The Art of Life and Love: The First Spark

                                      Prologue

                                     ~~~~~~~

  One time, there existed a young man who resided outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His name was Dillon Vera. He was sixteen years old, and neared the end of his freshman year of high school. Like many teenagers, Dillon had had a rough time. With his hormones and self esteem all over the place, it was difficult to find anywhere to fit in. Add in the fact that Dillon's best friend Dominic, Dom for short, had just moved down south, and Dillon was not happy. Dom was two grades above him, but they had been best friends since they were small.

  Once Dom was a Junior, he got offered a course at some ritzy tech school for carpentry down in Texas. It was something he really enjoyed. He had told Dillon that it was a four year apprenticeship program, but that he would definitely be back to visit whenever he could. Even with Dom by his side, Dillon still had trouble with people. He was self conscious about many things, and he was very awkward. Dillon's family and friends all say he's handsome, and it would make him feel better for a while.

  He knew he wasn't ugly. Ever since he was a small kid, people have said he had the brightest blue eyes they'd ever seen. Not to mention how they'd go nuts for his long eyelashes. When he looked in a mirror, Dillon wasn't unhappy with himself. He had short sandy blonde hair that he spiked in the front, a fair few freckles, and a nicely cut jawline. As sixteen year old, his body had developed a good bit, and quickly. When he was a kid, he had a round face, and a good bit of baby fat on him.

  Once Dillon hit thirteen though, his growth exploded. Over the next few years, Dillon had a couple growth spurts. The second of which boosted him to five foot nine inches and one hundred seventy pounds by the time he finished freshman year. He had also lost a good twenty pounds and had put on some nice muscle. Since he had shot up in height so fast, Dillon didn't know what to do with the newfound body mass. This made him very gangly and awkward at times, which he was quite embarrassed about. He was very accident prone.

  Not only did his height increase, but his appetite increased as well. He was always hungry, but at the same time, he had slimmed down. The baby fat that he had as a kid went away, and his facial features became more prominent, especially his chin and jaw. His appetite was a problem his parents actually had to sit him down for. They had to figure out a solution to Dillon's consumption of the groceries so quickly. Turned out Dillon would eat all the food in a few days, and it had gotten too expensive. His appetite also wasn't good for him as a juvenile diabetic. Dillon was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes after he'd just turned thirteen. It was a hard adjustment for him on top of the other teenager things he had to deal with. He had to learn quickly how to calculate and administer insulin injections, how to count carbohydrates, how to get into better habits food wise, the importance of exercise, and much more.

  It was hard to balance all that with school, home life, friends, hormones, and puberty. He did it, though. Then there was that. By far the hardest part about puberty was that. That was the thing that he was most afraid of. That was something new and foreign, and something he couldn't talk to anyone about. It was that which brought about many of the struggles he has gone through as a teenager. What should he do about that? Ask a teacher, maybe? He certainly could not talk to anyone he knew about that. That was something that was not okay in his world. That would ostracize him from the people he loved. That was the hardest part. Dillon already felt so alone, out of place, and frankly unloved. It was difficult to handle that with everything else.

  That is the fact that Dillon was not attracted to women. No, ever since Dillon hit puberty, he had only been attracted to men. That was his biggest insecurity. His worst secret. Nobody could find out. They wouldn't want him anymore. Dillon wouldn't let that happen, though. He'd bury it. They were just stupid urges. Just like every other trial he's had to endure in his life, he would conquer it. Nobody had to know, and he wouldn't lose the people he loved. Besides, he had other things to focus on with school, friends, and his home life, so it usually wasn't too hard to distract himself. Dillon's only confidante was Dom, who was the one person who knew about that. Naturally, he didn't care, which had reassured Dillon a lot.

  Now though, with Dom gone on his stupid Texas escapades, he had nobody. Sure, he kept in contact with him through calls and texts sometimes, but it wasn't the same. It was hard to find a best friend like him. With his only close friend halfway across the country, Dillon felt incredibly alone. As if he was on a deserted island, with a bunch of big beautiful ships in the distance that could help him, but not one noticed the damn island. Not just that, but Dillon was also unable to call or signal to them. It's almost like he was invisible. Which in some ways was a good thing, he supposed.

  That is also the reason behind Dillon's incredible ability to act for one his age. He couldn't have anyone find out about that, so he played the part of a normal male sixteen year old that was a lady's man. Dillon played the part wonderfully, though. Luckily, he was just a normal guy. There wasn't any red flags that he could send people with his appearance or mannerisms. It didn't hurt that his parents were prominent figures in his church, either.

  His stepmother was a singer, and his father was on the board of elders. Nobody suspected that the child of such a home could turn out so broken. Dillon may have a good home life now, but his early childhood wasn't the best. His birthmother and father split when he was a year old, and Dillon and his two elder brothers were separated. Dillon went with his dad because he was the youngest; his mother had a problem with drug addiction.

  His two elder brothers, Tyler and Jared, went with his birthmom and moved to New Jersey. Ever since, Dillon had been raised as an only child. He had only met his brothers, stepdad, and birthmother a few times. He loved them, of course, yet he wasn't unhappy with the way things turned out. It's how he was raised anyway, so it was just life to him. One day maybe, he'd like to get to know them more.

  Dillon was raised in a lower class neighborhood in an older satellite city outside of Philadelphia. That is unacceptable for a member of his community, and any people that also struggled with that are treated like second-class citizens. They'd even get beaten and left for dead, or likewise. Dillon didn't enter this world to be thrown away, disposed of like trash because of that. He'd never been first priority to a lot of people since the beginning. If nobody will acknowledge him, Dillon will acknowledge himself. He'll gain control of that and be someone that is loved and wanted regardless. Who knows, maybe that was just a phase. Dillon knew deep down however, that that wasn't the case.

  When all is said and done, Dillon still loved his family and friends immensely. He couldn't hold any animosity towards them for their beliefs. Many were raised in a different generation, and Dillon tried to remember they held a much different view of the world. When one lived their whole life with the same habits and beliefs, it is very hard to change them. Dillon understood that, yet it was still hard for him. At the same time, he had a lot of good times with his family and friends, and loved them all very much.

  Before puberty, it was his aim all the time to make the people he loved happy. All he wanted to do was make them smile, and he did quite often. Now though, Dillon was too focused on other things to spare much thought for anyone else, unfortunately. He tried hard enough to make it day to day. School was another big thing that Dillon struggled with. Intellect wasn't the problem, as he was actually very smart. His grades were always good, despite the fact that he never studied. He just absorbed and understood the material easily, that's all.

  No, Dillon's struggle was with his social life. He had a few good friends, but they weren't in many of his classes so he'd only get to see them after school. While he loved his friends, and he truly did, there were none amongst them he could totally confide in. Without Dom, there was nobody. Dillon was a mere voice that shouted out for help amidst a sea of other voices. A voice that nobody could hear. A voice that went on and on without release, but made no sound to the people that walked past him. They didn't stop to answer, because his pleas made no sound to be heard and nobody could see his struggle.

  Meanwhile, his heart had started to rot with nihilism. Dillon started not to care about life. His moods were volatile, and he'd lash out at anyone that would try and get remotely close. Eventually, he wouldn't even go to church. Why expend the energy to act normal for a God that wouldn't help him with anything and expected praise on top of it? He did have friends and people at church that he loved, but at the end of the day, he just wanted to be alone.

  It exhausted him to try and fool everyone that he was something he wasn't. Dillon didn't like the fact that he had to lie to so many people. He had always been a pretty open and honest kid. His dad always stressed the importance of honesty since he was little. Thankfully, Dillon had school to distract him and it gave him a fair excuse to be alone a lot. Dillon went to two high schools. First was the the public highschool that was nearby. Then there was the tech school he had attended since the start of freshman year for Culinary Arts. Dillon would attend both most days. He'd spend the morning at his public school, and take the bus after lunch to tech school. There he'd spend the afternoon in hands-on culinary lessons until three thirty. It was one of the few things that Dillon genuinely enjoyed. He had a passion for anything culinary. To be a TV chef was his biggest dream.

  The tech school was awesome and equipped with all the latest kitchen gadgetry. It still sort of annoyed him that he had public school Monday through Friday, but tech school was Tuesday through Saturday. It really sucked sometimes for a sixteen year old to not be able to sleep in on Saturdays. Dillon missed the simpler days. He dreamed of the days when he would go outside during the summer and play in the woods or the creek after school with his friends. When the only problem he had really ever faced was boredom.

  This had to end someday, right? This struggle and pain that came with that and everything else? He was at his wit's end, and he hoped against hope itself that he would see the light that heralded the exit of the tunnel he was trapped in. Dillon would conquer that just like everything else, by any means. The question is when and how.

                                        ~~~~~~~

  This is an account of Dillon's story, and the story of an as of yet unknown face. A record of his late teens and young adulthood, so he and those he loved will never forget. A story of a kid that tried his best to navigate his way through life. A story full of triumphs and failures, and tears of happiness and sadness alike. Dillon's future story as well, is one he himself would never expect.

  Walk with Dillon through his memories and experiences, and watch him grow as a person. While he is a normal, everyday teenager like any other, through this story, you will see he is nothing if not unique. You will see how special and awesome of a person he his, as he learns it himself. However, you will also see his mistakes, fumbles, and failures.

  Naturally, since these are the memories of a person's life, it is uncensored so you will see every aspect of him as a person. It is essential so you can see the full picture and learn the intricacies of the story. You will see loveably innocent moments, and explicitly intimate moments, with nothing edited out. Therefore, as a disclaimer, this is a story for mature readers. You will see the most private aspects of Dillon's thoughts and experiences. It may be too much for some, just like with anything in this world, and that's fine. However, the ones that push forward to read the entire story will be rewarded with happiness and laughter. There will also be tears, anger, fear, insecurity, heartbreak, and loss, but the biggest thing to be found in Dillon's story is love.