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.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
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.
“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.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 2
Nothing was clearer than the writing on the blue brick wall, inches from the gate. Mikey passed it first, and Zach followed close behind, stopping to read aloud every word in a deadpan voice:
“Don’t cheat. Just don’t do it; it’s not worth it.”
“Cheating will get you suspended.”
“ZERO Tolerance! Cheating is not acceptable.”
“Just say NO to cheating.”
“Friends don’t make friends cheat.”
On flyers and posters, on 12 x 8 papers with cartoon drawings of smiling children. In Gamma Green, Lunar Blue, Planetary Purple, Re-Entry Red and Stardust White. Stapled to the corkwood, right next to the advertisement for an $1,200 SAT prep class and a photo of the Save the Congo Club.
“Mikey.” Zach said, after a long moment of deliberation.
Mikey stopped and turned around.
“Yeah?”
“Why are people in school books and on school posters always smiling? What are they so happy about?”
“Maybe they got away with cheating?”
Zach moved to walk beside him, and followed him into the library. No sooner had Mikey sat down at an empty table, then Zach sat opposite him, leaned forward and said:
“I cheated on you. Nothing to smile about.”
Mikey looked up briefly, then remarked, “…That’s an interesting segway.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know. But what can I say? As disappointed as I am, I won’t look back in anger. It was nice being with you, Zach.”
At this, Zach turned and gave him a sly over-the-shoulder glance. “Know what I know?”
“No.”
“Your locker combination. I also know that that’s where you hide things.”
Mikey furrowed his brow, “Zach…”
“I found it. Don’t make excuses— I know you went through my things. Was that the only one, or did you make copies?”
“… Yes, it’s the only one.”
“It better be.” Zach stood up and moved towards the door. Then, he suddenly turned around and said: “If you hurt him with this; if you say even one word about it… I’m coming after you.”
“Don’t cheat. Just don’t do it; it’s not worth it.”
“Cheating will get you suspended.”
“ZERO Tolerance! Cheating is not acceptable.”
“Just say NO to cheating.”
“Friends don’t make friends cheat.”
On flyers and posters, on 12 x 8 papers with cartoon drawings of smiling children. In Gamma Green, Lunar Blue, Planetary Purple, Re-Entry Red and Stardust White. Stapled to the corkwood, right next to the advertisement for an $1,200 SAT prep class and a photo of the Save the Congo Club.
“Mikey.” Zach said, after a long moment of deliberation.
Mikey stopped and turned around.
“Yeah?”
“Why are people in school books and on school posters always smiling? What are they so happy about?”
“Maybe they got away with cheating?”
Zach moved to walk beside him, and followed him into the library. No sooner had Mikey sat down at an empty table, then Zach sat opposite him, leaned forward and said:
“I cheated on you. Nothing to smile about.”
Mikey looked up briefly, then remarked, “…That’s an interesting segway.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know. But what can I say? As disappointed as I am, I won’t look back in anger. It was nice being with you, Zach.”
At this, Zach turned and gave him a sly over-the-shoulder glance. “Know what I know?”
“No.”
“Your locker combination. I also know that that’s where you hide things.”
Mikey furrowed his brow, “Zach…”
“I found it. Don’t make excuses— I know you went through my things. Was that the only one, or did you make copies?”
“… Yes, it’s the only one.”
“It better be.” Zach stood up and moved towards the door. Then, he suddenly turned around and said: “If you hurt him with this; if you say even one word about it… I’m coming after you.”
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Because You Suck: Chapter 22: Part 1
Note: A warm-hearted comment made me want to post the rest of the story (There are only two chapters left: 22 and 23.) You know who you are, and you are AWESOME. There will now be updates at least once a week, because.
Mike fell into a locker as Zach hurried past him. It wasn’t much of a fight. Mike met the floor without protest, cheek against the cement; and students walked past him, some over him. The Principal stumbled over his body, stopped, glanced down and quickly looked away.
His sweaty hand slowly pulled a Danish out of a brown paper bag, and sniffed back the wetness in his nose as his teeth sank into the dough. No sooner had the taste of sticky-sweet frosting fill his mouth, then Nasty stormed into him. The Danish hurled into the air and splattering onto the ground, where the soft pastry was marked by the imprint of her stiletto heel, which smeared gooey white frosting across the cement as she stormed up to Mike to remind him that participation still mattered senior year.
The principal took his leave, hungry and confused, when suddenly a bold black headline shot out in front of him. Mikey’s voice rang out, “The school newspaper made a big mistake. Tolerance and Laughs at Kennedy Prom cited the head of the GSA as Mike Gonzalez. I’m Mikey Carmichael. That guy over there there’s Mike Gonzelez.”
“Oh.”
“This is a pretty big deal, and the school needs to announce the correction so that people know who to contact. I have been preventing gay youth suicide and violence in the halls of Kennedy for over two years—“
At that moment, Gentry ran in between them, elbowing Mikey to the ground as he sped past.
Mike fell into a locker as Zach hurried past him. It wasn’t much of a fight. Mike met the floor without protest, cheek against the cement; and students walked past him, some over him. The Principal stumbled over his body, stopped, glanced down and quickly looked away.
His sweaty hand slowly pulled a Danish out of a brown paper bag, and sniffed back the wetness in his nose as his teeth sank into the dough. No sooner had the taste of sticky-sweet frosting fill his mouth, then Nasty stormed into him. The Danish hurled into the air and splattering onto the ground, where the soft pastry was marked by the imprint of her stiletto heel, which smeared gooey white frosting across the cement as she stormed up to Mike to remind him that participation still mattered senior year.
The principal took his leave, hungry and confused, when suddenly a bold black headline shot out in front of him. Mikey’s voice rang out, “The school newspaper made a big mistake. Tolerance and Laughs at Kennedy Prom cited the head of the GSA as Mike Gonzalez. I’m Mikey Carmichael. That guy over there there’s Mike Gonzelez.”
“Oh.”
“This is a pretty big deal, and the school needs to announce the correction so that people know who to contact. I have been preventing gay youth suicide and violence in the halls of Kennedy for over two years—“
At that moment, Gentry ran in between them, elbowing Mikey to the ground as he sped past.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Because You Suck: Chapter 21: Part 1
Gentry caught Zach’s eye passing the study room door, where the Estonian stormed up to him like a bat out of hell. One dark hand slapped his face, but Gentry caught the soft fingers before they drew back, and pulled him into a kiss. No sooner had the heat left his lips when it was returned with an equally forceful shove. Zach pushed a gold-yellow envelope in his hands and stormed out.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Because You Suck: Chapter 20: Part 22
She had pounded on the door for a half hour before creeping away.
That was the rumor. Everyone was talking about her drunken, naked stumble through the football field. And those who weren't talking were listening, watching... thinking. Some freshmen had seen her that night, and snapped a picture which they showed everyone the next day. Too much information was still not enough, and more and more people demanded to know how or why, devouring each tidbit of gossip with ravenous attention.
Finally. Kylie was popular.
Even though she sharply denied anything had happened.
“It wasn’t me.” She kept saying, until Mike presented her the photo and demanded “How could you?” during lunch. Giving it a horrified look, she abruptly stopped answering any further questions. Some time later that day, she started shrugging it off as a stupid prank and all that. That’s what she said to Ms.Nasty, who warned her that this kind of behavior wouldn’t be tolerated and could result in suspension, since streaking was against the dress code.
Casey was the first to form a concrete suspicious. He made sure to point that out to Mikey, who then pointed it out to Zach (who was not surprised.)
“I just think it’s weird that they went to the prom together, but that she wouldn’t even sit with him today. Don’t you?”
“No.” Zach replied, as he left the his last class and hastily ducked into the open library door.
It door slammed in Casey’s face—
But no sooner had he pulled away then he spotted Kylie, yelling out to her,
“What happened, did you find out if he was gay?” his sneakers shuffled after hers, while she rushed past him like a caged tiger.
“Come on, Kylie. We’re friends,” he whined, “You can trust me.”
“Oh, he’s definitely not gay.” She spat back. “Definitely.”
But no matter how much he reasoned with her, she wouldn’t give him specifics— and that irritated him. He had to know. He wanted to. Gentry passed by at that moment, and Gentry caught up with him,
“Hey Gentry!”
“Hey.” Gentry moved fast, as though he was trying to lose him. But this only made Casey more suspiscious, “You should talk to Kylie. She’s really upset.”
“Really.”
“Yeah man, what happened on prom night? Why'd she run around naked?"
“Ask her.”
“Why aren’t you guys seeing each other anymore?”
“There wasn’t much to see. I’m over her.”
“But why so suddenly?”
“Because she’s a girl.” Gentry shrugged, and ducked into the library. The door slammed shut in Casey’s face.
That was the rumor. Everyone was talking about her drunken, naked stumble through the football field. And those who weren't talking were listening, watching... thinking. Some freshmen had seen her that night, and snapped a picture which they showed everyone the next day. Too much information was still not enough, and more and more people demanded to know how or why, devouring each tidbit of gossip with ravenous attention.
Finally. Kylie was popular.
Even though she sharply denied anything had happened.
“It wasn’t me.” She kept saying, until Mike presented her the photo and demanded “How could you?” during lunch. Giving it a horrified look, she abruptly stopped answering any further questions. Some time later that day, she started shrugging it off as a stupid prank and all that. That’s what she said to Ms.Nasty, who warned her that this kind of behavior wouldn’t be tolerated and could result in suspension, since streaking was against the dress code.
Casey was the first to form a concrete suspicious. He made sure to point that out to Mikey, who then pointed it out to Zach (who was not surprised.)
“I just think it’s weird that they went to the prom together, but that she wouldn’t even sit with him today. Don’t you?”
“No.” Zach replied, as he left the his last class and hastily ducked into the open library door.
It door slammed in Casey’s face—
But no sooner had he pulled away then he spotted Kylie, yelling out to her,
“What happened, did you find out if he was gay?” his sneakers shuffled after hers, while she rushed past him like a caged tiger.
“Come on, Kylie. We’re friends,” he whined, “You can trust me.”
“Oh, he’s definitely not gay.” She spat back. “Definitely.”
But no matter how much he reasoned with her, she wouldn’t give him specifics— and that irritated him. He had to know. He wanted to. Gentry passed by at that moment, and Gentry caught up with him,
“Hey Gentry!”
“Hey.” Gentry moved fast, as though he was trying to lose him. But this only made Casey more suspiscious, “You should talk to Kylie. She’s really upset.”
“Really.”
“Yeah man, what happened on prom night? Why'd she run around naked?"
“Ask her.”
“Why aren’t you guys seeing each other anymore?”
“There wasn’t much to see. I’m over her.”
“But why so suddenly?”
“Because she’s a girl.” Gentry shrugged, and ducked into the library. The door slammed shut in Casey’s face.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Because You Suck: Chapter 20: Part 21
Moments later, he had her back pinned against the wall and she was kissing him. Where, it didn’t matter. Neck, lips, jawline. His hands pulled down the top of her dress and unhooked her bra, and Kylie took a shaky breath and instinctively covered her milk-white breasts from the cool night air. Her breathing quickened as her heavy-lidded eyes watched his hand run along her thigh, and under the lining of her petticoat. He forced a hand down between her legs an up her warm thighs, rubbing along the thin fabric of her panties. Cotton, not polyester.
“Gentry…” she hissed, pressing back against him. His hand slipped beneath the thin fabric, pushing into the heat of her body.
“Keep going.”
Instead he dropped his hand and moved to face her. After giving her a quick lookover, he ordered for her to, “Lose the dress. I want to see every part of you.”
She slowly complied, wiggling out of it and then carefully draping it over a crate, standing before him in nothing more than her heels and baby blue panties. Her eyes searched his shadowy face for a sign of approval, as her legs slowly spread apart and her hands came up to cover her tear-shaped breasts. Gentry moved behind her to pluck off her restricting fingers, one by one.
“You like?” she breathed, inhaling sharply as his hands covered her soft, barely formed nipples. Every part of her was soft, warm, bare. He gave a closelipped smile and brushed his lips against her neck, then pressed the front of her body against the door. He pinned her wrists against the cool metal, and her lips met his in a heated kiss.
“Yes. This is perfect.”
Then he threw open the door and shoved her out into the dawn.
“Gentry…” she hissed, pressing back against him. His hand slipped beneath the thin fabric, pushing into the heat of her body.
“Keep going.”
Instead he dropped his hand and moved to face her. After giving her a quick lookover, he ordered for her to, “Lose the dress. I want to see every part of you.”
She slowly complied, wiggling out of it and then carefully draping it over a crate, standing before him in nothing more than her heels and baby blue panties. Her eyes searched his shadowy face for a sign of approval, as her legs slowly spread apart and her hands came up to cover her tear-shaped breasts. Gentry moved behind her to pluck off her restricting fingers, one by one.
“You like?” she breathed, inhaling sharply as his hands covered her soft, barely formed nipples. Every part of her was soft, warm, bare. He gave a closelipped smile and brushed his lips against her neck, then pressed the front of her body against the door. He pinned her wrists against the cool metal, and her lips met his in a heated kiss.
“Yes. This is perfect.”
Then he threw open the door and shoved her out into the dawn.
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