Dude, I love you

Chapter Seventeen

Jack Johnson’s POV

When I was in math class during the next day, someone threw a paper ball at the back of my head. It took me by surprise and when I looked back I couldn’t tell who threw it because most of the kids were either giggling or holding back their laughter. The teacher had noticed that something was thrown from the corner of his eye and walked over to pick up the paper. He opened it and asked who threw it, when no one came forward he asked me to meet him in the hallway.

It was a few minutes before he came to meet me. He opened the paper and asked if I knew who threw it. When I couldn’t tell him who threw the paper, he showed me the paper displaying ‘LOSER’ written in big pencil letters across it.

“Jack, are you being bullied here at school? You can be honest with me and we will see to it that something is done.” Mr. Lockwood asks, attempting to be personal with me.

I contemplated telling him the truth but for some reason I didn’t care all that much.

“No, it’s probably someone joking around with me and didn’t want to get in trouble. No one here hates me.” I say smiling and chuckling. I don’t even know why I’m protecting them I have no reason to.

He seemed to believe my words but didn’t make any move to take me back into the room. He then walked me down the hall to the counsellor’s office. The counsellors here doubled as academic advisors so there are a few of them on hand. 

He told me to wait as he asked if there was someone available and walked to the offices in the back with the secretary. When he came back, an older woman with red hair and a brown pressed overcoat was in tow. She came up to me and introduced herself as Ms. Auburn which seemed fitting for the way she dressed and looked.

After she brought me into her office and Mr. Lockwood left, she placed the crumpled paper which was now folded neatly in front of her and asked again like Mr. Lockwood if I was being bullied here at school. After I declined the assumption, she went on to ask other questions like how I was doing, did I like school and the classes I was taking, who my parents were and what they did for a living.

I knew it was some sort of tactic to get me comfortable and then ask the serious questions later. I answered her questions in a cheery manner and fiddled with a Rubik’s cube she had on her desk. As I suspected her questions seem to gear towards school life. She asked who my friends were and what I did in my spare time or if I joined any clubs or sports. She either knew she wasn’t going to get the truth out of me or that she believed my words when I told her nothing was wrong and I was alright. She eventually let me go pretty easily because the meeting was cutting into the lunch hour.

When I left the counsellor’s office I seen Justin and Chris around the corner, when Justin noticed me he started to walk in my direction.

“Hey Johnson, what were you in the counselors office for?” he asks patting my shoulder a little too hard.

“That’s really none of your business but I can tell you that it didn’t involve you.” I say with a mock cheery tone with sarcasm. It sounded like I was being serious but also lying at the same time. I did it intentionally to mess with him.

“That’s good it’d be a shame if we had a little bitch on our hands now, wouldn’t it?” He leans in and tightens his hand on my shoulder.

Freeing myself from his grip I walk forward and turn to face him. “Careful you shouldn’t talk about yourself like that, it’s not good for the soul.” I say dripping with sarcasm making a pouting face. Taking a line straight out of Rochelle’s handbook. Her sassiness is starting to rub off on me.

“Nice face Johnson.” He calls to me turning around pointing at his face reflecting the bruise on mine.

I met up with Daniel and Rochelle in the library and we went over again how Daniel and I would present our project for Biology after lunch. When I’m with Rochelle and Daniel in the safety of the library I could feel myself reconnecting with the world again. That would soon come to an end when the bell rings and I would feel disconnected again.