THE CLASH (Episode One)

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

"I gotta take a leak."

"You know you can't go to the restroom during class."

"Who said I was going to go to the restroom?" Mick spun around in his seat to watch Joe begin to unbutton his pants. He stared, utterly mortified.

"No!" He whispered/shouted. He grabbed Joe by the shirt. "Don't even think about it! You are not pissing in class, and further more, right behind me!"

Joe shoved him. "Back off! I'm trying to concentrate!"

"OI!" Paul whirled around from his seat next to Mick and gave both him and Joe a dirty look. "Cut it out. I'm the one trying to concentrate!" He turned back around, hunched over his desk. Something about Paul looking too interested in the lesson seemed a bit...strange...

Joe reached over and snatched the paper.

"Hey!" Paul grabbed back but Joe held in his other hand, farther from him.

"This isn't the lesson. This is some drawing!"

"It's a called a draft Woody." Paul snatched it back. "And it's mine! Go back to pissing!"

"Oh yeah, that's what I was doing." Joe went back to trying to do his business. Mick was dumbfounded. He waved a hand over to Topper, sitting behind Paul, trying to get his attention.

"Topper! Pst! Topper!" But Topper made no move. He was sitting very still and quiet, staring out the window, which was so odd because he was the most fidgety of the group. "Topper!"

"Leave him alone." Joe said. "This is the quietest he's ever been, and it actually might be good for him."

"Piss off."

Joe shrugged. "If you say so." He scrunched up his face. Mick suddenly felt little splashes hitting him against his ankles. He did his best not to scream in horror, or sock Joe in the face. Shocked as he was, he looked down under Joe's desk to see what exactly was going on there...

Joe had his gym bottle upside down where the leak was, having an easy stream going. Mick turned to make sure the teacher wasn't looking, before giving Joe a hard kick under the table. He gave Joe a dirty look. Joe grinned, lifted up his water bottle, and gave it a squeeze. He gave Mick a small splash, right in the face. Mick licked the water dripping off his lips.

"Now you're in for it." He took out a hair tie and pulled up his hair. "I swear to god Joe..."

Joe's hand shot up.

"Mr. Strummer."

"Ms. Dean, may I go to the boy's washroom? Please?"

Ms. Dean, their teacher, looked straight at Joe with her beady, soul crushing glare from the front of the room. She looked over her spectacles.

"No." Joe slumped.

Another boy, Johnny raised his hand.

"Mr. Lydon."

"Ms. Dean, may I go to the washroom?"

Ms. Dean held out a hall key and Johnny took a grab at it. As he walked out he mad sure to look straight at Joe.

And stick his tongue out.

Joe jumped up.

"Mr. Strummer, sit down."

"I'm sorry Ms. Dean, but I simply cannot. That was an example of unequal rights. If he gets up, then we all get up! It will be anarchy!"

"Take it to the Queen, Strummer."

"Don't you all see?" Joe was now speaking out to the whole class. "If we all join forces, we can take down this dictatorship! We have the right to free speech! Know your rights!" Joe sat back down, somewhat proud. "That's what I say."

"Since you have the right of free speech," Ms. Dean began walking toward the back, scribbling on a paper pad as she did. "You can say all that as freely as you like..." She tore out a sheet. "In detention."

Joe took the slip and gazed back at Ms. Dean. "For what?"

"Talking back. You do have the right to free speech. As long as," she looked over her spectacles. "You're not dumb enough, to actually try it."

As if on cue, Mick's hair tie snapped, letting his wild locks come untamed. Ms. Dean looked down at him.

"Mr. Jones, I do believe this is the third time I have asked you to get a hair cut, and the third time you didn't listen to me."

"Sorry ma'am. But I simply just can't. I have no one to come and cut it. Furthermore..." Ms. Dean rolled her eyes as she listened to rest of his excuses.

"...so that's why I can't cut it. Oh! Plus, I've been told I look like Keith Richards with this style." He ran a hand through his hair. Ms. Dean stared at him like he was crazy. She tore out another sheet.

Before Mick could ask for what...

"Dress code." She turned around, noticing Paul was way into a lesson she wasn't teaching. She snatched the paper up from him, took a look at it then him, and crumpled it up. Paul look horrified. She tossed it, and slipped a new paper under his hand. "Not paying attention during class."

All of a sudden, Topper jumped up and flipped his desk over, both hands in the air. Everyone stared. A couple more scribbles, and a slip placed in his still hands, Ms. Dean walked back to the front of the class.

"And disruptive behavior." She pointed to the door. "Out boys." As the group of four packed up their things, Joe leaned over to Topper.

"Hey Top, what was that for? You were doing so well..."

Topper looked at him. "Well I wasn't going to be here by myself!"