What Should I do? | Shawn Hunter

xv. Set Me Off...Watch Me Explode!

KARDERN LIKED TO think he was a rational person, even for an eleven-year-old. Okay, he had some issues...A lot of issues...More issues than a boy his age should really have. And okay maybe he had a bit of a temper, okay maybe a bit more than a temper -- but it wasn't exactly his fault. Alright, not entirely. It was just sometimes somebody said something that pushed him over the edge and often times he didn't know what was happening as all he sees is red until he pulled back and often saw blood pooling around his knuckles 

His temper, not to mention his ability to sucker punch kids in the face often times landed him in detention more than perhaps anyone in his grade and the grade above him (except maybe Hunter but he seemed to be getting detentions more and more often and when Kardern would try to ask why he was getting detentions more and more often, Shawn would just shrug and say Feeny had been on him a bit more than usual)

Kardern didn't believe him but was also scared to press the topic more, he didn't want to end up  bringing up a topic that could potentially ruin their budding friendship and so he never pushed Shawn for more information, even though he had that weird feeling at the back of his neck that he wasn't being entirely truthful 

When Kardern found himself in an old classroom with whatever teacher was unlucky enough to pull the short straw for supervised detention and the clock ticking on the wall, showing that time was moving through to Kardern, it felt like it was crawling backwards instead  

Every time Shawn would try and get and get Kardern's attention, Kardern would try and ignore him, focusing on their book instead of Shawn trying to get his attention by throwing scraps of paper in his attention, Kardern just ignored him as best as possible and continued to stare at the clock as it ticked backwards, hoping that soon he would be let out of this hell of his own making. 

When they were allowed out of the class where detention was being held, Kardern wasted no time in throwing scrap bits of paper in his bag. (knowing that he would not look at them again and they would fester in his bag until the end of term where all of his school stuff would be dumped in the middle of his room until a few hours before he was due back in school and he would hastily through the scraps of paper back into the backpack with little thought) Kardern hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders, sent an apologetic smile to the teacher and quickly walked towards the door

"Kardern!" Shawn exclaimed as Kardern worked. on detangling the cord of his earphones from around his Walkman, and tried to ignore Shawn as he jogged to keep up with Kardern's quick pace -- normally he wouldn't mind Hunter's company but right now every little thing was putting him on edge and after today, he really didn't want to add anything more to his plate, he already felt like if somebody said the wrong thing at the wrong time he would snap but Shawn was pushing every button "Oi, Osborn. Why are you ignoring me"

"Not in the mood today Hunter" Kardern answered, without looking back 

"What have I done wrong?" Shawn asked, further pushing as he rushed to keep up with Kardern, but the boy just pushed his earphone in one ear and pulled down his beenie, so that it covered his ears and hoping that would have been enough of a clue for Shawn to leave him alone but it didn't seem to work

"Nothing" 

"Then why won't you talk to me apart from one-word answers?"  Shawn asked, a hurt edge to  his voice that on a better day, Kardern might have asked about what it was that was bothering him, but everything was setting him off 

"So why are you in detention this time?"

Shawn shrugged, now he was the one avoiding Kardern's eyes and he tried to ignore the sinking feeling that he got from Shawn's attitude and he knew he needed to get out and he knew whatever Shawn was going to say next, Kardern wouldn't like   "Mr Feeny didn't like how I handled the group project"