“Pure energy strike!”

BOOM!

I had just barely dodged this most deadly spell. I could feel the heat from the effort of the blast as rocks rained down upon my black chain mail. I formed my own ball of energy in my hands while saying an incantation that couldn’t be heard over the blasts of other spells, but I was too late. I was struck by a light so intense it knocked me on the flat of my back. Then my sight darkened, my attacker looked at me with pure hate in his eyes and venom soaking every word he spoke, “We shall finish this soon enough.” As he finished I blacked out hearing only an ambulance.

Wait. An ambulance? I opened my eyes to find that I was looking at my top bunk and it was not an ambulance I heard but my most annoying alarm clock. My Dad opened the door and said the words I dreaded the most, “C’mon bud time for school.”

I groaned, “I’m up, I’m up.”

He snorted, “Then why are you still lying in bed?”

I would have given an answer but being as it was Monday and I had an excellent weekend planned with my girlfriend I decided it best to keep my mouth shut. I rolled out of bed and looked at myself in the mirror. I was very muscular for a 16-year-old but I still had room for improvement. I dared not look up at the cowlick I most likely had. So I just sighed and got into the shower. After thoroughly scrubbing my hair I noticed the cow lick was still there, “Such is life,” I sighed.

* * *

I walked into the kitchen, the smell of bacon was intoxicating. “Your breakfast is on the table. I see you couldn’t tame the beast,” Said my dad, pointing at my hair. He could really get on my nerves sometimes.

“Yeah, I know,” I grumbled. I hated the nickname everyone gave my cowlick that was always there. It seemed to be a part of me. I sat down and began eating. The eggs were too cooked for my liking.

“How is it?” my mom asked.

Not wanting to hurt her feelings I replied, “It’s really scrumptious.” She looked at me with a face that could make a thief turn himself in.

“Scrumptious?” She asked.

I had to be on the level with her, “It was ok.”

She looked at me and said, “That’s better.” I could only grin at her.

* * *

I arrived at school with little or no enthusiasm. “Get out,” my dad growled. I glared at him. I thought of this weekend. I trudged to the library and opened the door grudgingly. The librarian looked up and said “Come to study or socialize?”

“Well since it’s my choice I think I’ll socialize.” I love study hall. However, bliss cannot last forever and I eventually got booted out of study hall with a booming, “Get out!” As if my talking wasn’t bothering them I’m sure the librarian’s did. I let the door slam shut. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. I decided to go to a snack machine for another late breakfast. I chose Dorritos. “E7,” I don’t know why I said it. Force of habit I guess.

Stuck. “Oh my God, I don’t believe this!” I started banging on the machine and screamed obscenities loud enough to draw the attention of the student resources officer and some students. Obviously to passers I was an angry student that got jipped out of his food. Although to the aged and untrained eye of the SRO I was a delinquent trying to deface school property and get some free food. He took me to his office. He had anti-drug posters all over the walls. One said, “If you smoke dope, like a big joke, you’ll go broke.” Another quite simply stated, “Go ahead and steal things for money, and while you’re in jail you’ll be someone’s ‘Honey’.” I chuckled, he looked up, grinned evilly and said “Nervous?”

I laughed at this and barely managed to slip out, “No, I was just laughing at your corny posters!!!” I don’t think he liked that because he stopped grinning and called the principle Mr. Smackee. I’m not going to say what we call him, I’ll leave that to your imagination. He walked in and the SRO, Deputy Binnes, told him what he had “caught” me doing. Of course his version was true minus the part about me being gentle when he walked by, also the bit about me trying to break the glass. When he got to this part I swiftly corrected him.

“Plexiglass.”

They looked at me with a look that said they both were hungry for my blood.

“Plexiglass,” I repeated. “It was plexiglass, not real glass. I couldn’t have broken it if my life depended on it.”

Mr. Smackee said, “He’s right, it would take a sledgehammer to get in.”

I thought my mouth never gets tired of getting me into trouble as I said the following a little to loud for my taste, “Now that’s an idea!”

Deputy Binnes jumped up and pointed at me as if he were implicating me in some heinous scheme to overthrow a snack machine. I looked at him, stood up in return and said most stupidly, “Are you done being an ignorant, belligerent, non-sympathetic waste of human thought? I put money in the machine. I pressed buttons and didn’t get my food. Who wouldn’t be angry?”

He looked at me self righteously, “Not me!”

I gave him not the satisfaction by accepting this but instead ticked him off more by saying, “Shall I call his holiness ’Saint Binnes’?” His face turned a shade of red I never knew existed, “Fine, I believe you, leave now!”

I figured I’d erk him again just for good measure and said with a bow, “His holiness is truly magnanimous,” I expected what was coming next.

“GET OUT!!!”

I giggled, I’d been hearing that a lot lately. Before I left he must have heard me laughing and asked, “What’s so funny?” Not the smartest thing to ask.

“Nothing, you’re just really cute when your mad.”

The principle busted into laughter, and if possible Deputy Binnes’s face got ever more red. It was odd, his face kind of glowed. I thought it best if I just left so I did. I looked back in and asked what period it was.

“Third!” The room seemed to rumble when he yelled this.

“Oooh, so cute!” This sent Mr. Smackee into a whole new fit of laughter. Deputy Binnes stood up angrily. I got a panicked look on my face and ran as fast as I could to my third period class. As I was keeping track of today’s events I figured the score “Life 4, Ryan 3,” I finished saying this as I walked in the door to my class. It was very plan, very boring. The only thing that made this class stand out was the odor that was different everyday.

“Tuna!” Again, too loud for my liking. However, I did get nods of approval from the other students.

“Mr. Wagner!” She was going to say something else but I interrupted, “Mrs. Lewis, no need to be so formal, please call me Ryan.” I smacked my head as I realized what happened.

“Very well Ryan, you do realize that this is tardy number five.” I knew where this was going.

“Well I haven’t been keeping count, but obviously you have.” I haven’t been having a very good day.

“And since I have been keeping count, guess where you’re going.”

I wish I was a mute sometimes, “The principles office? Now what’s my prize?” Assorted giggles made me smile until I saw the referral in her hand ‘So that’s what they were laughing at’ I thought to myself. So I took the refferal and trudge out of the classroom and headed towards the dreaded Principle’s Office. His office was weird it seemed more like a hang out than an office, but that still didn’t change the fact that I was in trouble.

“Have a seat.”

I sat down and handed him the incriminating paper. He looked at the refferal and chuckled, “I’ll take care of this. It’s not your fault you were late.”

I smiled, “What’s so funny?”

He just looked at me and said, “I was going to send for you anyway. I have something for you.” I got really nervous when he reached under his desk and pulled out a bulging plastic bad.

“Huh?” I guess I looked as stupid as I sounded because he laughed again. After he finished he said, “I got some Dorritos for you being as that’s what started the trouble and you never got yours back.”

I was very confused so I had to ask, “You’re not mad at me for saying that stuff to the SRO?” He gave me a look that was kindly, sort of like a skinny Santa Claus and laughed heartily. So much that the secretary looked in and stared.

“No, I’m not mad,” he leaned closer and whispered, “I honestly never liked that guy anyway. That’s why I looked angry, because I’d been down there three times already.” I gave an amazed look and he just looked at me with admiration and quietly said, “You are the first student to stand up to that guy’s incompetence, and frankly, it deserves a reward.”

I was much enlightened, “Oh! Hence the Dorritos.” I looked at the bag as I said this, “Bingo… but,” there’s always a but, he looked at me and grinned as he finished, “I don’t want to see it happen again.”

I laughed and said matter-of-factly, “Neither do I. I’m still out the 75 cents that machine took from me.” We laughed together and he tossed me three quarters, “Seeing your wit in Deputy Binnes’s office, I expected that answer and as a responsible Principle should, I remained one step ahead of my pupil.”

“Not quite,” I had him now. “How so?” he asked confidently.

“Interest!” and after I said this he tossed an additional dime my way. I looked at his smug face and all I could do was say “You really are good.” I left his office dumbfounded. I had met my match.