Monday, December 31, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 10: Part 1

“Where is your proof that you attended the Literature Ball, Gentry?”
Gentry gave Mr.Handson a disinterested stare, then moodily reached into his backpack held up a string of pink mardi gras beads.
“Ohh~kay…” Mr.Handson nodded, making a check on his list, “Good. You know, that’s odd, since I don’t remember seeing you there…”
“I made the pig cake.”
“Ohhhh, yes, I remember that.”
Gentry nodded with a thinly veiled scowl, thinking to himself, “Yeah, but you don’t remember me.”
He hurled the beads into the trash the moment he was out the door.
“Of course you don’t remember me, asshole. I’m the ghost of the school. I haunt until I get my grades and then disappear.”
The moment he slumped against the bricks Zach skimmed past him, hurridly ducking inside the literature class. Late, as always. If he would have arrived five minutes later, Mr.Handson would have disappeared on his ‘extended lunch break.’
“Zach! You don’t have to show me those beads. I know you were definitely there. Let me mark you on my list…”
“Thanks. It was a fun party.”
“Yeah, but you know it’s only a few extra-credit points, right?”
Gentry pressed himself against the doorframe, tense with attention.
“Yeaaaah…” Mr.Handson took off his glasses and rubbed his reddened eyes, “but currently, you’re still a D.”
“Oh.” Zach sighed, “What can I do about it? Can I retake any---”
“Work hard and study harder.”
“But I already do that! The problem is no one wants to be in my group. And the last group you put me in had two potheads, and they didn’t pull their weight. So I had to do the work for three people yet was graded by a scale that graded groups that actually had three competent people! If at all, I should get extra credit.”
Mr. Handson was thoughtfully silent for a moment, then said, “Your literature skills are still dismal. You might want to try a tutor. Yeah... Go to the library and get a sheet for it, and they will read it over the announcements that you’re looking for one.”
“That’s embarrassing.”
“I strongly encourage doing this if you want to pass my class.”
“But then whole school will know I suck at literature.”
“You could always study harder.”
“I study! It’s just not showing! I can’t fail this class, Mr.H...”
“Well, you should have thought harder before signing up for it… my job is to teach children literature---”
“That’s fine, Mr.H, but I didn’t take this class to learn literature. I took it because the school graduation requirements force me to. I’m going into science or math later, so why should a subject I’ll never need… no offense… keep me from reaching my future job?”
“The school makes the rules, not me.”
“Come on, can I at least redo one assignment? Like the Romeo and Juliet video project?”
“I cannot offer you an unfair advantage, Zach, and you know that very well. The only advice I can give to you is just to let it go. Move on.”
“But the percentage of my grade it makes up doesn’t let me recover anymore unless I can a 100% on the final! That’s impossible!”
“All I can suggest is that you get a tutor or have a friend from class to explain this to you---”
“I have no friends in this class!”
“That’s not my fault, Zach. You can’t always work with people you like.”
“It’s not that I don’t like others. Others don’t like me.”
“Then get a friend who knows literature and is willing to help you. If you have none, get a tutor. There is nothing else I can do, Zach, and I do not want to grade any more papers. Now, if you don’t mind, my lunch break has started.”
Mr.Handson unlocked the door and held it open, and Zach walked out dejectedly.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 9: Part 4

“This is actually pretty fun,” Zach admitted. He took a quick glance around the room, secretly happy that Gentry was nowhere to be seen.
“Yeah, too bad Gentry wasn’t here to see you.”
“… Yeah. Well, it’s a nice party.” He awkwardly stared at the others, then put on a smiling face and chirped, “But why are they playing the Chicken Dance? The last time I did that was in Estonia, first grade. But it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I didn’t even know they made a techno version.”
“That’s nice, Zach.” Mikey nodded absent-mindedly. Felix giggled.
“Yeah.” Zach’s eyes lit up, “I’m glad I dressed up. Now that I think about it, I actually like costumes. A lot. In fact, I wish I could be in a school play or something. Back in Estonia my neighborhood celebrated Halloween. This American guy introduced it, he always gave out these big chocolate bars. And it was the coolest thing... in fact, it’s actually my favorite holiday. And you know what’s great about it? Not the candy… But the costumes.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Mikey nodded.
“People always stress fitting in. But Halloween is the one day you can be a freak It’s the one day you can be accepted despite being weird or different--- in fact, it’s celebrated.”
“Hm.”
“Uh-huh.” Yawned Casey.
“Maybe it’s not such a big deal for you. But it wasn’t so easy fitting in when you were the only black guy in an all-white neighborhood either. I didn’t have that many friends. But on my first Halloween… it’s hard to explain. But the moment I put on my costume, I belonged. I was part of something…”
Casey eyed his watch and Mikey’s eyes glazed over.
“… And it was the best feeling in the world. But then the American moved away and it died down. Halloween spirit just died and I was a mismatched genetic Frankenstein again. People didn’t even try anymore---”
“Hey, Zach.” Mikey stood up, “I’m gonna go talk to Mr.Handson about things. You wait here, okay?”
Casey stood up as well, “Oh my God, there’s Kylie. I’m gonna go talk to her… Zach, you should go get something to eat! Take your time. REALLY.”
Felix nodded curtly, and shuffled after Casey.
“Ok.” Zach breathed, casting his eyes to the ground as he moved to a chair by the wall. His wings slumped down over his shoulders, and he tiredly stared at the crowd. He knew everyone here, and everyone here seemed nerved by him.
The ghost who sat beside him didn’t say a word.

Because You Suck: Chapter 9: Part 3

“Move out, move out! We have to bring this to the table!” Mikey shouted.
“Watch out for that cake on the ground…” warned Casey, as he helped ease the giant cake right into the center of table.
“Ew,” Mikey wrinkled his nose at the pink mess at his feet, “Whose mess was that?”
“I don’t know. I heard it was Gentry’s… um it was supposed to be a pig or something?” Casey drawled down into a murmur before chirping up again, “Hey, oh my God, Zach! You look so different. So… non-gangsta, for once.”
Zach eyed him levelly, “Yeah, for once.”
“You should dress like this all the time.” Casey lisped, and leaned in to get a better look at the other boy’s neck, “Hey, is that a hickey?”
Mikey licked his lips, “Maybe…”
He turned to Zach and buried his fingers in his hair, pushing his tongue into his mouth.
Casey grinned, “Aw. Let me take your picture…”
Gentry just watched, wondering where he could find enemies to match his friends. With a quiet sigh he moved to a chair by the wall and took a seat, happy to be a ghost for once. Now he just had to wait here for ten minutes, until Mr.Handson would hand out a cheap prize as proof of attendance.
"At least I’ll get an A for being here.” Gentry thought to himself, his glare restlessly lingering on Zach. Yeah, the Estonian terror looked different all right. Now he looked like every other faggot.

Because You Suck: Chapter 9: Part 2

The whispers began out of nowhere. Quickly they turned to murmurs, rumbling through the crowd and over the music. Emptying the main floor and pushing to the door.
“Oh my GOD… is that Zach?” Casey’s voice rang out and everyone turned to stare.
Gentry dropped the cake.
That was Zach, all right. Yet now, he looked… different. He wasn’t wearing glasses, either, but that wasn’t it. Perhaps it was the white t-shirt, or the way the jeans fit over his thighs. Perhaps it was the ridiculously large pair of angel wings…
Perhaps it was the bright red mark on his neck. Gentry’s eyes darted to Mikey, who was helping Zach transport a large rainbow cake. It was the gayest thing Gentry had ever seen, and yet the crowd fawned over it. The cake, if it could even be called a cake, looked more like a disgusting glob of frosting piled on top of three loaves of Wonderbread. That’s what it probably was, either way. And yet Mr.Handson looked downright exhilarated, as if this were a cake to top all cakes and Zach’s costume was a gift from the Gods. Gentry apathetically eyed the swine-cake at his feet, deciding to abandon the pink carnage.

Because You Suck: Chapter 9: Part 1

I'm on vaycay for the next week! I'll be posting all of chapter 9.

The room was swathed in the cold glow of fluorescent white light, making the white brick walls stand out against the people who heralded in through the blue double-doors. Their sneakers and high heels clicked and clacked against the green-gray linoleum floor, the door slamming loudly with each new arrival. The ‘chicken dance’ boomed from the speakers.
Mr.Handson stood by the door next to the other literature teachers, grinning in his wizard’s outfit and hitting his staff against the floor, “Here here, welcome ye to the Literature Ball! Refreshments are to be placed on the table.”
Gentry eyeballed him, holding a small marzipan cake in the shape of a pig’s head.
“Hello... Mr.Handson.”
“Oh, good to see you here…” Mr.Handson stroked his fake wizard’s beard, trying to hide that he didn’t know which of his students he was talking to, “I, the Great Merlin, welcome---- what are you, exactly?”
He comically cocked his head at the costume, a white bed sheet with two eyeholes cut out.
“The ghost of Hamlet’s father.”
“Ah, and so you are! And my, what an interesting cake. I see you did it in the theme of Lord of the Flies. That’s quite disturbing. Did you make it yourself?”
“Yes.” Of course he did. He did the same every year, and this one was no different. He didn’t have a home, but he’d be damned if anyone would be able to tell. Appearances needed to be kept up, life went on.
“Good job, Gentry! Now, just put it on the table over there, next to the Wuthering Brownies and Hamlet Sandwiches.”
Feeling very much like a dog that had been diminutively patted on the head, Gentry drudged towards the food table. He carefully maneuvered around Casey and selected members of the swim team to avoid being caught up in conversation, but soon found there was no need. This costume hid him perfectly!
With painfully precise slowness, Gentry eased the cake towards the same place he put it every year: the center of the table. It felt heavy in his hands, like some sacrificial offering to a primitive God.
He was too old for this bullshit. Everyone here was. Yet here they were, as they were every year, just to remind their teachers of how important their grade was to them. This was a costume party, all right, even faces weren’t faces, but grinning, squinty-eyed masks. Gentry wondered what would happen if he jumped on the table and kicked everything to the ground. Revolt!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 7

Zach shoved him away, then hesitantly put his fingers to feel his burning lips.
“Did you like that? I’m sorry if that was sudden. I came out to my parents a week ago…”
“---Cool.” Zach blurted out.
This earned him a grin, “Yeah, thanks. I’m just getting used to it, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you didn’t answer my question. Did you like it?”
Zach’s eyes glanced warily at him through thick black-rimmed glasses, before he replied with a soft, “Yes.”
“Good. I did, too.” He turned back to Zach, and playfully lapped at his lower lip, “You’re sexy, underneath all that shit you’re wearing.”
“Oh, really?”
Mikey glanced up, and felt a spark go off inside him when he saw his own eyes mirrored in Zach’s deep pools of blue.
“Did I do something wrong?” asked Mikey, with a voice which was the audible equivalent of bending the largest toe to test the water.
The answer came in a kiss, one that was strong yet deceptively soft. It burned like quiet anger, and tasted like salt… yet it was so long and so skilled that when Zach pulled away, Mikey had to catch his breath.
It was really like drowning…
“Where did you learn that?”
The little smile Zach gave in return infuriated him so much that, barely a moment later, he had Zach pinned to the mattress and glaring up at him.
“Well?”
“I’m not saying.”
“Was it Gentry?”
“No,” Zach was quiet for a moment, then admitted, “Not entirely.”
“Well?” Mikey drawled, his quiet voice curling around his words like smoke, “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone else.”
“I learned it back in Estonia. There was this classmate I made out with, no one knew. He was straight, though, and he thought I was, too---”
“That’s so hot, Zach. You remind me of that saying… that it’s always ‘nerds’ like us who get the most action.”
Zach gazed up at Mikey. Here was a good-looking boy with smooth brown hair, clear skin and bright green eyes. Nerd? You’ve got to be kidding me.
“So,” Mikey’s smoky baritone cut through Zach’s thoughts, “blue is your real eyecolor?”
“…Yeah.”
“That’s amazing, did anyone tell you they look just like the ocean? You shouldn’t hide them behind those glasses of yours. Without them, you’d look just like one of those sexy Brazilian boys.” He moved his hand up to Zach’s curled fist, which stubbornly held onto the glasses as if they were a crucial part of his body. Slowly, Mikey slid his rough white thumb into the dark palm, meticulously prying it open. But the more he pried, the tighter the grasp became, until with an exasperated sigh he glanced up at Zach’s face.
“Come on, Zach. Let go…”
“I’m not letting you take them.”
“Oh, really?”
Mikey leeringly raised an eyebrow, then caught Zach’s lips in a short but heated kiss.
“…!”
It only lasted a minute, and the fiend almost cackled as he pulled away, holding the glasses high up in one hand,
“Mmm… got it now! I don’t even know why you wear these.”
Zach vainly tried to reach for his lost treasure, “… I can’t see without them!”
“What about contacts? The real kind?” Mikey held them higher.
“I don’t want them.”
“Why not, hmm?”
Zach didn’t answer, opting instead to give the mattress a bounce and scramble for his glasses. Mikey to dropped them with a gasp. They thumped to the floor under his foot, which crushed the glass a moment later with a sickening crack just before Zach could reach them.
“... oh… I’m sorry. I can pay you back for whatever they cost…”
“I had those since middle school...”
There was an extended, tense silence.
“Middle school’s over. Besides… you look sexier without them. Let’s see if I can do the same to your clothes,” Mikey murmured, sliding cold hands under Zach’s layers of sweatshirts.
“Hey, stop it… my parents might walk in.” Zach shivered.
“They already know what you look like.” The gleam in his bright green eyes stood out against his quiet words.
A sweatshirt fell to the ground with a muted thud, and was quickly followed by another.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 6

“He’s full of BULLSHIT!”
“Is that the only thing you called me here for?” asked Mikey, following Zach into his room and gingerly picking up a slinky to play with. Zach breathed out forcefully and dropped down onto his bed, resting the back of his hand against the humid skin on his forehead. He couldn’t believe Gentry’s nerve. He might have been raped, but he surely wasn’t a victim now.
“He’s a fucking fake. That Rape Seminar thing was a joke--- you should’ve seen him in the locker room! He was rambling about teamwork as if he believed in it, and everyone thought he was great. You know what he did? He turned the situation around so I looked like an asshole… fuck! I bet he had some crap with Mr.Nilla and used me to settle it.”
Mikey pulled apart the slinky, “So? What do you plan on doing about it? Complaining isn’t going to fix your problem.”
Zach sat up, calmed slightly by the slow, musical quality in the other boy’s voice.
“What else can I do?” he murmured, “Everyone thinks I’m the fag who got Nilla fired; They hate me. My teachers won’t even look me in the eye. Yesterday people threw crumpled paper balls at me as I walked from one class to another, and shoved me into lockers. And the office won’t do anything about it! My parents are considering to send me to another school--- He’s fucking up my social life!”
“You know, Zach. I don’t think you have much of a social life to fuck up. This could actually gain you some notoriety… as in, it will get people talking about you in a good way if you use it right.”
“I don’t care.” Zach huffed, “He’s so fucked up. He’s white trash. And he thinks he’s smart just because he can cheat people out of the truth. Fuck him!”
“You did, didn’t you?”
“Hell no, he fucked me. That’s because he can’t even take it in the ass.” Zach stopped himself. This was going to far.
“You know, Zach. I figured that homophobe act was a complete front. He jokes about it sometimes, but it’s obvious in the way he looks at other guys. I’m actually sorry for him, because there’s nothing sadder than a gay homophobe.”
“Gay homophobe?”
“Yeah. He’s gay but hates everything about being gay.”
“I don’t care,” Zach scoffed, “he should whine about that shit to his shrink and leave me the fuck out of his problems.”
“I agree.” Mikey chirped, leaning into his closet and sorting through the hangers, “Wow, do you get paid to wear these clothes? They look like something you would get at the dollar store.”
“I brought them with me from Estonia.”
“Yeah, well, this isn’t Estonia.” Mikey turned around, “Hey. What are you going as to the Literature Party?”
Zach shrugged nonchalantly, “I… didn’t really think about it.”
“You know what would be fun? If we would both go as angels, like that play, Angels in America. It’s an important part of gay cinema.”
“I never saw it.”
“Doesn’t matter.” he eased onto the bed and smiled, sliding a hand onto Zach’s shoulder, “Just put on a t-shirt, white pants and a large pair of angel wings.”
Zach gave him a look, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, “That’s ridiculous. I don’t go for that kind of thing. I like baggy clothes---”
“Well, it’s a costume party. So what’s the harm? And you’ll be promoting an important part of gay cinema.”
“Have you ever seen that play?”
Mikey hesitated, then laughed awkwardly, “No one’s seen the play. I’m just going to tell people that I modeled my costume after the poster.”
“That’s just meaningless.” Sighed Zach, “You can’t just promote something you don’t stand for. And what does this have to do with my social life? Will putting on a big pair of angel wings fool people into thinking I’m the real deal?”
“You’re so cute, Zach.” Mikey drawled, cupping Zach’s face with his hands and kissing him on the lips, “And this has as much to do with your social life as much as you want it to…”

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 5

The banner hung over the auditorium, a dainty shade of white with chunky red writing proclaiming this to be the “Rape and Sexual Assault Seminar.” Students drudged in with heavy feet and tired red eyes, their sneakers squeaking across the floor. The swim team guffawed at the sight of the banner and murmured about the thin-lipped woman who stood before the microphone, center stage. Her hands where held stiffly behind her back, and her bespectacled fish-blue eyes wide as a young man explained to her how the microphone functioned.
“Rape is such a funny word,” drawled Sydney, “I mean it. Whenever someone says it I just start laughing.”
“Rape rape rape!”
“Stop RAPING me Ethan!”
“Rape rape rape,” Ethan sang, snapping his fingers, “rape rape rape, rape…”
Gentry put the water bottle to his lips and took several large gulps of water.
“I don’t even get why we HAVE to attend this,” whined Mike, “It’s not like I’m going to rape anyone. They should just tell girls to stop dressing like prostitutes or something.”
“I like it when girls dress like prostitutes. That means I can rape them!” Sydeney stood up, thrusting his pelvis forward. Gentry stared at the thrusting organ, which was a few inches left of his face.
“Sit the fuck down, you look like a faggot.” He hissed, taking another swig of water.
Sydney looked taken aback, but the others just laughed. It was unusual to see the redhead so wound up! And it was funny!
A tap on the mike silenced them, and the room darkened as a slide came to view.
“Rape.” The bespectacled woman said, folding her hands together, “Is a very serious crime.”
Her fish eyes bulged.
“It is not a crime of passion or lust, but an act of degradation. An act of dehumanization and objectification.”
Sydney yawned. Gentry leaned forward in his seat.
“Unlike what some people believe, rape is NOT natural. It does not HAVE to happen--- it can be prevented if people change their attitudes towards the nature of the crime. Sexism is one of those attitudes. Our culture furthers a kind of hyper-masculinity, which tells us that men are sexual beasts who can’t control their sexual appetites, and that women must please men or face their wrath. This same complex tells men that if they are raped, they are weak. This sexist ideal also creates a blanket of acceptance for rape, covering up an inexcusable crime.”
Gentry listened to the words, but didn’t feel anything from them. He didn’t need this bitch telling him what rape was.
“… And men and women must work together to eliminate hyper-masculinity, to eliminate the objectification that allows rape to occur…”
Bullshit. If people counted on each other to work together, humankind would have gone to hell long ago. No, you couldn’t count on anyone. The weak got raped. You had to be strong enough to take what they took from you or to fight them before they could take it. It was everyman for himself. He didn’t need this old fish-eyed bitch telling him what he already knew from the pain in his gut and the Church bells that rang through his mind, drowning out thought and reason. Drowning...
The crowd erupted into applause, jolting Gentry back to the itchy seat and darkened room. He half-heartedly clapped along, mustering up a suitable expression.
“Is there anything anyone would like to say?” asked the woman on the stage, peering towards the crowd. There was a numbing silence, and a sudden rage coursed through his blood. Clapping like it was a circus.
Oh, he had something to say all right. Wanted to tell her she was full of crap. That you couldn’t count on anyone, that he hoped her vagina was ripped open because she obviously had no idea----
“Yes, you. With the red hair.”
He now realized, in heated embarrassment, that his hand had been up in the air. Drawing his lips into a line, he slowly pulled himself from his seat and cast a wary glance at the woman who smiled as she ushered him up onto the stage. With heavy reluctance, his reddened hand clasped onto the microphone, and his dark eyes peered spacily at the empty black hole in front of him.
Protected by the darkness he had once so feared…
“What is your name?” the woman inquired.
Gentry turned to her suddenly and replied, “Gentry Lee Johnson.”
He took a deep breath, and threw a few thoughts together.
“Rape is really bad. I’m against it. I think people should do things to stop it. Stopping rape is a really, really good thing.”
The words sounded awkward, tossed together. He could the coach’s eyes burning into his soul, and a blush spreading over his face.
“And… as the captain of the swim team, thank you for coming here. Athletes are typically viewed as rapists, or people think that we’re just insensitive. But the team here isn’t... in fact, we were talking about it as we came through the door. Thank you for empowering us so that we can do more to fight a crime that ultimately affects all of us--- male and female. As a rape counselor, you are my hero.”
To his surprise, the room burst into applause. Gentry looked over the woman’s shoulder as he handed back the microphone, but she caught his glance in hers and looked at those pit-like depths with a confused sympathy. Amidst the cheers and whistles, he slinked back to his seat and sunk back into the darkness.
“He did good, I want it in the paper during Nations,” he heard the coach murmur to the barely visible outline of another adult, “He might be fit for Valedictorian.”

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 4

“Gentry.”
That voice.
“Don’t ignore me. I know you saw me.”
There it was again, ringing through the locker room. Grating Gentry’s last nerve with its fast-paced sing-song. Some team members walked by, and one shoved Zach into the wall as he passed.
“Move cocksucker.”
“Fuck you!” Zach shouted back.
“Yeah, the way you did Mr.Nilla!”
“Faggot.”
Gentry closed his eyes and turned away in irritation. He did not want to have this conversation.
“You shot that picture and wrote that letter!”
Oh, but he was having it all right. The accusation rang out like a slap to the face, and in response he could only sorely raise his gaze to meet that of his favorite rival.
“I did?”
“Yeah, you did. You were also in the office while it was happening, and Nilla’s e-mail had your style--- Each sentence in Nilla’s e-mail differed in length by three words when compared to the other sentence.”
Smart. That Estonian’s mind was some clock, Gentry reasoned. Ticking with cool accuracy, declaring unemotional judgments of wrong and right. Even his most heated actions were based on these judgments, there was no gray area.
“I had to use you.” Gentry thought to himself, “But I’m not sorry. I did what I had to--- If I wouldn’t have kicked him out, he would have kicked me out; and he knows damn well that if I’m not here, with you, with the swim team, I’m nothing.”
His own mind was more like a Church bell ringing through his ears, something he could never fully control. It was always chimed by someone else, controlled by everything but his own will. Hell, he didn’t know his own will. What he did know was shaped by those who owned it. And yet the clock, that cursed Estonian clock, ticked on its own, tick tock tick tock, a merciless judgment…
That was Zach’s problem. There was no room for bullshit.
As Gentry coldly prepared a rebuttal, the coach stood in the corner uncomfortably sucking on his lower lip. The whole team was staring, sensing something was very wrong but not sure what, how, or why.
“Zach. Why would I want to get Nilla fired?”
“You were in the office with me.” Zach’s voice was low now, forceful as the cheerless reality unfolded his clouded blue eyes.
“That doesn’t say anything, because I wasn’t in any trouble. You were called in because you couldn’t handle the dress code.”
“Then why did you tell me goodbye? You wouldn’t tell me that kind of shit if you weren’t---”
“People are staring at us.”
“They’ve been staring at me all week!”
The coach coughed, and the team gawked at them vacantly.
Gentry raised his head, straightened his posture and put a hand on Zach’s shoulder, “Zach… despite what you think, you’re still part of this team and we support you. Rape and sexual assault are horrible. If what they are saying about Mr.Nilla is true, then it’s fortunate that this has come to light to the community so he doesn’t hurt others. It can be said that this is a curse on you, yet a blessing to everyone else. I, for one, pray you get the help you need.”
Cut off all plausible arguments by distracting the other party from their point.
“You son of a bitch---” Zach hurled himself at him, only to be pulled back by the coach.
“Enough of that---”
Zach pulled himself out of the man’s grip and scowled back at Gentry, disbelief slapped over his face. Gentry gave a thoughtful silence, mentally counting the seconds before he dramatically turned to the team and said,
“Rape and sexual assault shouldn’t happen to anyone. Let’s leave it that. Now drop this and get back to focusing on what matters--- Nationals.”
The coach eyed the team sternly, and they nodded in sheepish agreement.
Zach opened his mouth to protest.
Silence the other party before they offer a rebuttal.
“That goes for you, too, Zach. I hope you get the help you need so that we can do our best in Nationals.”
Zach threw out his fist only for Gentry to catch it. He gave Zach a smug look, causing the underclassman to shove him aside and storm out the door.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 3

“You know what I think?” Casey drawled, raising his eyebrows high onto his forehead.
“What?”
“Zach planned this.”

“Zach?” Mikey laughed, “He can’t even write a sentence without a type-o.”
Casey skeptically raised both eyebrows and pushed back his head back into the fleshy folds of his neck as he slowly peeled the cover off his macaroni and cheese.
“He has the motive.” He lisped, “I’m shocked no one has thought of this before. Zach hates the dress code, right? He probably just sent the e-mail to himself from Nilla’s computer.”
“Yeah, well who took the picture then?”
“I don’t know, but I heard Kylie WAS absent from Literature that day. Nilla also hates Kylie ever since she made out in public with Josh.”
“Zach and Kylie collaborating against Nilla? That’s just ridiculous---”
Suddenly the double doors swung open. Zach sauntered in and the GSA table fell silent, exchanging awkward glances with one another. Zach grunted, and pulled up to the table just as Casey scrambled to stash away the printed e-mail.
Zach swiped it angrily, “So this is your lunch time conversation?”
“It’s… everyone’s conversation.” Replied Casey, unapologetically.
Zach pulled up a seat and sighed, “I really don’t want to talk about it. It’s bullshit, okay?”
“Casey has his own conspiracy theory.” Mikey chirped playfully.
Casey’s eyes widened animatedly, then narrowed, “Yeah. Good planning, Zach.”
“Planning? What planning, you think I did this? Bullshit.” spat Zach, “How could I type up that e-mail when he was watching me the whole time?”
“It’s awfully convenient,” Casey said slowly, “that this happened just when he started bitching to you about the dress code.”
“If I’d want to get rid of someone, it would be Nasty, not Nilla.”
Mikey and Casey exchanged glances.
Zach held the paper in front of his eyes, and quickly scanned over the e-mail.
“And this whole e-mail is too obvious. What are you, stupid? Why would he call me sexy when he was ready to jump at my throat yesterday? This is bullshit, do you really think I could come up with this kind of crap?”
“Yes, I do.” Replied Casey, “There is no one else who would and could do it.”
Zach was pensively quiet for a moment, reading over the e-mail again and again, until a spark lit up his eyes.
“Each sentence is three words more or three words less than the other one. There is always a positive or negative amount of three words between each sentence.”
Mikey blinked, “So?”
“I… I can tell you who did it.”
Zach furrowed his brow and thought back to the office, back to the plant in the corner, the spider on the ceiling, the ceiling the cheap carpeting, and everyone he had seen that day. His mind doggedly eliminated one person after another from suspicion, analyzing one factor after another before reaching the undeniable conclusion. Upon recognition, his eyes darkened earnestly and he broke into a cold sweat. Casey inquisitively leaned towards him.
“Well, Zach?”
“…It was Gentry.”
Casey gagged on his macaroni and cheese.
“Well…” Mikey drawled, “Gentry does have office duty. That gives him access to the staff computers.”
Felix was silent for a moment, and looked to Mikey before saying, “It must take a lot of concentration to write like that...”
“Gentry has OCD.” Mikey cut in, “Sometimes people with that get used to certain ticks. Like doing things in threes. Hey Casey, do you still have that essay Gentry wrote for you?”
Zach blinked, “Gentry writes essays for you?”
“Yeah, sometimes.” Casey replied, pulling it from his backpack and throwing it on the table. They all leaned in, and Casey’s eyes glowed.
“Wow. I never noticed he wrote everything in threes.”
“Yeah…” Mikey smirked, “go confront him, Zach.”

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 2

It is unfortunate that we disagreed in the office. I remain convinced that this detention will be for our own good. I have watched you for quite some time and have concluded that you stand out. You are a very interesting and attractive student, and honestly I want to get to know you better. You might be interested in an office job as my aide that is opening up. I would greatly enjoy seeing your sexy body all the more often. I greatly look forward to our long detention together.
Casey read out loud, eying the group of eager listeners with wide, lit eyes.
“Wow.” Felix blinked, “That was intense. Mr.Nilla never seemed that type… or that literate…”
“Yeah,” drawled Casey, “But there’s no definite proof since apparently the cameras in the office don’t work. But even so, the school doesn’t want to start a trial since that would bring up a sketchy former accusation. So word is they’re just transferring him to some ghetto school.”
“That’s rough.” Felix drawled, taking a bite of his chicken nugget.
“I never liked Mr.Nilla anyway.” Shrugged Mikey, reaching over and stealing one of Felix’s nuggets.
Felix slapped his hand away, “Stop raping my nuggets Mikey! But seriously, can you imagine him putting the moves on Zach?” Felix guffawed, “Haha it’s really funny actually. A tough guy like Zach getting his ass raped.”
“Bah,” Mikey waved him hand, “Nilla just copped a feel or something. The picture is blurry, we can’t know what happened in that office. I didn’t know he was gay, though.”
“You know what I think?” Casey drawled, raising his eyebrows high onto his forehead.
“What?”
“Zach planned this.”

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Because You Suck: Chapter 8: Part 1

“Oh my God, did you hear about Mr.Nilla?”
“Hear what?”
“They’re investigating him.”
“Why?”
“Open your cell phone… Kylie sent everyone a picture of what happened in the office yesterday. You will not believe this.”
“Woah… is that Mr.Nilla?”
“Yeah, some parents got it, too, and they’re complaining about Nilla. He was accused of fooling around with a student before, you know.”
“NO, really?”
“Really. People are saying that he was like… in some steamy relationship with Zach… it looks like Zach in the picture. Or tried to get him into one or WHATEVER he’s gay anyway, right?”
“ZACH and MR.NILLA? No way. My eyes are burning.”
“Yes way. Apparently he also e-mailed him and it accidentally got mailed to the entire school.”
“Wow. That’s so embarrassing! The picture’s kind of blurry though… what is Nilla trying to do…?”
“I don’t WANT to know. OK, actually I do hehe. But yeah I stole a look at the e-mail while I was TA-ing for Mr. Handson. Can you believe he called Zach sexy?!”
“Wow… that is sick. I didn’t know… Mr.Nilla was always so anal about public affection.”
“Yeah, I know. Weird, right?”
“Weird. What a pervert haha… but Zach’s kind of perverted, too.”
“Shhh here he comes.”
“Please, he’s a faggot. HEY FAGGOT!”