At the front of the room the teacher is talking. Big Deal doesn't know or care what she is talking about. In the end he is never going to need this stuff anyway, so why bother learning it at school. Great big waste of time in his opinion. Instead, he leans his chair back and folds his hands behind his head. This seems like as good a chance as any to catch up on some sleep. He has been getting nowhere near enough rest lately and the hot, stuffy classroom is making him feel drowsy. With a sigh he closes his eyes.
The morning sunshine streaming in through the open window is warm on Big Deal's face, turning the insides of his eyelids a burning pink. A fly buzzes lazily around his head. At the front of the room the teacher drones on. Actually, she sounds remarkably like the fly, Big Deal thinks, pointless and repetitive. The clock on the wall ticks on and on, though the lesson seems to be no closer to finishing.
Maybe he will just drop out of school, Big Deal considers. That would be good, no more school, no more exams, no more teachers analysing his behaviour. With his eyes still closed he smiles. It would be so satisfying to just get up and walk straight out of the classroom and then right out of the school. He could go to Doc's store, sit in the shade with a soda. He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for the fact the cops were trying to stamp out juvenile delinquency in the area.
The teacher asks a question. There is no answer, just a resounding silence. She waits for a few minutes, gives up and just drones on in her monotonous voice. Somebody laughs. At his table at the back of the classroom, Big Deal's head nods and he falls asleep.
On the other side of the room Mouthpiece is drawing obscene sketches in the margins of his textbook. He glances up and sees Big Deal sleeping. He grins and nudges Gee-Tar, who is drumming with a pencil on the desk and staring out of the window. Gee-Tar looks up. Careful not to make too much noise that might wake his friend, Mouthpiece tears a page from his book. He screws it into a ball.
The paper sails across the classroom and smacks loudly into the side of Big Deal's head. He wakes with a start, cursing, and looks wildly around the room. Mouthpiece and Gee-Tar are doubled up laughing. The teacher must have noticed them, but pretends that she hasn't. She just keeps on talking, even though nobody is listening.
Big Deal stands up and lobs the paper back at Mouthpiece. It goes wide and hits Graziella, who is in the seat in front of him. She shrieks and jumps up. Beside her Velma is giggling as Graziella angrily rounds on the boys.
Even this teacher can't ignore this. Finally she snaps. "How d'you intend to better yourselves?"
Graziella stops shouting and turns to stare at her. "Better ourselves?" She sounds confused.
"Better ourselves," Big Deal mocks and Mouthpiece and Gee-Tar snigger. The teacher flushes, whether with embarrassment or anger Big Deal isn't quite sure, and strides towards them across the room. This only makes them laugh harder.
"Yous lot ain't listenin' to a word, are ya? How yous gonna get anywhere in life with that attitude? Yous need an education an' you ain't gonna get one like that." She points in outrage at the drawings in Mouthpiece's textbook. If she was hoping Mouthpiece would look embarrassed she's disappointed. He just grins at her.
Graziella peers at the doodles and then turns to whisper something in Velma's ear. They both giggle. "Well, it's kinda educational," Graziella chokes out after a minute and she and Velma dissolve into helpless laughter again.
"We ain't never gonna need this stuff anyways," Mouthpiece points out reasonably. He waves a dismissive hand at the book.
Big Deal goes over to join them and looks over his friend's shoulder. "So that's why ya don't have a girl. This stuff ain't important to ya." He points at one of the drawings and Gee-Tar chokes with laughter. Velma and Graziella are laughing so hard they can no longer actually speak. Graziella tries to say something, but just makes a strangled sound instead.
Mouthpiece shoves Big Deal. "I were talkin' about the book, ya idiot."
Vaguely Big Deal is aware of the fact the teacher looks mortified and the rest of the class are staring over at them. He feels a sense of achievement for having successfully disrupted an otherwise boring lesson. He smirks at Mouthpiece. "Well..."
Hastily the teacher interrupts. She looks desperate to change the subject. "You better sit down, else I'll have to throw y'all out."
Actually Big Deal finds the idea of being thrown out rather funny. It would be a good story to tell the other Jets later. Plus, if they got kicked out of school they could all go and get a drink at Doc's. The sweltering heat and the stuffy room would almost be enough to convince him to walk out, even if he wasn't so bored. Big Deal glances at Mouthpiece and Gee-Tar. Gee-Tar catches his eye and nods at him.
"That wouldn't be so bad." Big Deal shrugs and frown in mock concentration. "Sit here or go do somethin' else, somethin' better..."
"It is real boring in here," Graziella pipes up, her face a picture of innocence.
"An' we ain't learnin' anyways," Gee-Tar throws in.
"We ain't wanted here," Velma adds and she dabs an imaginary tear from her eye. Graziella nudges her and they giggle.
"Let's go, meet up with the others," Mouthpiece decides and they get to their feet. Velma takes Gee-Tar's arm and Mouthpiece drapes an arm casually around Graziella's shoulders. They head for the door, the entire class staring at them with open mouths.
The teacher looks alarmed and hurries after them. Her hair is falling out of it's knot and her face is very pink. Big Deal wants to laugh. She looks ridiculous and she clearly never intended for them to leave. "Hey, wait!", she calls, sounding rather desperate, "Without education, how'll you get decent jobs?"
They stop in the doorway and turn back to look at her. "There ain't no decent jobs anyways," Big Deal tells her.
The door falls shut behind them, leaving a stunned silence.