Tamed

Chapter Twenty-Four: Flightless Bird

Oliver

(6 years earlier)

Chickens shit a lot.  This is a fact I was previously unaware of.  If you want to get technical about it, there's forty chickens and one rooster.  He seemed to be very close to them so I didn't feel comfortable leaving the poor guy all alone.

            We stole—or I mean, borrowed them from Jake Parker's farm.  He's the leading defensemen on the team and an integral part of the most epic senior prank in Central's history.  The whole team is.  Naturally I'm the brains of the operation, but I didn't anticipate how much damage a few birds could cause.

            We're taking a huge risk.  Last year the seniors weren't very smart.  Long story short—they flooded the science lab and caused about ten grand worth of damages.  Beakers and nerd shit don't come cheap. Administration and Coach Hudson gave several talks about how any incident this year would lead to serious consequences. 

            I'm calling their bluff.

            My confidence is forced because I'm already starting to get nervous. The winged savages have taken over the main hallway, clucking around and spewing feathers and excrement all over everything.  It's fucking hilarious, but the clean-up is going to suck.  That's why we have to make certain we don't get caught.

            Jimmy is chasing one toward the stairwell while Jake stands back and laughs. He nudges my arm, his body shaking. "Look at him trying catch that thing. They run fast."

            I scoff.  "He needs more hustle.  He's running like he does on the field."

            Hunter gives a mocking look from beside me.  "Get of it, Ollie.  This is fun, not football."

            "Football is fun," I say with a serious expression.  I point my finger at him.  "If you do it right."

            "Yeah, yeah," Hunter says dismissively.  "You're a champion.  We're all peasants compared to you."

            I wink at him.  "Damn straight."

            He looks like he wants to snap back at me, but Jake's laughter distracts us both. We turn to see what's so hilarious.

"Hey, that one's trying to lay an egg." 

            I raise an eyebrow. "That's the rooster."

            He rolls his eyes, clearly missing the point.  "Okay, smart guy.  That rooster is trying to lay an egg."

            I'm about to explain to him the basic concept of reproduction when Hunter shakes his head at me.  "Dude, don't bother."

            We exchange a look and both start laughing.  The kid grew up on a farm and is still as dumb as box of rocks.  It's a good thing he such an excellent defensemen. Everyone needs at least one solid skill to get through life.  Lucky for me, I have many.

Hunter laughs, but then concern shows through as he takes in the havoc they're already wreaking.  He leans down me again. "We need to catch these fucking chickens and block them in this hallway.  They'll tear shit up if we let them run wild."

            I nod, my eyes scanning the clusters of clucking.  "Yeah, I think you're right."  I glance down to Liam.  He's standing off to the side and messing with his phone, not really paying attention. Typical.

"Hey!" He looks up and over to me with a subdued glare.  We're obviously still not buds.  "Help Jimmy close all the doors by the stairs.  We'll get the ones near the auditorium."