"Man Sendak is really a hard grader. You can't even please him Keith! You're like the best writer I know!"
Hunk managed to turn in my paper before the midnight deadline, and he received a C- on his paper and I received a B+. At least he can't fail us on the communication aspect of it since both Hunk and I have each others backs.
"I'm not that great of a writer Hunk. It's just something I like to do in my spare time."
I start to take off my jacket, because man today was a scorcher. Does this school have air conditioning? As of right now we are waiting for the bell to ring for our first class to start, which isn't for a while.
"Keith, give yourself more credit my man. You just have a superb way with words and have mountains worth of journals from your past. You are a very good writer. Don't knock yourself down about that at least."
I appreciate Hunk a lot. For him being my only friend outside of school, he sure is the highest quality of friend anyone could ask for. He is completely patient with me and even laughs at my jokes when I do crack them every other full moon. Speaking of which...
"Hey Hunk, can I pre-plan future posts on Tumblr? Like is that a thing?"
"Oh heck yeah my dude! Here I'll show you. Download Tumblr on your phone."
Oh yeah, Tumblr is also an app. Hopefully the schools shitty ass Wi-Fi won't delete my VPN again like last week. I'm tired of downloading new ones.
The good news is the VPN hasn't been removed yet, the bad news is I can't remember my password for my Tumblr. Great.
"You know Keith, I should get you one of those grandma booklets where you can put down your passwords for everything. You have the worst memory. Best writer, worst memory."
I can't even retaliate because it's true. It took me three years to remember Hunk's birthday, and even then I sometimes have to take a minute to remember it. Maybe I should take him up on his offer.
It takes me a while to retrieve my password and log in, but I did it. Hunk shows me how to set up future posts, and how drafts could be used as a bookmark place if I wanted it to be. In return for helping me, I reblogged his most recent post from this morning and I gave it a good review. I've already had his lasagna, and it almost made me cry the first time. We didn't have that much time after my Tumblr fiasco, so we started walking towards our classes to kill off that last minute. My first class is Physics. Fantastic.
"I'll see you later Keith. Maybe we can play some Pokemon at Lunch?"
"Yeah let's do that. See ya Hunk."
We clasp our hands together and do a generic fist bump. It's our own handshake in a way, since again I can't remember a whole complicated handshake. We tried that once. Never again.
I take my seat in the far back of the classroom. No, not the anime corner, but the corner corner where there isn't a window or a clear view of the board. That corner. I'm glad this classroom isn't made up of pods of desks or tables or else I would lynch myself. I hate forced group activities. Therefore I make sure my teachers at the beginning of the year that I will do every single project by myself unless if Hunk is in my class. I really don't like people. I really only like my family and Hunk's family. Trust issues much?
The bell shrieks and I flinch. I also don't like sudden loud noises. What I do like is that white noise from light chatter among people. Then I can concentrate on practically anything. But today we have a substitute, therefore a Bill Nye video will play or a Magic School Bus episode. Just lovely.
I can't write in the dark, so I guess I should go through Tumblr. Very discreetly I pull out my phone and quickly turn down the brightness, and I have my bag on my desk therefore I have the perfect cover in my little corner.
Now what should I do on Tumblr today?
Go through the tags, write down another poem of mine, or finally change my profile? Limitless possibilities.
Heck maybe I should message that one new follower I have? Pfftt nah I'm not like that. But what does it mean when I have more numbers on the little side bar than just a one? I clicked on the numbers, and I couldn't believe what I am seeing.
I have gained over fifty followers overnight. Where did they come from? Why are they following me? I continue to scroll through all the names who followed me, and many of them are also poetry like blogs or edgy like. Hunk was right about the tagging... But holy shit?
"Excuse me sir, but could you please refrain from making too much noise and not be on your phone?"
I stare up at the sub and she has her hand inches from my face. Great. Now I can't do anything for this period. Perfect.
I get my phone back at the end of the day and I immediately check Tumblr again. Am I dreaming about this?
No I'm not.
In fact, I have seven more followers making it 64 people who follow me. I have to scream about this to Hunk.
I find Hunk at our tree. This tree is a simple tree that kinda looks sad by the way it slants, but it's the tree that's in front of the city bus stop so it works. He looks as if he is determined to get something done on his phone, so I wait before I start talking. Curiosity gets the best of me after five seconds of silence, and I lean over to see what's on Hunk's screen. Flappy Bird again?
"Hunk, that game became popular when we were in middle school. You need to drop it."
Hunk jumps at my voice, and I hear the bird drop to it's doom.
"Keith?! I almost beat my high score! And it's not that lame of a game. It's a good way to pass time."
"Sure buddy. Anyways, I gained a lot of Tumblr followers and I'm freaking out about it?"
Hunk shuts off his phone and pockets it, full attention towards me.
"That's great! Told you tagging works wonders."
"But Hunk, who would even want to follow me? Like I don't post anything that's good. In fact all of it is pretty cringe-y like I'm still stuck in my MCR phase."
"Keith, you still are stuck in your MCR phase."
"Point taken, but still, I'm not that interesting?"
The bus off to the right of us takes a left turn and starts rolling down the street towards us. We pause our conversation to board the bus, and we take our usual seats in the front of the bus, but not behind the bus driver.
"You are like the color black. It's very gloomy and depressing, but somehow everyone loves the color. Tumblr gives you the power to give the people who look at your blog the real you instead of the perceived you, if you know what I mean?"
"Yeah I got it... Do I really look gloomy and depressing?"
"A bit yeah. But I like you anyways pal."
The bus take us and some other folks to other bus stops. We get off at the fourth bus stop, and then we walk about two blocks to our street. It takes us an hour to get home from school or to get to school, but Hunk and I have found multiple ways to entertain ourselves from the years upon years of bus sitting boredom.
One of them being see who could stare at someone the longest before they notice. Another one being who could make the weirdest noise with just their mouth. Seventh grade was wild.
Hunk has to babysit the neighbors once again, so I decided to go home and really work out my Tumblr, because man it is seriously disorganized. I also need a new image because grumpy cat isn't doing it for me anymore.
I steal some of the sugar cookies from the kitchen, along with a V8 from the fridge. Gotta balance this out somehow, right? The retreat back to my room went flawless, without any parents to bother me about how school went.
Now it's time for me to destroy my life and try to make my Tumblr look cool.
I took out the grumpy cat right away and replaced it with a picture of me, but just my black t-shirt with a little bit of my arms in it. I like it edgy. Next I picked out a better and cleaner theme, which let me tell you was the hardest decision I've ever had in my life. Some themes I wondered why they even existed because of how lame and extra they are.
I was going to fix my bio next, but I think I deserve to scroll through my dashboard a little bit.
The usual likes and reblogs, sometimes a chuckle. Why did I get a Facebook again? How did I not know about this?
Then that's when it hit me.
I could look up conspiracy theories on here.
I feel my stomach flip as I came to that realization. No more looking at sketchy websites! On top of that I can post my own theories? I think I've found my new addiction, so long Wii.
After a few tag searches and scrolling, I found the topic that I wanted to write about.
The JFK and Abe Lincoln Conspiracy.
I open the new post button and I write out my thoughts.
Is the JFK and Abraham Lincoln Coincidences Actually A Conspiracy?
The multiple 'coincidences' between John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln are extensive. Everything from simple details like both being assassinated on a Friday, to the fates of their shooters. There is something more to this than just a 'coincidence'. But what does all of this mean?
I believe there is obvious tinkering in our time line. This couldn't have been a preplanned job because...
I continued to write up my theory within an hour. I went through all the details of both murders and how it couldn't have been staged like some believe. I even included pictures, so you know this is professional. At the end I ask whatever followers I have what they think, and I post it without a second thought.
Now I wait for any responses that might come my way.
Might.
"Keith it's time for dinner!"
Did I really write that long? I guess time flies when you talk about time travel too much. I also didn't take the time to change out of my school clothes, which honestly it's just my usual jeans and t-shirt with a random saying on it, but I like sweatpants and a hoodie for home.
I choose my favorite grey sweatpants that I've had since middle school, and a black hoodie that I got from Shiro for my birthday last year. It has a foot print of big foot with the saying "I Believe". Classic.
One foot after the other, I made my way to the dinning room. Shiro was placing a bowl of noodles on the table, and dad was placing a bowl of sauce. Mom was in the living room on the phone, probably something with her job. I resume my spot on the left of the table, which is the opposite of where Shiro sits. Then we have dad to the left of me, and mom to the right. Shiro pokes me in the arm before sitting.
"I didn't see you on the Wii, come up with a new obsession?"
"Yes, doesn't mean you have to know about it."
I stick my tongue out at Shiro, in which he returns back. Mom joins us at the table, and we start serving ourselves. As always, dad starts the conversation first.
"So Keith, how was school today?"
Did anything interesting happened? Nothing really does. Except...
"I got my phone confiscated for the first time today. I wasn't being as stealthy as I thought I was."
I hear mom drop her fork a little too harshly.
"You what? Why were you on your phone in class?"
Oh yeah, gotta come up with an excuse.
"I was ah, playing Flappy Bird."
Shiro stiffles a chuckle across from me. Why did I have to say Flappy Bird?
"No excuses. You better not pull something like that again! I would have been more understanding if you were texting a friend, but a mobile game? Seriously Keith?'
Shiro was trying so hard not to burst. He stopped eating just so he could compose himself.
"Well I mean, would it have been better if I was texting someone? I was on my phone in class regardless."
"That is true, but if you were texting a pretty girl I would understand."
Ah yes. I still have to tell my parents that I think girls are permanently infected with cooties.
"Or a pretty guy."
Forks hit plates and silence ensues. Okay Keith, you didn't just majorly fuck up or anything. It's not like you had a plan where you would sit your brother down first and then proceed to tell your family with the support of your brother. It's not like you just outed yourself in the worst way possible. No one spoke for a solid five seconds, before dad cleared his throat.
"I'm assuming this is you coming out to us Keith?'
I feel my skin turn to ice and my stomach flip my lunch from earlier. I couldn't look my dad in the eyes, so I just have a stare off with my spaghetti.
"Maybe."
More silence, then Shiro finally bursts. He laughs out loud so hard that a noodle is dangling from his nostril, and I start laughing uncontrollably. Now all of us are laughing hard, whether it was at me being gay or Shiro's noodle hair, I felt myself relax and my face warm up. Despite my mom being a workaholic, my dad being a stay at home dad with a jewelry making job, and a brother who spends more time at college than at home, I think my family is perfect.
Our laughing subsides, and mom was the first to speak.
"Oh honey, we accept you for whoever you are. Just don't do anything illegal."
And that was dinner. All of us were full off of that laughter fest, so we just cleaned up and had a huge family hug. Yes, I was in the center of it.
Shiro and I walked up the stairs to our rooms, and he gave me a little punch in the arm, then escaped into his own room shortly after.
That is a dinner I can never forget.
Now, time to check Tumblr.
I'm to lazy to log into my computer, so I turn off my lights and get ready for bed. It's like sometime past seven, but heck I'm probably going to spend all my time on Tumblr anyways.
I pull up my phone from my backpack, and it's a good thing I was laying down when I checked the amount of notifications I had. I had so many notifications, that I think it's a good time to turn them off in my settings.
My followers have increased, and my reblogs were absolutely crazy. Did this many people like my theory this much? Apparently so, because there are multiple reblogs with their opinion on the matter. I click on each one, but I'm mildly disappointed on the responses. Many of them have claimed god awful theories, and others just say they agree with me. I want someone who makes a compelling argument on this matter.
I persist through the 'notes' as Tumblr calls it. I finally reached the last one after a half hour, and the name strikes a chord in me.
León72Azul. My second follower, or really my first follower aside from Hunk made their own theory.
León72Azul: I personally think it was staged. It was not staged at the beginning though, but I bet some people came together coughtheilluminaticough and made sure that JFK became president, and made sure other aspects of his life matched up with Lincoln.
That... Actually makes a lot of sense. How do I respond to him? It would be rude to only respond to them and none of the other people who commented on it, so should I personally message him?
Red_Red_Red to León72Azul: Hi. Explain to me more about your Illuminati theory.
Did I seriously just do that? I'm acting like a middle school girl. I shouldn't be nervous over messaging a stranger about a conspiracy theory. Get it together Keith.
León72Azul to Red_Red_Red: Ok buckle up cause your in for a ride
They did not just use the wrong your.
Red_Red_Red to León72Azul: You're*
León72Azul to Red_Red_Red: Oh god you are a grammer Nazi?
Red_Red_Red to León72Azul: Grammar*
León72Azul to Red_Red_Red: Cruel ;-;
What is even going on? I hate people who can't use simple grammar. On top of that, I think I just scared them off with my 'Grammar Nazi' tendencies.
León72Azul to Red_Red_Red: Anyways, I think that the Illuminati made a plan with JFK and paid him to become president. Maybe JFK knew, maybe he didn't know he was going to die, but for sure JFK is apart of the Illuminati. I say he was the leader before his death which is why he was popular with the people
And so I messaged León72Azulfor hours upon hours. There were times where they were AFK for a couple of minutes, but for the most part they messaged me back right away.
I fell asleep before I could tell them what my thoughts on aliens were.
Aye yo. I'm going to try to make each chapter progressively longer by raising the word count by 1,000 or 2,000 each time. I also will appreciate any advice for the story or critiques! Also I promise we will see Lance's POV soon, just not right away. Follow me on my personal Tumblr: rox6564!