Redemption Chapter One Part One.

Alright, this is the first part of chapter one. I tend to write long chapters so you'll have to read it in parts. So, read on. As always, any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Shane stared blankly at the Algebra book open on his lap. He didn't understand this, he didn't care enough to try and understand it.

It was nearly the end of the school year, he knew he would have to go to summer school. He always failed the first half of the year, before track season. That was the only thing he cared about anymore. Besides his sister. He knew if he really tried he would understand it. But, he didn't see the point in trying.

He sighed, why he was doing this was beyond him. Dallas, his sister, was long asleep and hopefully she wouldn't wake up to one of those night terrors she always seemed to have. As he looked down at the equation on the book, the numbers blurred. He gave up and closed it.

Life was hard these days. Though he could get out of basically anything since his dad was always out of town doing God knows what.

There was something wrong with him, he wasn't that oblivious. The way he cried constantly about nothing or the way he only ate once a day. He usually felt like nothing good would ever happen again, or that he was worthless. He believed everything he thought.

Supposedly, his dad wasn't going to be back until tomorrow night, it always varied though. He remembered the last time his dad went away. Before Shane's mom died.

At that time his dad actually went on business trips, all around the world. Every time he went he'd bring home some kind of alcohol he knew Shane's mom wouldn't drink. Why he did this was the question. "I'm home," Shane's dad called one day when he arrived back from Mexico. Shane was already sitting in the living room. He smiled at his dad and his dad returned it.

"I got you something, bud," his dad said and sat down next to Shane on the couch. Shane smiled with anticipation as his dad dug through his suitcase. He pulled out a box and handed it to Shane.

Inside was a bracelet that was braided with colorful string. To most people, this wouldn't seem like much. But, Shane loved it.

"Tie it on for me," Shane pleaded and held his arm out to his dad. His dad tied the bracelet on and Shane looked at it admiringly. "Thanks," he whispered and hugged his dad tightly.

A door down the hallway opened and Shane's mother emerged. She was already diagnosed with breast cancer at that time. She looked pale and sick but still beautiful. Her bright blue eyes shined as she noticed her husband sitting on the couch.

"David," she cried, he stood up and hugged her tightly.

"I got you something too," he smirked and grabbed a bottle from his suitcase.

She sighed heavily, "You know I don't drink that stuff," she laughed and grabbed the bottle from his hands.

"It's quality Tequila," his dad told her. "It's the expensive stuff." She looked at the bottle and read the label over.

"I'll keep it handy," she said, Shane's dad knew she was lying. He grabbed the bottle from her and set it on the counter. "Well, I guess it will just sit in this house forever," he sighed and smiled at Shane.

"Sure it will," Shane muttered bitterly. He stood up and walked into the dark kitchen. The only light bouncing off the beige walls was the light above the stainless steel stove. Shane opened one of the white cupboards that contained the alcohol. Sure, he considered taking it and drinking away his problems many times. But, he never did. It was a stupid idea.

He was beginning to feel really tired. He had to get a good nights sleep, for the track meet. Still, he had the record for the four hundred meters, he never beat his own score though. This year, he hoped to do just that.

His eyelids were starting to feel heavy and he stood up. Stumbling slightly, he made his way to his bedroom.

Shane collapsed onto the blue blankets, crumpled into a ball, on his bed. The blue walls looked almost black as he crawled to the edge of the bed and turned off the lamp.

Track always got him going. It always made him feel like maybe he was good at something. He stepped onto the bus and the smell of exhaust that polluted the outside air went away. Nathan waved him over and Shane plopped into the seat beside him.

Nathan brushed his blonde hair out of his blue eyes. "You think you're going to win this year?" he asked.

"I don't know," Shane replied, not wanting to appear overconfident. The truth was, he didn't even know if he could race. His head was pounding and his stomach was queasy. There wasn't much reason for this sickness, maybe he was just nervous.

"You have to win!" Nathan almost yelled. However, he changed the subject quickly. "Hopefully Jason shows up for my relay. He had a doctor's appointment after school. His mom's supposed to drop him off at the meet afterwards."

Nathan ran the 1600 meter relay. He was quite good at it. "Yeah, hopefully," Shane replied wearily and leaned back into the seat.

"You okay?" Nathan asked. "You look sick or something."

"No, I'm fine," Shane reassured him. A girl in front of them turned around. It was Gianna, she had the biggest crush on Shane.

"I think you're going to win Shane," she said with a large smile.

"Thanks," Shane muttered as Gianna tried to look cute by flipping her dark hair out of her face. Nathan whipped his phone out of his pocket. Realizing she wasn't getting the attention she much desired, Gianna turned around.

"You better not be lying," he continued. "If you like, throw up on the track then everybody will think you're a freak," he laughed at the last part.

"Why is it such a big deal if I win or not?" Shane questioned.

Nathan looked at him wide-eyed, "You have to win because you always win. You can't just let somebody steal all your glory. That record you set is almost impossible to beat unless you're some Olympian." Shane knew Nathan was exaggerating.

The bus started moving and Shane stared out the window. Nathan jabbed him in the stomach. "Dude, you're putting a total downer on this trip. You're depressing me."

"Sorry," Shane mumbled. "I'm just nervous."

"You're never nervous," Nathan said. "We've been best friends since we were five. Just tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me. Okay?" he snapped. Shane looked down at the faint, purple, marks on his arms.

Nathan frowned, clearly offended. "Okay, sorry," he muttered and started talking to someone across the isle from him.

The rest of the ride droned on. Everyone was yelling which only intensified Shane's already terrible headache. When they arrived, most of the teams were already there.

They filed out of the bus and Nathan caught up with him. "Hey, is your dad coming?"

"No," Shane said through his teeth. His dad didn't care enough to come to his track meets. He hadn't been to one since his mom died.

"Oh, well, my mom can take you home," he offered.

Shane nodded, "Thanks."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. People stared at him as he walked in. Some people thought he was some sort of god for his talent, others just hated him. Being hated wasn't something that bothered Shane anymore.

Him and Nathan quickly did a warm up jog around the black track.

They sat in their section of the metal bleachers. There were a few events before his so he had time to relax and see if he could shake his headache.

"You doing okay Mitchell?" he heard a voice ask. Shane's head had been pressed to his knees. He looked up to see Calvin Reynolds staring back at him. Calvin was too confident and at every meet seemed to think he could beat Shane. Deep down, Shane thought Calvin knew he couldn't win.

"Yeah," Shane hissed.

Calvin was much taller then Shane. Calvin ruffled Shane's hair. "Cheer up buttercup. Today's the day you finally lose your title."

Shane rolled his eyes and looked away. Calvin snickered and walked off. Shane barely paid attention as other events started and finished. Occasionally he's smile and high-five someone who may have done a good job. Other then that, he was completely spaced out.

"Shane! Why aren't you going out there?" Nathan questioned.

Shane looked up at him puzzled. "Second call for the boy's four hundred meters," the announcer said. Shane heard people wishing him good luck but ignored them.

"Oh," Shane said and stood up. He slowly walked down the bleachers as other teams watched, wondering if he would win it all.

Calvin fell into step with him. "Can't you just leave me alone?" Shane groaned.

Calvin laughed and jogged down the bleachers.

The wind ruffled Shane's hair as the referee explained the rules he had already heard many times before. "Alright," the referee finished. "I'll tell you where to start." There were six runners.

He listed off names and numbers. "Lane four, Shane," the referee smiled knowingly at Shane as he stepped up to the blue triangle, labeling where to start. It seemed like everyone thought he would win but himself.

The referee finished naming the lanes and everybody got into their starting positions. Calvin, who was in lane six looked back and glared at Shane.

You have to win this. It's all you have left, Shane thought to himself.

He heard the crowd cheering wildly. "Ready," the referee started. "Set." The pistol sounded and Shane rocketed out of the starting gate. Quickly, he passed the person in lane five and fell into step next to Calvin.

"You can't win this Shane," Calvin said out of breath. "This is my time," they were practically sprinting but Calvin still managed to speak.

"Too bad," Shane muttered and picked up his pace, passing Calvin. He heard people screaming his name. The day was hot and he felt himself sweating but he wasn't going to slow down. He passed the finish line and the crowd erupted. His coach ran up and high-fived him.

"Once again," she smiled. "A brilliant race."