32 Running Away From Reality

Daylight came rather suddenly for Stephen, and he was thankful not to have another nightmare during his sleep. A quick glance at his clock told him that it was already mid morning. Usually on Sundays, he didn't work until 2 pm, so he would have some free time before heading back to Price Chopper. Although, despite the hours, he wasn't looking forward to tonight's shift. As was usual for Sundays, Ram Doyle would most likely be coming into the store tonight.

Groaning at the mere thought of his name, Stephen kicked a rogue sock halfway across the room. Ever since high school, Ram Doyle had been one of the biggest bullies in his class. Ram was around the same height as Stephen, but perhaps only around 180 lbs, yet he was pure muscle. He was one of the hockey jocks of their school, and being a star forward, had led the team to state championships during their senior year.

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For all of this, Ram had everything a young man could possibly want: popularity, fame, friends, and girls. He received breaks on his grades, since no one could have their star forward not able to play because he was failing English. He frequently got to skip class early, under the guise of "practice" for the next big game. Not to mention, most of the girls in high school would have done just about anything to be seen with Ram. He always had his pick of women, and was almost never single for any length of time.

Sadly, all this popularity went to his head. While a pretty normal guy during middle school and in the early stages of high school, once he became the star of the team, and of the high school, his ego swelled to enormous levels. Ram started to enjoy teasing his fellow classmates and friends, and then started to become cruel to some of the more outcast type of kids, which of course, included Stephen.

He cringed remembering some of the pranks that were played on him during senior year. One time, he padlocked Stephen's locker, preventing him from being able to turn in Physics homework, nearly falling the course. Another time, when Stephen was chatting with Stephanie Carroll in the parking lot, Ram drove by and called him a fag and a loser right in front of her. He shut his eyes, cringing at the memory of being embarrassed in front of a pretty girl like Stephanie. His confidence was so shot, he couldn't even bear the thought of asking her out like he had intended.

It was only last week when Ram showed up at Price Chopper, he sent a shopping cart flying through the parking lot into Stephen's parked car, leaving a large dent and chipping the paint. To say the least, Stephen tried to avoid Ram Doyle like the plague.

Trying to shake the thoughts of Ram out of his head, he spent the next few hours before work shut in his room, writing up his latest chapter to the story he had been working on for the last few weeks. Writing was calming for him, and a way for him to escape the problems of this world. His latest work, a fantasy story that he had planned out for at least five books, was nearing completion of book one. It was a hope that one day he'd be able to publish his works, and perhaps become a well-known author. The idea never ceased to bring a smile to his face.