At school
When I get to school there are many kids on their phones or in a bunch.
CJ-Out.
I get out and the first thing I hear is the bell for class starting.
-Where do I go?
AJ-With me.

-AJ.
AJ-Teacher. Right now I'm your teacher. Come on. We start in five minutes.
CJ-See you at lunch.
With that he goes away to the gym and I go with AJ to class. When we get there he motions for me to step on the doorway until he calls me. I do and I hear him speak.
AJ-Come in.
I do and he presents me.
AJ-Students, this is Max. The new student.
-Hi.
Jock-Why is your hair so white?
Girl-Was the color over where you were born?
They laugh and I look at cousin and he nods giving permission.
-Where did you got your brains? A toy factory?
Girl-What about your clothes. Were you got it? Your dad's clothes?
Again they laugh.
-Where did you got your jokes? Trashcan?
Jock-You don't talk to her like that.
Girl-Teacher.
AJ-You started it. Max, go take your seat when I call your name.
I nod and he gets everyone standing and reorganizes the group. I am left in the front by the window. Class is interesting to say the least and since is multiple languages I stay there until lunch time.
AJ-Max, traduce this sentence to Spanish.
I look at the sentence and I traduce it without paying much attention. He looks at me in a way.
-What?
AJ-I said Spanish not Greek. Good traduction anyways. Anyone else wants to try.
The girl at my side raises her hand. I see her stand and traduce.
Sophie-Silencio, el grito mas poderoso.
AJ-Perfecto. You can sit.
She nods and I keep looking at her with admiration. Her black long straight hair. Before I know it I'm holding it to my nose enjoying her fragance. When.
AJ-Max!
I realize what I'm doing and as I sense everyone looking at me I turn to the window again embarrassed. I can hear some other students laugh and others insult me before cousin tells them to zip it. He keeps teaching and then is time for lunch and I fly out of the classroom to the bathrooms. I wash my face and hands before I go get my lunch. As I look for a place to sit I see AJ and CJ eating together outside with some other teachers. I go to a far corner to sit at the floor and as I'm about to get my iPod some kid takes it from me. I recognize it as the jock from class.
Jock-Guys, look at this. He has a heart saying mom.
Jock2-Aww, the little guy misses his mommy.
Jock-Aww, look, he wants to cry.
I shake with anger and they throw my food away to the floor. Two of them hold me up by the arms and I frown but stay still. He takes my face by the chin and I spit on his face. The ones holding me gasp and he kicks my stomach. He throws my iPod on the floor and he crushes it with his boot. I am left shocked.
Jock-That should teach you respect. Come on guys. Let's go.
-Fuck you.
Jock-What did you say?
He holds me by the neck of my shirt and I frown taking a superior approach. I throw a kick at his face breaking his nose and he falls on his butt. I grab the neck of his shirt and then to his neck and I hold him up lifting him from the ground. I throw him all the way to the other side and I throw a look to his goons that they run away. I take my iPod and throw it away as well as my food. I take a bag of chips from the vending machine instead and let the anger dissipate in each bite. I decide to ditch my evening classes and go to the library. I make myself a card and check out some fiction and some romantic novels along with a bit of poetry. I go to my last class with my other cousin and he as his twin did presents me.
CJ-Students, this is Max, treat him well.
Star-Max? Like Maximus?
-Just Max.
Girl-Why is your hair so white?
-Near death experience.
Same as AJ he reorganizes the group assigning us partners. To my bad luck I get the most talkative on the class. The first assignment is climbing. I slip but reach the top nonetheless. At the time of getting down I get dizzy but I dare do it in a single jump. I land perfectly but some others rip their pants. I suppress a smile and as he takes it to get new ones he assigns us our next assignment. Push ups, chin ups, sit ups and those. I finish first and I walk around since he's not back yet. As I pass a classroom I find a piano. I smile and get to play.
                          CJ POV
After getting the student a new set of pants as I count the students and I notice Max is missing. I look around and I see a crowd gathering by the music room. I make my way to check what's happening and am surprised by what I see and hear. Max is singing and touching the guitar.

After the song ends I hear him sob. I dismiss everyone and go myself towards him.
-Hey. Come here.
I hug him gently.
                        Max POV
I cry on CJ's shoulder as he hugs me tight.
-I never met her.
CJ-I know. But thanks to her you're alive now. A fine young man. And good looking too.
-I still don't understand why did she had to die.
CJ-What has uncle Karma told you?
-He says is my mom and that he too wishes for her to be here. That is the only woman he will love now and forever. He says she was nice, smart, beautiful amongst other things.
CJ-He told you how she died?
I negate with my head and he nods in thought.
CJ-Ask him.
I nod and we go back to class. No one dares talk to us or rather me. I go with my partner and we do the pole jump next but with a trampoline instead of the long stick. I do a perfect jump but as I fall I lose concentration and fall bad twisting my ankle.
-Δαμν.
CJ-Can you walk?
-Maybe.
I try it but I fall again. I groan angry and he gets me an icepack from a portable fridge.
CJ-Stay still and apply this. I studied medicine.
I roll my eyes and I see as he teaches the class.
CJ-Everybody, break's over. Next to jump go. Tiffany you're up.
She jumps and her body curves gracefully as she jumps over. She is the last to go.
CJ-Give one run around the school perimeter and you can go home after you finish. I better see you sweat a pool so do it.
They go run and I turn to do some sit ups. I put my music on and I relax until someone stops me.
-AJ.
AJ-Come on, let's go home.
He helps me up and we go home together but stop to eat on the way. We stop at a restaurant I never knew existed. By the name at least.
-Poseidon.
CJ-It belongs to the family.
AJ-To grandma mostly.
-Hers?
AJ-You have to ask her the details.
CJ-But I doubt she will say anything. She never does.
We get down to eat and we get a VIP room just for being family. I order a pasta and they order steak with rice and beans.
AJ-Brother, guess what he was doing in class.
CJ-What did he do?
AJ-He was smelling a girl's hair. I think he likes her.
-I don't. She only smelled good, her hair specifically.
AJ-I also asked him to traduce to Spanish, he traduced to Greek.
-I didn't pay attention. I just focused on not saying it as it was written on the board. Besides, the class before was Greek.
CJ-Touche. In my class, he slipped out and went to the music room to sing and play the piano and guitar.
We keep talking about school and how was it. After a bit they take me home. As I get home I let myself fall on the couch tired and I fall asleep instantly. Around midnight I wake up and I find myself covered with blankets and with a pillow as well. I find a note by my phone.
-Food on the microwave. Love, dad.
I go to the kitchen and I find my food there. I push reheat and I serve a glass of soda. I take a hot bath and then get my feet on a cushion before I turn to sleep again.
The next morning I wake up late and I rush a toast with butter and as I wait for it to be ready I turn to dress. I take the toast and a water bottle before I run all the way to the school. Within all I manage to be there before my cousins. I take a proper breakfast on the cafeteria and to my bad luck I find myself face to face with the jock bully from yesterday.
-Gods help me.
Jock-Look what we have here. Is mommy's kid.
-Get out of my way.
He laughs and he grabs me by the neck. It barely hurts but I fake pain. I could kill him with a single punch but I don't.

I keep a straight face and think of snow. The first time I saw it and the joy when I played in it with that. When I broke my nose and so on.
-Come on. Why can't you leave me alone? Is it that you like me? Because I don't like you.
Jock-I don't like you either. Take this.
He hits me and I give a fake groan so he goes away. When I'm sure he's gone I stand and get eating again. I go to class and wait. Today I don't skip any class and I find that one of my classes is music, then art and then math. I play the piano and I have the highest score. In art I draw a sketch of how I think is my mother's essence by how dad describes her. The teacher congratulates me.
Teacher-Good, who is that?
-I think is my mother.
Teacher-You think?
-She died when I was born. I seen pictures but I'm trying to paint her essence, dad says she's kind and cheerful so I got bright colors. She loved to defy death, extreme sports. That's this black and red here.
Teacher-I see, keep up the good job.
-Can I take it home and show my dad?
Teacher-You can keep it if you want.
-Thanks.
She nods and I finish up my drawing as beautiful as I want it. I finish it and save it on my locker for after school.
When classes are over I go get it and I take the subway to the gift shop. I get it wrapped and customized so I can hang it on the living room at home. He wraps it as a gift and I do the ribbon myself. I get home and I wait for dad to arrive. I make dinner for all of us.
Ka-I'm home. We have company.
-Dad. Look, I made this for you.
I hand him the wrapped painting but I hold it grabbing his attention.
-Don't judge. Just tell me if I got it right.
I let go and he opens it. His eyes go wide at the sight of it.

To be continued..........