Joseph groped for the alarm clock until the obnoxious buzzing finally stopped. He lay in bed considering the option of going back to sleep and just skipping school for once, but he knew there was no point to playing hooky. Rolling out of bed Joseph started on the daily rituals that had consumed his life every day for the past 2 years.
As he entered the kitchen he greeted his dad, “Hey, are you ready to go?”
“Yeah,” he replied as he hastily finished his cereal on the kitchen countertop. They slipped into their old pickup truck with Joseph behind the wheel. He could drive by himself and would prefer it, but his dad didn’t trust that he could drive safely by himself. Driving to school with his dad every day as a senior didn’t do much for his reputation, but he was used to it after the past socially inadequate 2 years.
After about 10 minutes Joseph approached the school in their pickup. Even after all of the years he had spent at this school he still felt nervousness overwhelm him as he stopped by the south entrance. Maybe today will be different, he couldn’t help but think. His dad helped him out of the car like he did every day; this was probably one of the most irritating rituals that he had to face every time he got in or out of any car. He didn’t get why he wouldn’t just let him get out himself, he was perfectly capable of it. Joseph had even done it at home in the garage to prove it.
Entering school he felt everyone’s eyes fixate on him like they did every morning. Why did they all act like he was so much different than them? Was it because of the way that his dad continued to baby him even though at 17 he should be much more independent? He knew his father had good intentions, but even the best of intentions can be seen as annoying – especially to a teenager just itching to get out of the house already.
He didn’t know how his dad was going to react when he would finally get up the nerve to tell him that he wanted to move out and go to college. His dad was very protective of him, especially after the accident that claimed Joseph's mother 2 years prior. It was just he and his dad, and he knew that his dad was probably scared that he would lose Joseph any day now too.
The bell finally rang and he rushed to his first period: English with Ms. Dane. She was a sweet lady, but her kindness reminded him too much of his dad and almost made it seem like it was more pity that influenced her kind words rather than true friendliness. Ms. Dane made sure to always choose her words wisely just as any English teacher would.
Joseph was never asked much of in school; truthfully it was more like he was asked the bare minimum, which sometimes pissed him off. He still got great grades, but he didn’t feel like he was getting the best of his education. He didn’t have many friends so he figured that a good education was the least he deserved. He sat fiddling with his pencil at his desk as Ms. Dane lectured them about coming to class prepared. There were commonly lectures in her class that made it a bit boring and amusing at the same time, because usually the lectures weren’t even about English.
“Alright, did everyone do their homework last night?” Ms. Dane finally asked as she finished her mini-lecture. A few boys raised their hands and admitted that they did not complete the assignment that they were told to do the night before, sneaking in an excuse along with it. Ms. Dane didn’t care for any of their excuses and simply gave them detention.
Joseph hadn’t done last nights homework either, but he didn’t figure there was a point to raise his hand because she usually gave him an exemption. He didn’t really feel like being treated differently than all of the other kids in the class like he had been so many times in the past. None of the teachers seemed to realize that Joseph didn’t particularly like being treated differently.
Finally the bell rang and class was over. He found it easier to wait for everyone to leave class before him, that way he wouldn’t feel like he was in anyone’s way. As the remainder of kids filed out of the classroom, Joseph wheeled himself away from his desk and towards the door. People always told him that everything happens for a reason, but he was never able to figure out a reason for the car accident that killed his mother and left him crippled in a wheelchair.