Bodysnatchers

1

Keith is just getting his sweater from his locker when it happens.

It was Mr. Howden. A very tall, kind of chubby, red-faced man with a very receding hairline. His pair of too-tight blue jeans with some kind of orange-ish stain right in the middle of his light grey shirt, not doing anything good for his age. He taught Keith math last year, and is unfortunately his biology teacher this year, and right now he is storming down the hallway, past the masses of students at their lockers during the break, and he looks angry enough for steam to be blowing out of his ears- if, you know, that was even physically possible.

He passes Keith, and Keith can't help but turn his gaze on the man, his eyes wide, and following him as he stomps his way past.

"McClain!" Mr. Howden bellows. The crowds of students bunched in that area quickly hustle away, past where Keith is standing, leaving only a group of friends left standing where they all were. Then Lance McClain turns around to face Mr. Howden. He's wearing his usual, trademark smirk, of course, paired with his hands in his large dark blue sweater. He looks all too confident, though, that is something that Lance McClain always seems to be.

"Hello, Howden," he says. His blue eyes flash with amusement, even from this distance.

"McClain," Howden spits, slowing down as he comes just a few feet away from Lance. "Do you take me for some sort of child?"

"Of course not, Howden," says Lance. "What would make you think that?"

"I know what you did!" spits Howden.

Lance blinks, almost innocently, but everyone watching the scene knows him better than that. "What ever are you talking about?" He flashes a toothless grin, tilting his head to the side as if in question.

"What," Mr Howden bellows. "Is this?"

He holds up a baggy of something. Some kind of drug, Keith presumes, but he can't be sure, especially not from where he's standing. Lance pretends to squint. "Indica, Howden. Not the best kind in many people's opinion, but if it suits your tastes then by all means go for it,"Lance spouts almost cheerfully. He leans in a bit closer to Mr. Howden before continuing. "Although you probably shouldn't be showing it off like this, weed is still illegal in our state you know, and-"

By this time, Mr Howden has gone fully beet red in the face. "No, McClain," his free hand clenching by his side. "What I'm trying to figure out is how in the world my fourteen year old daughter ended up with this?"

"I'm assuming she asked someone who's older to buy it for her, Howden," Lance shrugs. "But I do think you should probably be asking her about that, you know? Not me."

Lance smirks.

"Oh," Mr. Howden says. "And I wonder who she bought it from, McClain."

"Again, I'm not exactly the best person to be asking about her-"

"Stop this, McClain. Do you know what I found in this damned bag?"

"Marijuana, I'm guessing. You know, since, that is what it-"

"A piece of paper" Howden growls.

"Wow, Abigail Howden never stood out to me as the kind for joints, she always striked me as a pipe kind of gal."

At this Mr. Howden clenches the bag in his fists and takes a long deep breath, staring Lance down the entire time.

"No, McClain. This wasn't rolling paper, this was a normal piece of paper, with a nice, neat, cursive 'x' on it. Clearly your penmanship if I'm not misremembering from our classes together?"

Lance can't help himself at that. He finally allows himself to laugh, and all around the hall full of students watching, there are little giggles, especially among Lance's group of friends who are with him, all snickering amongst themselves.