Dedicated to my Natural Resources teacher. Cole's class was ours.

Chapter Two- Tommy Tomisino, Idiot of the First Division

Someone was holding the head of a Ken doll out of the bus window.

Cole rested his head against the window and groaned. Two hours with this mob.

He had only decided to go on the field trip because Ms. Walds needed some sort of comfort, but now he was regretting it. He was almost sad that he would be missing sixth period, and that was depressing.

Sixth period was Math Skills.

Cole unzipped his backpack and decided to make the best of his time by finishing his history report. He once had been fortunate enough to meet up with the ghost of one of the first African American soldiers to serve in war. It made for a very interesting project, though Mr. Lawndale was confused as to where Cole had acquired the information. His brow furrowed, Cole tried to work on a concluding paragraph, but an irritating voice coming from the seat directly in front of him was making it hard to concentrate.

"No, I told you I have to go on this stupid field trip. No, Mother, I won't be home then. I have to go pick up Brandi and we're going to the studio. I can't do chores when I have so many other things to do!" Tom Tomisino snapped his tiny cell phone shut and made a face at the girl next to him. "Parents. She thinks she's allowed to run my life. I'm sorry, but cleaning up dishes is not really my place. Bitch."

Sensing someone was staring at him, Tom turned around. A smirk grew on his pale, thin face. "What are you looking at? Missing your ugly girlfriend?" A few of his followers chuckled.

Cole kept pretending to write. It was never in his best interest to glorify Tommy's witless remarks with a response.

"Can't you hear me? Freak. Oh, damn it. We're here all ready?" Tommy whined and pounded the window.

Looking out at the world, Cole admired the high, emerald trees that reached for miles in the distance. The bus slowed down before tremendous gates that enclosed the property. A huge 'W' was engraved on the top.

The guard in the booth checked them, and opened the gate. Cole was reminded of his father's girlfriend, a toll booth worker, and wondered if this guard was holding a full bladder.

Cole strained to see farther than the forest on his left side, but all that could be seen through the trees was a tiny bit of sunlight. Solid fences protected the forest.

What on earth can we study here? This place is so well-protected! Cole thought to himself, puzzled. There was something unsettling about it to Cole, though he doubted he would be visited by the apparition of some poor, dead creature. That was a depressing thought. Cole shook his head, knocking the sense of dread out of his mind.

He followed his fellow students out of the bus.

"Shit!" someone yelled from outside.

Ken had fallen out of their grasp, and had now been run over by the bus.

-INSIDE THE STATION-

"Quietly, now," advised Mrs. Walds, as the class wandered into the Ranger Station. Cole studied a display about littering, while Tommy wrote 'KILL THE ANIMALS' on a wildlife poster with a Sharpie.

Cole made eye contact with Walds, and she came over. "I have no idea what I'd do without you, Cole," she told him. "I'm so glad you decided to tag along... I'd go crazy if I didn't have at least one kindred spirit."

He smiled weakly, and nodded. Poor Mrs. Walds.

"Ahem. Uh- Welcome," a voice trembled softly.

No one turned to look.

"Please!" the voice pleaded.

"Shhhhhh!" Mrs. Walds exclaimed loudly, spraying Cole with saliva on accident.

"Thank you."

Cole turned to face the speaker. He was a young man, most likely in his early twenties. He was dark and had large eyes, and was wearing a tan uniform. From his mannerisms, Cole augured that he was new at the job.

Now that he had half of the class was listening, the man continued to speak.

"Welcome to Walker Environmental Preserve," he stated, sounding as though he were reading off of some unseen cue card; his voice was hollow and monotone. "My name is Kevin Lupinski, and I will be guiding you today. We hope that you will enjoy your visit, but we must ask you to obey our rules..."

Cole's mind drifted off, as Lupinski went over the obvious things, like no littering, no horse-play, no this, no that. Rules so simple, yet Cole knew all ready that so many would be broken today.

"No one goes into the woods."

Lupinski's voice had suddenly become somber. Cole jumped a bit at these words, and noticed that a few of his classmates were now listening intently.

"Why not?" Tommy challenged, long legs crossed, leaning elegantly against a fire display.

Kevin's dark eyes flickered. "It disturbs them," was what he said.

"Remember, wild animals would be frightened easily if we were allowed to go into the restricted areas. And the trees could be hurt!" Mrs. Walds explained, obviously imagining trees with Ken doll was here scratched into their bark.

But Tommy laughed, unsatisfied. "It disturbs who, exactly? Do people live in there, or something?"

Laughter broke out. Cole smiled. It was kind of fun being with idiots sometimes. You had a laugh or two during the time you spent with them.

Kevin Lupinski, though, was not amused. In fact, he looked horrified. "Look," he said testily, venturing far from his Park Ranger Routine and looking Tommy warily in the eyes," my boss is very serious about keeping people out of the woods. So just- don't. "His eyes flashed. Cole had a pang of sympathy for this guy, who probably had to deal with tons of stupid kids every day, but wished he had a larger vocabulary.

Lupinski went on in his former tone, as Tommy smirked. "What a fag!" he told one of his henchmen. Sighing, Cole thought about how ironic it was that Tommy had never used that word until he was called that in the seventh grade. He'd felt sorry for him for awhile then, but that phase had passed.

"Now," Walds was saying, beaming at Kevin," pair up and you may be free to go." Cole shrugged, glad she wasn't picking teams, and grabbed a worksheet from her. He had to observe twenty things about the preserve, then write a paragraph about what he found interesting. It shouldn't be too hard. Only an hour and fifty three minutes left.

He gave Lupinski a sensitive smile, but it was not returned. Obviously, this guy was having a bad week.

Cole began to write down observations in the Ranger Station, before venturing outside.