Mrs. Jones, the Science teacher approached them with a clear displeased look on her face.
“Good morning gentlemen. I see that you are late as usual. This attitude is unacceptable and I know I’m not the only one complaining. Every teacher has complaints about you two. You arrive late, you never do your homework and your test results are terrible. Mr. Hastings has lost all hope on you two and I’m starting to feel the same way. Consider yourselves warned. Either you change your behaviour or you’ll regret it in the future.”
“Hey, sorry for being late Mrs. Jones it’s like we had some issues on the way to school and…” Sam promptly answered.
“I do not care about any of that. Just pay attention and be quiet. The class has just begun and you’re already disturbing it.”
While Sam put his hands in the air and let out a slightly annoyed “Fine!” Cory was almost absent. Somehow the teacher’s words had awoken some weird feelings of self-consciousness. Cory never let anything get to him, he was independent and didn’t need anyone to tell him what was best for him but now he felt strangely bad about her teacher’s rant. He could have sworn something like that happened not long ago with another teacher but he found no memory of that event.
“Mr. Rayne, did you hear me?”
“Hmm, what? Yeah, I heard you.” Cory answered.
“Very well, now if you’ll excuse me I have to teach students who actually want to learn” Said the teacher before returning to the front of the classroom to continue her class.
“What the fuck man, you were totally spacing out!” Sam laughed.
Cory playfully snapped the back of his neck “Oh shut up, you asshole!”
Still something was bothering him. The strange thoughts wouldn’t leave his head like a faraway voice that could barely be understood. Something about his name… something about trying to be a good student… something about being someone completely different. The thoughts somehow started to make sense. For example, his teacher called him Mr. Rayne. That couldn’t be right.
As he thought that some part of him felt strangely relieved. He opened his notebook filled with drawings and tic tac toe games he’d played with Sam. Not much was written and the few school related notes that could be found were written in his usually awful calligraphy that not even he could completely understand, though he didn’t care much about that. As he turned to the first page he saw his name written: Cory Rayne.
Almost instantly all the increasingly loud thoughts became silent and he suddenly was unsure of what he was doing or why he had felt so confused just a minute ago.
Sam snapped his fingers and once again Cory came back to Earth.
“Fuck dude, the heck’s wrong with you?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know man, I guess today is not my day. I need a smoke.”
“Too bad we’re stuck here.”
The rest of the class went as usual. They talked, played some hangman and tic-tac-toe and they causally punched each other on the shoulder when the teacher was turning to the board.
---
After lunch they skipped Maths just as they had planned. So they went to their usual spot behind the abandoned buildings for a while.
“Holy shit I really needed this” Said Cory after exhaling a cloud of smoke from his cigarette.
“Yeah, nothing beats this…” Sam agreed.
“Except weed” They both said in unison and laughed.
“Speaking of which” Sam said “The guys want to meet us at the park today.”
“Fine by me, I need to buy some more shit. I’m almost out.”
Cory felt much better now. He reckoned those boring classes were messing with his head so it was a relief to ditch school and hang out with Sam. He felt things coming together as they should. Those weird thoughts seemed to have disappeared and he now felt like… like he’d always been.
“Then let’s go before some fucking teacher sees us. I’m getting tired of hearing their shit.” Sam said as he threw what was left of his cigarette on the floor.
“Geez man, don’t be so hasty. At least let me finish mine.”
“Whatever man, just don’t start spacing out again. The fuck was wrong with you earlier?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care either. I blame this school and the teachers always thinking they’re so right.”
“And your mom? Does she insist on you studying and being a goody two-shoes?” Sam asked.
“That’s what she wanted but she knows there’s no way that’ll happen. Going to college and find a boring job somewhere… Fuck that shit, I tell you, man. I’m tired of this shit.”
“What’ll you do then? Things didn’t go well for your father and brother… what’s-his-name…”
“Harry…” Somehow that name seemed both new and old at the same time. “They fucked up, that’s what they did. No, fuck that shit man. I’m not gonna follow their path and end up in jail. My mom’s annoying sometimes but there’s no way I’m gonna let her go through with that shit again.” Cory said with a serious tone. “I don’t know. I don’t really think about the future. I’ll do what I gotta do, that’s the way I roll and fuck everything else.” He concluded with a happier tone followed by a last drag on his cigarette. “Fine, you prick let’s go now.”
“About fucking time, man.”
Luckily, they managed to get out of school without any problems. It felt great for Cory to leave school as they walked away. Standing side by side it looked like Cory had shrunken even more. He was now 5’7 though that wasn’t weird at all. Unlike his brother he seemed to have got his height from his mother’s side.
They were going to meet a group of stoners at the park. Although they’d known each other for some years now they didn’t necessarily hang out much mostly because although Cory and Sam got much of their pot from them they didn’t really want to be seen hanging around with them as the police had already caught some of them before (a fate that neither Cory or Sam wanted for themselves). Still they were nice guys all around. Sure they weren’t the best friends in the world like Sam and Cory but they were much better than most of the assholes back in school.
As they arrived at the park they went to some benches in the most hidden part of the park by the surrounding vegetation, their usual spot.
There were 6 guys wearing mostly hoodies. Around them was a cloud of smoke coming from their joints and pipes. As Cory and Sam approached them memories came flooding back for Cory. They were all older than him. They used to go to the same school and in that time they claimed the abandoned buildings area as their own. Cory remembered how they met. He and Sam didn’t know them and thought that the spot was free but then the group came as they were sitting smoking their cigarettes. They all started to make fun of Sam and Cory, calling them little kids. Sam had advised him to leave but Cory couldn’t do that, he was far too proud to let some idiots mock him. They all got a taste of how sharp his tongue could be, which actually made them all speechless. Seeing that he had some guts the stoners allowed them to hang out with them, which they did despite Cory’s initial reluctance due to his pride. Some of them knew him because his brother usually sold them some pot but Cory made sure they remembered him for being himself and not for being someone’s brother. That became true as Cory smoked pot and tobacco heavily and his attitude made him noticeable in the group.
“Yeah, it seems so much as passed since then…” Cory thought as the smell of pot kept getting stronger.
They greeted everyone and talked about how they were all doing. It had been some time since they last met. Their voices were slow paced and they seemed relaxed. There was no doubt they were all high already. Cory’s heart beat faster in anticipation. He bought some weed, as did Sam. Soon they were all in the zone.
“This is heaven, dudes…” Cory said.
“Right on, dude. I’ve not seen you both for a while… how long has it been, man?” Said Darnel. He was black and had a goatee and long dreadlocks. Being 20, he was the youngest of the stoners besides Cory and Sam.
“Who the fuck cares, dude? Just be glad we’re all here.” Cory answered with his eyes semi-closed.
“You guys have the best pot… holy shit, dude...” Sam said right after exhaling a large cloud of smoke.
“You know you can always count on us. There’s more where that came from” Offered Jack, who had shoulder length hair and a piercing on his nostril.
“Nah, I’m good” Answered Sam.
“Suit yourself. What about you, Cory?”
“Fuck you man, I bought enough already”
“Anyway” Said Oliver the “unofficial” leader of the group. “Tonight we’re gonna have a party. Dylan’s parents are away for a whole week so if you guys are interested… Ain’t that right, Dylan?”
Dylan merely looked at Oliver and nodded. He didn’t react much. He was focused on the sound of reggae coming from his earphones.
“I dunno, man…” Cory answered.
“Come on dude” Oliver insisted. “It’s gonna be awesome.”
“Besides” Sam said with a grin on his face. “Chloe is coming as well. Leigh said she’s totally into you, remember?”
He did remember her saying that. Cory was curious about that girl. She was probably hot and drooling for him. He couldn’t let that escape. Cory’s penis hardened a bit. “Fine, I’ll go” He answered now without any hesitation.
“You always were a big fucker!” Exclaimed Oliver with a small lively laugh that was shared by most. He was the oldest of them all being 26. He’d flunked a lot at school and was now constantly working at different places each month. He was skinny and tall with medium sized dreadlocks. His most distinctive image was his potato nose and his full beard.
“A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do” Cory answered. As a result, Sam messed Cory’s hair and exclaimed: “That’s our Shorty!”
Suddenly he felt like a ring had just rung in his head. It was almost as if he’d forgotten. Sam always called him Shorty since he was the shortest guy of the group. How could he had forgotten that? Sam called him that every day.
“Holy fuck you stupid asshole, will you stop messing with my hair?” Cory said annoyed as he passed his hands through his curly hair.
“Don’t be so pissed, Shorty! You can’t sound like that in front of Chloe” Sam mocked him.
“Whatever” He replied though he couldn’t hide a small smirk on his face.
After a while Cory and Sam left the group. Cory was now looking forward to that party. It would be just like old times. Pot, music, booze and sex. It’d be awesome. It had been a while since he fucked a girl. Leigh especially. She was incredibly promiscuous and hot at the same time. Now he was curious with that Chloe girl. If only she was as hot as Leigh…
“This party’s gonna be awesome. I sure hope Leigh comes. But you, man! Finally going to meet that girl, hum?” Sam laughed.
“I know. But shit dude couldn’t you have told me earlier?”
“It was meant to be a surprise you dick. You’re the one who tried to dodge this.”
“Well fuck that. Now I can’t stop thinking about tonight.”
“I hear you. Hey, by the way: did you find that uniform of yours?” Asked Sam.
“The fuck are you talking about? I never lost any uniform.”
“Didn’t you tell me yesterday…”
“Holy shit dude, you’re smoking way too much shit. I never lost my uniform you prick” Cory cut him off.
“Whatever man. Well gotta go. See you later, Shorty.”
“Later” Answered Cory as they went their separate ways. He walked back home with a good feeling about that night.