not doing sports. During this summer break, I think I will go work out. I need it; I am way too unfit.*"

*Ring ring*

The bell went off, and the first period had just begun. Then the second period passed, and then the first break. Then the third, and the fourth. Just as he thought his day would be alright, the second break came, and that's when Nathan decided to make things difficult.

"Hey, skin and bones? You got some lunch to give me?!" Haden looked up at Nathan with shallow eyes. He had hoped that nothing would occur, but why out of all the days did he have to do it today?

"Haden, why is he talking to you like that?" You see, Seth decided that he wanted to sit with his brother during the second break. He was okay with it since Nathan usually takes his lunch and messes with him in the first half of the day, but what he did was not part of his usual schedule.

"Well, Seth, you see, the thing is…." Haden had not known what to say. What was he going to tell his little brother? That he was some guy, who got bullied? Someone who can't stand up for himself?

No other words came out of his mouth other than silence.

"Hey, loser! I am talking to you. Where's the food or the money?" Haden bit his bottom lip and clenched his fist under the table. "*Damn it, why this week? Why today? Why now?!*"

"I don't have it, so go away." Haden decided that no matter what, he can never appear weak in front of Seth. If everyone turned their back on him and shamed him, it would not matter because the only person he needed was his younger brother.

"You wanna play all big and tough now that it's the last week of school? You think you are tough now?" Nathan spat out his words, hitting the table with his bare hands while shouting his spat-out words.

Seth looked at his brother, waiting for his brother to fight back or at least stand up for himself. But all that waiting had been in vain as his brother was slandered right in front of him with words that cut deep.

"Haden? Why, why are you doing nothing about this?" Seth stuttered over his words, horrified by the boy who verbally abused his brother.

"Just leave it, don't do anything; it will pass by. I don't want you to get hurt trying to protect your brother. You have friends; you are popular, don't do something that will jeopardize it." Haden whispered those words, trying to move his mouth as he ate barely. His eyes were hollow as if nothing lived inside, empty…..

"Hey Nathan, look, it's the last week of school just for this last week. Can you do me a solid and just buzz off?" out of the whole time Haden had been in the school, the words that came out of his mouth that day could have been said to be the only time he stood up from himself.

"You think you are cool? Just because you spoke back to me and asked me to stop, you think I will stop? Oh god, no, as if." he chuckled as he struggled with Haden's attempt to be left alone.

"Just leave him alone, please he has done nothing to you. Why do you have to be so rude to him?"Seth was frustrated by the comments made. Whether his brother or not had not concerned him, only I think that matted what Nathan said.

"Oh, the little kid wants to act all big? If you want to keep yourself like a big boy, you going to get the respect I give the others" Nathan grinned, lifting his hand and then moving it swiftly forward and just as the deed was to be done.

"Stop!" Haden grabbed Nathan's hand. "Just let the kid go, alright? He doesn't know what he is getting himself into." Haden gestures that Seth should leave. "*Getting my brother involved can never happen.*"

Seth got up with his food tray from the cafeteria and walked back to his friends who had been sitting quite far from them. "*Brother, why can't I just help you?*"

Looking down as his friends babbled on without care or understanding of what Seth just went through.

"Whatever, I am already bored of this. Let's just leave, guys. Since it's the last week of school, I will let you off the hook since I will never see you again anyway." Nathan and his gang had walked by the table. Each hooligan had given foul looks and spitting words at Haden who sat at the table minding his own business and ignoring the world as it passed by him.