Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 28

And Zach wouldn’t look at him. He only looked up to exchange an apologetic look with his father, and searched his mother’s face for something. Then he murmured something in a language Gentry didn’t understand, and the woman whispered a reply.

Immediately afterwards, she stood up and approached the desk.

“Excuse me.” She drawled in her softest, most whispery voice.

Delilah.

“Yes?” asked Gentry, looking up from the clipboard he pretended to read. His eyes tried to steal a look at Zach, but since Zach still wouldn’t look at him, he contented himself by staring at his mother like any other stranger.

“I noticed the nametag by your desk says Ms.Dakota, but I’m guessing that isn’t your name. I like to memorize peoples’ names, could you tell me yours?”

Gentry hesitated. Was she trying to know his name so she could file a complaint? Why did she want to know? He eyed her warily and said,

“Gentry Lee Johnson.”

“What a beautiful name… Unique, too, you’re very fortunate to have parents who put so much thought into a name. Are your parents from Alabama, by chance? Since I notice you also have a very slight accent.”

Was she trying to curb a favor out of him or something? Get information for a lawsuit?

“Yeah. I’m from Alabama.” He said, dryly, “Can I help you?”

“Yes… I want to know where to put this. It’s for the entire office… because I know you work long and stressful hours.”

… What the hell.

“What is it?” Gentry asked warily, watching her hoist up a small gift-wrapped package. Was this a bribe? Not likely. Bribes usually went to just one person.

“It’s not a bomb.” She joked, awkwardly, and in the background Zach rolled his eyes.

“It’s a cake.” He spat.

“A pie.” Delilah corrected.

“A pie.” Gentry repeated slowly, “What kind of pie?”

“Pecan pie. It’s already pre-sliced into twenty servings, so there should be enough for everyone.”

“Pecan pie.”

“Yes, Gentry, it’s Pecan Pie.” Zach snapped again, then quickly resumed his silence.

So did Delilah, who stared at Zach for a good, long moment, then at Gentry, then at Zach— until her husband father interrupted:

“The only thing that will kill anyone in that package the corn starch.”

He cast a nudge of a look at Zach, who Zach slouched into his seat the way Gentry had seen him do the last time he was in the office. That all-too-funny look of “get me out of here.”

“It won’t kill them to eat just one slice. Besides, it’s organic. And pre-cut.” Delilah interjected, slowly easing the wrapped cake toward him. With one slow, nudging finger.

Gentry cracked a smile.

“I’ll put it out.”

“I’ll get plates.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 25

Note (to Susan:) So much for me not flaking off, huh ;)? Your words literally brought a tear to my eyes. Thank you :). Yours is the first, and only, human-written comment of this entire year. I thought nobody read this story anymore, and figured no one would notice if I didn't post all of it. I'm glad I was wrong. I'll update it again, regularily this time.

Additional Note: Aha! Type-o's fixed. Thanks to Susan, the awesome editor :3. Inconsistencies are fun!

Letter Addressed to the School Board

June 14, 2007

10AM:

Union High School District

SUSPENSION NOTICE

Date: 6-14-07

Partial Days: 1

Full Days: 2

Grade Level/Grade Year: 011/2007

ID #: 698822

Since we at Kennedy High school are interested in maintain ing our close relationship with the home, this notice is sent to inform you that Zach Tyler has been suspended for: insubordination

Because this represents a serious violation of our stanfards and of our education code 48900 k, Zach has been suspended and may return to school on 4-21-07.

Sincerely,

(indeterminable signature)

Attached: Statement by Zach Tyler

I was called out at the beginning of 3rd period. I was mad about that, because I already told the secretary that I don’t like being called out of class. Not all my teachers post their homework online so if I miss their lecture, I could miss homework information. A large part of my grade is participation, and it suffers when I’m not in class. When I went to see the attendance secretary, Ms.Peruvia, she said that I had two offenses which would be on my permanent record. When I asked for verification, she said that I should already know the policy, since it was explained to me and she had documented it. When I figured out what she meant, I answered that I didn’t check back into the office for my yellow “return” slip after returning from the test. I told her that if she wanted proof I came back, she could see my teacher’s attendance list, and that the policy didn’t matter because she knew where I was, and that was all that counted. Then I also told her to stop calling me out of class, since part of my grade is on partitipation and class time was already ticking away.

She answered that she did not like my tone, and that she could call me out of class whenever she wanted. Then she called Ms. Nasty, asking me to talk to her. Ms. Nasty and I also don’t get along ever since she threatened me with a dress code violation which was fake, since the outfit I wore broke no violations I had heard of or she could think of. There is no official dress code, I already told her that. But she doesn’t want to argue out points, and makes it clear that you must obey her way, or no way. She talked to me as if I were a dog, motioning “come here” with her hand and behaving very rudely. I had no desire to speak with her, because she wasn’t the one who called me out of class this time. I was threatened with suspension. I said I would only leave with Ms. Nasty if Ms. Peruvia would secure me an appointment where we could come to an agreement on the issue of calling me out of class. She would do no such thing, so they threatened to call the police. I told them they could do what they wanted, because I wasn’t leaving until I got that appointment. Ms. Nasty guarded the door and called in Mr. Brokeshaw, while complaining about how I was wasting her time. Mr. Brokeshaw seemed visibly upset.

There were two police officers, Mr. Linden and an unnamed balding one. They told me to move to the principal’s room, but I declined because he was not where my problem was. I was forcefully pulled out of the room. The unnamed officer was holding too tightly on my arm, and I tried to loosen his grip by complaining of pain and moving my arm slightly. He grabbed my arm harder, yelling at me, twisting it even though I loudly complained it hurt my bones. In Mr. Harold’s office, the balding officer told me to get into a chair. I did not want to sit down, so he yelled at me and very roughly pushed me into the chair. He then proceeded to call me a “very annoying problem.” He demanded to know my grades, and Mr. Harold made a wavering motion with his hand. But I had no problems with my principal since he was more professional. Mr.Harold was helpful and understanding, but I don’t think there was much he could do about the secretaries. He doesn’t watch them.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 24

Note: Sorry if this totally clogged your inbox! And no, this is not the -end- of BYS. After counting the pages, I realized that if I keep posting sections like this, BYS will hit the SPAM filter. So, I calculated that if I post once a day, the whole thing will be up by the time February ends... marking the real end of BYS. So, it's on. No antisocial flakiness this time.

Just as Zach left Johnson’s office, Nasty snapped her fingers at him. She didn’t say one word, just shoved another yellow note in his hands and told him that the attendance officer needed to see him.
“Attendance officer? You mean Ms.Peruvia, the attendance lady?”
“The attendance officer. Get going, she’s very busy.”
“That’s what she’s paid for,” Zach thought to himself, as he headed over to her tiny office at the far side of the rectangular building.

It all happened so quickly, but somehow it ended with Zach quietly crying in the office, sobbing that,
“I can’t go to Juvenile hall! What would I tell my cellmate? That I’m here because I refused to leave the office? I can’t go to Juvenile hall…”
The second officer stood up and left the office, only to be approached by a slender wide-eyed black woman who demand what was wrong and where her son was. He didn’t have to guess, he already knew whose mother she was.
“I’m sorry. Your son’s all right, nothing happened. Everything just happened so quickly.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 21

Johnson hesitated for a moment, but then nodded somberly. He had expected this as well.

“I thought as much. I don’t think I’ll ever see it again, and I can only worry what will happen to it now. You probably gave it back to him for nothing, since you view protecting his secrets as more important than protecting yourself… or even what you believe in. You’re a good kid, Zach, you love with all you’ve got. If I had a friend like you in high school, who knows…” his voice drifted off.
“Back when I was your age, I strongly believed in a greater moral order. When injustice happened, I believed that someone would come and make it right. And when nothing happened, I thought life would end. But life didn’t stop for me; it doesn’t stop for anybody. My son… I realized early on what he is; that he is a homosexual. I tried my best to be a father to him, but I don’t think he ever accepted me. We have our differences, but I don’t and simply can’t hate him for the way he’s born. He’s my son.”
“He’s your son, and you raped him.”
“I understand I can’t change your mind.” He released the breath he'd been holding and leaned forward on his elbows, “I guess I could have been there for him more when I had the chance, when he first got involved with that older boy. Things got out of hand after that, but judging this isn’t as simple as deciding what’s ‘good’ and what’s ‘bad.’ I have my problems, Zach, and he has his. Two problems was all it took, and it’s what keeps us from healing and being the family we could be. It’s not right or wrong, it’s just how it is. I’m getting help, but he still needs to admit that he needs it.”
Zach shifted uncomfortably, and Johnson coughed. He leaned over to his computer, clicked a few keys, then leaned back as the printer began to buzz. He took a sip of water from the mug on his desk, then affirmatively said,
“I’m going to give you a copy of your grade transcript. Are you aware that you currently have a B+ in literature?”
“… No.” Zach said, startled, “I didn’t know.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 20

“As you might be aware, I am your guidance counselor. And we need to have a relationship where you can trust me, and I can trust you. Do you trust me?”
“I don’t know you,” Zach drawled absently, “so I can’t trust you.”
Johnson nodded soberly.
He briefly eyed the belongings on his desk, making sure they were still in their place.

“I’ll try this again.” He said patiently, “You aren’t a stranger to me, Zach. I’m fully aware of what my son is doing with you.”

Zach again remained silent, because it was true. And there was nothing useful he could say at this point, when silence was run over by his wildly beating heart. It was a little eerie the way his voice had the same rhythm as Gentry’s, and how his eyes lit up in that same murky stare. They were the same smoldering dark he’d grown accustomed to, holding something wild about them. Gentry had that too, sometimes… as if there was something waiting to leap out, a word waiting to be shouted. Undoubtedly, this guy was Gentry’s father. Yet it still felt odd to think about Gentry as this guy’s son.
“…Oh.” Zach finally replied, sensing right after that his timing was probably off.
Johnson drew a long breath, rolled back his seat and stood up to close the door.
“Well, seeing as you won’t talk,” he drawled retaking his seat, “I hope that you will listen.”
Johnson sighed and leaned back, hands folded over his stomach.
“What you see in Gentry is what he wants you to see. And you’ve probably learned a few things about me, and that my family’s homelife isn’t perfect. I’ll admit, we’ve been through some tough times. But I still like to think that we’re a family.”

“—You’re not.”

Johnson’s eyes lit for a moment, yet his voice remained firm and even.
“Why would you think that?”
“… Families live together.”
Lee Johnson sighed.
“My son left home, and it’s pulling the family apart. But he decided that on his own, and I’ve given up asking why he does anything. Believe me, we both know that he can be convincing when he wants to. If he’d wanted to stay, he would have— he’s got a strong mind in him. But he also has problems, and don’t think for a second that just because he isn’t living with me that I don’t care about him. My wife and I were there for him before you knew who he was— and it hurts us as much as it hurts you to watch him destroy himself, knowing there’s nothing I can do. Yet he’s my son, and I know better than anyone that I can’t force him to come home.” Johnson took another deep breath, and softly added, “However, I don’t think that your apprehension towards me stems from that.”
Zach gazed at him critically. He turned the words over in his head, but couldn’t find any flaw. Just wild thoughts racing through his mind.
“Do you think I’m a monster?” asked Mr.Johnson, “a child molester?”
Zach’s mouth went dry.
Johnson gave an affirmative, close-lipped smile.
“I thought it would come down to this. There’s no use in skirting around the issue, so let’s get to the heart of the matter. I believe that you’ve come across a picture which belonged to me.”
“I did.” Zach replied without hesitation, “And that’s why I don’t believe you. You don’t care about him; you caused his problems. If you want that picture back, you’re not getting it.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 19

“I would like to ask you something.”
Zach inhaled suddenly, and shot up to meet the man’s eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. The secrets he’d learned were like a gag. He couldn’t talk about them, couldn’t act on them… all he could do was try to ignore the sick feeling which throbbed to life in his gut.

Although the picture was no longer in his dresser drawer, it still lingered in his mind. Stale as ashes and heavier than smoke; he hadn’t been able to look directly at it, and yet he couldn’t forget what he’d seen. The bony angles distracted him from faces. It was the starkness of it which drew his mind away from the dark eyes and to the stiff body, eating away at the signs of life. It was a crime frozen on paper, an indelicate rendering of something which no one talked about in public. Something which always happened to other people, and was left to linger the dark corners of newspapers and the back of peoples’ minds. Knowing it existed was nothing like seeing it. The crime had happened before he had witnessed it, and now it couldn’t be helped. The past was past, life had moved on.
And he was as powerless now as he felt then.

“Zach.”

Johnson motioned for him to take a seat, which Zach silently did. The man opposite him took a deep breath and said,

“I noticed you seem fearful around me. Even now, you’re fidgeting.”

“Oh.”

Zach immediately sat up a little straighter, and gave a simple nod to hide the fear in him. He reasoned he shouldn’t be scared, schoolishly reminding himself that pedophiles only targeted children, which he was not… He was not.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 18

“Zach.”
That unearthly voice jolted him from his reverie.
Mr.Lee Johnson stood in front of him, blocking out the fluorescent light. It beamed behind his thinning dark hair, which was severely combed in thin strands over his scalp, giving it a strange and severe kind of look.

“Are you all right?”
Zach gawked at him. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he blurted out what came to mind:
“No.”
He instantly realized he had said the wrong thing, but it was too late to take it back now. Johnson was eying him firmly, churning out the words,
“I’d like to have a word with you… I sent that note.”

Zach decided not to fight this one, and simply nodded slowly as he rose to his feet. He followed Johnson to his office, which hadn’t changed much since Nilla had occupied it. He slammed the door behind him, at which Johnson jumped and quietly snapped at him, “Don’t slam the door.”
“Sorry,” Zach murmured, although a part of him wasn’t. He liked slamming doors; it made him feel less angry. His gaze shifted around the room, taking in an empty goldfish bowl on top of blue file cabinet and a law degree in a gleaming silver frame.

Slowly, Zach’s eyes drifted down to the steel-framed photo on the desk, idly guessing that the madly grinning woman was probably the guy’s wife, mainly because that kid next to her was definitely Gentry. Even though she was smiling, it looked very grotesque since her eyes were glaring out from beyond the frame. Her paste-colored arms were rigidly clasped around this ugly gremlin of a kid, who squinted at the camera with his weird old-man face. Those amber eyes hadn’t changed, not one bit. Staring out from under a gray hunting cap, peering over the coarse green scarf; murky then as they were now. It felt weird to think how this fantastically ugly gremlin was the same boy he had currently— well, fucked.
In fact… it was downright weird to think about it that way.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 17

Zach sighed quietly and truged to his chair outside the door, sourly taking a seat. It hurt to speak, but who cared. He’d talk anyway— He’d talk until his lips fell off to anyone who would listen. The office kept working, students passed by. Some stared, some didn’t. Some were turning in Valedictorian speeches. He hated sitting outside in the office like that, because he always felt like a criminal. At least, he looked like one, sitting in the office with a swollen mouth, seated next to people who were in trouble for one thing or another. Next to students with emotional issues who needed to see the counselor, and people thrown out of class for their disruptive behavior.

“I’m not like them, though. I’m not here because I’m being punished for something wrong, I’m here because I chose to be. I was always here because I chose to be… for better or worse, I’m fighting for a reason.” And he would keep fighting; they would not change him.

He told himself:

“I’m here because if I don’t stand for what I believe, no matter how sore things get, no one else will.”

Ms.Nasty walked by him, but didn’t look at him. Zach suspected that if she didn’t have anything mean to say, she wouldn’t say anything at all. Her gaze always shifted to avoid making eye contact with students, to avoid recognizing them. And keep from greeting them, because she often got their names mixed up. She only memorized the names of trouble-makers and honor students, and she would only acknowledge their existence if they stepped out of line--- and then it was to put them in their place. To enforce the dress code, school code, or whatever code she was supposed to enforce. In her line of duty, mingling with the lower subjects are was dangerous… as was acknowledging their existence, their feelings, or their point of view. Siding with students was siding with a threat; something volatile and difficult that needed to be monitored, overruled, undermined. Youth were radical, crazy teenagers--- could not be trusted.
It was easier to keep them in line and stay out of everything else.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 16

The nurse prescribed ice packs for everything.
Sore throat, sore mind, sore heart… an ice pack would fix it. And if an ice pack didn’t, she called the parents to tell them their child should get a Doctor’s opinion. Most people knew that she wasn’t a nurse at all, but the attendance lady, and that she couldn’t a headache from mental insanity. However, not having a trained nurse saved Kennedy a good deal of money, which was why The Principal was very pleased that he helped instate her, privately considering it his proudest moment. With ineffable glee he would sit in front of his computer, picking out colors for pie charts, wondering which color would best show the world what a success he was.

There were few things that he loved more than to give monthly staff presentations about how he had saved the school 5% more money, and cut costs down 10%. In fact, there had been enough money left to decorate the nurse’s office with a plastic-covered medical-style couch, which impressed the Department of Education whenever they visited for their annual review. Very few schools could afford such a nice, official-looking couch. In fact, this couch was approved by NASA, which made it a valuable asset to the school. Best of all, it was easy to clean and, if needed, students could lie on it.
But he specifically told the nurse that this was only to be used in emergencies, since it could only fit one person. Therefore, students should instead sit on the blue plastic chairs lining the office walls, as Zach did until the nurse called him into her office.

“Yes?” griped the nurse, glancing up at him with heavy lidded eyes. She was a large old woman with hair under her lip, a slightly darker color than that of her mousy brown bob. She was the kind of woman who kept people from going to the nurse, heavily cold and complacent.
“What is your problem?” she rasped, with a very strained low voice.
“You’re a nurse, you figure it out.” Zach spat at her, meanly enough to solicit a grunt.
With bovine lethargy, she hunched over the desk and raised her eyebrows.
“I can’t help you unless you say something is wrong.”
“My lip’s infected.”
“That’s all?”
She clicked her tongue and slowly rolled her chair back. She reached into the cabinet, past the aged cotton, and pulled out an ice pack.
“Take this…” She said, “And call your parents from the office phone.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 15

Note: V-day is here! Sorry if this clogs anyone's inbox.

"Loser, loser, double loser, eating out of a TRASH CAN!!"

Gentry was vaguely aware that his table-mates were throwing pieces of paper at each other. And that Kylie still shared his table, talking loudly, although she wouldn’t look at him. But at this point, he no longer pretended to pay attention.

His mind switched off, and let nothing in or out. Soon he would graduate, and never see them again. All this conversation amounted to nothing. It never delved deep enough to establish a connection; they could never settle down long enough to listen. Because the moment you opened your ears to someone, you inevitably opened your heart--- a commitment they didn’t have the time or energy for.

“Oh MY god NOWAY!”
“Awkward turtle…”

A commitment. Gentry’s gaze lingered on Zach. He'd been staring at him for the last few minutes, remembering how many students came in that morning asking about the test location, only to leave with long, grim faces and timid resignation.
But not Zach.
No one else had hitchhiked to Church.
That took something.

His fingers ached to brush over the nape over Zach's neck. Linger just long enough to nudge his shoulder and exchange warm glances; long enough to share silence from words unspoken that—
No. Gentry exhaled. He had to stop having these daydreams. They were what got him into this mess in the first place, the idle fantasy of that “what if…?”

Fact was, Zach could handle himself.
He didn’t need it.

So Gentry duly turned away--- yet it was too late. Zach had already spotted him. He put down his book and briskly walked over to the table, slamming his hands down and looking them all over, particularily Gentry. Kylie didn’t notice right away, she went on talking,
“… Ohmygod, I hate sluts…”
“---They hate you too.” Zach cut in, then leered over all of them, “Got something to say?”
“Um, were we talking to you?” Drawled Jenny. The table laughed, because laughing overpowered awkward silences.
Zach pulled away sourly, and turned to go back to his corner of the room.
“Zach.” Mr.Handson spoke up.
“Yeah?”
“I’ll need you to go to the office.”
“I didn’t do anything—”
“I know.” Said Handson, “But the note’s asking for you, something about a dress code violation.” He pushed a yellow note into his hand, “While you’re there, I suggest you go see the nurse. That lip ring looks atrociously swollen.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 14

Zach returned to campus on foot, heart throbbing down low in his gut. He regretted the decision the second he entered math class, slinking into the back row. A half hour later, later his fingers tapped against the two sheets of completed busywork. It was called classwork, but all it was actually busywork— and not enough to keep his mind off the morning’s events. Shame hung in the back of his throat and the depths of his eyes, which restlessly scanned the posters on the wall.

The Principal is Your Pal, next to a GSA poster and something about helping the people of Africa. Save the Congo Presents: Fight hunger in Africa. Free Pizza! Math felt especially long today.
The largest poster had a bunch of smiling people of different races, all standing together looking very serious underneath the bold headline “School is a Bully-free Zone: Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”
“Bullshit.” Zach thought to himself, “How can they even hang this bullshit up.”

Gentry watched him from across the room. Amused that Zach thought he was fooling anyone by sitting so quietly, frown carved into his brow.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 13

The car screeched to a halt across two parking squares. Zach bolted out— feet pounding the asphalt— racing over cracks and parking lines, between parked cars, to the double-doors—

“What are you trying to do?” The man popped up from out of nowhere, wedging himself between Zach and the Church door.
“I’m here for the Arithmetic Standards Scale,” Zach panted out, palms sweating against his clenched fingers.
“That test began ten minutes ago.” The man said, looking him over as if he had caught someone attempting armed robbery.
“— I still have time… here’s my ID…”
“I can’t let you in.”
“Look… it’s two and a half hours… I paid for this test, I have ID.”
“I can’t help you.”
Zach looked up again— and it hit him. He recognized that heavy-handed gait… the meaty face and its cowboy grin. It was familiar, even if he now wore one of those official-looking nametags that marked him as a “test helper.” A mark of distinction.
“Can’t, or won’t?”
“You should’ve been on time.” The man drawled, “There’s nothing I can do if you aren’t on time.”
Zach caught his breath, then looked him in the eye and said,
“Yeah, you can’t do nothing. That’s all you’ll ever do.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 11

Note: Thanks for putting up with my insanity.

At that moment, the glass door swung open and slammed shut.
Secretary A gave a wry nod towards Secretary B, who quickly glanced up. No one could look away once Zach entered the room—

And the moment he walked through that door, Gentry’s heart skipped a beat.

He looked him over once, peered down, then stole another look. He licked at his dry lips, and began drawing circles on his notepad.

Behind the glasses, high above polite conversation, underneath the creased pants and knee-length skirts… crept unspoken fears and desires. A good secretary was seen, not heard. But the office talked— about others. Through whispers, knowing glances, and the click-clack of private e-mails being written and sent. This was how they maintained a studied silence in his presence, even as they wondered things they would never ask him. What kind of people parented this problem child, any problem child? And every school had a problem child, or a child the office had problems with.

And the office never changed— it had always been a place where memories lingered like a bad smell. High school was not a place for growth or experimentation unless it fit the prescribed categories of normal growth and acceptable experimentation. There were charts and forms for that… everything you didn’t know would be held against you for future reference—
Or used for water cooler conversation. Gentry looked up again, and perched his head on one first.

Zach asked something to the receptionist, and she leaned over the counter just as Ms.Nasty was moving past.
“The Arithmetic Standards Scale?” Nasty said loudly, “I don’t know where that is.”
“It’s today, don’t you have anywhere you can check?”
“Do you have that booklet you were supposed to pick up, along with your test ID?”
Zach promptly turned away and pulled it from his backpack, pushing it into her hands.
She flipped through it casually, then laughed sharply.
“You haven’t even looked through this?”
“Where is the test? Which room?”
“It isn't here. It’s at the Holy Summit Church.”
“--- What the hell’s a math test doing in a Church?”
“It was your job to read the book.” Laughed Ms.Nasty, “What time is it? Ohh. 7:45. That means the test will start in ten minutes … at, 7:55. Good luck getting there.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 10

Note: It's the 251st post! erpotrtyrtohyrotihopi!~!!

Drama started out of boredom.
Few people were more bored than the office personnel. They sat listlessly in their corner rooms and blue-walled cubicles, watering their undergrown office plants and drinking watered-down coffee to keep from falling asleep.
School was boring. Down the road, most of their work didn’t matter. Nobody ever won a Nobel Peace Prize for office work. All they could do is try to make someone fail, or help them pass. How many people came in to say Thank You? None.
To keep things interesting, they reinterpreted rules and created Red Tape.

“Yes, I’ve noted that on my account balance I’m being charged $25 for student health service fee here?”
“Yes, we always charge that.”
“I want to waive this fee since my daughter already has health coverage… through my job.”
“Sir, does your daughter depend exclusively upon prayer for healing?”
“… No, not really.”
“Then I can’t help you.”
“Please, I just want to cancel this fee… My family is religious. Does that help?”
“Sir, you can only cancel it if you depend on prayer for healing, and you must provide a completed Application for that over at the District Office. And to go there, you must have a written statement from your religious denomination affirming that you rely on faith for healing.”
“… But no Rabbi will sign a paper for faith-based healing! Jews don’t believe in that.”
“Then I can’t help you.”
“— We do believe in not paying unnecessary fees.”
“Sir… there is nothing I can do.”
“Look. My daughter’s already insured… is there any form for that?”
“Sir, I can’t help you.”
“You can't help yourself!” the man huffed and stormed out the door.
The woman shrugged back in her seat, her face impassive with heavy-handed certainty that she hadn’t done anything wrong… just following procedure.
“Can you believe how rude that man was? People these days...” she drawled with annoyance. “Where do they get their manners from?”
“At least he isn't claiming to be some special exception.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 9

Wednesday dawned, heavy on the Horizon.

A stench hung in the air that day, and no one was sure where it came from. It was a greasy smell which blanketed the campus and trickled into everything it touched, including air that was so cold and dry that breathing resulted in a sickly burning sensation. Every so often, cold winds blew apart the low-hanging clouds whose silver-gray lining smothered the sun, and brought out the few hesitant rays of sunlight that luke-warmed the cement. The sun occasionally peered though holes in the cloud-blanket, casting airy strokes of light over the blue-brick office building--- before the blanket of steely gray cloud smothered it again. This weather did what it wanted, no matter the season. Gentry called it

Weird weather.

He watched it unfold from the office window. Raindrops flecked the glass, and poured in through the small crack Gentry had made on the side. Outside, storm clouds multiplied to block out the remaining light. Inside, pale white florescent beamed down on his damp red hair.

Here, there was no weird weather, just unnatural lighting, and the smell of stale mints currenting through the blue-carpeted spaces through a dusty old ventilation system. The office was a severely lit den in a constant state of stuck.

Gentry often lost track of time.

He worked alongside his father, quietly widening the crack in the glass by poking the tip of a pencil in it. Neither had spoken a word since the shift had started. Occasionally there was a rustling of papers or a climper of keys, the crackle of a walkie-talkie.
Gentry sat at a table beside his father’s, elbows on the surface and head resting on one fist. His free hand poking and prodding at that tiny crack.
The rain had started to loudly tap against the glass… slowly, rhythmically. Zach was coming.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 7

It was dark out, and cold for for a summery Tuesday. Tree branches stretched out like tall and lonely shadows, creeping low in a pale gray sky and hanging over the line that snaked beneath them. Zach looked up at them, and wondered what would happen to forests if trees were people. Maybe they would get up and walk away, tell people, “We’re not gonna stand where you put us!” Maybe they would revolt, and people people would declare a war on trees, until someone would start a Tree Rights campaign. Maybe then, if the trees won, people would talk about their tree friends and “tree experiences” in their college applications. If trees could talk, they would probably laugh and point their branches at the line which snaked past rectangular blue office building. Trees never took standardized tests. Then again, trees also got chopped down.

It was so damn cold.

Couldn’t have been higher than 50 degrees, where the hell was that warm summer weather? Even the season seemed to be cheating, going back on the weatherman’s promises. Well, Zach decided, it better get its act together before Nationals. If there was one person in this school who could stand up to the weather, it was Zach Tyler.

Today he stood in the middle of the line, shivering in a t-shirt, because today was the day to get your passes for the Arithmetic Standards Scale. And today people would wait over half an hour to get an ID for several more hours of standardized torture. That privilege, that mind-numbing rite of passage, made you a Leader of Tomorrow…

“Next.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 6

“I lay on the floor for an hour.”
“How often do you feel depressed?”
“I would’ve like… stayed there longer, but Nasty made me get up. And I did… but for what? Seriously. What do we do here?”
“Have you ever tried to harm yourself?”
“No, but, people are calling me a faggot, and today some ass burned a hole in my jacket with a soldering iron. I’m not gay! Ms. Nasty says I'll have to leave the class if this continues, like I’m some distraction—”
“Is anyone in your family depressed?”
“—Everything you tell me ends up being wrong. My team is not really a team, my friends are not really friends, and my parents say they care— but they send me here. To this fucking— no offense— fucking place where just talking to someone… I mean, really talking, not that stupid fake-talking I do everyday… is like defying gravity. They don’t see me for twelve hours a day, but they make decisions about what I should do. They think I have it good since I’m not starving in Africa. And when I grow up, I already know that the best I can be is to be like them. What’s the point?”
“Why don’t you tell me…”
“Are you even listening?”
“People with depression often view situations as hopeless. It’s a chemical imbalance that can be corrected with proper treatment. You can be tested for it, Mike. I have the form right here...”
“Maybe this stupid school causes it— the people. Maybe it’s normal to be depressed.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 5

“Tell you what.” he said, “I know you’re also in my math class, and you’re doing well there. Have you heard of the Arithmetic Standards Scale?”
“No. What’s that?”
“It’s a test I contributed to … a sort of SAT for math.”
“Isn’t there already an ACT, SAT, and SAT II for that?”
“… Yes.” Handson said flatly, upon which Zach promptly resumed an expression of startled stupidity. “But the College Board has a monopoly on tests, so I created this one to give colleges an idea of how much math students really know. After all, what does one or even three tests really say about someone?”
“Not much?”
“Exactly. The more tests you take, the better you are. The Arithmetic Standards Scale takes place after the SAT II, and I’m encouraging all the Seniors in my geometry class to take it. I know you aren’t a Senior, but I’ll make an exception for you… the fee is $75. I expect the money by tomorrow.”
“You’ll have it.”
“If you pass, Zach, you stand a fair chance of getting a B in literature.”

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 4

He quietly leaned against the wall at the back of the classroom, blearily eying the loudly-colored posters on the room walls. Some teachers had drawings or schoolwork, but Handson only had glossy prints of cartoon kids. Only none of them were fucking or stumbling around naked.
Mr. Handson sat at his desk, grading papers with a red felt pen. Slowly, he peered up and exclaimed,
“Oh! It’s you.”
“Yeah. I’m here to talk about my grade.”
“Yes…” Handson shuffled his papers and remarked, “you’ve been doing a lot better. Gentry has been quite a friend to you. I’m actually surprised you have learned anything, or ah, how quickly you have caught up with him… I mean, especially how you found the time to...”
Zach stared at him impassively.
“I want to redo the Romeo and Juliet assignment.”
“I don’t give retakes, Zach. You know my policy.”
“The script I gave you wasn’t mine. Gentry wrote it. But everything else I’ve done here was my work. Gentry tutored me, and that’s it. Please. I just want a fair chance.”
Handson sighed, “Cheating is absolutely unacceptable. I can flunk you out of my class for this. You are an adult—”
“I am not an adult.”
“You are expected to act like one—”
“— Adults cheat. Adults cheat all the time, and if I were adult, I wouldn’t be stuck in a place where people call me faggot, and I’d get paid for my work. You people always tell us to act like adults, but almost all the adults I know lie so they’ll look better than the kids they’re criticizing. They pretend like they’re better than us, and get mad when people notice they aren’t. I’m told to be polite, to not cheat, to be respectful, but most adults here don’t follow any of that. You tell us to be organized, but if all these adults are so damn organized, why do we get weekend homework, summer homework, and homework over breaks? So if you want to fail me for telling you something you didn’t notice before, go on!”
Handson furrowed his eyebrows and exhaled deeply, taking off the old brown-rimmed glasses he wore to rub his dry eyes.
“No, Zach. I won’t do that.”
“Good.”
Zach sat down.
He put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward on them, “I’ve done everything I can to avoid cheating, but I see everyone around me do it while I get threatened. My grade stinks, and all I want is a fair shake. I don’t cheat, and I don’t want to. Just tell me what to do so I can make up that credit, give me at least the chance to pass.”
“Show me the paper.”
Zach reached into his backpack, trying to pull the paper loose without taking out the entire folder. After a few minutes of futile tugging, he pulled the entire black plastic binder out from the backpack, to the thump of everything else collapsing in. It flew open in his hands, yet Zach lurched forward just in time to save all the papers from sliding out. He noncommittally whipped out Gentry’s piece from the empty back pocket of the folder that he never used, and slapped the papers down on the table. Wuthering Heights lay bruised and beaten in his drooping backpack. Handson gazed at it briefly, and his sunken eyes lit up at the mardi gras beads that hung out from one corner, shining like wax in the fluorescent light. That rainbow cake was bigger than anything on the Spanish teacher’s table, and had beaten out anything in her Fiesta Party’s food selection for the front page of the school website. It showed up great in high resolution, too. Yet the Spanish teacher was going to get an award because her test scores were higher than his were.

Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 3

The next day, the library walls were stripped back to bare brick, marked only by the remnants of a GSA poster half-covered by a crumbling banner for Nationals. Zach passed them by, and took a sharp detour towards Mr. Handson’s classroom.

“She ran around naked?”
“Yeah, isn’t that crazy?”

Zach sneered at the gaggle of gossiping girls, and opened his mouth to speak— when suddenly a whining voice yelled:
“Shut the hell up!”
Mike stood there with the sun against his back, thumb-shaped head tilted to one side and lips parted in a grimace of disgust. He reminded Zach of a dog that had just barked at a passing car. The girls ignored him and whispered amongst each other, until Zach exclaimed,
“You know what’s crazy? Cathy fucked Vivian’s boyfriend. They were sitting in the car this morning.”
Vivian looked to Cathy with a bemused expressed, searching for a sign that this was a joke. Instead Cathy blushed and defensively snapped,
“It wasn’t like that—”
“Then what was it like?” snapped Michelle, “I saw you, too. You were sitting with him.”
Vivian loudly bawled, “Oh my god, how could you—”
“—Nothing happened, I was just sitting in his car!”
“Yeah, for two hours.” Zach scoffed, as he turned to leave.
“Two hours?!”
As the dramatics began again, Mike dejectedly lowered his head and trudged past Zach. Perhaps it was his dejection, the hopelessness in each step, that prompted Zach to remark, “It’s a game— don’t believe everything you hear.”
Mike ignored him and kept walking, so Zach looked away as well. He pulled open the heavy door, and let it loudly slam behind him.