Without Flaws | Fyodor Academy 1

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

       I thought taking down a tent would be a lot easier than putting it up, especially because I wasn't the one who put it up in the first place. But apparently, I was so useless that I couldn't even take down the tent.

       So I ended up kicking it quite harshly, hoping that it would collapse but it didn't.

       "Whoa, Parry," Jules said, walking over to me and stopping me from kicking the tent even more. "Just calm down, okay?"

       "Calm down?" I asked. "How do you expect me to calm down when I can't do something as simple as taking down a tent?"

       "What's going on with you?" Jules asked. "You've been agitated for almost this whole camping trip and it takes a lot to get you agitated."

       "Well, maybe I've spent too much time being forced to look at Malcolm's stupid face," I said. "Normally I see him just in my classes and occasionally around the campus. Instead, I've been forced to see him every day here for hours on end and it's making me nauseous."

       "I heard that," Malcolm said from nearby as he was taking down his tent.

      "Good," I said, glaring at him.

       Jules sighed and gently rested his hand on my arm. "Parry, just try to calm down, okay? Why don't you go sit at the picnic tables and let me take down the tent? And just think, soon enough we'll be back at the school and you can stay in our dorm to avoid Malcolm all you want."

       Or just plot some ways to get back at Malcolm for existing. I thought I was going to get over my revenging and trouble-making ways but I could feeling it revving up again.

       And I couldn't wait.

       But since I was currently in a horrible mood, I walked over to the seating area and sat down on one of the picnic tables. Malcolm immediately smirked at me as if me sitting down was showing him that he was getting to me, so I glared at him. Again.

       I really needed to get revenge for what he wrote on that note he left on my tent. I was still wondering why it was affecting me so much when normally, Malcolm could say whatever he wanted to me and I would laugh at how stupid he sounded.

       But now, he was getting under my skin so much and I hated it. I wanted to go back to my uncaring about what other people thought to me but I couldn't. And I hated it so much.

       While I was sitting at the table, Mr. McCabe suddenly walked over to me. "Are you okay, Parry?" he asked. "Because you haven't been acting yourself for basically the whole camping trip."

       "So you want me to go back to causing a lot of trouble and stressing you out all the time?" I asked.

       "No, of course not," Mr. McCabe said. "But all I want for my... any of my students is to just be themselves. You are usually a very upbeat person and you've just been so down the past couple days."

       "Well, you know how much I can't stand Malcolm and I've been around him a lot more than I normally do back on campus," I said.

       "Fair enough, but you never let him get to you," Mr. McCabe said.

       I was silent for a bit before saying, "The note. The one he left on my tent."

       "You told me it was about your parents," Mr. McCabe said.

       "It was," I said. "It said 'Maybe your parents really shouldn't have given birth to you. The world would be a much better place'."

       "Parry, you do know that note is a lie, right?" Mr. McCabe asked. "Malcolm was just trying to get a rise out of you and I already told him he's being punished when we get back to the school."