the fairy | john bender ✅

fifteen

Music is what Julian hears, a door closing right after. He looks up from his seat in the back, finding Carl the Janitor. The two talked a few times. The time they really talked was when Jc stayed after school.

Carl questioned, "Why do you always have the 'c' in 'Jc' lowercased?"

Julian answered with, "My last name isn't important, my first name is. When I like my last name, I'll make it uppercased." The boy smiles at the thought of the conversation but still wonders how Carl knew. Probably because he threw away a few graded papers.

"How are you doing, Brian? Julian?" he asks the two. Brian nods at the man, embarrassed. Julian gives a sweet smile, not really caring.

"Your dad works here?" Bender asks the nerd, making his cheeks red. "Uh, Carl?"

"What?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How does one become a janitor?"

"You wanna be a janitor?"

"No, I just wanna know how one becomes a janitor because Andrew here, is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts." Julian rolls his eyes, shaking his head at Bender.

"Oh, really? You guys think I'm just some untouchable peasant? Peon? Huh? Maybe so, but following a broom around after shitheads like you for the past eight years I've learned a couple of things...I look through your letters," Julian looks up quickly, face a bit pale. "I look through your lockers." Bender gives a look similar to Julian's.

"I listen to your conversations, you don't know that but I do—I am the eyes and ears of this institution my friends. By the way, that clock's twenty minutes fast." As he walks out, four of the six groan in despair; Bender has a grin on his face, while Julian wonders if Carl looked at the letter in his locker.