Madness In Moderation. Ch.1-2

Anyhoo, with that out of the way, I present what I shall dub

“Madness in Moderation”

Chapter 1

It was brisk for early September, and the cold, cutting winds of winter had come early that year. Rick hunched his shoulders and quickened his pace in a feeble attempt to keep warm on the walk to the nearby highschool. He’s a senior now, having nearly completed his twelve years of torment. He was finally on the home stretch. In but a short year, he’d be rid of the cliques and various midwit riff raff that comprised the local student body. The city can truly be harsh for someone growing up, and will certainly highlight all of lifes annoyances at much faster rate than anywhere else. But Rick tried his best not to be cynical, as difficult as it may be these days.



Although generally not a cynic, Rick suffered from what a lot of other people suffer from. Suffering, or perhaps better phrasing; not prospering. Rick was no shining star or football quarterback. Not much of an artist, nor academic, and lacking the real coordination to do much more than bring insult to the realm of musicians, he really was what you would generally define as “nothing special.” Try as he might, screaming at the top of his lungs trying to go Super Sayan as a young boy, he never developed superpowers, and thus had to rely on manual locomotion to get his ass to school on time. The quick pace was helping his time, he was reaching the halfway mark, his calf muscles screaming in firey agony as he marched at a near a joggers pace.



He was underprepared for the cold, as the frosty gales cut through his hoodie and jeans with near intolerable ferocity. He thought he’d almost be better off without it, but quickly remembered his somewhat lanky and under-insulated frame was not helping the issue either. A reasonably tall fellow at 6’1, he never found time for the gym, and maintained a slim, but certainly underveloped figure. Nothing that the girls at school ever really dropped their jaws at, or perhaps, maybe not that he’d noticed. Not one to typically be full of himself, he dismissed this thought on numerous occasions.

As Rick rounded the final corner, the school filled his sight. Unfortunately, this heading also put him directly into the wind. Not more than a few steps up and a nearby pile of dirt up the road lost a wisp of itself that proceeded directly on a high-speed collision course with Rick’s eyeballs. The free sandblasting, courtesy of Mother Nature, stung Rick as he feebly attempted to squint his eyes to protect them from further abrasion. The combination of cold and grit proved too much for his eyes to handle, and they began to water mercilessly as Rick swore and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Finally regaining some constitution from the battle with the wind, he opened his eyes and continued along his way. Students were gathered and chatting in front of the school. Some were being dropped off by parents, others leaping off busses. Friends preparing themselves for the days that lay ahead, some close, some not seen all summer, some not friends at all. Just bodies that fill the room. Too many pains in the neck, or ass, depending on how they feel that day. And some just trying to make it through. As Rick got closer, he could see a large boy in a black jacket and a large ginger curly mess with his arm locked around the neck of a significantly smaller boy. Rick had hoped the boy would break free unscathed but generally knew better, knowing the boy would be lucky to break free with his ego intact, let alone anything else.

Rick stepped upon the grounds, and saw the familiar faces of friends huddled about in what was lovingly known as “the smoke pit.” The cranny that teenagers for many a generation huddled to smoke away from the prying eyes of the school administrators. Rick sparked one up, and idly chatted with the people he’d later be sharing classes with. The first day was always pretty well a write-off, as they all knew. One great big orientation for something everyone all well and understood at that point.

Having smoked three-quarters of his dart, the first bell rang and students began to pour in the doorways. Rick took one last sharp drag, dropped the cigarette to the ground, and placed his foot atop the butt while twisting and exhaling. Satisfied the cigarette was extinguished, Rick headed for the door. Upon traversing through the vestibule, he spotted his sister, Marie, in the hall, and she had spotted him. She was about 5’4, blonde, with a cute face and a little button nose. A nice enough slender frame, Rick was sure she wasn’t starved for attention. She quickly turned from her friend and ran over to him.

“First bell and just barely dragging yourself through the door! And you reek! When are you going to quit smoking?” Marie asked.

“Whenever you stop driving me to it!” Rick retorted with a grin on his face.

“If you at least had the decency to wake up on time, you’d be here on time, and you wouldn’t be such a grouch!” Marie replied jokingly as she punched him on the shoulder.

Rick placed his hand atop her head and pushed her out to arms length as he began to walk away. Marie had shouted something about not messing up her hair but he was paying no mind. He quickly found his way to his homeroom to get his schedule for the semester. Walking through the door, his eyes were greeted by the wonderful sight of Ms. Guy’s voluptuous body. A young teacher with far too many assets to be allowed to teach around young men. She was thicker than a snickers, and in a good way, with the majority of her body fat seemingly refusing to accumulate anywhere but her ass and breasts. Luckily for him, she was also his English Teacher. Finding a desk, Rick sat down and dropped his book bag beside him. Upon retrieving a pencil, he moved his gaze back to the front of the class just in time to see Ms. Guy bend over her desk slightly, her magnificent cleavage hidden only by thin fabric, leaving little to the imagination. If Ricks erection had sprung up any faster, it would’ve struck the bottom of his desk with an audible “thud.” This was going to be a long year.



Or at least, it wasn’t until Max walked in the room. To Rick, the year had just tripled in length. Their gazes meeting eachothers as Max made his way to an open desk, a distance from him. Rick felt like Max was trying to make his head explode with their mind slightly uncomfortable as the gaze seemed to burrow into his skull. Max was a fellow similar to size and stature to Rick. Max was a blonde, with a strong jaw and a face the ladies seemed to love. He and Rick had history. Most of it was good, but the hate sprang forth when Rick had caught his then-girlfriend sharing a bed with Max after some photos circulated on FaceWank highlighting the killer end of Summer party Joeseph was throwing. Rick hadn’t gone, and he assumed his woman hadn’t either. But alas, women come, women go, but rivalries usually last forever.





Thankfully, the day had progressed rather uneventfully. Classes were assigned, students oriented, teachers dreading another 10 months of chaos. Nothing out of the norm had occurred. Before he knew it, Rick was on the march home. His sister had opted to head for the local coffee shop with some friends for warm beverages. The afternoon weather was much more bearable than that morning, rick strode home with his sweater folded up over his arm. He arrived at the small bungalow he grew up in, retrieved his key from his pocket, and opened the front door. He and his sister lived with his mother, who worked a nursing job to raise two kids on her own, and was generally out of the house for large parts of the day. Although generally absent from her childrens home life, she did do a good job of keeping the lights on and the fridge full, so Rick had no complaints.



Kicking off his shoes, he proceeded to the basement where his room was and dumped everything he was carrying directly onto the floor. Rick then proceeded to sprawl upon his bed, his eyes closing for a quick nap.



Rick awoke to the sound of the front door closing, and footsteps upstairs. He groggily looked at his clock and saw it was nearly 6pm. He had only been out for an hour or so. His sister must’ve just been arriving home, he thought. He made his way upstairs to greet his energetic little sister. Although only a year younger than him, she was very near his size and tall for a young woman. Always complained that it made shoe shopping impossible, and always limited her choice of runners to mens.



After assembling something to eat, the two of them retreated to their separate rooms for the night, each busying themself with something to pass the time.