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Description
Freex

Joey shifted in the uncomfortable chair. He had been sitting there for a half an hour listening to the teacher mumble on about rocks and minerals; pebbles were the last things he wanted to think about. He sighed and looked around the room trying to find something a bit more interesting to give his attention to. Nothing seemed to strike him as amusing until his sight fell upon Richard Stallman.
Richard was a skinny kid. He was enormous in height though, probably around six foot four. His shaggy brown bowl-cut hair stuck to his forehead and the grease reflected the light. Joey never talked to him, but then again, no one did. Richard was one of those kids that would murder your social status if you were caught talking to them. He just seemed so different. Then Joey realized; he was rather different himself.
The bell rang and interrupted Joey\'s entertainment. He didn\'t mind; it was lunchtime. He walked down the hall towards the lunchroom, waving at a group of his friends. He pushed through a group of giggling sophomores, making a path to his table.
\"Hey man.\" Joey\'s best friend Chuck was already sitting there. \"What\'s up?\"
\"Nothing really. Just got done listening to one of the most killer speeches on the difference between sulfur and obsidian.\" Joey slouched in a red plastic chair and played with his hair. Gel flakes fell from his blonde spikes.
Chuck pulled a sandwich out of his backpack. As he unfolded the foil, the scent of tuna fish crept up Joey\'s nose. For some reason, he wasn\'t his usual hungry self. He looked across the lunchroom and saw Richard sitting alone. He was reading and completely ignoring the rest of the world; even the seniors who were tossing their leftover lunch at his back.
Chuck finally realized who Joey had been staring at, and after swallowing, he started talking. \"Good old Rich. Useful for only one thing; a laugh.\" He motioned over to the seniors with his half eaten sandwich. \"No one will ever give him a break.\"
\"I don\'t get it though,\" Joey said. \"So what if he looks different on the outside?\"
\"He\'s a weirdo. Just look at him, Joey. Come on. He deserves it.\"
\"Speak for yourself, Sid Vicious,\" Joey said, looking at Chuck\'s outfit.
Chuck kept talking but Joey wasn\'t paying attention; he was too busy thinking. \"That\'s pathetic. That poor kid is just used to it by now; it is depressing. I wonder what people would say if I hung out with him.\" He was so deep in his thoughts, that if it weren\'t for Chuck punching him in the arm, he wouldn\'t have heard the bell ring. He got up and started to walk down the hall to his next class.
In geometry, Richard sat behind him. They were usually the first ones in class; this would give Joey the best chance to make plans. When he walked in the room he saw Richard sitting in his desk staring at a blank sheet of paper. He took a deep breath.
\"Hi, Richard.\"
Richard looked up, surprised to hear his name. He just stared at Joey, waiting for him to start spitting out ignorant comments.
\"My name\'s Joey.\"
\"I know,\" Richard said quietly.
\"Well, I\'ve never really said much to you, but I was wondering what you were doing after school today. I just thought maybe you\'d want to hang out or something.\" Joey looked down at his feet. \"Am I seriously nervous?\" he wondered to himself.
\"Yeah sure,\" Richard said without changing his tone.
\"OK, cool. Don\'t you live on West Ave? I could stop by later.\" Richard nodded and Joey sat down in his seat.

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Joey walked down West Avenue. He was almost one hundred percent sure that Richard\'s house was number thirty-one. The cement steps were cracked and the grass in front of the brown house was overgrown. He rang the doorbell and could hear it echoing throughout the house.
A woman in an oversized t-shirt and stretch pants answered the door. Her curly hair was thrown in a messy ponytail.
\"Hi. You must be Richie\'s friend.\" She smiled. \"Come on in. Richie\'s in his room.\"
\"Thank you, ma\'am.\" Joey smiled and walked down the hall. A cat clock with moving eyes seemed to watch him as he walked. At the end of the hall, the last door had a sign that read \"Stay Out\" and he figured it was Richard\'s. He knocked lightly.
\"Come in,\" Richard said from inside the room. When Joey walked in, he was surprised to see it looked a lot like his own. Clothes were tossed on the floor, nearly covering the rug, and posters hung up on the ceiling above his bed. Richard was sitting at his computer desk. \"This is my room,\" he said, proudly.
\"Heh, yeah, I figured.\" Joey sat down on his mattress and looked at the posters. One was of the Hulk and the other was a comic book character that he\'d never seen before.
\"Do you read comics?\" Richard asked after noticing Joey\'s interest in the pictures above him. \"I have a huge collection.\"
\"That\'s so cool. I collect X-Men mostly, and I have a few issues of Freex, although they\'re not too popular.\" Joey said.
\"Are you serious? I thought I was the only one who\'s ever read a Freex comic,\" Richard said with excitement. \"I\'ve got the very first issue, still in its plastic case with the trading card.\"
\"For Real? I have the first issue, but I had to order it. The guy I bought it off of said it was in mint condition. The cheap bastard sold me one with a tear in the cover and a crease in a few pages.\"
\"That really sucks!\" Richard laughed.
For the rest of the day, Joey and Richard talked about everything, starting with a long talk about comics to childhood memories and into the topic of school. Richard started to sound uneasy when he talked about school, and Joey had a good guess as to why.
Richard looked down at the floor. \"No one ever talks to me in school, unless they call me things like a loser or geek. You\'re the first person I\'ve had come over in three years.\" He looked down.
\"Well, hey, people call me different too. People suck, don\'t worry about it,\" Joey said, trying to cheer him up.
\"Thanks for coming over, Joey. To be honest, I thought it was all a joke. I didn\'t think you\'d show up.\"
The clock meowed in the hallway. It was nine already.
\"You better get going.\" Richard said. His voice was blank and emotionless.
\"Yeah, I\'ll see you tomorrow.\"
\"Yeah,\" Richard said as Joey walked out of his room. As he shut the door, Richard mumbled.
\"Maybe.\"

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The next day in school, Richard was nowhere to be seen. It was only right to see how his new friend was doing, so after school, he took a walk to Richard\'s house. Halfway down the street, he noticed a police car blocking the road, and an officer leaning against it.
\"Hey!\" Joey yelled to the cop as he ran towards him. \"What\'s going on?\"
\"Sorry, son. You can\'t go past here.\" The cop folded his arms across his bulging stomach.
\"Why? What happened?\" Joey started to feel nervous.
\"I am sorry, son. Just go on home. There\'s nothing to see here.\" The cop stared at him, waiting for him to walk away.
In the distance, Joey could see an ambulance and more police cars. People were crowded around yellow tape. He squinted to see what house it was. Number thirty-one. He ran passed the cop, dodging the police\'s grip. No pig was going to stop Joey. He pushed through the crowd of gawking people and ripped through the yellow tape.
\"Hey, kid! What the hell do you think you\'re doing?\" a cop yelled at him. He tried to grab Joey\'s arm, but missed.
\"Get away from me!\" Joey yelled as he squeezed through a man and woman with cameras. More yellow tape blocked Richard\'s opened door, but it didn\'t stop him. Suddenly, he stopped. The carpet was covered in blood. Red spots on the walls, and there on the floor, lying limp in a massive crimson pool, was Richard. The room started to spin, and Joey fell; his world went black.

<>~<>~<>~<>

Joey opened his eyes to see a familiar face. His mother was sitting across from him in his room. He tried to sit up, but his head pounded.
\"Joey, honey, how do you feel?\" she said to him soothingly.
\"My head...Richard...I...\" Joey mumbled. He couldn\'t complete a whole sentence, no matter how hard he tried.
\"Shh, sweetie, its OK. Don\'t speak. The doctor advised me to not tell you this, considering your state, but I feel you should hear it. Last night, Richard had stopped by. It was late, maybe around one in the morning, and he wanted me to give this to you.\" She picked up something wrapped in newspaper.
\"He told me that you\'d understand.\"
Joey stared at the sickening gift. He pulled away the paper and tears filled his eyes. Through the blur, Joey read the words \"Freex: Issue one.\"

Description
Freex

Joey shifted in the uncomfortable chair. He had been sitting there for a half an hour listening to the teacher mumble on about rocks and minerals; pebbles were the last things he wanted to think about. He sighed and looked around the room trying to find something a bit more interesting to give his attention to. Nothing seemed to strike him as amusing until his sight fell upon Richard Stallman.
Richard was a skinny kid. He was enormous in height though, probably around six foot four. His shaggy brown bowl-cut hair stuck to his forehead and the grease reflected the light. Joey never talked to him, but then again, no one did. Richard was one of those kids that would murder your social status if you were caught talking to them. He just seemed so different. Then Joey realized; he was rather different himself.
The bell rang and interrupted Joey\'s entertainment. He didn\'t mind; it was lunchtime. He walked down the hall towards the lunchroom, waving at a group of his friends. He pushed through a group of giggling sophomores, making a path to his table.
\"Hey man.\" Joey\'s best friend Chuck was already sitting there. \"What\'s up?\"
\"Nothing really. Just got done listening to one of the most killer speeches on the difference between sulfur and obsidian.\" Joey slouched in a red plastic chair and played with his hair. Gel flakes fell from his blonde spikes.
Chuck pulled a sandwich out of his backpack. As he unfolded the foil, the scent of tuna fish crept up Joey\'s nose. For some reason, he wasn\'t his usual hungry self. He looked across the lunchroom and saw Richard sitting alone. He was reading and completely ignoring the rest of the world; even the seniors who were tossing their leftover lunch at his back.
Chuck finally realized who Joey had been staring at, and after swallowing, he started talking. \"Good old Rich. Useful for only one thing; a laugh.\" He motioned over to the seniors with his half eaten sandwich. \"No one will ever give him a break.\"
\"I don\'t get it though,\" Joey said. \"So what if he looks different on the outside?\"
\"He\'s a weirdo. Just look at him, Joey. Come on. He deserves it.\"
\"Speak for yourself, Sid Vicious,\" Joey said, looking at Chuck\'s outfit.
Chuck kept talking but Joey wasn\'t paying attention; he was too busy thinking. \"That\'s pathetic. That poor kid is just used to it by now; it is depressing. I wonder what people would say if I hung out with him.\" He was so deep in his thoughts, that if it weren\'t for Chuck punching him in the arm, he wouldn\'t have heard the bell ring. He got up and started to walk down the hall to his next class.
In geometry, Richard sat behind him. They were usually the first ones in class; this would give Joey the best chance to make plans. When he walked in the room he saw Richard sitting in his desk staring at a blank sheet of paper. He took a deep breath.
\"Hi, Richard.\"
Richard looked up, surprised to hear his name. He just stared at Joey, waiting for him to start spitting out ignorant comments.
\"My name\'s Joey.\"
\"I know,\" Richard said quietly.
\"Well, I\'ve never really said much to you, but I was wondering what you were doing after school today. I just thought maybe you\'d want to hang out or something.\" Joey looked down at his feet. \"Am I seriously nervous?\" he wondered to himself.
\"Yeah sure,\" Richard said without changing his tone.
\"OK, cool. Don\'t you live on West Ave? I could stop by later.\" Richard nodded and Joey sat down in his seat.

<>~<>~<>~<>

Joey walked down West Avenue. He was almost one hundred percent sure that Richard\'s house was number thirty-one. The cement steps were cracked and the grass in front of the brown house was overgrown. He rang the doorbell and could hear it echoing throughout the house.
A woman in an oversized t-shirt and stretch pants answered the door. Her curly hair was thrown in a messy ponytail.
\"Hi. You must be Richie\'s friend.\" She smiled. \"Come on in. Richie\'s in his room.\"
\"Thank you, ma\'am.\" Joey smiled and walked down the hall. A cat clock with moving eyes seemed to watch him as he walked. At the end of the hall, the last door had a sign that read \"Stay Out\" and he figured it was Richard\'s. He knocked lightly.
\"Come in,\" Richard said from inside the room. When Joey walked in, he was surprised to see it looked a lot like his own. Clothes were tossed on the floor, nearly covering the rug, and posters hung up on the ceiling above his bed. Richard was sitting at his computer desk. \"This is my room,\" he said, proudly.
\"Heh, yeah, I figured.\" Joey sat down on his mattress and looked at the posters. One was of the Hulk and the other was a comic book character that he\'d never seen before.
\"Do you read comics?\" Richard asked after noticing Joey\'s interest in the pictures above him. \"I have a huge collection.\"
\"That\'s so cool. I collect X-Men mostly, and I have a few issues of Freex, although they\'re not too popular.\" Joey said.
\"Are you serious? I thought I was the only one who\'s ever read a Freex comic,\" Richard said with excitement. \"I\'ve got the very first issue, still in its plastic case with the trading card.\"
\"For Real? I have the first issue, but I had to order it. The guy I bought it off of said it was in mint condition. The cheap bastard sold me one with a tear in the cover and a crease in a few pages.\"
\"That really sucks!\" Richard laughed.
For the rest of the day, Joey and Richard talked about everything, starting with a long talk about comics to childhood memories and into the topic of school. Richard started to sound uneasy when he talked about school, and Joey had a good guess as to why.
Richard looked down at the floor. \"No one ever talks to me in school, unless they call me things like a loser or geek. You\'re the first person I\'ve had come over in three years.\" He looked down.
\"Well, hey, people call me different too. People suck, don\'t worry about it,\" Joey said, trying to cheer him up.
\"Thanks for coming over, Joey. To be honest, I thought it was all a joke. I didn\'t think you\'d show up.\"
The clock meowed in the hallway. It was nine already.
\"You better get going.\" Richard said. His voice was blank and emotionless.
\"Yeah, I\'ll see you tomorrow.\"
\"Yeah,\" Richard said as Joey walked out of his room. As he shut the door, Richard mumbled.
\"Maybe.\"

<>~<>~<>~<>

The next day in school, Richard was nowhere to be seen. It was only right to see how his new friend was doing, so after school, he took a walk to Richard\'s house. Halfway down the street, he noticed a police car blocking the road, and an officer leaning against it.
\"Hey!\" Joey yelled to the cop as he ran towards him. \"What\'s going on?\"
\"Sorry, son. You can\'t go past here.\" The cop folded his arms across his bulging stomach.
\"Why? What happened?\" Joey started to feel nervous.
\"I am sorry, son. Just go on home. There\'s nothing to see here.\" The cop stared at him, waiting for him to walk away.
In the distance, Joey could see an ambulance and more police cars. People were crowded around yellow tape. He squinted to see what house it was. Number thirty-one. He ran passed the cop, dodging the police\'s grip. No pig was going to stop Joey. He pushed through the crowd of gawking people and ripped through the yellow tape.
\"Hey, kid! What the hell do you think you\'re doing?\" a cop yelled at him. He tried to grab Joey\'s arm, but missed.
\"Get away from me!\" Joey yelled as he squeezed through a man and woman with cameras. More yellow tape blocked Richard\'s opened door, but it didn\'t stop him. Suddenly, he stopped. The carpet was covered in blood. Red spots on the walls, and there on the floor, lying limp in a massive crimson pool, was Richard. The room started to spin, and Joey fell; his world went black.

<>~<>~<>~<>

Joey opened his eyes to see a familiar face. His mother was sitting across from him in his room. He tried to sit up, but his head pounded.
\"Joey, honey, how do you feel?\" she said to him soothingly.
\"My head...Richard...I...\" Joey mumbled. He couldn\'t complete a whole sentence, no matter how hard he tried.
\"Shh, sweetie, its OK. Don\'t speak. The doctor advised me to not tell you this, considering your state, but I feel you should hear it. Last night, Richard had stopped by. It was late, maybe around one in the morning, and he wanted me to give this to you.\" She picked up something wrapped in newspaper.
\"He told me that you\'d understand.\"
Joey stared at the sickening gift. He pulled away the paper and tears filled his eyes. Through the blur, Joey read the words \"Freex: Issue one.\"