Chapter 9: Empire County

"Can't believe they fucking suspended me." Isaac slammed his locker shut after he had retrieved all of his stuff, he held his board which caused him even more pain since it was suddenly found snapped in two. It was obvious who had did it but being in the middle of getting yelled at, he found himself just wanting to leave more than bring up the topic of someone committing assault on his board.

'I should've- UGH!' He felt the emotion and even if knew it was best for him to keep his secrets, for people like Kong who's such a lughead, Isaac just wished he could smack a couple of well meaning hits across his face in the vain attempt of raising his IQ. Isaac's body heated up in a flash of anger before subsiding into a warm cozy rage. He left the steps and felt his phone ring. He took it out, only to get more annoyed.

'You gotta be shitting me. Why the fuck are you cracked' He groaned at his phone. He wanted to do something, something that he knew he would regret but would feel good in the moment. He pressed the thought down his brain's throat and looked at the notification that came form Erniestine, his anger again soothed like a boiling pot just enough to not make a watery mess.

Ernie: What happened? People are saying that Coach Smith got you suspended.

He pinched the bridge of his nose before shoving his emotions down. He walked away from the school's premises as he didn't want to be in violation of his suspension while he tried to word his text in a way that didn't make him look like the asshole he felt like being.

Isaac: Yeah, Coach practically sold me as the devil and Mr. Gallagher didn't have the chance to actually question anyone. Coach wanted to at first expel me. But after some realization that just looking at me with a bruise and a busted lip, they ended up agreeing at two days suspension and a week of in school suspension.

He sighed before he walked towards the subway, he needed to go somewhere, anywhere. He couldn't be here, not so close to his most of his frustrations, not in queens. So Isaac headed into the Manhattan in order to see if he could get a new board.

"More money" he thought as his looked around like it was on a swivel and jumped all of the way up the stairs that seems to have their own individual problems. He landed on top of the elevated station and saw that it was pretty empty for the time being. Isaac snapped the trucks off of the board, knowing that his wheels were too fresh to throw out. He then chucked the leftover pieces of board into a trash can that was place a couple of yards from where he was standing and then put the trucks in his pretty full bag.

"How am I going to get my income now?" He thought as he saw the numerous papers that were meant for his clientele, some were completely finished while others were just barely started.

'Well I guess I have to figure that out too.' He thought. He waiting for the train and hopped on. Letting the hardly soothing hums of the train riding against the poorly welded tracks act as distraction but as the train filled with a cacophony of people with different characters who hopped on board like him. He opted for his music putting a playlist he had Tidal on shuffle that instantly drowned out the annoying chatter amongst the others. He eventually found himself having signal and he looked at his phone seeing that Ernie texted him.

Ernie: I'm sorry

Isaac: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.

Ernie: I know but may.. I just think I could've did something.

Isaac: You already do enough for me, I'll be alright. It's just going to be a problem on where to go since I can't really go home.

It was well known that Isaac always came home late, later than one would suspect a teenage would and it was because of a rule that his uncle had placed that he couldn't come home till after the night sky was well in place because he didn't want him being lazy at home. It was also a rule that he needed to pay for his room, which it barely was.

"Fuck!" Isaac muttered, just loud enough to get his seat neighbor to look at him concerned but he just didn't pay attention.

His phone vibrated.

Ernie: You can come to my place, you know my parents love having you around, Cissy is alittle much but she can stand you. Better, you can actually eat here.

Isaac thought about it, more like his stomach begged him to go, while the rest of him beat it to submission where it made rumbles in defiance.

"For once, I just don't want to be bother with my life" Isaac said as he thought about what he could do, looking for another job was always in the back of his mind but when a small hole in his Jansport book bag opened, Isaac saw a reflection in the mask that was strategically hidden in his bag. He made up his mind almost instantaneously made up his mind with that

He pulled up his phone to give Ernie his decision.

Isaac: Nah, I'm going to get a new board and then I'm probably going to break it in at the park.

Isaac: Just feel like being alone for awhile

He ended the conversation, knowing Ernie would respect his need to be in a isolated headspace for a while, she was always so receptive.

Once the subway pulled up the stop he was going, he decided that it was best for him to wait a little while before getting his board, not like he needed to be anywhere he could only go on his board. Isaac drudged his way out of the train that was hell's rear and felt the slight fragrance of polluted fresh air as he looked around. The noise enthusiastically joined, getting even louder than he thought it would but he developed almost an invaluable skill to tune out all of the bullshit that wasn't in his immediate vicinity.

"I should've gotten off on 14th, fuck." He thought as he tried to separate from the crowd which was ridiculously harder than it sounded when he felt like a sardine in a large can filled past the brim, Love or hate, this city was full of vagrants through and through. Isaac eventually got the opportunity in old alley where people hung their clothes to dry since rent was too high to afford a dryer. Isaac looked around once against to make sure that no one was nearby, he launched up to the sky.