The Domino Effect

The Domino Effect: Dustin

Bond: Something that binds a person or persons to a certain circumstance or line of behavior.

Ha, stupid dictionary definitions. What it really should be was…

Bond: A strong tie with another individual that is usually a mental concept rather than physical that, if broken, will undoubtedly cause severe or excruciating pain to either one or both of the two parties involved. Best not to create.

Dustin grinned to himself adding yet another word into his mental dictionary making it officially the 5,857th word to be added to him own personal dictionary. Completed in perfect alphabetical order including his own definitions for each and every single one of them.

Though he supposed for his scheme’s sake creating these so called ‘bonds’ would be necessary. Strong Bonds between some people, maybe insert himself somewhere in the equation. This concept of Bonds he created would act as invisible strings. Holding up certain pieces in his chain of dominos, they could act as loop-holes. Changing the flow of his chain-reaction turning it into something completely different, or to a more boring extent, stop everything completely in its tracks.

Dustin flicked his eyes to the clock momentarily; a small grin lit his features, hardly noticeable. Ash hadn’t returned, that meant that everything was going according to plan, for now anyways.

He looked back at the class turning on his dopy teacher mode.

“Guys!!!! Look at the time, it’s almost time to goooo~~~” He sang out his words jumping on top of his desk his arms reached towards the heavens in excitement. He looked down at his students who were all looking at him curiously when a brilliant idea seemingly came out of nowhere and rained down on him.

“Guys! New homework assignment, I just thought of it now while I was standing here!” He let a grin spread across his face as he clasped his hands together, the overly eager teacher jumped back down from his perch on the desk flapping his arms wildly around like a bird.

“I just got a new idea for a writing assignment!” He sang out jumping around the classroom. “Monday I want a creative writing essay turned in, but make it dark. Give it a comedic or tragic ending! I dunno but give it a negative twist, make it a horror story! I wanna see how creative you guys can get.” After his speech he heard a few kids groan, they obviously had never had Dustin before, nor heard of him to have the nerve to do that.

Dustin immediately feel the warm liquid begin to pool in his eyes and he felt his facial expression go from obnoxiously excited of one of unbearable sadness, not that this was something to be unbearably sad about, but Dustin tended to overreact, over everything.

So now the fully grown man and ended up crying in the corner of his classroom while a bunch of kids stared at him, though what was worrisome was only a few were dumbfounded about the whole ideal.

One of the kids immediately spoke up. “Sorry Mr. Eistie… I didn’t mean it I would be extremely happy to have this homework assignment…” The man turned his sniveling face towards the boy, a look joy and awe on his features. The man immediately stood up managing to wipe his eyes in the most exaggerated way possible, before jumping up landing in a very hero-like pose.

“You guys are the ultimate students!” He yelled in a ‘hero’ voice. He opened his mouth as he wanted to add more to the statement but he was interrupted by the loud shrill of the bell ending the period, so instead he coughed, an action to calm himself before looking at the class.

“Make sure you do that paper, be as creative as possible!” He waved at them a smile on his face talking to the side’s in short natural conversation and didn’t let his smile falter at all until all the kids had left the room.

Immediately the man slumped into himself a tired expression fell across his face. “Oh no! Ash never came back from the bathroom! How is he going to get his stuff?” As if on cue, no Dustin had made it so that would happen, Ash walked in. The boy had a face distorted in thought, deep thought.

“Mr. Eistie?” The boy’s voice broke through the short silence the teacher had let fall over the room. And the Dustin looks at Ash who suddenly seemed to out of whatever thoughts he had been swimming in, though Dustin knew what he was thinking about.

“What is it Ash?” He asked innocently.

“I want to join the DOMINO club.” The boy kept it short and simple just like Dustin had flawlessly predicted.

“Why of course you can! Meetings are on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school!” He exclaimed excitedly the man’s eyes lighting up when he spoke about the club he ran.

Though Dustin already knew that Ash would join the club, just as he knew that Ash would run into Ares in the bathroom that he wouldn’t return to class. It was all part of “The Domino Effect”.

Dustin grabbing Ares’ wrist had started the chain of events, then dragging him out of the classroom, moving towards the bathroom Ash went to everyday. Freaking the boy out, almost putting him into an ‘episode’ (As Dustin start to refer to his panic like attacks). Sure the injury on his arm had been an unforeseen variable, but Dustin had quickly adjusted it to his own advantage. It was then followed by Ash asking to go to the bathroom, running into Ares, originally he was only suppose to witness the shaken boy, but Dustin estimated that he had instead seen the injury on the other boy’s arm(Which actually worked to his advantage.), which lead the boy to become more curious about Ares, Dustin knew that if he had to Ares would answer any questions asked to him just to get out of a situation, so then Ash would come back after Ares escaped from him still intrigued by the boy’s whole ordeal, thus leading Dustin to accept him into the DOMINO club.

Though Dustin supposed that being curious about Ares could happen to anyone, especially in this school. He was poor, very smart, but he kept to himself making his mysterious and intriguing. Dustin didn’t blame Ash for being interested in other kid, he was like was like a small delicate flower that had been trampled over and over again, but just wouldn’t die no matter how many times it was stepped on. Dustin wondered if the boy had a will to struggle through life hoping there was some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, for once Dustin wasn’t sure, but that only made his game better. If the man knew everything that was going to happen what fun would his game be?

He waved at Ash as the boy left not letting his expression drop until he knew the student was gone. Dustin stepped back leaning against the edge of his desk letting his head fall into his hands. The man didn’t move for awhile and he just listened to the bustling of kids walking past his door.

Slowly he began to stir, his body shaking slightly and the relaxed position of his hands began to adjust into a taught tension as his nails slowly began to tear away at the skin around his scalp and he felt the heat of the pain erupt through his skull. The man’s eyes began to widen with each passing second his pupils shrinking to tiny black circles barely visible against his dark brown eyes. As a smile began to creep across his face growing in size and morphing into a largely psychotic grin he heard himself whisper.

“The Domino Effect as been put into action.”