Broken Nails

Chapter one

Ethan POV

The grey sky wasn’t doing it for me today, I had really hoped that once and for all that today would have been the day the sun shined, but boy was I letdown. Oscars light drumming on the steering wheel of the car weren’t helping either, his awful little humming too, was also getting on my nerves.

“Could you shut up for a movement?” Me words leaving my mouth in a spit.

His stupid face only breaking into a huge grin, “ow, well someone is in a bad mood today” taking his eyes of the road, he looked at me, making a face.

“Yeah, yeah, could you just focus on the road, I would like to live until Monday, so if you plan on killing us, please, on Monday” I said as I put the jack stik in my phone, finding some proper music.

“I don’t get it, why are you Mr. Grumpy, today we’re playing against Krÿgers team tomorrow?” He now had his eyes on the road again, but the stupid grin was still there. I found a song, and played it so the sound echoed out in the car. His fingers know tapping to the beat.

“I’m not grumpy, just down man, I really hoped the weather would have been with us for tomorrow” I said in defense.

“Come on Ethan!” dragging the o in on out he continued, “who knows if the weather decides to be with us for tomorrow, just think of the victory we are going to get, and the victory we can get afterwards, with the ladies” he wiggled his eyebrows looking at me for a short second before turning back to the road.

“And find a new song, would you? That shit sounds like my grandmother’s deaf cat”

Not feeling the slightest bit of offense, I turn up the volume, with a smile on my lips, I hit him with my fist in a fast movement yelling “Yellow car!”.

He winced making the car jerk a little to the side of the road, “you sucker, there aren’t no yellow cars around here!” he half yelled.

“Your grandmother is dead, try again douchebag” I said making him give me a ‘are you fucking serious’ stare.

“You know before you go and hit people while they are driving, I think you should just have in mind that at some time in your life, you are going to kill somebody with that “yellow car” shit” he does a quotation mark with his fingers in the air. His annoyed, I had just got him annoyed at me for hitting him, I snicker.

“Now look who’s Mr. Grumpy”

He cracks a little smile murmuring something about me being an idiot. He made a turn and we were now on the main road which lead up till the school which were just another 10 minuets up the road. None of us said anything, we just listened to the music. As we drove by all the different houses passing by us all seemed to fade out, I had driven here so much that it all had just become boring, the otherwise pretty houses with a view over the lake said nothing to me anymore, well, at least not as much as they had done all the prior years. What a sad fate.

“And we are back!” Oscar sounding just as annoying as the start of the day popped up. He turned in to the student-parking lot, parking at his all-time favorite spot near the entrance to the big building. Other students were slowly beginning to park and come in, the place all turning into its usual self.

Turning off the car, Oscar looked at me “tomorrow night you will have forgotten all about your worries” he smiles, “now we just have to get through the day”.

We both jumped out of the car walking over to our friend group standing near the school enters. By friend group I meant most of the football team and some of their annoying girlfriends. We were greeted by the few of them that was actually there, the rest were like us only just on their way over here or not even in sight.

So, when the rest of the teammates came along and the talk began, I got time to space out and listen. It wasn’t because I wasn’t spoken too, I just didn’t have that much to say. I joined in at times of course, like when they talked about the victory we had to get home tomorrow evening, I wasn’t a complete asshole.

“Yo, Ethan” It was Jacob, the others had fallen back to talk among them self instead of the whole group as one “are you even listening?” he laughed.

“Ah, no sorry, what where you saying?”

He looked at me with a skeptical smile, his black hair flowing in the wind, “I was asking you if you are coming later?“. I made a face, it wasn’t really on my top priorities of things to do.

“Ethan come on man, we have to practice for tomorrow, I can come pick you up, you know since Oscar isn’t going?”

I bit myself in the inside of my chine, I knew I had to go. “Fine, just stop whining, I’m coming, but you are picking me up, deal?”

His face exploded in a grin, “you got yourself deal”.

He joint another convention, leaving me alone again, I looked out into the parking lot looking at all the different kinds of students. I was a senior, the school year was still at it’s beginning, so all the new people still fascinated me. Then of course there were still the all so ever boring people that had been there from the start like I had.

I spotted the new teacher Mr. Ellenberg he was in a hurry to his car; witch I guessed were the new shiny BMW parked were the teachers parked. And surely enough it was his car. He took something from the back I couldn’t see that was, and hurried back to the school. A few girls trying to stop him on his way, asking stupid questions.

“That guy is a prick” Oscars voice popping up from behind me, the others were slowly beginning to retreated into the school behind us. Oscar continued, “like, just because your a young prick doesn’t mean all the girls like you”

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow letting him continue.

“He just treats us differently than the girls, and it gets on my nerves” he looked at him as he walked in through the doors, holding it open for a group of students, most of them of course being girl. Maybe I could see a little what Oscar was saying, but surely enough it wasn’t enough reason to hate the guy, was it?

“I dont know man” I just said. Beginning to walk to my class before the bell rang. Oscar hurried after while continuing on his hate speech about Mr. Ellenberg.

-

The day went on with all it usual boring stuff, math, science, fricking english. Although we had a free period, right after lunch, so it had been bearable. Oscar, me and some other teammates had fucked around out by the football field. So much so that we missed most of our last period.

Oscar had been angsty about the situation, saying that he couldn’t have more absence, and that his mother would whoop his ass if caught. Although I didn’t really care about absence from class, I was still cautious. I had to get into a good college, so my future self would approve of my choices. And skipping class maybe wasn’t the best plan.

We each went each our separate ways when we had discussed the ‘importance’ of getting the last few minutes of class. I of course didn’t see the need, but Oscar being the annoying dick he was, made me agree to going with him to his last class so he could get the homework, and come up with a terrible excuse.

Well at least I got something out of it.

We said our goodbyes to Jacob and Austin heading on our way to the south side of the big building, we talked about practice later. Oscar of course being mad the he couldn’t come because of a family issue, I on the other hand had happily forgotten about it, until then.

We headed up the stairs, Oscar still talking rabidly about his mother and sisters insisting on dragging him to a family gathering, at the time his father wasn’t home.

“And of course the old man isn’t home when you need him to be, like he is always home, but no no, not today” Oscar ranting was interrupted by an angry William fucking Murphy, standing at the top of the stairs.

“Look who decided to show up” he sneered at Oscar, not even spearing me a single look.

William Murphy, god how that guy annoyed me. He let us get up the stairs and we were then facing him, and even though we both were quit the bit taller than him, he still managed to look a bit intimidating.

The guy was warning only black, black ripped jeans and a black hoodie, even the hair was dyed black. And I’m pretty sure I could see an earring too. He had his bag swung over his shoulder, tapping his foot slightly on the ground, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Look McCall I’m not a fan of slackers, so you better get your shit together” he had his eyes locked on Oscar who looked confused.

“I’m not sure I’m following you here” Oscar glanced at me seeking help. I just shrugged. This guy was the guy everybody liked, I had never heard anyone speak bad about the odd William here, except of course the rumor about him being a paranoid schizophrenic, but people seemed to always forget that about him when he was talking sweetly to them. Not that you could say that he was doing that now.

“We’re partners” he said as if it was the most obvious thing ever, “Miss James wouldn’t let me be alone, even though you weren’t there, so now I’m stuck with you and this stupid project”

He sounded like he was going to strangle Oscar if he got the chance.

“Yeah something came up” Oscar tried but was fast interrupted again.

“We are doing it tomorrow at my house, its due till Monday, and since you weren’t here, we now have to do it in our spar time” he pried his eyes off of Oscar and looked at me.

“I can’t we have a game tomorrow night, we are playing against the Kürgers” Oscars words making him snap his eyes back to him.

“That isn’t my fault, had you come to class, we would have been done by now” he looked at him furrowing his eyebrows again.

“How about after school then, it has to get done?” He asked.

“I cant I have a family gathering tonight, what about Sunday then?” He looked hopefully at him. William only rolled his eyes, “I can’t”. Now they were starting to irritate me a little.

“Okay how about,” Oscar gestured to the back, “we just split up the work then you can do yours when you can and I can do mine on Sunday” he sounded proud.

“Look sweetheart, if that had been an option, I wouldn’t have offered you my weekend” now that guy really was a prick.

“Then what the hell do you then want us to do?” Oscar began sounding annoyed.

So before Murphy had the chance of answering, I spoke up.

“I can do it with you tomorrow, I don’t have to practice, and I’m sure Miss James won’t know”

They both looked at me.

“Man you dont have to, you need to practice too” Oscar tried.

“I’m doing that today, really I’m the best at the team I could go years without practicing, and I would still be the best” I joked and Oscar gave me a smile as thanks.

“So, is that fine with you?” He asked William, who were looking at me.

He made a small ‘tch’ sound, “fine, I guess you will do, you can come to my house at around twelve, I dont really care”

I gave him a little smile, “sure man, see you around twelve then”.

He made a small “yeah yeah” before leaving down the stairs Oscar and I had come from, nearly 10 minutes ago.

The bell sounded throughout the speakers.

We looked at each other grinning, both thinking the same, that guy was a prick.