[ OT ] Sunday Free Write : Leave A Story , Leave A Comment - Sea to Shining Sea Edition !

First 2 short chapters of book I'm working on called Cloud Eight 
 
 Cloud Eight 
 
 1 
 
 “ Because I told you not to! Hold out your hand boy! ” The first strike came down hard and the second harder. The third cracking skin, my hand bled. It reminded me of the sandbox outside. The boys would play and the girls would giggle. The sand tasted like what I imagined at the time eating their heads would. Raw, stale, and cold. I vomited after 2 handfuls down. The boys would continue to yell and laugh when the vomit was just wet sand and blood. The girls would giggle. The world looked like a baby shower during those days. The blue sky, the yellow field. No sentiment for me, and it was mutual relationship. The world continued to stir around me, it blended like the words of the nun who hit me. It became noise, and the people infested into my ear no differently than the flies and the bees. Slowly I was left with the red of my vomit and blood on the sand and that was something I knew was mine. The sandbox was theirs, the girls were theirs, and I was theirs. My blood was mine, and red became my favorite color. 
 
 
 She was yelling because I challenged her. The catholic nuns didn ’ t like being challenged, I wasn ’ t aware of this as a kid, and I wasn ’ t aware of the crusades yet ( although we were “ proud ” students of the sacred heart crusaders ). “ Now class, there are two words you can never start a sentence with, does anyone know? ” The little girl in back raised her hand and I felt sorry for her. She would grow up to love the miniskirt she wore in front of boys. She would have dreams of being a lawyer or doctor an engineer. The job would kill her, as she smiled, dying simply and ignorantly. “ Yes, Eve? ” the nuns eyes watched the girl fanatically and I knew the nun would win this dance, and the girl would become just like the old nun, withered and holding onto fragments of departed memories and ranting about things she couldn ’ t do. “ And, and because ” Eve said. “ Why can ’ t you start a sentence with because? ”, I wondered too loudly. “ Because I said so! ” the dried well of a woman screamed. She didn ’ t like me, and I knew it. I pushed her. “ But you just started a sentence with because ” Don ’ t question me stupid boy. Then the ruler hit once, twice, and three times. 
 
 2 
 
 
 The bullying went on and on, I aged very quickly. I always felt like an old man I felt older, and acted older then anyone in the grades including and above mine. Despite this the adolescence in the boys raged on, and I was a victim of circumstance. I became nervous in school. I was freighted by everything, by the people, the nuns, and the work. I soon started urinating on myself on a regular basis. One day I entered the classroom and nobody was there yet. It was peaceful. Dark. I hated the kids who came to class with their shoes tied, you could tell whose parents did it for them by how neat the laces were. Some kids laces were falling off and ripped and frayed at the ends. I hated the kids who had neat laces, and they turned the lights on when they entered the room. Kids were always turning the damned light on. I walked over to the light and shut it. “ Hey faggot, we want the lights on ” I was always being called a faggot, at the time I had no idea what it meant, I just knew I was not supposed to be one. “ I like the dark, I ’ m still tired ” then he came over to me. His teeth were straight, his shoelaces were straight, I wasn ’ t straight enough for the world. “ Turn it on, or your dead. ” 
 
 
 I didn ’ t turn off the light. His fist came. Slowly. I was able to get out the way and I look my pencil and stabbed him in the hand. He screamed. It felt good. I thought about aiming for his neck, but the teacher from across the hall ran in. “ What happened here! Are you okay? ” I don ’ t think the lady cared much. The pencil was still stuck in his hand; she didn ’ t try to get it out. 

