AN: I want to dedicate this chapter, not only to all my friends who have helped me with the story, but to my band director whom the art teacher in this chapter is based on. He recently retired and was a great mentor for me. Not that he will ever read this, but myself along with the entire band will miss him greatly.
Thanks for all the great times, Mr. Izzo.
~The Archer
ISSUE THIRTEEN
'NNY'
Johnny walked through the overly crowded halls of the high school, all decorated in school colors of blue and white for the first day of school, the same irritating colors of the pathetic school uniform Johnny was forced to wear. But being in a private school, it kind of came with the territory. He clutched his schedule in one hand, searching for the door to his next classroom, a mountain of textbooks and notebooks on his back which clearly labeled him as a 'freshman'; one who didn't know how to get to his locker between classes.
Johnny squeezed through the gaggles of friends congregated around their lockers and Johnny felt a pang of loneliness as one of them snickered spitefully as he went by. He sighed, but was somewhat used to it, having become the designated outcast. It wasn't his fault, he just never spoke unless spoken too and had a deathly fear of teachers and other such overbearing authority figures.
He walked down the hallway a few more steps and then the bell rang.
"Great, third late of the day…" He mumbled. Luckily, the room wasn't too far away. He rushed in and stopped just inside the doorway.
Johnny was overwhelmed by the actually relaxing atmosphere of the room. It totally calmed him down, which struck Johnny as the total antithesis of what high school was based on. Seeing no teacher present, Johnny sat down in the empty seat closest to the projector screen.
Ignoring the other two girls having an animated conversation across from him at the table, he started to look around the room. There was an upside to his father. Casually dropping his name in front of the guidance counselor got him just about any course he wanted. He was only really interested in getting put into a more advanced art class. He was hoping to be put with people who knew what they were doing. Johnny had become quite the artist, though his pillow case was getting a bit too small for all the drawings and books; he was going to have to find a new hiding place soon.
The art room was a burst of colors. The usual off-white walls were covered with reprints of various paintings, including many by Johnny's favorite artist, Van Gogh, as well as shelves covered in various art supplies; paint, pastels, charcoal, etc. A plethora of easels were stacked in one corner. There weren't any desks, but the room was filled with tables surrounded by four to six chairs. Johnny's table had only four, one of them was empty. A few sinks lined with splattered cans full of paint brushes were along one wall.
It wasn't till then that he started half-listening to the conversation of the girls across from him.
"But you got Tasuki last week!" The taller one with really short, layered brown hair said. Two clumps of her hair were dyed light blue and she had a purse strap with various patches pinned on it going across her school uniform.
"Yeah, but Tasuki is MINE!" The girl next to her fought back. She was rather short for her age and had a very child like look to her. She had long, lighter brown hair and was wearing overalls. Johnny found her kind of cute, in that little kid kind of way.
"Whatever, Inu Yasha's hotter," The short haired one said.
"OOOOH! YOU DID NOT JUST GO THERE!" The long haired one exclaimed, insulted. "That's it! You know what this means!"
The two girls glared at each other mockingly for a moment, then reached into their backpacks, whipped out folders and started comparing printed out pictures of what appeared to Johnny to be cartoons.
"Look! I so wish I was that girl!" The short haired one said.
"Yeah, but I'd do a little more than just kiss, hehehe…" The long haired one said in a not-too-innocent way. Johnny raised a disturbed eyebrow as the two giddy girls drooled over the 2-d images. He was debating whether or not to say something.
Just then, a man walked in the room and went swiftly up to the front of the room, carrying a bean bag snowman.
"GREETINGS BOYS, GIRLS, AND OTHER SUCH LOWER BEINGS!" The man announced. "WELCOME TO THE CHAOTIC WAYS THAT IS MY CLASSROOM! I am Mr. Izz and I shall be your slave master…I mean…teacher for this year," The class snickered.
There was only one word that could describe this man. He was just…cool. He was kind of on the short side and wore a jean, long-sleeved button up shirt with a tie that had a coyote pushing a boulder over the edge of the cliff on to a roadrunner. He had glasses and short messy, dark haired touched with grey here and there. He looked like he had been around the block a time or too but just had a very interesting aura to him.
"Welcome back all my deranged minions from previous years," Mr. Izz looked at the girls sitting across from Johnny. "Seeing as you were all supposed to have taken my Studio in Art class before this one, I'm not going to bore you with rules and expectations," Johnny gulped.
*Oops…*
"What do ya say we check and see if you actually remember anything from last year," Mr. Izz hit the light switch and pulled out an overhead projector as the class moaned. He put a transparency on and flicked the switch. A painting of wilting watches filled the white screen. Izz held up of the bean bag snowman.
"The omnipresent Mr. Big Butt, for those of you who forgot, shall chose which of you doomed children shall be called on," Izz flung it at the back of the classroom. "Beena, would you grace us with your interpretation?"
"Well, it shows how nothing is really stable anymore, not even time, as seen with the drooping clocks."
"Very good," Izz caught Mr. Big Butt when the girl threw it back. Izz quickly switched transparencies to a painting of a snow scene with colonial dressed people being attacked by a wolf. "GAMMA!" Izz shouted, as he hurled the bean bag again at a person two feet away from him. This time it whacked some dude with so much gel in his hair that it could have been used for a crash helmet.
"Wha?!" The kid sat up and picked Mr. Big Butt up off the table.
"I'm shocked you came back after last year's torture, Mr. Gamma," Izz grinned evilly. "Your interpretation?"
"Uh…" Gamma paused a moment. "Little Red Riding Hood went out with her posse and got attacked by the Big Bad Wolf?"
"Mr. Gamma, I like to believe that with art there is no wrong answer, but…no," Izz snatched the bean bag back from Gamma and his eyes wondered slowly around the room, searching for his next victim. His gaze landed on Johnny. Johnny got suddenly very tense and tried to slouch down in his chair.
"New kid, why don't you give it a try?" Izz tossed the bean bag nice and easy at Johnny, but Johnny still had trouble catching it. The class snickered a bit.
"Um…w…well…" Johnny stuttered. He hated it when teachers called on him. He was always afraid of giving the wrong answer.
"Calm down, what do you see?" Izz coaxed him.
"Uh…n…nature versus…uh…man," Johnny muttered. He cleared his throat. "It uh…demonstrates nature retaliating against mankind for invading its habitat. It a..appears as though the wolf may be winning with the…the smaller battle against the ignorant peasants but from the brick chimneys in the… background and the barren trees it looks like nature is losing the war."
Izz studied the picture for a moment as Johnny prepared himself to be yelled at.
"That is probably the most insightful description I have ever gotten from a student on this painting," Izz said thoughtfully. He took the bean bag back from Johnny and shot him an approving smile. "Your new friend has just saved you from more torture. You may thank him after class. Right now you can use this period as a chance to warm up your artistic minds in preparation for this year. In other words, do something artsy."
"Wow, that was really good! Where'd you get that from?" The short haired girl asked him earnestly while Izz handed out some white drawing paper.
"Uh…I don't know…I just did…" Johnny mumbled. Two people talking to him in one period was giving him the jitters. Johnny tried to immerse himself in drawing, but the girls wouldn't leave him alone.
"That was cool! I would never have thought of that!" The long haired one exclaimed. Johnny continued drawing.
"How old are you, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before," The shorted haired one persisted.
"I'm a freshman," Johnny answered curtly.
"How'd you get in this class? I thought you needed the prerequisite," The short haired girl asked again. Johnny was getting irritated.
"My dad has a little pull with the counselor," He said quickly, hunching over his paper, bangs falling in his face. Before he knew what had happened though, his drawing was gone and the short haired devil woman clutched in her hands.
"Oh my God! Jez, check this out!" The devil woman showed it to her friend.
"Wow! Where'd you learn to draw like that?!" The long haired one, now named Jez, exclaimed. Johnny blushed slightly, trying to decide it they were just being mean or actually meant it.
"Uh, I taught myself, I guess…"
"You have to join our art club!" The devil woman said. "You'd have a blast! It starts after school today!"
Johnny stared at her from under his fallen bangs, not quite believing if the statement was altruistic or not. Usually when he was invited places, people were just being sarcastic. Or when he got there, they dumped buckets of blood on him. No wait, that was Carrie…
"You really want me to?"
"Yeah! You'll fit in perfect! I'm Kit by the way!" The short haired one extended her hand.
"Uh…Johnny."
~ ~ ~
Vicky walked out of the band room, violin case in hand, busily chatting to her girlfriends, some of them dressed up in cheerleader uniforms, the others with their pleated skirts hiked up too high.
"Oh my God, are you serious?" She said. "He said that?!"
"On my honor as head cheerleader, he did!" Some red head with a pointy nose and southern accent exclaimed. "So she's like…"
"VICKY!" A voice called from down the hall. The group of girls turned around to see some scrawny little goth loser running down the hall. On instinct, the majority of the group cringed at the sight of him coming toward them and took a step backward, but Vicky called back.
"Johnny! Where's the fire?" She asked. Johnny came to a halt in front of her and paused a moment to catch his breath.
"Um, I'm staying after school today."
"For what?"
"There's this art club I got invited to.
"Um, I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Johnny. If Dad finds out…"
"That's why I need you to cover for me!" Johnny exclaimed.
"What? Well, sure I guess I can do that. You better make sure he doesn't find out," Vicky said.
"Don't worry! This is me we're talking about!" Johnny said with a crooked grin and ran off down the hall. Vicky turned around and headed back to her group.
"So, she said what?"
"Vicky, what was that?" A blonde asked disgusted.
"What do you mean?"
"You…you…conversed with that…freak!" A bubbly brunette commented, unnerved.
"Well…he's…"
"Listen, Vicky dear," The red head put an arm around Vicky and guided her down the hall. "I would never steer you wrong, you know that, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Ok, good. See, these first few weeks of high school can either make you, or break you. If you're seen hanging out with…those types of people, you will forever be incarcerated as a loser. And once you get on that list, it's extremely hard to get off it. Understand?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Trust me on this, sweetie, as an upperclassman and mentor. Try to stay away from the likes of him," The group of girls all consented.
Vicky nodded, a tad confused. But then again, her friends did know much more about the subject than she did. Besides, not talking to Johnny in school wouldn't change their relationship any.
The red head changed subjects.
"So did you see that total hottie checking you out? I think he's a football player…"
~ ~ ~
Johnny walked back into the art room after school, laden down with twice as many books since art class earlier that day. His felt like his arms were going to fall off. He quickly hurried to the nearest table and dropped his stuff on the table, a small dent forming under the weight of his back pack.
Johnny looked up and took in the sights of the already assembling group. A bunch of people either sat or stood around the tables, having conversations, all of them very animated. Nearby a guy and girl were having an argument.
"Duo is SO gay!" The guy with puffy brown hair said to a rather miffed gothic girl, having changed between classes was dressed in all black with really, really long brown hair and big black boots.
"Tom, DUO IS NOT GAY!!!" She yelled.
"HIS IS TO! I HAVE PICTURES, INA! PROOF!" Tom hollered back, waving a finger and starting to pick up a really bad British accent.
"Tom," Ina retaliated, also speaking in a much better accent. "Any idiot with a pencil could have drawn those and posted them on the internet!"
Tom paused.
"SO! I still have them!" He fought back, his accent turning Australian now. Johnny just gave them a strange look and turned away as Kit bounded up to him.
"JOHNNY! Great that you could make it!" She said with a grin. "Welcome to our Anime slash Art slash Other Crazy Stuff club. We're still working on a better name for the yearbook," She added.
"Johnny made it, yay!" Jez exclaimed. Johnny blushed and pulled his hair out of his eyes. Jez chirped. "Oh my God! You have the best anime eyes! I have to draw you!" So she pulled out a paper and did. Johnny raised an eyebrow.
"Ok," Eve said, getting ready to introduce people. "That's Bri, Ina, Tom, Kat, Ana, Ryn, Ang…" She pointed out the people too quick for Johnny to catch everybody.
"Hey, what's with all the three letter names?" He asked.
"Oh, that's their nicknames! Everyone in our club has three letter nicknames," Kit said matter of factly.
"Why?"
"Uh….I don't…know…We just do!!!" She bubbled. Johnny raised an eyebrow. Jez popped her head up from her picture.
"We need to think of a name for Johnny!" She exclaimed.
"You're right!" Kit said. "Hmm, what can we get from 'Johnny'?"
"Your full name is, Jonathon, right?" Jez asked. Johnny cringed.
"How about, Jon or…Tho?" Kit thought out loud.
"I HATE my full name," Johnny said, angrily.
"Oh! Ok then how about, Joh? Maybe Ohn?"
"I KNOW!!" Jez screamed. "N-N-Y! NNY! LIKE KNEE CAP!"
"Yeah! That's great!" Kit said.
"Uh…" Johnny started to say.
"HEY EVERYBODY! THIS IS NNY!" Kit shouted out to the group. They all said enthusiastic hellos.
"Nny?! DUDE! THAT'S SUCH A COOL NAME!" Some brunette with purple bangs called.
"Welcome to our insanity!" Tom said. "Please keep your hands and legs inside the car at all times, lest the demons try to bite your extremities off." He pointed to Ina as he said monsters. She saw him and whacked him hard upside the head. He yelped.
Johnny smiled, and for the first time in his life since his mother died, felt welcomed.
~ ~ ~
Vicky walked in the door to the kitchen and set her stuff on the counter to get a drink. Her father bustled in the room eating a large cherry and blueberry muffin while reading a newspaper. It took him a second to notice Vicky was home.
"Oh, hello honey! How was school?" He said with a warm smile.
"Excellent Daddy! I'm the only freshman in the upper classman orchestra! And the conductor put me in first chair!" She said excitedly.
"That's wonderful! I knew all those years of practice would pay off! Now if only your brother had that conviction…" Her father paused and looked up from the paper for the first time since he walked in the room. Vicky gulped.
"Where is your brother?" He said, dangerously.
"Uh…I think he said he was staying after school…for extra help on how to start the year off on a good note," She lied quickly, which was amazingly easy for her. Her father looked at her for a moment and she thought that he knew she was lying. But he smiled and wrapped her in a big hug.
"I'm glad you had a good day at school, Victoria," He said lovingly, then whisked out of the room. Vicky stared after him a moment, then, having done as she promised Johnny, went back to her snack, and didn't give her lie a second thought.