Shorts (Literally. Maybe Even Coming Off.)

Spring Break 1

Max spoke animatedly to his friends. "My parents will be here any minute! They're taking me to Chicago. It's gonna be great." He leaned back in his desk, knowing his friends were a little jealous of his spring break plans.

"Wish I could come," Carlos said, sounding slightly upset.

"Not me," said Saul. "Long plane rides are a bore."

"Your loss," Max replied. He bent over his paper and continued his work. A few minutes later he tapped Saul, who sat in front of him. They had been friends since they were kids and their parent were friends with each other as well.

"My stomach hurts," he whispered. He was breathing shallowly.

Saul turned around. There wasn't any pain or worry in Max's voice but the glassy look in his eyes made Saul wonder if this could be more than a case of not enough lunch, which was the usual cause for concern.

"Do you wanna see the nurse?"

"No." Saul noticed that Max was careful to stay perfectly still as he spoke, using only his mouth. "I'll be fine. My family will be here soon."

Saul nodded and turned back around, hoping that his friend would still be able to enjoy his vacation.

The teacher was ordering pizza for the whole class. As Saul asked for some pepperoni topping, a pass runner came in. "Max's parents are here."

"Thanks." Max stood up to grab his things and leave. Saul couldn't help but notice that Max was paler than his usual milky complexion, which was hard for anyone to do. He waved goodbye quietly, wondering if this would be the last he heard of the stomach ache.

Saul went to use the restroom. He pizzas had been ordered but it would take several minutes for them to get to the school. As he was washing his hands, he felt a pain in his stomach. He shifted, wondering if it was just from hunching over his desk for his too long but it didn't go away. Oh well, he thought. I'm probably just hungry. He put it out of his mind and went back to the classroom.

A few minutes later, the pizza arrived and everybody dug in.

Carlos stuffed his face with pizza. It had been quite a while since he'd had this for a meal, the staple food for every teenager. He happened to have a bottle of pop he'd brought with him from home, a two liter, and he used it to wash everything down. Carlos had payed for half a pizza but Saul didn't finish his order so Carlos's belly ended up having almost a whole large pizza and two liters of pop in it. He knew the meat, cheese, bread, and fizz would take a while to settle but he was sure he'd be able to handle it. He'd eaten much more than this before.

However, there was one aspect Carlos had forgotten. All the previous times he'd filled himself to bursting, he'd been at home, with a bed and couch to recline on, tummy soothers if he couldn't handle it, and a toilet to throw up in if that became necessary at any time. He was at school, stuck sitting upright in his desk for the next four hours. That's not really the best position to be in with an over full stomach and neither is tight skinny jeans. Carlos groaned inwardly but there was nothing he could do about it now. Big boys have to take responsibility for their own actions.

Saul had gotten his order, half a pepperoni pizza and a can of purple crush. He ate one slice and half another before pushing it away. His stomach still hurt. In fact, it may have gotten worse with the food in it. He swallowed some pop. For a minute there seemed to be no effect. Then Saul doubled over grimacing, his stomach cramping painfully. What was wrong with him? He let out a few loud burps, gaining him an odd look or two. That improved his pain levels. They sank back down to bearable. About three or four on the chart if you can't picture it.

Carlos leaned over. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yea. I'm just gassy today." Saul managed a weak smile.

"Gross." Carlos laughed. "So, can I have that?" He gestured to Saul's leftover pizza.

"Sure. I'm not gonna eat it."

"Thanks bro." Carlos returned to his own seat with the pizza and continued to gorge himself.