The Non-Conformist Club

The Non-Conformist Club Part 2

Chapter 3—Stella

My Barrett M82 sniper rifle snapped in my hand, punching a hole in the helmet of Tank's avatar. I raised my controller in the air then pimp-dropped it on the couch, "That's twenty kills, bitches! Pay up!" Tank, Buck, and Kumail all groaned and tossed a dollar in my general direction. I scooped them up and added them to my pile.

Iver came thumping down the wooden staircase, a six pack stolen from his dad in one hand and his ever-present notebook in the other, "Alright nerds, let's get this party started!"

Dave followed behind him with a bottle of wine. "OK Non-Conformist Club, time for our first official meeting of the school year!"

Buck rummaged through his letterman's jacket, heavy with track and cross-country medals, found his pack of cigarettes and Zippo, dropped the coat with a clank, and sighed, "Are we still doing this? It was funny last year, but I don't know...."

Iver scolded him as he set his notebook on the poker table, "No, this will be cool, check it out. Dave and I were thinking, maybe it's time this club got some new blood."

Kumail turned his cammo-colored Final Flight Outfitters cap backwards on his head as he stepped over the back of his chair, "We've been doing this forever, just us, no chicks --whoops, sorry Stell-- no outsiders, just us. Why change now?"

Dave swiveled around in the padded desk chair "Well, it's not so much the new blood as it is the potential initiation. See, we find some kid...a freshman...and we invite him over and then fuck with him."

Iver was so excited he was nearly twitching, "Yeah, like a bunch of psychological shit. I've been reading 1984 and Clockwork Orange, shit like that. We'll bring him in and fuck with his head and shit. It'll be fun."

Tank said softly, "That's kinda mean isn't it?"

Iver shouted him down, "We're not gonna hurt him, physically anyway, if we drive him insane...well...we'll try not to." He grinned wickedly.

Dave smiled, "We're not going to hurt anybody, just have a little fun. Hell, for this kid it will probably be the thrill of his high school years."

Kumail smiled, "So you've got someone picked already?"

Iver opened his notebook and pulled up a picture on his phone, "Yeah. It's this kid. McCallsburg, Roland McCallsburg."

Tank said to Dave, "Is he that kid you were showing me in band yesterday?"

"Yep," Dave replied.

Kumail grabbed the phone and said, "So what do we know about him?"

Iver opened his book, "What's to know? He's a freshman, plays sax in the band, has no discernible friends, he's Adam McCallsburg's brother."

Buck nodded, "Now I get it. So Adam threw you in the dumpster and now you want to pick on his baby brother. Kinda sad, man."

Dave stepped in to defend his friend, "I picked him. He stares at me every day in band class, fucking annoying."

Buck scoffed, "Adam's a douchenozzle; I don't give a shit about that. It just sounds stupid. Are you going to get a rat in a box? Prop his eyelids open and make him watch Justin Bieber? Make him touch a banana blindfolded and tell him its poop? What?"

Iver smiled, "I don't have all the details yet...but I like the banana idea. I might steal that."

Dave stood and placed his hands on the felt, "OK, let's vote. Obviously Iver and I are in."