After spending my summer at summer school for my actions, I realized that I had not finished paying for my actions on the last day of school 2 and a half months prior. I received a letter in the mail in July notifying me that I had to report to the principal on the first day of school, so here I was.
Principal Lopez had been lecturing me for the past five minutes about my "inexcusable actions" that occurred inside of the classroom. Honestly, it felt more like a formality than anything. I've never been in trouble, and Lopez knew that.
Principal Lopez looked at me and rubbed his baldhead and let out a long sigh.
"Look, Landon. We both know that his is a one-time thing, but can you help explain to me what caused the disruption in class?"
Yeah, I'm in lusting with an Adonis who turned out to be a complete idiot. I'm probably the only gay guy stuck in this hillbilly town, and I want time to speed up so I can graduate already.
"I'd just had a long day," I replied after calming my thoughts. "I get very passionate about English, and some of what the other student said just rubbed me the wrong way. I know it's childish, and I already know I'm going to apologize to Mrs. Anderson after school and accept whatever punishment she deems fit."
"That's very mature, but I'm going to need a bit more from you," said Principal Lopez.
My mouth dropped and felt like it could drop even more if I didn't pull it up so I could stammer my words more than any human should. "Professor Lopez, what do you mean?! I've sat here and listened to your speech, and I already feel bad about interrupting and causing a scene in my favorite teachers class to which I'll go apologize. What more do you need from me?"
Principal Lopez got a mischievous look in his eye and, if my eyes didn't betray me, smirked as he gave out his cruel form of punishment. "I also need you to work things out with Addy. That was his first day here, and it isn't how I want him to think we run things. What you said to him was not only rude, but also very unlike you. You two will be going to study hall together for the next month and a half so you can get to know each other more."
Of course his name is Addy. Why not? God, it's like he truly is the reincarnation of Adonis himself. Fuck my life.
"Wait, you can't force me to be friends with him. That's completely unfair!"
"I'm not asking you to become best friends with him, but since you were so quick to hate him and compare him to Hitler, you're punishment will be a month and a half of study hall but you'll be working together while you're there. Think of it as a team building exercise," he said with a smile on his face.
"Fine, but don't expect me to be a happy camper for the next month and a half," I said as I picked up my things and left his office.
I decided to head to the library and skip my second class. It was a creative writing class, so I'd make up some bullshit excuse later about how I needed to explore my creativity later. The teacher was kind of a ditz, but she always loved what I turned in, so it wouldn't be hard to convince her of why I wasn't in the first class of the year.
I guess I really couldn't consider it skipping. I did go to the library to write, but I just couldn't sit through another class with all the anger I had inside of me. Writing has always given me a release, which is why I liked English. It was my chance to write in a different manner, and sometimes even help me escape what I am feeling.
Football also does this for me, but there was something special about writing. When I'm out on the field, it's like I'm a completely different person. I don't want to call myself a madman, but that's how I feel.
My primal instinct takes over, and I enjoy the rambunctiousness of it all. However, it's also where I get to feel myself be the most strategic and study other people. Most people think it's a bunch of people hitting one another for the pleasure of it, but I love seeing the little things. If an individual is going to be blitzing during a play, it takes me one or two times to see his body movements that give it away. It's invigorating, but most of all, it's a way to help release my anger.
Writing is different. There are some emotions that I can't release on the football field, and this is an outlet that's both healthy and doesn't have me waking up in pain on Saturday mornings. I started writing when I was thirteen, and became enveloped in the process. The intricate emotions that I put into each character, and the details that I could create down to the shadow cast by a pebble were so interesting that I couldn't stop.
When I first started, it was very High School Musical because I didn't tell people because I was ashamed of how it would make me look to other people. One day, after football practice, I dropped my backpack and a couple of my stories fell out and went in almost every direction.
I immediately got scared because I didn't want to be made fun of, but there was nothing I could do. A couple of my teammates helped me pick up my papers, but started to read them in the process. I sat on my locker so I could wait for the verbal torture to begin, but it never came.
I wouldn't call myself a geek, but I'm not the most popular either, so the idea that everyone would be okay with my writing was the farthest thought from my mind. Instead, they just kind of brushed it off, but made a few comments about how great my writing is. It wasn't a huge spectacle, but it gave me the courage to keep doing what I love.
So now, I'm sitting in the library writing a new story based on how my emotions had me feeling after my meeting with Principal Lopez and how unfair life can be. It seemed I had been writing for a good 20 minutes when I finally heard someone clearing their throat I look up and my stomach drops. It was AdonisÉI mean, Addy.
I was instantly love struck again because I was finally able to see him up close. His brown hair pulled back, but with a bang hanging over his sexy green eye like some model. It wasn't until I pulled myself together that I realized our earlier conversation, and put on an angry face.
"Can I help you?" I asked icily.
In a deep voice that made me start twitching in my pants he replied, "Whoa, calm down there. I was just going to ask if there's room for Hitler at your table." Smirking as he said "Hitler", I felt like I was going to faint.
"I don't know, is there? I know I came off pretty rude in class, but your views on controversy are completely demeaning! How can you have those ideas? How can you not want our society to move forward? What makes you think that controversy is such a bad thing?!"
I felt like I was talking a million words a minute and I could have kept asking questions, but I had to take a breath. He used that moment of silence to give a rebuttal to our earlier discussion.
"I never said those were my true feelings, you just assumed that they were," he said with a stern, but assuring voice. "Before I get another one of your deadly, and I mean deadly, death stares, I don't think that you're wrong. However, letting your emotions get the best of you when you hear someone else's opinion isn't going to help much in the long run.
"So many civil rights movements are hindered before they even begin because of the fact that the people who let their emotions get the best of them are the ones who show the negative side of movements. They act before they think, and people believe that this is how the organization must truly be. Just some food for thought."
I sat there completely dumbfounded. He had a point, and while I could continue debating with him all day, I decided to let him win this round.
"Okay, fine. You win," I replied. "But don't think that you're off the hook. I'm the type of person to hold a grudge."
He smiled this obnoxious smile and said he wouldn't have it any other way. He finally took the seat across from me and we began to work in silence until I finally broke the silence.
"So, I guess I should get to know you a little bit since we're going to be in study hall together after school for the next month and a half."
He made a sound that sounded like he was choking on a drink and looked up at me with an astonished look on his face.
"You? YOU'RE Landon?"
I was a bit shocked by his voice level, and quickly looked around to make sure nobody was coming to shush us.
"Yeah? Why? Have you heard things about me?"
"You're the fucker I'm paired with?!"
He had a lot of anger in his voice, and I was honestly becoming a bit scared.
"Wait," I quickly said. "Why do you have to come to study hall? It's usually given out as a punishment."
I knew I was paired with him, but I needed to make sure he wasn't going to study hall for fighting or something violent. Not going to lie, I was kind of scared for my safety at this point.
"Because," he said with anger written across his face. "It's for disrupting class back in May. I knew I had a hand in the disruption, so I accepted the punishment. Howver, they said they were going to pair me with a random student, but this doesn't seem so random."
"YeahÉ" I said with some embarrassment. "Principal Lopez seems to think that doing this will help make your transition into the new school a bit easier. I'm so sorry that it's an inconvenience to you, though."
That last part came out with a bit of malice, and I instantly wish that I could have taken it back.
We sat there in silence as Addy seethed in his anger, and I tried diligently to write down all the emotions that I had been feeling in this last encounter. I had probably been scribbling for about 15 minutes when he finally broke the silence and announced his departure.
"It's honestly not fair that I have to come in because you couldn't keep your emotions in check. I would have liked to have been paired with someone else because of the simple fact that I don't like being tricked like this. If you think for one second that this is going to work out, don't get your hopes up."
And with that he turned around and walked out of the library.
Authors note: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. I tried to get a lot of Landon's back-story in this chapter, so I hope you feel a better connection with him! As always, feel free to email me any feedback you have at landon.a.blake@gmail.com! I love to hear from you guys! All the best, Landon.