The Greatest Fears Come From Beneath

The routine really sucks.

   The rest of the day was a blur. You know how it is when every day can be the same, so you feel like you haven't been thinking at all for the last few hours until one thing happens that was slightly different? You better know what I mean, I'm not explaining it any further. I came back to my brain towards the end of seventh period, which was U.S. History. Mrs. Yap was giving us notes to take on her projector, which I completely ignored, because I had nothing to write on. We were getting ready to leave, when she said, "If you haven't already done so, go ahead and get connected to Google Classroom to use other sources to study for the test tomorrow."

   I usually don't care when there's a test, since I'm not going to be able to afford college at all, even with any loans offered to people like me, but I noticed something. Everyone around me had a phone, but I didn't. I realized something else, too. I didn't understand these people, that's why I couldn't really be good friends with anyone here. For years they have been presented with trending things, whether they were funny, cute, or sad. They were all equal.

   Now I'm not some whiny kid that has no friends at all and hated by everyone. I'm kind of a person that talks to everyone, but not someone that people want to hang out with outside of school or instead of anyone else. I have one idiot that thinks there's some deep issue between us, but that's it. I'm not an outcast, but not accepted that much.

   When I heard what my teacher said, and started putting pieces together, I came to the realization that if I got a phone, this could solve my social issues. I could finally get in the loop with these people, and finally have friends perhaps. This was my way out of my cage. The bell rang and I got out of the classroom. I had a few miles to walk to meet up with my dad, so I didn't rush out of school Disney style. I saw Jesus while I was walking past the bus stop and did a little hat swoop salute thing.

   Oh yeah.

   I forgot to tell you who I am and what I look like.

   Ariiiight. Here we go.

   I'm Reggie Fairbaum. I'm kinda average height and built, not scrawny not strong. I can't stress the averageness of me enough. I have really beat up shoes with a hole in the bottom of one shoe, and the other shoe has the sole peeling off slowly from toe to heel. I have a few different shirts, pants, underwear, and socks, but I have one thing that matters more than anything else I have.

   My crown.

   I have this Nike hat I found one day at my middle school three years ago. This teacher yelled at me for leaving it there, and I apologized and took it to the bathroom, where I cleaned it off a bit, and then it became mine. I never found out who it belonged to. I have never gone anywhere without it on. It's a part of me as much as my arms and legs.

   I also don't really get pissed off when someone targets me for anything, which happens occasionally. I really don't care if people hate me, or don't like the way I might do things, especially since people at my school or town have things hundreds of times better than me. The thing is, every so often, if things are just not working out at all some day, I have this intense rage that starts growing each time something happens, and if someone pushes me a little too far, I will go into some animal like fury that, if not stopped, I might kill the little shit that made me snap. I always get real close to boiling over in these times, but I never get to the fury point, which is even worse, because each time the rage builds, it intensifies with past events, making my rage grow more each time.

   So now that I sound evil, let's think about bunnies, leprechauns, and parakeets. That's what people look at on their phone, right? Cute animals doing dumb things?

   Alright, now that's out of the way, let's go on.

   As I'm going to my dad's Jack-in-the-Box, I heard my one problem at school,  Brandon Walker, running up behind me. Brandon is also not very accepted at school either, like me, but he has some goons that watch what he does to people and kind of roots for him, unless he gets owned by the supposed target.

   Apparently I was the target again today.

   I heard him run up behind me, but I also saw his shadow stretching up past me, hand out ready to throw off my crow-hat, so I know where he is. When he gets close enough, I jumped forward a bit, turned, bent backwards a bit, and pushd him past me, making his goons giggle like wussies.

   He turns around and gives me an amused look, not because he finds it funny, but to make sure his buds think he knew that would happen. I can see, however, in his eyes, pure hatred for me, even though I never did anything to make him target me in the first place. What a turd.

   "So F-baum, you going to jack off at Jack-in-the-Box again huh?" His goons are squeaking with nauseating sounds of laughter.

   I sniffed, "If I was lonely like you, bud, I'd probably do that. Thought that was what you used your toadies for anyway."

   Yeah it wasn't a very good return, but I was not in the mood for him today. I didn't feel to bad about my return when he said the same thing again.

   "You got no one neither you ass, that's why you're going to jack off at Jack-in-the-Box." His goons cheered him on again. Do they even hear this guy? He has nothing new to say.

   "Get something new to say, prick. You say that same line every day. Open your mind and shut the f*** up."

   He opened his mouth to respond, but then his mom pulled up in a corvette, window rolled down. "Brandon, hop in! Let's go to your gram pop's house!"

   Giving me a murderous look, he slithered into the car. "See ya, buds.", he groaned, and away he went.

   I turned to his goons. "Do you even listen to what he says? You've gotta find a better guy to follow."

   They giggled and one said, "Boy, shut the f*** up." And they all walked off.

   I loved hearing these guys talk crap. They try to sound tough, but they're all scrawny, so I could whale on them if I wanted to, but it doesn't matter to me enough. I wasn't even mad the entire time.

   I started off again to Jack-in-the-Box. I was hungry as hell.