GRAY2

“Alright everyone please take your seats” yelled Mr. Williams.

//God, he’s never in a good mood// thought Christopher. //“//Welcome to another day of algebra, hell as I like to call it, or in the words of Mr. Williams, the most important subject that you will ever learn,” sighed Chris as he stretched out his long body from his tiny work space.

“Today we will be doing a partner project on linear equations and how we can use them in our everyday lives. Everyone please pick a partner” shouted Mr. Williams. Chris looked around uneasily. He wasn’t the kind of guy who had a lot of friends. He was too tall, too lanky, and the weirdest thing of all was that he liked to lick his lips. This made all of the guys make fun of him and made all the girls believe that he was trying to hit on them. He couldn’t win.

“Mr. Williams…” Christopher said uneasily, “I don’t think that any one wants to be my partner. I think everyone is taken…”

“Nonsense Christopher, Daniel doesn’t have a partner yet either. You two will do fine. Go on now boys.”

Chris looked around as his heart started to pound in his chest. Daniel was as ferocious as they get and he would pounce on anyone who he deemed lesser than himself.

“You ready to start this project, Nerd?” tormented Daniel.

“Yeah…might as well get this over with” whispered Christopher.

“So, here’s how this is going to go down, freak. I’m going to sit here and text my girlfriend while you…who obviously don’t have one, sit here and do all the work. If you don’t agree with that, well, I guess we’ll just have to take that up outside after school.”

//I’m so sick of this guy thinking he can get away with whatever he wants. So what if I’m freakishly tall? So what I lick my lips a lot? So what I have an abnormally long neck? I’m done getting picked on.// And with that Christopher flipped over his desk.

“I’m not going to do it. And better yet, why not take care of this right here right now pipsqueak.” Chris thundered. All that Daniel could manage to do was sputter out a few but’s and uhm’s before Chris punched him square in the face! The whole classroom cheered as Mr. Williams hurried over to break up the commotion.

“Boys!” he shouted. “What exactly do you think you’re doing? Christopher get off of him! Chris! Off now!”

“He had it coming” muttered Christopher after Mr. Williams had dragged him off of Daniel.

Daniel laid there on the floor staring at Chris in amazement. “I can’t believe that freak just beat me up!” he shouted.

“Well you better believe it because it just happened. Not so weak as I look am I?”

“No you’re not. But you better watch you’re back. I’ll be watching you” mumbled Daniel as he pushed his way past Christopher. Suddenly the bell rang signaling the end of the hour. As the class began to file out Mr. Williams told Christopher and Daniel to stay behind.

“Where do you think you two young men are off too? You have a long meeting with principle McGee ahead of you.” Mr. Williams said with a gleeful smile as he escorted the boys down the hallway towards the office. .