Love Cliché

Chapter One

            Merton was having another one of those days. He forgot his poly-sci book at home, and had to borrow somebody's but no one would lend it to the freaker anyway. After an embarrassing little session with Tommy wherein he begged Tommy on his hands and knees to borrow somebody's textbook for him. (Tommy and Lori didn't take Political Science)

            Tommy genuinely didn't understand why he needed to. I mean, Merton might be a freaker to the school, but that's only because people didn't know him, right? And it's just nice to lend out a textbook, and Merton was certainly trustworthy. Tommy might understand the fundamentals of loser-hood, but Tommy would give the shirt off his back to the geekiest person in the universe if he was convinced they needed it. Tommy didn't understand why anyone else wouldn't.

            And that was what made Tommy one of the very few Not-Evil werewolves, and the American Golden-boy of Pleasantville, and one of the most popular guys on the planet. It also made Merton want to hit him. Often.

            So anyway, Tommy asked Sue, who was cute and smart and popular, with gorgeous red hair, if she would loan out her poly-sci book for a good cause.  And quicker than he could say "gothic fantasy guild", he had a textbook.

            So then, at lunch, someone tripped him. And he had to spend a half hour in the bathroom, washing Mystery Casserole off his shirt. Expensive fabrics, people! And then TNT caught him as he was leaving, and pined him to the wall long enough to steal his Biology homework.

            So when the day was finally over, and Merton was headed to the Hearse, he was so goddamn happy/relieved/thankful that he didn't watch where he was going.

            And pow! Right into the new kid. Who was tall. Very tall. And big! And, on close inspection, looked pretty mean. "Watch it, freak!" He shoved Merton to the ground, and kicked him. "People like you should've never been born. Waste of space."

            Merton's breath whooshed out of him, and he curled up.

            "I heard about you. You're the fuckin' football captain's pet. No one's allowed to touch you, even TNT like that kid Dawkins enough that they pull their punches. They should have given you what you deserved a long time ago."  He kicked Merton again, and walked away.

            Merton just got up, and walked to the car. He couldn't even argue with him. He was Tommy's pet. Before he met Tommy, his life had pretty much consisted of one bruise or another. TNT had marked him, everyday, and other people, the ones that weren't such obvious bullies, had taken more liberties, to punch him, and kick him and trip him in the halls.

            Now, they pretty much left him alone. He would have never even got tripped in the cafeteria if Tommy didn't have football practise. TNT were TNT, nothing could change that, but they hadn't pounded on Merton for a very long time. They didn't even go out of their way to get him anymore.

            It had been so good, Merton had just started to hope that people were getting used to having him around. Maybe he didn't have to be the complete freak show. Maybe he wouldn't have to spend hours searching for things to do, like the Gothic fantasy guild, like the internet Gothic rings, like the Gaming conventions, where he could talk to people that would actually talk to him.

            Really, he was a fuckin' pet. Good for anything, only as long as Tommy was around, and Merton didn't harbour any fantasies about Tommy's friendship. Tommy was a nice guy. He was nice to everyone. He was everyone's friend. He was the universal superhero, he couldn't be anything less. Merton was nothing special to him. Just a guy who helped him out when he was busy saving the world.

            Merton went home. Turned out the lights in the Lair. And cried.