Live Life Forward
A novel by Mrs. Richardson's
Creative Writing Class
St. Clair County High School

An excerpt:  Live Life Forward

    "TONIGHT'S GAME FEATURING ODENVILLE and Ragland will begin at 7 o'clock," announced the scorekeeper.  How exciting!  It was another game for my brother the all-star.  My brother James was good at everything.  I used to wonder if my parents even cared about me because they put James on such a high pedestal.  Anyway, don't get me wrong, I liked James all right, but I just tended to get a little jealous of him.
    "Will!"  James yelled from the other side of the auditorium.  "What do you want?"  I screamed.  He mouthed something about throwing him his basketball shoes.  James' new shoes were really nice.  He had saved his allowance for a whole month to buy the new cloth high tops.  They cost him eight dollars in the J.C. Penny catalogue.  James had insisted on having them for the big basketball game.  I tossed the shoes to Eric, James' best friend, to take over to him.
    "Hey Lizzy, love the sweater.  You fill it out real nice."
    "Get a life, Charles!  Quit that!  No, stop!"
    I turned around to see what was going on and saw Charles, the biggest idiot in Ragland, trying to grab Lizzy around the waist.  Now if there was one thing about Lizzy, it was the fact that she never bothered anyone, and for someone to be bothering her was unthinkable.  Seeing his arm around her made me so mad that I jumped up and walked over to him.
    "Hey, squirt," Charles chirped.
    "Hello, Charles.  What's going on?"
    "Ah, Lizzy and I are just having a little fun is all.  Right, Liz?"
    "You may be having fun Charles, but I'm sure not."  Lizzy looked terrified of the tight grasp Charles had around her waist.
    "Maybe you should leave her alone," I threatened.
    "Oh, really," Charles sneered, "well, what are you are you gonna do if I don't?" he asked as he tightened his hold around Lizzy and turned to laugh with his friends.  Lizzy looked at me with pleading eyes.  "I'm gonna do this!" I screamed as I slammed my fist into his nose.
    The auditorium became deadly silent as Charles fell backwards onto Mrs. Wilson, my third period English teacher.
    "Get this young man off me!  Someone get him off this instant!" she yelled disgustedly.
    A group of men gathered around her to examine Charles.  He jumped up and sprang towards me.
    "Cayton, I'm gonna kill you!" he screamed.
    RUN! was the word that came to mind.  I hopped down the bleachers as fast as I could and bolted towards the auditorium door, but Charles was bigger and faster and caught up with me before I could make it to safety.
    "I'm gonna beat the hell out of you, you little jerk!" he screamed as he jumped on top of me.  Then he punched me in the stomach, and I doubled over in pain.  I struggled to catch my breath and then charged at him with all I had, which apparently wasn't a lot because he shoved his fist into my face in mid air.  I fell to the floor and started kicking at anything and everything that was in my way.  A few men from the Ragland side scrambled down to the floor and started desperately trying to keep Charles and I separated.  A few of the college scouts rushed out of the open door in order to get away from the mob of people flocking towards the scene that we were making.
    Catcalls echoed from every corner of the auditorium.  "Send those sorry Saints back over the mountain."
    "Get those Ragland losers!" a deep voice called from the stands.
    "Yeah, get 'em fellas."  The atmosphere in the already humid Ragland auditorium suddenly became heavier.......

Click here to read one of the letter's from Will Cayton's brother Luke who is stationed overseas at none other than.....PEARL HARBOR.

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