Wednesday: Secret Unbuttoned
The counselor looked over his hands at the two pale girls in front of him.
"Let me get this straight," he said, leaning forward intently. "You both are very worried about a friend of yours because he is dressed differently?"
"Yes," one said softly, wringing her hands. "But it is more than that…" but she couldn't say anything more than that in her distress.
"What she means is," the other, calmer girl said, "that this boy has always dressed in a certain type of clothes. It is just who he is. Believe me, I have known him a very long time, and am yet to see him in other sorts of clothes. They are like his comfort zone. But now…it is as if he doesn't care about his appearance anymore. His hair is messy, his clothes wrinkly, and there are big bags underneath his eyes."
"He may just be under much stress and very tired," the counselor suggested.
"But all his mannerisms are different too," the first student said. "He has really changed!"
"I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you girls, except the fact that you should see the person himself. I have an idea who you are talking about, and I feel that it is best if you confront him"'
"He doesn't really talk to us anymore," Avery, the first girl, said quietly. "It has become really hard to chat with him. He always seems very distant; like behind a wall that we can't get over"
"How long has he been this way?"
"Well, it began almost a month ago. Now he seems almost beyond help" Taylor, the second girl, explained.
"No one is ever beyond help, Ms. McCessie; just a difficult case. I will give you both passes back to class" Avery sighed, politely thanked him, and walked unhappily out with Taylor.
"He wasn't much help!" she complained loudly. "I thought it was his job to understand things like this"
"I'm sure he did his best," Taylor said comfortingly, patting her shoulder, "and that's the most we can ask of him"
"I guess so," Avery sighed, and they into English, the class after lunch. She plopped moodily into her seat, but sat up straighter as soon as she saw Ryan.
Anyone who had known Ryan Evans before the past weeks would never have guessed it to be the same guy. This student wore ripped jeans, an old hooded sweatshirt, and Vans to school every day. No hat; just rumpled blonde hair with tired red eyes. He would sit down quietly in his seat, not talk to anyone, but stare unemotionally down at his paper, doodling aimlessly on a scratch piece of paper.
Halfway during the lesson, Mr. Burns slammed a hand down on Ryan's desk, making him almost fall out of his desk. Avery could hear a few boys in the back snicker.
"Now that Mr. Evans is back with us," Burns said sharply, "please turn to page 317 in your book…" As soon as the teacher walked away, Ryan put down his book and began to draw again. Avery sighed. What was wrong with Ryan?
Zeke grumbled to himself as he let himself in the supply closet in currently empty Ms. Grayson's room. Why didn't Mrs. Jenkins just get her own staples? Just because he had afternoon detention with her didn't mean that he was a servant. Zeke dug through the confusing closet. And they said teenagers were messy! As the athlete finally found the staple box, he heard a soft click behind him. He whipped around, and saw to his dismay that the door had swung close behind him. He tried the door knob. It locked automatically from the outside. Zeke slowly realized that he was trapped inside the supply closet. He desperately pounded on the door.
"Hey," he yelled. "Hey! I'm locked in! Somebody get me out of here!" After a long time, in which he nearly pounded a dent into the door, Zeke slumped in momentary defeat on the floor. Most everyone was gone by now. He would wait until he heard the janitor come in.
After a few minutes, his prayers were unanswered by the sound of the classroom door creaking open. Zeke immediately jumped up, but quickly stayed his fist. Something very weird was happening on the other side of the door. Ms. Grayson's voice sounded very odd, and it was shortly joined by Ryan's apprehensive voice. The expert baker did not like the instructions his calculus teacher was giving Ryan. She told him to lock the door, and close all the blinds. But her next words made his head reel.
"Take off your pants, Ryan"
"Do I have to?" said a cracking voice in response.
"Yes. Unbutton them"
"Please don't make me. Isn't the shirt enough? PLEASE?"
"No! Pull them off!"
"I won't!" Ryan's voice cried in desperation.
"Calm down, you baby! Do you want someone to hear you?"
"I don't care anymore!" Ryan cried. Zeke shook his head in amazement. He had never heard Ryan cry before. He didn't know the kid could even shed a tear!
"Are you sure about that?" Ms. Grayson hissed. Ryan's sobs slowly quieted. "There you go. Now you are thinking sense. Off they go. I won't do anything worse than what I have done before to you, don't worry" Zeke wiped his forehead. What she had done before? This had happened more than once? Zeke felt panic rising up in his throat. His ears made him unwillingly listen to Ryan's hiccups along with Ms. Grayson's whispers. After nearly forty minutes by his digital watch, he heard Grayson dismiss her victim. He heard the rustle of fabric, and a door clicking.
Zeke held his breath, until it became apparent that the teacher wasn't leaving anytime soon. He inwardly groaned. But then, his hopes sailed again when the janitor entered the classroom. Ms. Grayson leaved the room to make copies, and then Zeke commenced once more in banging on the door. A surprised janitor let him out. Zeke thanked him repeatedly, and rushed out into the hallway, making sure Ms. Grayson was nowhere in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, and made his way outside, where his mom was waiting. Mrs. Parker was very perturbed by her son's thoughtful silence on the way home, but didn't mention it. Zeke's mind was a whirlwind of indecisiveness. How could he face Ryan the next day knowing now what he had been through? What was this all about? He at last made up his mind to ask Ryan about it in private. Since Ryan had hidden this big event from them, Zeke was fairly sure he wouldn't be too happy with him if he brought it up in front of everyone. With this behind him, Zeke came out of his revere and talked to his mom about the day, with the obvious exception of the last forty minutes.
