CHAPTER ONE

THE BOY NAMED KINNEY

It was a morning like any other. The temperature was getting all the

colder as winter was slowly approaching. The once vivid trees which

brightened the lifeless and downtrodden community in which Kinney

resided. The numerous street-gangs which regularly terrorized the

community have all but taken control of the area, leaving the elderly

to reminisce about the days when the town was ‘pure’ before all

these new inhabitants came to and introduced a culture of crime.

Kinney

jolted out of his home, flustered with a deep grin carved onto his

face- a look that was pretty much synonymous with him. He had just

gotten out of an argument with his mother, a regular occurrence- a

sign to the inquisitive eavesdropping neighbors that things were

still okay in the world.

While

it served to reassure the neighbors, the regular arguments were

taking their toll on the young Kinney. As a fifteen year old high

school student, it was already bad enough that he hadn’t the best

relationship with his mother, but his baggy school uniform, frail

physique and his regularly slouched shoulders made him a prime target

of teasing and bullying at his school. He also had the misfortune of

having to walk to his school, which was a twenty-minute walk away,

where he had to face the scorn of the hostile members of the

community.

His

only blessing came from the fact that his reclusive disposition and

conspicuous unhappiness made him immune from any potential attack by

members of either of the street-gangs, who viewed him as to pathetic

to consider targeting. The source of his misery stemmed from the

impending fear of the bullying that he was to be subjected to at

school and the unpleasant dynamic that he had with mother.

He

had no one to cry to.

As he

clenched on to the straps of his worn-out over-sized backpack. The

weight of his numerous schoolbag was weighing him down as much as his

poor grades were in at school. As he was going down his regular route

to school. Kinney could see a girl staring directly at him from a

distance-he was to pass the girl in about a minute or two. He

adjusted the square frames that covered his eyes to take a closer

look at the girl to verify whether the girl was really look in his

direction, his feelings of awkwardness heightened because he had an

immense fear of talking to girls, many of which were his bullies at

school.

What

the heck does she want? Kinney said to himself, as he lowers his

already slouched shoulders. He turned his gaze to the pavement at his

feet, carefully avoiding the piles of litter scattered around. As he

was to about pass the young girl, who by the looks of it, was around

his age, he firmly clenched onto the straps of his backpack.

“Hey!”

the young girl said, confidently as Kinney was passing by.

Kinney

unintentionally gave the girl a firm glare. “Uhm H-Hi.” he said

dismissively and moved along, still faced down. He displayed no

intention of hearing the reasons for which the young girl patiently

waited for him. The girl could only stare at the moving boy with a

blank stare, her spiky dark hair flowing with the gentle fall breeze.

After

having walked for a distance that he felt was safe enough, the young

Kinney felt an indescribable guilt for having portrayed himself as

rude and dismissive to someone he didn’t even know.

I

wonder who she was and what she wanted? He thought to himself.

The

Next Day...

The

sounds of a shrieking woman could be heard for miles on end- an alarm

tone for those in the community.The old lady from across the street

peered through her window, as a seasoned gossip, she had mastered

espionage-level peeking and inconspicuously shifted her floral

curtain without so much as a crinkle to alert outside onlookers.

“Just

leave me alone, I hate you!” Kinney passionately barked to someone

inside his home; which the neighbors immediately deduced was his

mother, yet again. The flustered teen slammed the antiquated front

gate with a force hard enough to ruffle the house’s old paint job

and marched on to school.

They

were all watching again. Kinney said to himself. Kinney, in all

his social awkwardness was very perceptive to every eye that was

fixed on him and today was no exception. His heightened senses came

from the multiple run-ins with bullies and gossips, which made him

chronically self-aware. Today was an ordinary day for him, his

demeanor neutralized with every step he took to school, the feelings

of anger and frustration disappearing the heavy backpack glued to his

back began weighing down on him as his adrenaline levels lowered.

And

if by some divine punishment, Kinney had the eyes of the same girl

from yesterday firmly locked onto him yet again, at the same location

as yesterday. I cannot catch a break, what does she want? I should

have brought my headphones. Kinney said to himself, having

already been flustered by the earlier argument.

Mhm,

Now’s my chance! The enigmatic girl said to herself with an

expectant gaze and clenched fists.

I

have a morbid curiosity about this girl. Kinney said as his mind

raced ferociously. If she talks to me again, I might humor her. Yet again, with hands clenched firmly on the straps of his

backpack, he mustered up the confidence to pass the mysterious girl

with the lifeless eyes. With five more steps left before the

inevitable interaction.

“Hi!”

“Hi” --

As if

by fate, both of them greeted one other in a perfect, almost

rehearsed synchronicity.

“How

are you?” “How are you?” --

In

sync yet again.

As a

means to put an end to the awkwardness, the mysterious girl clears

her throat and responds in a high-pitched tone, “I’m fine thank

you. My name is Karla by the way,” the girl said innocently.

“I

am Kinney,” he said.

“Keenie?”

the girl asked, trying her best to contain her laughter.

“That’s

correct, Kinney with a ‘y’,” he said.

“Oh

well...interesting name,” the girl named Karla said, unable to

conceal her perplexed tone.

“Not

really, but thanks,” Kinney said as he shrugged his shoulders and

looked the other.

“Why?”

Karla asked. “Are you ashamed of your name?”

“Maybe

I am. I don’t even know what it means,” Kinney said with a subtle

glare.

“Well,

I think it’s a great name,” Karla said passionately. “Names are

important, you know, be grateful that you have one at all,”

“Thanks

I guess,” Kinney said dismissively. “Why aren’t you going to

school?” Kinney asked in a rare display of interest.

Karla’s

expression changed upon hearing those words, she was uneasy, which

unsettled Kinney.

Did

I say something I was not supposed to? Kinney asked himself, his

mind racing about potentially angering one of the few girls who were

kind to him.

“School

huh?” Karla said and turned her gaze to the cool clouded sky above.

“That’s a secret,” she said with a playful grin etched on her

face.

“A

secret--?” Kinney asked with a blank stare.

“Yes,

a secret.” Karla insisted. “I see that you are on your way to

school, must be rough.” She giggled. “You know what? I will walk

you halfway,” the girl said.

“Walk

me? But-!” Kinney’s confusion shined through, a girl he’d just

met wanted to walk to him to school. Kinney’s first thought was to

look around, his latent paranoia took over. “Hey look, I am not

looking for trouble!” Kinney affirmed.

“Trouble?”

the young girl asked listlessly.

“If

you are some gang member’s girl, I don’t-!”

Karla

burst into an uncontrollable laughter to Kinney’s embarrassment.

His pale face turned a rosy red with shame, it was worsened by his

erratic blinking.

“What?!”

the flustered boy asked.

“I

am not anyone’s girl, let alone a gang member,” Karla said with a

hearty laugh. “What do you take me for?!”

“--Oh.

It is a rough neighborhood, you know,” Kinney said turning his gaze

elsewhere, his embarrassment palpable. Karla could only stare blankly

at the boy.

“You

clearly have trust issues, don’t you?” Karla asked, holding

nothing back. “Well, I don’t blame you on that one,”

“Trust

issues?” Kinney asked in a dejected tone, his shoulders shrugged

once more. Do I really have trust issues? Kinney thought to

himself. Well maybe if everyone would stop gunning for me..

“Yes,

trust issues,” Karla insisted. “You are going to be late for

school, we’ve talked for long enough as it is.” the young girl

said before firmly latching on to Kinney’s hand.

“Wait,

what-?” Kinney said, his voice cracked as he tried to make sense of

odd encounter. Before he could utter another word, the young girl had

already begun tugging on his arm with a immense force, more force

than his frail body could handle.

“C’mon!

You’ll be late for school because of me,” Karla yelled out as she

dashed in the direction of his school.

Karla

gradually loosened her grip and allowed the boy to freely sprint

alongside her. Kinney had conceded, the young girl extended a brief

yet smile to Kinney which caught the young boy off-guard.

“So,

you are a Waterview High student? You must be pretty smart huh,”

the young girl enthusiastically asked.

“Smart

huh? I don’t really think so,” Kinney said, his tone dejected.

Karla smirked as the heavy wind blew at her hair as the ferociously

dashed to the school.

“Well,

I think you are pretty smart,” Karla said passionately. The

statement forced a smile out of him, his glasses clouded by the

morning mist and heavy breathing.

“Well

thanks--I hope I’ll get to see you tomorrow morning,” Kinney said

with rosy cheeks, his evasive eye contact made Karla burst out in

uncontrollable laughter.

“...I

mean it.” Kinney declared “After all, you haven’t told me why

you were waiting for me for two whole days,”

“Huh,that’s

quite presumptuous of you to assume that I was waiting for you,”

Karla said mockingly. “but sure, all of this will make sense real

soon,”

Kinney

couldn’t help but to grin upon hearing those words.

“What

do you mean?” Kinney asked

“I

already told you once,” Karla said, her expression cold and stoic

“Everything will make sense in time,” she reaffirmed.

“Fine,”

Kinney said in resignation.

Those

hostile walls are within sight, now I’ll be back to that jungle

with people who view me as a less than human. Kinney said to

himself. Karla noticed the sad expression on the boy’s face.

“It

will be alright,” Karla said. “You are as tough as nails,” that

sentence startled Kinney enough for him to nearly trip on a lone

pebble at his feet.

“What

do you mean?!” Kinney asked passionately before putting an abrupt

halt to the brief sprint.

“I

just felt like saying that,” Karla said dismissively.

“Oh

no, you know something,” Kinney said relentlessly.

“I

may be young, but I am no dunce, you know.” Karla said swaying her

hands in the air “If you must know...”

“Only

a unobservant nimrod cannot see the fear in your eyes.” Karla

glared. “You started slowing down the very minute your school was

within your sights,”

“No

that’s a coincidence” Kinney insisted.

“Keep

lying to yourself. This is my stop, enjoy school.” Karla said with

a slight irritation in her voice, leaving Kinney frozen in place.

Karla dashes away in the opposite direction at top speed. It wasn’t

long before she disappeared into the distance.

There’s

a sight I am most used to. I always annoy everyone and they always

leave me. Kinney said to himself.

“Oh

well time to endure another day in hell,”