Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"and it was always said of scrooge, that he knew how to keep christmas well, if any man possessed the knowledge. may that be truly said of us, and all of us. and so as tiny tim observed, god bless us, every one." mr feeny read. there was a satisfactory smile on my lips. mr. feeny truly had the perfect voice for reading.
"and so ends dicken's masterpiece, a christmas carol." feeny added. "wait a minute," shawn spoke up. "that's not the end. where's the grinch?"
my smile fell when i heard his words. "yeah. isn't the grinch supposed to show up now, and, like, take everything?" cory asked. i slapped my forehead out of shame and disappointment.
"how come it's called a christmas carol, anyway?" shawn wondered. "yeah. there was nobody in this story named carol." cory pointed out. i am surrounded by idiots. i thought, holding back both my groan and eye roll. to seem professional.
"ms. lawrence, will you please trade places with mr. matthews?" feeny asked. "all right." she closed her eyes. "i am a hyperactive, underachieving, 11 year old boy." she said. "don't forget stupid." i mumbled, chuckling at topanga's actions.
"i meant physically." feeny clarified. "oh, well, that takes less of a psychic toll." she gets up. "why do i have to move?" cory asked. "we were just giving our view of the book." shawn nodded. "yeah, i mean, you say literary masterpiece, we say... anh!" "anh!" the two mocked an incorrect buzzer.
"mr. matthews, i'm less interested in your review than i am that you understand the material." feeny stands up from his chair. "what, in your opinion, was mr. dickens trying to express in his christmas story?"
"that if you're a real butthead, then near ghosts will take you to cool places."
"anh!" feeny mocked their buzzer. i chuckled.
* ､ ☀︎ •
i began to devour my pb&j sandwich: as cory yapped on about fish and sticks. "fish and sticks. two things nature never would've put together. what'd you get?" cory asked shawn. "peanut butter and jelly. two things nature couldn't keep apart."
i smile. i had the same thing!
"since when did your mom pack you lunch?" asks cory. i tilt my head. he was right. "i thought you loved fish and sticks." i added. "i do, but i think it's cruel how the little fish scream when they rip their sticks off." shawn nodded. what?
"may i sit down?" stuart approaches us. "no." we say all in perfect unison. "well, since you're ambivalent." he sits down anyway. i scoff.
"ah, christmas. season of togetherness. season of brotherhood and smarthood." he says, looking at them and then me. i shake my head.
