Moist air brushes against my cheeks, warming my face until I start to sweat intensely. I finally remove my sunset red and mustard yellow hat, that I’ve had since we moved here, 8 years ago. While walking down the block I see joyful people doing joyful things. Excited toddlers drawing pictures with chalk on the sidewalk, and young children skipping back and forth through sprinklers, to cool them off on this hot day. I can also see one of the teachers from my school. Her name is Mrs.Walsh, she is a nice old lady with gray hair, and rosy cheeks. She is tending to her garden, watering her soft pink, and cream colored flowers, and I notice she started a new patch of red roses. They just started growing. She calls it “The paradise.” Ms.Walsh finally notices me, after taking good care of her flowers, then waves.

“How are you dear?,” she shouts from across the street, with a bright, and luminous smile.
“I’m doing well, how are you?,” I shouted back in a joyous tone, while scanning her, and her fragile flowers.
“It’s pretty warm these days, but we all need to adapt.” She has been saying that for years. I guess to her, it still feels like I just moved here, and telling me to “Get use to the weather.” She then pops out another smile at me, then continues working on her beautiful garden.

I finally reach my house, after what feels like an hour, but was really twenty minutes. I walk up the driveway, while wondering why the temperature is higher than normal today. Then my pits started to sweat very bad, it was dripping down my side until I reached the door. When beginning to turn the doorknob my hand got burned, and I let out a small scream,

"Ouch!"
While stumbling into the house, dropping all my bags and towels on the floor, I smell fresh cooked salmon, and crab legs. The scent hovers around my nose, as I inhale, and exhale. I yell across the house,
“Is this my lucky day!?” I never get tired of salmon, and crab legs, they are my favorite dishes. Everytime I eat them, the taste sticks to my tongue, like a hungry leech on someones arm. My mom comes from the kitchen, and smiles,

“I thought that I should do something nice for you, since your dad, and brothers are on a trip to California.”
“Thank you so very much.” My mom is awesome she does nice things for me all the time. She then tells me they aren’t done yet, which bums me out, but I know we will eat later. I turn around in a fast pace motion like something just scared me, and pick up my bags, and towels, then start to head upstairs. As soon as I reach the third step, she calls me back.
“Oh, Eric I forgot your classes for school came in today, and a letter about them,” she says, as she sprinkles spices, and all sorts of seasonings in the boiling gray pot.
“Thanks, where is it at?”
“I put it in your room on your desk,” she said, “you should really clean that thing off, it’s getting dirty!” She yells a little more, telling me to do chores, and other things around the house.
“Ok, fine I don't see why you always think it's dirty, when I've cleaned it hundreds of times already," I said as though I didn't care at all, then I ran upstairs, excited to see my class, but also worried if I have any classes with my friends, Cindy, and Josh. We always had every class together since freshman year, they are my bestfriends.
I reach my room, and kick the door open, pretending to be in an action movie.
While looking at my schedule, I notice that next to my name there are two letters, and a number. It says LC1.
“What could that mean?” I think even harder, and start to think of things that don’t even make sense.
“Could it stand for Life Class 1?,” finally I said, “Hmmmm, I give up.”
I then call Cindy, and Josh, and we start to have a group chat about what classes we got.
“Eric, what classes do you have?,” says Josh in a curious tone, trying to find out if we have classes together.
“Ummm, I have English, Gym, Chemistry, Economics, Math, something called Ecology, Health, and Ancient History.” I think Ecology is the class with the animals, but I’m not sure. It could also be about the environment.
“Those are some cool ones, I have a lot of boring classes,” He said in a droopy, worn out tone.
“You’ll live,” Cindy says, “And don’t get your panties in a bunch,” she said while chuckling, and snorting.
“Hahaha, good one Cindy,” I cried out as I laugh with her, and almost falling off my bed in the process, and getting dizzy.
“Hey thats not funny, you two are always laughing at me, but one day when I throw a water balloon in your face, who’s gonna be the one laughing?, thats right, me!!” He always gets defensive like this.
“Chill out,” Cindy proclaims.
“have you two noticed the number next to our names” she says in a  curious, and doubtful way.
I look back at my sheet, then start thinking again in my head.
“What could it mean?”
“I know what it means!!!,” Josh shouts, and almost making us go deaf in the process.
“What is it!!?” Both me, and Cindy said this at the same time.
“It means when you’re like rich, poor, and really poor, or something like that” Josh says in a idiotic way.
“Ugh, you’re such an idiot, it’s upper class, middle class, lower class,” Cindy says while correcting Josh, “you make it sound like everyone is poor!!”
“But we are rich, that means I can say whatever I want, because I have money,” Josh said, while trying to defend himself.
“No, thats not true!!?”
As they go back and forth, yelling at each other over this stupid topic, I zone out, and realized that I am apart of the lower class, and I will be split from my friends. I can’t be without my friends I’ve never really talked to anyone else. I can’t think of anything, except of me being a loner, also thinking that I won’t have the same opportunities as my friends, because everyone knows rich people are helped by the rich, and most rich folk don’t care for the least fortunate. I know my friends will care for me though.
After zoning back in, I find out the conversation has changed to something completely different.
“And thats why male dogs pee with their legs up,” Cindy says in a relaxed voice, as though she is happy that is off her large chest.
“Guys, I’m not apart of the upper class, and I need to find a way to change it!!,” I blurted out, as I started to think of ideas in my head.
“How?,” they both said in a worried voice. An idea pops in my head, and my face lights up. I start laughing, and smiling.
“I’m going to hack into the schools computers, and change my classes!”
“What, how, we only have five days left before school starts!!,” they both jolted out.
“By breaking into the school” I said in a thoughtful voice,  while looking around the room, making sure my mom wasn’t near.
“Eric, you know we both love you, but this is just way too risky, we would help you with anything else, but not this.” Cindy then tries to convince me not to, but I don’t give in.
“Cindy, I need to change." Now I'm fixed on my goal.
I tell them not to worry, and that I’ll be careful, then they both say, “sure.”
We say our "goodbyes," and our "see you laters," then hang up.
My mom shouts for me to come down stairs,
“Eric, our delicious meal is done!” While running to the stairs, I find a gift card for home depot.
While snatching it, I whisper,

“I can use this to get supplies.”
After we eat the steaming hot, mouth watering, jaw dropping, salmon and crab legs, I realized its only 3:15pm. “Mom, since it’s only 3:15, can I go back out, and walk to the store?,” I sung, to get her attention, and convince her to let me go.
“Sure sweetie,” she proclaims, as she finishes off her last juicy crab leg, tearing the leg open, and chewing the meat slowly to savor the flavor.

Once I got the “ok” from my  mom, I threw on a royal blue shirt, that had the words “Fight the power” written on it, in black with a white out line around it. Then I put on some black sweat pants, that unfortunately had no pockets. Finally my blue Nike shoes. They were a collectors edition, and the logo was gold instead of white.
As I was walking to Home Depot, it started raining. I imagined that the rain droplets were like meteors crashing to the Earth, but instead of leaving craters, it would break into tiny pieces.

When I finally got to Home Depot, I noticed that they had a gigantic section that had everything I needed.
Black rubber gloves, two red screwdrivers, one was four sided, and the other was two sided, a light brown rope, that looked like a sneaky snake, and one of those bandit masks, that you would see in a burglar movie. When I went to purchase my new tools, the lady at the cash register looked at me as though I wasn’t suppose to be buying these.

“So young man, what are you using these for,”she says as she scans the items, and then throws them in the orange plastic bag.
“It’s for my school play, my role is a robber that is suppose to look like he is from the 80’s,” I said while I grabbed the bag and walked to the door.
“Have a great day miss,” I proclaimed before I walked out the door.
The next day I decided to try my first attempt into getting into the school.
I quickly walk to the school, so no one would see what’s inside of my bag.
When I get there, I run to the back of the school, and look inside one of the doors to make sure no one is inside. Looking over my shoulder also to make sure no one followed me, or was on watch.
I use a pick to get in, turning it left, then right, then left again, and jiggled it up, all of a sudden a small click happened. I was in. As soon as I got in, I sneaked down the long hall, steping quietly in case someone was around. The tiles on the floor were baby blue, and cream colored, those are my school colors. I finally found the staff center, turning the door knob slowly, and holding my breath, so that I could only hear my beating heart. Beating faster, faster, and faster. I found the counselor's computer, and turned it on. The day before coming here, I looked up “How to hack into a computer,” the results told me to put in a code that is suppose to work on every computer. I start typing the code slowly, so the typing noise doesn’t happen, and put in the code G..6..f..3..Q..L..D..0..0..E..R..L….
Then suddenly I hear the door in the other office open, it was a slow, eerie feeling crawling down my back. All I heard was the doors creaking noise.
“Crap,” I whispered to myself, “I need to get out.”
I can hear the footsteps walking back and forth, it was thick, and hard, sounding like they could be wearing dress shoes. “It’s most likely a male,” I tell myself.

When I peek out the room, I see that it’s the Principal, Mr.Krane. He might be checking all of the computers to make sure they’re up and running. I remember during last year, he gave me detention for talking back to him, when I clearly was’nt. He said,

“Young man, you should say hello to your superiors!” I then whispered,
“You’re not my superior, you are barely a principle.” I guess he heard me, because then he snapped,
“You will respect me!,” he barked in my ear, like a hungry wild dog, “Do you understand!” I just say
“Sure, whatever,” while rolling my eyes, and turning my back towards him, then took the detention. 
I know if catches me he will remember my face, and what I said. He comes to the room I’m in. The door is slightly open, and I can see his thick, hulking shadow, creeping towards the door.It feels like the moment is in slow motion, and I can see it all happening before my eyes, just waiting to be caught, and thrown out like a dirty rag I slowly try to move to hide behind the cabinet, while staring at the door, just waiting. All of a sudden a large smashing sound happened “, something must have fell in a classroom.
“Aw shucks!,” He cried as he walked to the door, “Not again!”
As soon as he left, I hurried to the door, and made sure he was in the door room, then I ran down the long hall, door, after door, after door, then finally turning left then right, and I was where I first got in.

That night I was beating myself up for not continuing my hacking. Tossing, and turning, in my bed , rolling around, having nightmares. Then I decided to give it one more shot.

The next day, I ran out the door, even without having breakfast. I tried to go early, so that no one was there. As soon as I got there, I did the same as before, left, right, left, up, and jiggle the pick, “ this is too easy,” I muttered. I’m in again.

instead of going to the staff center, this time I don’t waste any time, and head straight for Mr.Krane’s office. His computer has all the information, student ID’s, info on the days we have off, teachers names, and of course the class arrangements.

This time, I don’t turn down the hallway toward the safe center, instead I turn right. While running down the hallway, I hear a teacher typing on their computer, in one of the rooms. I stop, and pause for a quick moment, then walk quietly to the door. As I peek into the room making sure it was ok for me to walk by without getting noticed that the teacher is Mrs. Bale. She is staring at her screen, as she types, faster than I could imagine. She was always my favorite teacher. After every test, or quiz she would smile at me, and say,
“Good job Eric!” I was always her favorite student, then I let out a brief smile, and keep moving
to my goal. When I reached Mr.Krane’s office, I find his computer, and start putting in the same code, I used before. G..6..f..3..Q..L..D..0..0..E..R..L..4..T..s..8..9…...1, I finally got in, then found my file named “Eric Lander,” and started changing my classes, so that I was placed in more advanced classes, so I could learn how to be successful, and be given an equal opportunity, to be wealthy, just like my friends. As I was finishing up my hacking, and changing my classes to my liking, the large, wooden door swung open,

“I knew someone was in this school, I could feel their presence!!” My heart sunk into my chest, and I started to stare at the screen, as I started to stop typing.
“Look at me, I know it’s you Eric,” they shouted, “Out of all the people to do this, it was you all along.” I hold my head in shame, and say,
“Hello Mrs. Walsh, I’m so sorry,” I didn’t expect her to be here, even though she was a teacher.
I thought she would still be tending to her lovely garden, watering them lightly, checking the quality of the soil, then resting her tired old bones after she was done.

She grabs me by my wrist, and says,
“Come with me young man, you have some explaining to do!” I try to get free a few times, but they all fail, she is strong for her age. I,ve thought that I would never turn into one of those kids that would break into a school, but my purpose makes sense. She called my mom, and told her what I did, also the principal, and told me to go to The Board of Education tomorrow, to office 708. When I was walking home, I started thinking about everything that could happen to me. Not being let into school, my mom cutting off my allowance, and not making salmon crab legs for awhile. I did all this to be successful, is that what it takes to get to the top, breaking the law, hacking computers, and destroying the trust my mother and Mrs.Walsh had for me.

When I reached my house, my mother was waiting for me. As soon as I opened the door, she went off.

“What the hell is wrong with you!,” she yelled at me while holding her hips, and looking me in my shameful eyes.
“well?,” she said once more until I finally told her.

“I did it because, at school the classes are separated by social class now,” I said, while looking down at her seafoam green colored shows, tapping up and down aimlessly, then I speak once again, “ It doesn't give lower class students the same opportunities as the middle, and upper class students.” She looks at me, and is puzzled to hear what the school as done with the arrangements.

“Why would the do that,” she said, “teachers are always ranting about how every students needs to have an equal chance for success, but yet they shoot you down, and sentence your life to failure, and joblessness!!” She then took a deep breath, walked over to the counter, and said,
“I’m going to support you.”
“Thank you so much, tomorrow I have to go to The Board of Education, and talk to them about it.” We talked a bit more, then I decided to go straight upstairs, and go right to bed. I wasn’t in the mood to eat, I had a horrible case of butterflies in my stomach. I close my eyes, and listen to the rain outside. An image pops in my head, of rain drops crashing to the planet one by one like a meteor shower, and smashing into the pavement. I imagine that the sound is like waves hitting a shore, breaking apart, and cooling the air with it’s cold breeze.
The next day, I threw on a baby blue hoodie, that had  the numbers 69 on it in black, with no words, blue jeans, with holes cut out at the knees, and my black shoes. I’ve had my shoes since last May, I got them for my birthday, when I first pulled them out, it smelled like fresh plastic, I’ll never forget that day, It was so amazing.
I went down stairs, before my mother was awake, and made a fudge chocolate poptart. The smooth taste of it, with its soft center, and chocolate streaming out of the center, I thought  was in love for that brief moment.
Then I started walking to The Board of Education office. While I was walking, I could see small children walking with their parents to the local water ice stand. They have all kinds of flavors, blueberry, lemon, orange. I’ve been told that they have forty different flavors, but my favorite in rainbow. It’s a mixture of almost all the flavors, and you can taste each one, its so diverse. I remember my first time taking a gulp of it, shoveling my water ice like it was snow, and throwing it into my mouth, hitting my taste buds, and giving me an orgasmic like experice. Also a headache.
I finally reach The Board of Education, and whispered to myself
“Dammit, what have I got myself into." I started to walk to the door, and as I got there Mrs.Walsh came out, and stared at me for about five seconds, as she walked to her small, sliver car. I looked at her briefly, and said "hello," but she didn't say again back, and kept walking.

When I reached the office 708, I stopped in front of it, took a huge gulp of air then walked in.

There was a woman, and a man sitting, in the office. Both making eye contact with me, It was like their eyes were daggers, and I could feel them piercing my body. I also saw both their name tags on their desk, Ms.Carter, and Mr.Raft. As I looked around the room, I saw that there was a green lock hanging to the left of me on the light brown colored wall. I take a step forward,

“Please sit down young,” Ms.Carter says, as she taps her mango colored pen on the dark brown wooden desk. “Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into mister?”

“Yes ma’am, and i’m sorry for my actions,” I mumbled, as I looked at my shoes.

“Look at us when we are talking to you,” Mr.Raft said. He seems like the type of person that wants to let someone off with a warning, or slight punishment, because they believe everyone should have a second chance. But I know i’ll get one, because I could see it in Ms.Carter’s eyes. They were pale, black eyes, that were focused on one thing only at the time. It was me.

“Explain yourself,” she says, as she folds her pale arms, and moving her black hair slightly.
“The reason why I did this, was because I thought that I wouldn’t have an equal opportunity, to be successful,” I said, “I’m apart of the lower class, and once you're born of that class, thats the way you're going to be the rest of your life unless, you change it yourself.”
“I see your point, but this is no way to handle it,” Mr.Raft said, “ I’m tired of ungrateful kids like you, wanting to change the school policy, as soon as you see fit.”
“But shouldn't you help me change it, so that lower class students have an equal chance, isn't that what school is for, to get an education, but when I try to get a decent one, you say i'm ungrateful,” I barked, “All i’m asking is to be placed in a more advanced class, because the lord knows that i'm smart enough, and I have a 3.5 GPA, shouldn’t that be enough,” I proclaimed in a much more calm tone.

Mr.Raft then walks out of the room, and doesn’t say a word, I can tell that he was frustrated because I called im out. Ms.Carter then tells me,

“Nice job at, defending yourself young,” she said while giving a small smirk, “lets say we make a deal, I make sure that you have your advanced classes, to be successful, and in return you make sure you get all A’s this year”

“Sounds like a done deal to me,” I exclaimed, while my eyes lit up, like a full moon on a dark night.

When I got up, I was so excited, and relieved that I didn’t get charged and go to jail, because I was not looking forward to dropping the soap by accident, and having to pick it up. The thought of it just gives me the chills, and creeps me the hell out.

Later that night my mom asked me how it went. I told her everything, and she was relieved also. Me and my mom agreed to not mention this to my dad because, we both knew he would beat my ass for sure.

Tomorrow was the first day of school, and I didn’t know what to expect, Thinking that every teacher would eye me, and look me up and down.When I went to sleep, I dreamt about how my teachers would act for the first few week, then realize that I was good, judging me, because of my actions, and challenging me even harder than the “rich kids.”

The next day while I was walking to my new class, scan the hallways, looking at the sea of heads, and watching teachers, seeing if anyone was eyeing me, but no one is. Then I whisper to myself, “Is it possible that only Mrs.Walsh, Ms.Carter, and Mr.Raft, know about what happened.

Then, as I turn the silver door knob, I stop, and breath, then open.

Every other student is in the class, and dressed like pro golfers, and look straight at me. I see who my teacher is, my face turns bright red with embarrassment, I look them straight in their eyes, and say,
“This is going to be a hard year.”