The Annoying Thing About Innocence

A Brief Glimpse Into the Life of Wyatt Henry

The annoying thing about surnames is that, sometimes, they are wrongly placed. Take me, Wyatt Henry, for example. My parents could have easily given me any other first name, but, no, they had to make me "unique." They had to put two last names on my birth certificate instead of one. They had to, well, make my name symbolize my life: a backwards mess.

You see, I've always been different from the rest of my family. My two older brothers, Ethan and Sam, have always been perfect, well-behaved children; on top of all of that, they both managed to maintain 4.0 averages and still have a social life throughout all of high school. 

Whereas I? Well, I am barely keeping my GPA above a 2.9 and am constantly sent to see Mr. Bracker, our school principle. Plus, due to my reputation, stupid, nonsensical questions are repeatedly thrown my way. 

"Hey, Wyatt! Did you have your daily "tea break" with Mr. Bracker yet today?"

"Yo, Wyatt! What's on the agenda tonight? Do I need to have my bank account ready? After all, I never know when I'm going to have to bail you out of jail."

"Hey, Henry Wyatt! What's up? Wait -- I forgot. Your name's Wyatt Henry. My mistake. I tend to see things how they SHOULD be."

Trust me: they get much worse.

Look, you want to encounter some real troubled kids? Stop by the back of the gym. That's where anybody who's too high to remember their own name hangs out.

And, it's not like I'm a delinquent. I've never once been arrested. In fact, I spend most nights at my job, working at 7-Eleven. 

Due to my "rebellious" image, however, I am always sent any social invitation there is, including access to parties, clubs, and bars. So, because of my bogus identity, I really AM an unruly teen. Because of my fake image, I  really AM forced to hang out with the wrong crowd. Because of my false "loose canon-ness," I really AM found behind the gym.

I guess, in a way, I really AM a delinquent.

And, you know what? IT SUCKS.