Flower Boy (BoyxBoy)

vii

kevin.

"ANNE FRANK WAS A VERY WISE GIRL."

I hum and type REFERENCE: ANNE FRANK at the top of my Google document.  Prof. Moore, a fit African-American man in his mid-thirties, fixes his tie as he writes GOOD VS BAD on the chalkboard.  Then, he turns around and smiles at the class, crossing his arms as he walks toward us.

"I say this because despite being a victim of unjust treatment, she sincerely believed that all people were good.  This subject has been very controversial in the sciences of the human mind and therefore very subjective!  Ever since the Enlightenment movement where people of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were questioning religion and human nature, philosophers have been curious of one very simple question," Mr. Moore points to the board and announces: "Are humans, by nature, good or bad?"

"But, sir, aren't the words 'good' and 'bad' subjective themselves?" A student in the back of the classroom asks.

Mr. Moore hums and shakes his head. "I don't think so, Jorge.  I mean, what you would consider good is most likely not different than what someone from the UK or South Africa would think is good, and it's the same for something to be bad. Goodness, Mr. Montez, is to do an act that is beneficial to one or more persons, and evilness is to negatively affect one or more persons.  These connotations of the word are not very subjective." Mr. Moore shrugs and says, "Unless you're a radicalist of some cult or organization.  But good observation.

"Anyway, class," he claps his hands together, marching back to the center. "Anne Frank believed that all people had good in their heart.  How many of you agree with her?"

Hands shoot up around me, most probably to impress the handsome, charismatic, perfect professor.  Prof. Moore scans the crowd of students before his eyes land on me, the only person in the front row without their hand raised.

"Mr. Barr!" He announces. "You disagree?"

"I do."

"Why's that?"

I shrug. "Our first instinct is to look after ourselves, you know?  If you were starving and someone stole your bread, you would do anything you can to stop them, right? No matter what he's going through, he'll help himself first."

"But don't you think that it's a human's ability to come together to reach a common goal is what makes us good?  Our ability to compromise and say, 'You take half of this bread, and I'll take the other half'?"  Mr. Moore asks, walking towards my seat.   He stands in front of me, smirking as if he won this little debate.

I scoff. "That kind of thing only happens in the movies."

"So are you born bad, then, Mr. Barr?" He challenges me.

THIS GUY IS SO IRRITATING! Why doesn't he just back off?  I don't understand why he's always bothering me.  His dumbass attitude makes me roll my eyes.  "I've met some nasty kids."

He smiles at me.  "Right. So Jeffrey Dahmer--he was born a murderer?  A cannibal?"

"Listen, I don't know anything about that guy, okay?" I huff.  "You're not born a murderer like it's in your DNA or something.  This is a man eat man world, you know?  People will do whatever they can to survive--Even when it comes down to it, most would do anything to thrive, too.  Maybe we're not evil... it's more like we're selfish, which can seem pretty evil sometimes."

"Okay, Kevin, I'll give you that," he acknowledges.  "But what about the people that decide to help others to get to where they want to be?"

I shrug.  "Props to them.  That's the dream."

"Those people are evil?"

My eyes meet his for a millisecond--his coffee brown confidence against my emerald green glare.

"Inherently," I seethe.  A hum rumbles through my vocal folds as I sit back, which makes Mr. Moore smile smugly. "Change your mind yet?"

"No," I respond quickly, sitting up straight with my elbows crossed on the desk. My eyes "If people weren't all evil, we wouldn't have people like Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler and Hitler in our history books.  These people created whole new legacies of mass genocide!"

"But look at all of the good people!" He shoots right back at me, just as passionate but a thousand times calmer.  "Mary Wollstonecraft and Olympe de Gouges, some of the earliest feminists who fought for women's rights in a time when women were simply birthing machines.  Or Martin Luther King Jr., a very amazing speaker who impacted this nation enough to allow, fifty years later, me to teach and John to sit in the same class as you!  These people with awful upbringing, throughout everything, fought for what was right."

"So what?  There are a few good apples, but you know what?  Nobody cares about anyone else as those people did."

Every time I say something, he looks at me like I'd just fallen into his trap; like a snake with bright yellow eyes salivating over a juicy mouse ensnared tightly in his coils.  He smiles at me again with that same goddamn annoying smile and says, "You're so cynical for someone so young."

I have never had this much anger inside of my body (that's a lie, but I'm really fucking angry right now).  Not only is he being a dickhead about this whole conversation, but he's talking to me like I'm an idiot!  I'm saying my own thoughts and he's treating me like I'm some kind of fucking sociopath!

"Yeah, that's what happens when you're growing up on a dying planet, I guess," I say, raising my hands in front of my chest. 

Prof. Moore hums contently as he fixes his posture, staring at me before he fixes his gaze on another student.

"What do you think?" She asks.

"I believe that humans are naturally programmed to do good," he says confidently.  His stride changes suddenly, walking with more poise and less bounce than usual.  "We're always seeking improvement, trying to help others and fighting for what we believe is beneficial for the humans race.  People have too much good in them to be bad, I believe.

"But I didn't bring this up for a long twenty-minute discussion," Prof. Moore says, back to using his teacher voice. "The way you feel about humankind can greatly impact how you help people.  I personally don't think that someone who sees the worst in humanity would be a very good therapist."

As more people raised their hands to ask the professor questions, I slumped back into my seat.  I am in shock.  I can't believe he just embarrassed me like that!  I zone out of the GOOD VS BAD conversation for another twenty minutes before I hear Mr. Moore call out loudly to the class.  When I look up, he's handing out papers.

"Listen up, class!  This unit, you will be given an essay which you will have two months to write.  It will be at least ten pages long, Times New Roman font, size 12. The theme? Mental illness and its effects on the person you'll be studying."

"The person we're studying?" Someone asks.

"Yes, for this project, the sources and quotes should be from a person that you know.  There is a list of mental illnesses at the top of the paper as a reference."

I stare at the rubric and study it as I leave the classroom.

"Oh, don't forget!" He calls out as we pack up.  "If you only do ten pages, I promise you that you will most likely not pass, so really try to show me your complete analysis of your patient's life!"

edd.

hey edd, you round?  im visiting the city for a while

eddy!
i just got out go therapy. 
would you like to meet somewhere?

your choice!

Hey guys new update!! 

The debate between the handsome professor and rebellious cool kid was based on one I had in class the other day and low key just trying to let you guys know how Kevin feels about humans.

What do you guys think about humans ? Are they by nature good or bad?  Comment and tell me because I'm curious and also vote in the meanwhile if you enjoyed this chapter!!  Goodnight!