Channing Beck

By John Dickson

Channing Beck
by JW Dickson

Exciting and fast paced adventures of a young boys journey from rich to poor, fighting bullies, blossoming love, and life and death decisions.
Follow Channing as he learns some of life's lessons the hard way. Enjoy his friendship with a man that is older than dirt, and filled with the wisdom of the ages. He is both the nicest man Channing ever met, and the wisest. He teaches Channing lessons that they do not teach in school. Lessons that will last a lifetime. A man that uses words to get his way, if that does not work, he has the brawn to back up the words.
This was his third school in six years, and Channing wants nothing more than to go back to what his family had in the past. As his life spirals into depression and anger, he uses his inner voice and his new friend to give him strength to persevere.
An alcoholic father and a workaholic mother forces him to fend for himself. He meets bullies that beat him up twice, then with the advice of a friend he turns the tables on the bullies.
Feel his heart break when the first girl he asks out, excepts him and then, rejects him. Then a girl who he thinks of as only a friend, becomes more than a friend and love blossoms.
When a girl in his class suddenly disappears in his neighborhood. Channing finds out that she is being held by a very scary man in the basement of a house in his neighborhood. When the police will not listen to him, he makes the decision to rescue her on his own. He knows the price for failure could be his own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Dickson
• Release date: Sep 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310679254

Book preview

Channing Beck

By

J. W. Dickson

Copyright 2014 J. W. Dickson

Smashwords Edition

Cover art courtesy of Jennifer L. Bane Copyright 2014

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter One

Channing Beck walked quickly down the tree lined street. Keeping his head down and glancing up and down the street and side to side with quick head and eye movements. The sun was not quite above the horizon and the gray predawn light made it hard to see anything more than shapes at a distance. At 14 his five foot six frame was tall for his age, but he was on the slender side. Medium length sandy hair and brilliant green eyes had more than one girl in his class interested in him.

Do you see them? Channing asked.

"No." The voice answered.

Channing crossed the street one block from his house. Should we go on or turn and go up the alley?

"Do not use the alley! If they catch you there, there is no telling what they would do to you. Stick to the streets." The voice said.

Channing had heard this before, maybe it was from one of the DARE officers, or it could have been from his parents, but now he was scared. He had just moved to his third house in six years. Soon after he started walking to school he found out three bullies from his new school were intercepting kids on their way to school and taking money from them.

They had caught Channing more than a month ago during the very first week of the school year. Channing had seen them cross the street to get in front of him. He had thought it strange that they were walking away from the school when everyone else on the street was walking to the school.

The three of them blocked the sidewalk, which was not hard, since each of them was both taller and heavier than Channing. They sounded at first like they wanted to befriend Channing.

Hey, ain’t you that new kid? The leader said. He was by far the biggest. Channing later had found out his name was Howard Hanes. The other two, Jordan Flate and Jimmy Newsome were slightly smaller in height and girth.

Un-huh. Murmured Channing.

Ya got any money, new kid? This was the smallest of the three, Jimmy Newsome.

Just lunch money. Channing answered.

Hand it over. Howard said.

I need this money for lunch. Channing said innocently.

Well we need it more than you do. Howard said as he stepped forward and slammed a sucker punch into Channing’s stomach.

Channing doubled over and fell to his hands and knees on the sidewalk. He never dreamed this could happen to him, after all he had taken karate lessons for five years. He was a brown belt and knew how to defend himself. But his last lesson was more than a year ago, before they became too expensive. He had not kept up the practice that would have helped him here.

At first he thought he was going to throw up, then things seemed to go dim and he thought he was going to pass out. He did not even feel the three bullies going through his pockets to get his money.

Channing rolled over on his side and began to whimper. He thought he was too old to cry so he was fighting back tears as he lay on his side and began to catch his breath.

After a short while Channing raised himself up to a sitting position. He looked around and did not see anyone. Even the three bullies were long gone.

Still fighting tears Channing slowly got to his feet and walked home.

By time he walked in the back door he was crying.

He yelled for his mom, but then realized she had left for work. Channing went into the living room where the television was playing. His dad was passed out on the couch. There were empty beer bottles everywhere.

Channing shook his dad’s shoulder, Dad, he sobbed. Dad, three boys just robbed me and hit me in the stomach.

His dad gave an inaudible response and pushed Channing’s hand away.

Dad, now Channing was crying and nearly screaming. Dad, I just got beat up.

His dad opened his eyes just a slit. You got beat up?

Yeah, three older guys hit me and took my lunch money.

This information seemed to baffle Channing’s dad. He stared at Channing through glassy bloodshot eyes, you got beat up? he mumbled again.

They hit me in the stomach…they took my lunch money… Channing began to explain between sobs.

His dad pushed Channing’s hand away again. Go fix your own lunch. He then rolled over on his side facing away from Channing.

Channing could not believe it at first. His dad had always been there for him. Channing had grown up through his first 12 years in an upper middle class home being given all that a young boy could want.

Still crying, Channing backed away from the couch. He turned and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He slammed the door hard enough to wake the dead, hoping his father would hear it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to annoy his father, or he just wanted his father to acknowledge him by coming upstairs and beating his ass like he threatened to do so often lately.

Channing threw himself on the bed and began to cry in earnest. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he could taste the salty tears as they made it to his mouth. Burying his face into his pillow he cried, and cried….

Chapter Two

Channing did not remember falling asleep. He raised his head from his tear soaked pillow and answered What! to a remembered voice in his dream.

"Channing."

What? Channing answered again. This time he began to sit up in bed. The fog in his head was slowly clearing. Maybe his mom had come home from work early. Maybe his dad wanted to go someplace with him.

What? Channing answered even louder.

"You don’t have to shout I am right here." The voice said.

Channing stomach got a knot as he looked quickly around his room.

Wher…e? Channing stammered. He began to slide to the side of the bed, a knot forming in his stomach.

"I am right here with you, you can hear me, but you can not see me. That would not be allowed."

Channing slid off the bed and stepped towards the door. You’re a voice in my head? Channing voice was quivering and scared. I…I….

Channing moved to the door and threw it opened.

"Don’t go, I just want to help."

Channing ran down the steps screaming. He ran to the living room where his dad had been, and found the couch empty.

He continued to scream as he moved to the kitchen. Empty. He looked quickly out of the kitchen to the driveway and saw his dad’s car was gone.

"Channing, your parents can not help you right now, I can. If you just give me a little time to explain."

Stay away from me. Channing screamed. I don’t want you, I don’t need your help. People who hear voices in their head are crazy, and I am not crazy. Just stay away from me.

Silence.

Did you hear me, just stay away!

Still silence, Channing heard nothing.

Channing ran out the kitchen door, down the steps and across the backyard to a point behind the garage. Whoever lived at this house before had built a large wooden shed behind the detached garage. Channing had claimed it immediately as his club house. Even though he had no friends at his new school to invite over. And despite the fact that the shed was more than half full of junk left behind by who knows how many renters. He still liked to go there and sit in an old lawn chair when he needed some privacy.

Channing began to think about the voice he had heard. It said it could help. But how? Hearing voices could only mean one thing, I am going crazy, Channing thought. A knot filled Channing’s stomach and he said out loud, OK, lets think this thing out. If I tell mom and dad that I heard a voice, they will call the guys in the white suites and take me away.

Channing stood up and began pacing around the small area of the shed he had cleared of junk.

Telling mom and dad may not help me right now. Channing sat back down.

The noise of a car pulling into the driveway told Channing that his dad had returned home.

Channing looked carefully out of the only window in the shed and saw his dad walking towards the back door with a package under his arm.

More beer, Channing thought.

Suddenly Channing’s heart stopped. What if his dad noticed he wasn’t home? Channing calmed down quickly as he realized he was supposed to be in school right now. His stomach told him it wasn’t quite lunch time, so his dad would not expect him to be home, and Channing doubted his dad would remember Channing waking him up this morning. What about tomorrow when