The first day back at Bryant Jr. High always felt like stepping into a storm— a loud, swirling, unpredictable storm full of hormones, hallway shoving, laughter, arguments, and the smell of new school clothes mixed with floor wax. For Derrick, it felt like returning to a world where anything could happen. And usually did.
Derrick walked into the building wearing a clean shirt, new jeans, and the same quiet confidence he always carried. Within the first five minutes: A kid ran past yelling, “MOVE! I’M GONNA BE LATE!” Somebody knocked another kid’s binder out of his hands. A 9th grader was trying to flirt loud enough for the whole hallway to hear. A teacher shouted, “WALK! DON’T RUN!” A seventh grader was already cursing because he couldn’t find his homeroom. Typical Bryant.
Derrick made it to his locker and struggled with the combination— some clown had already put a penny in the lock slit. Marcus showed up behind him, laughing.
“Welcome back, man!”
Derrick pried the penny loose and opened the locker.
“Who puts a penny in a lock?” he muttered.
Marcus shrugged. “People with no home-training”
One by one, they showed up with their own stories.
Marcus was already in trouble before 8:30. He got caught roughhousing with Eric and Damon by the vending machine.
“And man, we wasn’t even fighting! We were just play-fighting!”
Tony got lost trying to find his first-period class.
“You act like you’ve never been here before.” Derrick joked.
“I swear they changed the whole building,” Tony said.
“They didn’t,” Derrick replied.
“They DID! That hallway wasn’t there last year!”
“Tony… it’s the same hallway.”
“NO IT’S NOT!” Tony was dramatic. As always.
Leon had the calmest morning out of anyone.
“Man, I just chilled,” he said. “Found my locker, and my homeroom, sat down, and just checked everyone out. I wanna see how y’all do junior high in Minnesota.”
Reggie walked in late. Why?
“My alarm clock broke,” he claimed.
Derrick looked at him.
“Do you even have an alarm clock?”
Reggie folded his arms.
“Nope. It broke.”
Leon shook his head.
“Just say you overslept, man.”
Reggie refused.
“Nope. My story stands.”
While the boys were comparing stories, a kid ran down the hallway shouting:
“HEY! Jason STABBED EJ this morning!”
The whole crew reacted:
“What?!” “Already?!” “First day?” “Man, this school wild.”
Tony shook his head.
“It ain’t even lunchtime yet.” Marcus snorted.
“School back in full effect.” Reggie laughed nervously. “I’m staying away from Jason.” He added.
Derrick listened quietly. He wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t shaken. He was used to Bryant’s chaos. But he did wonder what Tasha thought of it. Her first day would’ve been a shock.
In first period English, the class got loud fast. Two boys argued over a seat. A girl complained her chair was “wobbly and broken.” Someone accidentally knocked over a trash can. The teacher, Ms. Pruitt, sighed deeply and wrote her name on the board. Before she could start roll, the intercom buzzed:
“Would Mr. Styles and Mr. Wilkins please report to the office.” They were the security guards.
The class erupted in whispers.
“Dang…” “Already?”
“Wonder what happened now?”
Ms. Pruitt clapped loudly.
“Quiet! We are not doing this all year!”
Derrick exchanged a look with Leon and smirked. Sure they weren’t.
By lunchtime, the crew was starving. They grabbed trays—meatloaf, milk cartons, and mashed potatoes that looked suspiciously like plaster—and found their usual table. The cafeteria was loud, rowdy, full of energy. All four boys talked at once:
Marcus: “My math teacher already assigned homework!”
Tony: “Rico, in my science class, said he a karate black belt. He lying!”
Leon: “This school has a swimming pool.”
Reggie: “Man, somebody stole my pencil already.”
Kenny came by where they were sitting, holding a pencil like it was a microphone.
“And now ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another round of ‘Name That Food.’ Can you name what this food is in ten seconds or less?”
Derrick shook his head and laughed. Then he spotted Tasha and the girls entering the lunchroom. She made eye contact with him, offering a shy smile. He smiled back.
“So,” Marcus said, nudging him, “you gonna sit with us or you gonna sit with your girlfriend?”
Derrick glared. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Not yet,” Tony sang under his breath.
Derrick flicked a carrot at him.
On the way to their table, they were going to sit with Tanya and Reecie, they stopped by the guys table to bring them up to date on they’re day so far.
“Tasha saw someone bleeding before she even got registered,” Cathy said. “And Miss Allen told her, ‘Welcome to Bryant,’ like it was a TV show.”
“Somebody threw a book at Mr. Grant already.” Terri laughed.
“Otherwise it was just the same ol’ first day of school chaos.” Yolanda Added.
Tasha shrugged lightly.
“I have to get used to finding all of my classes, but I’ll be okay.”
Her eyes drifted back to Derrick. He felt his stomach flip.
The last class of the day always felt like the longest. Marcus fell asleep. Tony got in trouble for talking. Leon almost had to switch seats because he laughed too loud when Reggie spilled his milk on his own notebook. He got in trouble for having food in class.
Derrick stayed out of trouble, taking notes quietly. But throughout the day, each of them had the same thought: What was this year going to be like. Was it going to be something good, bad, messy, fun? Probably a little bit of each.
After school, they regrouped outside of school on the corner of 38th and 3rd. Kids poured out of Bryant in every direction. Some were laughing. Some were arguing. Some were shoving. Some looked shell-shocked. Tony kicked a rock.
“Man, that was a long day.” Marcus stretched his arms.
“I already tired of teachers yelling.” Reggie sighed.
“I want summer back.” Leon smirked.
“It’s too late now, and now we have to go get ready for football practice.” Derrick said.
He looked around, watching Tasha leave the building with Cathy and the girls. She glanced back at him one more time. Just a look… but full of meaning. He smiled. Yeah. School was crazy. School could be wild. Kids were fighting, stabbing, yelling, laughing, learning — But he’d be okay. They all would. They had each other.