The Artist's Perspective

Darkness Follows
By Stephen Tysinger




Chapter One

"NOO, why didn't anyone wake me up. I can't afford to get another detention" said a sleepy-eyed Jonathan Shaw. "If I leave now maybe I can make it"
Jonathan threw on the closest pair of jeans he could find and the one shirt on his bedroom floor that didn't smell of the gym's locker room. By this time he had twenty-two minutes to make it to class on time.
He groaned as he stumped his toe on the door-frame of his bedroom. He didn't have time to stop for the pain to ease, he had to go now.
Outside his room he quickly turned right, running furiously down the hallway, down the stairs and finally as he stumbled down the stairs he called out for his parents.
"MOM, DAD, IS ANYONE HOME?" He yelled but received no reply. It doesn't matter I'll yell at them later, he thought.
He ran out the front door and got into his crimson red Mustang and pulled out of the driveway, barely missing the two trash cans at the sidewalk.
As he was driving down the street that takes you toNewbridge High, he noticed that there wasn't as many people on the sidewalks today. He got the feeling that something might be wrong, but he casually shrugged it off, he had his own issues to worry about right now.

RIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGG!!! The bell sounded just as he passed through the doorway of the classroom. Math was always his least favorite subject, but he managed to make average grades, just enough to keep him on the school's soccer team.
"Glad you could grace us with your presence Mr. Shaw" said Mr. Gerrard with a tone of irritation, "Now could you please take your seat so that we may start class?"
"Yes sir." said Jonathan indignantly, and without making eye contact with anyone else quickly made his way to his desk.
Class moved on very slowly after that. Jonathan began to drift off to sleep halfway through Mr. Gerrard's lecture on the quadratic equation.
BANNNNGGGGG!!! Jonathan was quickly pulled out of his mid-class slumber by Mr. Gerrard who Jonathan assumed had slammed his Algebra book on the floor beside his desk.
"Mr. Shaw" said Mr. Gerrard who, with his raised eyebrow and apparent scowl on his face was very annoyed, " Ill be seeing you in detention this afternoon."
"But Mr. Gerrard, I have a soccer game tonight"
"Well, you should have thought about that before you fell asleep in my class." He replied scornfully.
"Maybe if your class wasn't so dull and boring maybe I wouldn't fall asleep in your class." said Jonathan. He couldn't help but notice some of his fellow classmates snicker at the remark, yet the moment the words left his mouth, he new he had made a big mistake.
At this point all eyes were on Jonathan and Mr. Gerrard. Watching, waiting to see what would happen next. Mr. Gerrard was the first to speak next. He was annoyed before but he was angry now.
"Contrary to your beliefs the world does not revolve around you, Mr. Shaw. For that remark I think I'll be seeing you Monday as well!" Said the teacher in such an angry tone that Jonathan thought Mr. Gerrard was going to have a heart attack.
At that moment, Jonathan knew that today was only going to get worse.
By the time school had finally let out and the others students were making their way outside, Jonathan was on his way back to Mr. Gerrards classroom. The only thing he hated more than detention was detention on a Friday. Jonathan walked as slow as possible to delay his punishment. He arrived five minutes late.
"Well, well, Mr. Shaw, I was unsure if you were going to join us." said Mr. Gerrard just as Jonathan walked through the doorway.
"Sorry, I er, forgot" replied Jonathan, warily.
"Well your tardiness just earned you another day." said Mr. Gerrard, who by now was apparently enjoying himself.
"But that's not fair"
"NO, what isn't fair is that you continue to disrespect me." said Mr. Gerrard with the same scowling face he had earlier that morning, "Now take your seat, get out your work, and I don't want to hear another word out of you."
As Jonathan turned around he noticed the others, the rest of Mr. Gerrard's victims. There were two girls sitting in the rear of the classroom, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde attempted to pass a note to the brunette, but it was quickly intercepted by Mr. Gerrard and after a minute or so of yelling he ripped the note in two and threw it away.
There were three other people in the class room. Two guys sitting on opposite sides of the room, were scowling at each other as if ready to strike. Jonathan assumed that they had been fighting. The other person, a girl, was sitting near the center of the room, about four desks back. He couldn't see her face, it was buried in her arms. She had the reddest hair Jonathan had ever seen.
Jonathan made his way to his desk. He was sitting two desks up from where the red-headed girl was. He pulled out the homework assigned to him in his third period Biology class. He opened his book and began to work. Biology was his second least favorite class.
Jonathan felt like a prisoner of the school now more than ever. He couldn't speak, couldn't do anything except school work, and most important to him, he couldn't play soccer. In fact the team was probably own their way to the game now. He couldn't help but think that today's game could have been THE game for him. That this game could have earned him the scholarship he had so longed for, for so long. Yet, here he was, surrounded by other people he didn't know, nor would he want to, and there wasn't a thing he could do.
All of a sudden Jonathan heard a loud thud. The thud came from behind him so he turned around to find the source. The red-headed girl who was asleep behind him had fallen out of her desk. She appeared dumbstruck by what had just happened. She was a very pretty girl with the most amazing green eyes and she was about the same age as himself. She looked familiar to Jonathan but he could not figure out why.
She eventually became aware of what had happened and realized that everyone was laughing at her, except Jonathan who found no humor in this situation. She quickly jumped to her feet and sat back in her desk. She looked up at Jonathan and he thought he saw a little smile, but he quickly shrugged it off as a figment of his imagination and turned back around and continued working on his biology assignment.
By the time detention was finally over Jonathan had accomplished to doodle all over his Biology homework. How was he expected to work when something so important to him was taken away from him in one fail swoop. He wished he could find away to get back at Mr. Gerrard but he quickly dismissed that thought from his head.
As Jonathan made his way to the door he felt a slight touch on his shoulder. It was the green-eyed red head.
"Yeah, did you need something?" said Jonathan before the girl even had the chance speak.
"I wanted to thank you for not laughing earlier." she replied.
"Oh, no problem, by the way are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine thanks for asking." she said
The two began making their way out of the classroom, still talking. The girl was so mysterious to Jonathan. Here he was talking to a girl he didn't even know yet for some weird reason he didn't care.
"You know that is the reason I was even in detention." she said after a short pause.
"For falling out of your seat?" he replied.
"No, for sleeping in class." she said "I have had a pretty stressful week. By the way my name is Alaina Darko."
"My name is .."
"Jonathan Shaw, I know, you play for the school's soccer team." she said before Jonathan could finish his introduction.
"Yeah, how do you know my name?" he asked.
"I play for the girls soccer team and I have heard about you. You're somewhat of a soccer pro for our class." she said.
Jonathan started to blush. He knew he was probably the best player on the team but he had never been praised like this before for his skills, at least not from a stranger.
"Yep, that's me" he said a half joking and with a hint of arrogance.
"Didn't you have a game tonight?" she asked
"Yeah, I did!" he replied with a bit a resentment in his voice, "But Mr. Gerrard is so unfair."
"And cruel, I know," she replied understandingly "I know how he can be. I have had him only a month but I already dislike him and his stupid class."
Jonathan stopped in the hallway as he came to a realization.
"Your in my class aren't you?" he realized.
"I was wondering when you were going to remember." she replied.
Jonathan was embarrassed now. How had he forgotten this girl, she had been in his class for the past month.
"You've only been here a month?" he asked "So you're a new student."
"Yep, I moved here from Eastland High," she said simply, "but fitting in at a rival school is proving to be a little hard."
"I can only imagine," he said "You must feel a little out of place."
"Yeah, but I'm getting used to the school and the teachers." she replied.
Jonathan was actually enjoying this conversation. After everything that had happened today this was calming. They talked more about how much they hated Mr. Gerrard's math class, the other classes that they were taking and about the soccer team. He could talk like this for hours on end, but he knew that he needed to get home. He looked at his watch.
"Man, its already 6 o'clock. We've been talking for over a half an hour." he said as he looked up from his watch. He could feel the disappointment building.
"Really, gosh I guess we lost track of time", she replied simply "Do you need to go?'
He really didn't want to but he knew that he had to get home before his parents did, if it wasn't too late already.
"Yeah, I suppose so." he told her "But maybe we can hang out after class again one day next week."
"I'd like that," she said cheerfully. "I hope we can be friends"
"Me too", he replied very simply and turned to leave. "See you later."
As Jonathan approached his car he stopped to look up at the sky. Day was turning to night, and the full moon was already beginning to rise in the twilight sky. Standing there he realized, maybe this wasnt such a bad day after all.