Chapter 1

Ian

Stoney Gate High School

     The first impact quickly reminded Ian Frost of why he hated school. When his head rocked forward he could taste that familiar coppery sensation in his mouth. It was a taste that he had endured before. You might even say he had become used to it, primarily because of the bully that stood before him now. The current resident bully of Stoney Gate was none other than Dade Owens. At fourteen Ian had never really fit into the normal crowds. He was a skateboarder and he listened to music that no one else thought was cool. Standing only 5’5” and weighing 115 pounds he wasn’t the picture of masculinity, unlike the beast that stood before him. His blonde, nearly white, hair hung loosely about his head. Ian didn’t bother to comb it much and his natural curls made it wavy at the bottom. His father died when he was young so he never really had anyone to teach him sports, much less teach him about self defense.

     The crowd had gotten into full swing with their chant ’fight’ ’fight’ ’fight’! That was all that Ian could hear echoing in his brain. Personally, Ian was hoping that a teacher would hear the chant as well. Unfortunately for Ian he had never really been that lucky. He seemed to corner the market on awkward and that translated into outsider. Ian often wondered why God didn’t step in and protect little people more often, but perhaps he was allowing for someone else to do a good deed.  As if to prove Ian’s point about being unlucky the thing in front of him seemed to be spurned on by the chants. He maneuvered in front of Ian with his fists raised and ready to inflict more damage.

     “Come on you little wussy fight back,” the bully encouraged, but Ian knew what that meant. He would throw a weak punch allowing the bully to get enraged and pummel him. It was so much harder to hit a defenseless target. There was simply no honor in it.

     “No,” Ian said and the crowd burst into a fit of laughter. Dade laughed and turned his head to smile at his loyal subjects. He enjoyed belittling others, or at least it seemed that he did.

     There was one other thing that always seemed to keep Ian in the doghouse and that was his inability to appreciate the delicate nature of a situation. In other words he always seemed to say the wrong things at the wrong times. In this case he had the audacity to send flowers to Dade’s ex-girlfriend. It wasn’t like Ian could have even gotten a date with her. She was a cheerleader and way out of his league. All of the girls said Ian was a great ’friend’, that was the kiss of death to a teenage boy. It meant that you were not good looking enough or cool enough to be a boyfriend. Ian had heard that line a lot. It made him desperate, desperate enough to send roses to the ex-girl of a gorilla like Dade.

     As Dade began to bob and weave he looked into the face of his smaller opponent and a sick feeling began to creep over him. He really didn’t enjoy beating up this poor geek, but if he didn’t people would say that he was weak or afraid. He couldn’t have any of those rumors getting back to his old man. The first time someone tried to fight him Dade had tried to walk away. Unfortunately his dad was watching from the porch. He had only gotten two steps away from the other boy when his father seized him by the collar of his shirt and drug him into the house. He commenced to whip Dade with a belt to the point that he had wished he fought the other boy. His father promised an even worse hiding if he ever walked away from a fight again. So now here he was, stuck with a job to do.

     Time began to drag out like an old movie and there were still no teachers to be seen. The entire event was beginning to get overbearingly embarrassing to Ian. He would have given anything to be anywhere else. That was when Ian decided to open his mouth and do something rash. It really didn’t make any sense to do it, but once again he was unable to control himself. The words just seemed to leap from his mouth all on their own. Unfortunately for Ian that happened all to frequently. His body tensed and an odd sort of courage filled his chest. He figured if he was going to get pummeled anyway why go down without a fight? He had nothing to lose, especially since his mom disappeared two years ago.

     “I don’t fight girls,” Ian gurgled out and a collective silence fell over the playground followed by a long drawn out ’oooooooooooooooo’. The now gigantic crowd anxiously awaited Dade’s brutal response to the insult thrown at him by the geek. The look on the bully’s face registered somewhere between a red hot poker and the flare from a rocket. His right hook came so fast that Ian felt the impact a full two seconds before he saw Dade’s arm move. Stars began to dance in front of his eyes as the swelling began almost immediately. No doubt about it, he would have a black eye there by morning.

     “Leave him alone Dade,” a girl’s voice broke through the thick cloud of gloom. It was a voice that Ian knew very well.

     It was the same voice that had comforted him through many tear filled nights of broken hearts and disappointment. It was Dawn, one of the few girls that Ian actually wanted to call a friend. She wasn’t as pretty as the girls Ian usually liked, although Joe had mentioned on more than one occasion that he thought she was pretty. Maybe it was because Ian knew her too well. She knew too many things about him. Things that would be considered embarrassing by a boy. How could he like a girl that knew so many intimate things about him? How could he like a girl that had seen him cry? She stepped between the boys before the next blow landed and wagged her finger in front of Dade’s face.

     “I said leave him alone Dade!”

     “Get out of my way Dawn, this is between me and the rose queen.” Dade’s insult brought another round of laughter from the crowd.

     “Is all of this over a stupid flower? Damn questioned and looked at Dade as though he were stupid. Dawn was great at that look because everyone knew how smart she really was. She was known for being very practical, almost painfully so.

     “Isn’t that enough?” Dade demanded. “He sent my girl a rose.” The crowd cheered on the revenge motive. Dade was starting to lose what little remorse he was feeling.

     “The last I heard she wasn’t even going out with you anymore,” Dawn clarified. Her words sent a dagger through Dade’s heart and brought another ’ooooooooooooo’ from the crowd.

     He had never hit a girl before but Dawn was really asking for it. His knees got a little wobbly and he hoped that no one had noticed. Dawn felt a little bad about hitting below the belt, but she would do anything to save Ian. She saw in Dade’s eyes that he wanted to hit her, but she knew that no one liked a boy who hit girls so she felt relatively safe. To be frank about it she would rather take a punch than see Ian be hurt again.

     “Well, so,” he responded sounding less intelligent than he already was. Dade had never been known for his gifted vocabulary. He could feel that he was losing ground fast.

     “Well Dade you can explain your decision to Mister Peters, here he comes now.” The entire crowd of students turned and looked together. At the site of the principal they scattered like bugs with the lights on. It was almost like magic. Dade hesitated for a moment and then ran off with the rest of them, not because he was scared of Mister Peters, but because he knew what his dad would do if Mister Peters called his house.

     “What happened here Mister Frost?” he asked in his normal demeaning tone. His lanky 6’2” body loomed over Ian.

     “Well, uh...”

     “Speak up boy.”

     As he looked down at Ian he had that disappointed look on his face. It was like the principal was mad at him because he didn’t stick up for himself. When people confronted Ian like that he usually went into a shell and Dawn could see him heading there fast. Besides it made her mad enough to spit when people looked down on Ian. As for Ian he had gotten used to people being mad at him because he didn’t live up to their standards. He got it from his step grandmother all the time. He had been treated like a disappointment ever since his mother left. He even disappointed himself most of the time.

     “Dade beat up Ian Mister Peters,” Dawn snapped out.

    Everyone loved Dawn. She was friendly, outgoing, and a straight ’A’ student. When she talked people had a tendency to listen, even the teachers. She had never been caught in a lie and everyone knew she was going to grow up to be someone special. Even the guidance counselor told her so. Mister Peters looked over and her and wrinkled up his nose. Now he looked mad that she interfered. He made another quick glance at Ian and then he took off with his long strides yelling after Dade and the others. Ian watched him go and shook his head.

     “Thanks,” Ian squeaked in genuine gratitude.

     He reached up and touched the eye gingerly, it smarted so he winced in pain. Dawn got that look on her face when she felt sorry for something. Ian hated it when she looked at him like that. He wanted her to see him differently. He wanted her to see him like all of the other boys. He was embarrassed to have been rescued by a girl. Dawn wasn’t like most girls though, but that didn’t change the shame that he felt. He felt a cry coming and quickly yawned to make his eyes water.

     “It was nothing,” she said modestly. “I couldn’t let you get killed by that neanderthal. Then I would never get to read that great novel that you’re going to write.”

     Dawn had always liked Ian’s stories and she told him that one day he was going to be a famous author and all his dreams would come true. Some times Ian would make up stories just so Dawn would compliment him. He needed all the encouragement that he could get.

     Ian flopped down on the curb, letting his backpack fall to the ground. He had that look on his face again. It was the look that Dawn had tried so hard to get rid of over the past couple of years. She sat down next to him and put her arm around his shoulders. Ian was surprised by how warm her arm was and at the fuzzy feeling that her touch provoked inside his tummy. He tried to dismiss it because there was no way that he could like Dawn in that way. If only it was some other girl that had her arm around him. Dawn was his best friend.

     “I just don’t get it,” he replied.

     “Don’t get what?” Dawn asked feeling even more butterflies than Ian was. She tried to look at his face, but his head was down.

     “Why can’t I ever fit in? Why do I have to be an ’us’ in a world full of ’thems’?”

     When he looked up at her tears had already begun to drip from the rims of his eyes. He gestured towards the fleeing crowd and slammed his fist into his backpack.

     “Why is it so damn important to fit in anyway?” He checked all of the zippers on his back to make sure they were secure. “Why can’t everyone be born rich and good looking?”

     “If that were the case then none of us would be special I think,” Dawn told him gently. “I personally wouldn’t give up who you are for a hundred rich good looking guys. I like who you are.”

     “You’re just saying that because you’re my friend. It’s your job to cheer me up,” he said and gave off a small chuckle.

     “I say it because that’s what I believe. Have I ever lied to you?”

     “No, of course not,” he yielded. “Why can’t everyone be like you?”

     “If they were then I wouldn’t be special either, is that what you want?” Dawn asked hoping that he would say no.

     “No its not,” she breathed a sigh of relief. “I like you just the way you are.”

     “Well now that we have that out of the way what is really bothering you, I have never known you to get so upset over what the ’A’ crowd thinks.”

     “Its just that I’m worried that they may be right,” he confessed.

     “About what?”

    “Nobody does like me, except for you and a couple others. My own mother didn’t even like me enough to stay with me.”

     “That’s not true, your mother loved you very much. I saw it every day.” She wanted to tell him just how much she cared about him, but she was afraid it would ruin their friendship.

     “Then where is she?”

     “I’m sure her leaving was something that couldn’t be helped,” Dawn assured him with her calm soothing voice. He wiped away what few tears remained. She had always been able to talk him down form his blues. He looked up at her and smiled.

     “Thanks. I better get to class.” He stood and slung his pack over his shoulder. “Thanks Dawn, you’re the best.”

     “Your welcome, I’m always here for you. You know that.”

     “Yeah, you’re the best.” He turned and walked away with his head down as usual. Dawn wished that she would have given him a hug.

     “I’m as ’us’ too,” she whispered. “I care, but I guess I’m not pretty enough.”

     She hopped up and followed him in watching to see if he was really okay. She watched as he kept pulling up his pants as he walked down the hall. He told everyone that he wore them baggy because he was a skater, but Dawn knew that wasn’t true. The truth was he was only given hand me down clothes and most of the time they didn’t fit. Her eyes moved down to the old, beaten up Rai Chemicals skate board and the large piece of duct tape that strained to hold it together. She smiled as she remembered the day that he found it in the trash dumpster. She had never seen him so excited. Ever since that day Dawn had been saving all of her babysitting money so she could buy him a new board just like it.

     Ian knew that everyone was snickering at him and talking behind his back as he walked down the hall. It wasn’t really anything new, but it stung a little more than usual today. Not fitting in was nothing new, but you never really got used to it. Dawn followed him to his class and watched as he went in and sat down. She gave a heavy sigh and turned to go to her class when she bumped into Lucy Mathews, a math rival. Lucy had always been a pain in her butt.

     “Whats the matter Dawn, doesn’t prince charming want you?” she asked snidely and her followers laughed.

     “I’m just being a friend Lucy, you should try it sometime,” she retorted and the others girls grew silent.

     “You know I could get him if I wanted him,” she challenged and looked in at Ian. “He’s just so pathetic I wouldn’t want to be seen with him.”

     “He’s not half as pathetic as you are,” Dawn replied and the others girls looked at each other.

     “We’ll see who pathetic when I take your prince charming and break his heart in two,” Lucy threatened.

     “If you hurt Ian in any way I’ll pound you,” Dawn responded before she could stop herself.

     “You really do love the loser don’t you.” Lucy looked back at her girls and smiled. “That’s very interesting.”

     They walked away and Lucy looked back over her shoulder and gave Dawn an evil smile. Dawn growled and smacked her forehead. Normally she didn’t make mistakes like that. Perhaps she was thinking about Ian too much, but she couldn’t help it. She had a crush on him since the 5th grade and it only got worse as time went by. Dawn gave him another longing look and then headed for her Chemistry class before she was late herself. There had been a small dip in her grades lately. Maybe she needed to go ahead and tell him how she felt. After all how bad could it be she thought. Then she tried to picture them no longer being friends and the how bad took on a whole new meaning. Nope, she would have to wait.

     It was just before the next period when something wonderful happened. Ian had just switched his books out of his locker when someone gently tapped him on the shoulder. Fearing some new type of torture he turned reluctantly. What he saw caused him to lose all powers of speech. It was Elizabeth Shine, the girl that he had just gotten pummeled for. Like an angel she reached up and touched his eye and then his lip. The pain magically disappeared as he stood there in a state of shock. If only Ian could keep his knees from buckling beneath him he would be in great shape. Her beauty held him in a trance as the other girls rolled their eyes behind her. Her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes, squinted in reaction to the swelling and she made a little hissing noise. It was as though she could feel the pain he was feeling. Then her perfect mouth opened and she spoke. It was as if the heavens opened.

         “I’m so sorry that Dade beat you up, he can be such a jerk sometimes.” All Ian could mange to do was lean against the locker for support.

     He had never been this close to her before and she had certainly never touched him. Last year he paid a guy five dollars for one of her school pictures. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her, but nothing came out. He was afraid that if he tried to speak the dream would end and she would disappear. She frowned and apologized once more before turning and walking away with her friends. She even gave him a parting glance over her shoulder. A couple of the other girls looked back and gave him dirty looks. They didn’t think that he was good enough to talk to her. He was an ’us’ and she was definitely the queen of ’them’. Nobody thought he was good enough to do anything. Nobody but Dawn.

     Once sixth period was over Ian walked outside and saw Joe waiting on him. He was sitting on the curb tightening the trucks on his skateboard. As soon as he saw Ian he jumped up and made a beeline towards him. Apparently he had heard the news about the fight and wanted to check the results. His face was red with anger by the time he reached Ian. Even though Joe was not know for his fighting ability he wished he could get revenge for his best friend.

     “Aw man I can’t believe he did that to you over his ex-girlfriend.” Joe inspected the damage with a critical eye and then he blew out a long whistle. He could see that Joe was angry about it and that helped a little. At least there were a couple people that cared.

     “Well she is smoking hot,” Ian defended.

     “You know what I mean,” Joe replied.

     “Yeah, I know.”

     “Did you really call him a girl?”

     “Yeah, that was kinda stupid huh?”

     “Kinda stupid, you think?” He nodded and then he laughed. “Oh man I wish I could have seen the look on his face when you did it. That was almost worth the eye.”

     “It kinda was,” Ian agreed and then winced when he squinted the eye.

     “Are we still gaming tonight?” Joe asked anxiously.

   “Absolutely,” Ian responded quickly while adjusting his backpack. It was the last thing that his mother had gotten him before she disappeared. Even when it ripped and was falling apart Ian knew that he wouldn’t stop using it.

     “Great, I’ll see you around five then.” Joe inspected the eye again. “That Dade is lucky that I wasn’t there, I would’ve clobbered him. Well or at least I would have bitten him on the ankle.” That brought a smile from Ian.

     “That I would like to see,” he replied as Joe’s bus pulled up.

     “Try to bring one of those cool old modules,” he requested as he climbed aboard the bus with the other kids.

     “Sure thing,” Ian promised and waved to his friend. That would mean getting into the attic without Granny finding out. Ian let out a long sigh.