The day started out like any other, it was 4am and Rai's alarm clock was blaring. The sound ringing in his ears painfully Rai rolled over, and without having to look smacked the button to turn off the alarm. 'Damn I'm getting sick of hear that noise' Rai thought to himself. Each muscle in his body ached to curl back up in the covers and fall back asleep until it was time for class, but he had worked too hard to give up now. Rai tipped toed down the hall the hallway trying his best not to wake up his father with the creaking of the old floor. He made it quietly to the bottom of the stairs sighing in relief. Quickly making his way to the fridge he smiled seeing the overnight oats and sack lunch his father had prepared the night before. It pained him to think of his old man barely staying awake, trying to make sure he had something ready to eat before his morning practice. Rai shoveled down his oatmeal and quietly slipped out the front door.
Rai and his father lived in at the top of mount Nebo, a large daunting mountain in the Wasatch range. He loved being up there away from the city lights and noise. It seemed like all he wished for these days was peace and quiet.
Making his way along the long gravel pathway to the garage Rai wished that he could live in a normal home. 'Maybe one day we can build a new garage that's attached to the house! One with a heater and LED lights!' He thought wishfully. Finally reaching the garage he slid open the door revealing his 14th birthday gift a 2001 Lexus is300. Rai looked at in disgust wishing that he could afford one of the fancy new electric cars that were all over the news. He sighed dejectedly slumping down into the seat and turning on the car. The engine roared to life revealing the sound of a modified exhaust system. Rai cringed again wishing he could be driving anything else. His foot pressed down on the clutch pedal feeling the familiar weight of the machine under his feet. 'Why did my dad have to swap out the automatic transmission for this hard to drive manual one I hate it' he lamented. Pushing the shifter into first he started off toward the school.
The drive to school was long and dangerous. The school Rai attended was at the bottom of the mountain and the only way through was Creek Canyon pass. The road was windy and had steep downhill slopes. Add in the usual fog that seemed to plague the mountain every day and it was downright eerie. In normal conditions it was about a 30 minute drive from top to bottom following the speed limit, but Rai's father was friends with the local sheriff so he had no need to fear speeding tickets, or even getting pulled over for that matter. 'Man I need to hustle or I'm gonna be late again' Rai thought looking at the clock only to realize he had 10 minutes until the practice started. Pressing down on the gas pedal he felt the surge of power and heard the purr of his engine bouncing off the canyon walls.
Pulling into the usual parking spot Rai hurriedly got out of the car. Taking off running in his bare feet not even taking the time to lace up his cleats. The practice was already started and he knew that coach Jenkins would make him run laps if he wasn't ready to play by the end of team meeting. Rai lived and breathed soccer to the core of his soul, longing only for victory to quench his competitive instinct. "Rai you finally made it! We were wondering when you would show up!" His best friend Jay yelled from the huddle. Joining the group Rai frantically started putting on his cleats sighing at the old worn out leather. 'Man I need new cleats' he thought before remembering the guilt that he felt asking his dad for money. "Rai you're lucky this time but if you keep showing up late you won't play varsity for weeks" coach Jenkins said scolding him. "Won't happen again coach I promise" he replied with a hint of defeat in his voice.
The practice started out with the usual team run around the track. Each one of them feeling the cold biting at their face. Looking around at the stadium Rai quietly wished that they had their own field to play on. 'If only they gave us a real grass pitch to play on instead of this turf football field' he thought grimacing at the memories of turf burn on his legs. "Hey Rai come to think of it I never see your old man drop you off. Why doesn't he just drive right up to the gate like the rest of the parents?" Jay asked. "Well that's probably because he doesn't drop me off" Rai replied dryly. "But then how are you supposed to get here? You don't turn 16 until next week" jay said confused. "I've been driving myself for a while now. We don't really have another choice since there aren't any bus routes on Mount Nebo" Rai replied embarrassed about living in the middle of nowhere. "I can't believe you never told me! That's so cool! Does that mean you have your own car?!? Take me for a ride! Have you raced anyone yet? What kind of a car is it? Can I drive it?" Jay rambled on excitedly. "It's just an old Lexus and no you can't drive it but, maybe I'll give you a ride after school if I feel like it" Rai replied trying to smother his enthusiasm and get himself out of being a personal taxi.
Finally practice came to an end and every body began to gather up their stuff. It was only 6:30 and classes wouldn't start until 8 so most of the boys would head home to shower and rest before starting the rest of their day. Because Rai lived so far away it wasn't worth the gas of driving back and forth. 'Maybe one day I will be able to live a normal life' Rai sighed heading off to the locker rooms for a shower. The hot water felt great especially on the pain in his lower left back that seemed to be getting worse by the day. Finishing up and drying off Rai headed out to the cafeteria hoping that he wasn't too late for breakfast. "RAI WAIT UP" a voice yelled from down the hall. Rai turned to see a short brunette girl running toward him. "You weren't avoiding me were you RaiRai" she said standing on her tippy toes to grab his ear firmly. "Oww of course not Sade I would never do such a thing" Rai said peeling her hand away from his ears. Sade had taken a liking to him after an incident the year before that lead to Rai sending 2 upperclassman to the hospital. She was a junior this year and had secretly been crushing on Rai since he had stepped in to protect her. He was definitely a handsome boy by traditional standards. Standing at 6'0 with deep brown eyes and hair matching his olive complexion, his shoulders broad and well defined. If it wasn't for his constant annoyed demeanor he probably would have been very popular with the girls at his school. Looking down at Sade while rubbing his now sore ear Rai stuck out his tongue in defiance.