The bullying scene starts off with this chapter and later...Jojo reveals how he REALLY feels about his dad. Told ya it was gonna get dramatic!

Chapter 3: Pressure

Later that afternoon, Jojo walks himself home from school and almost the day entire day, his father's presence and posters were surrounding the school and he felt completely livid inside.

He sighed heavily and asked, "Why does he always do this to me?"

Then, to his surprise, several high school students ganged up on Jojo and surrounded him, which made him a little intimidated and uncomfortable. One kid, green and turquiose striped who with fire-red eyes, wearing blue pants and a black and grey T-shirt with crossbones and black hair with the mohawk and a bar on his mouth looked at Jojo and said, "So, this is the mayor's kid? The emo shrimp jerkface that's been around Whoville?"

Jojo didn't make any sense about what this is all about and looked at the bar on his mouth and was disgusted by it. He said, "Can you leave me alone?"

He grabbed Jojo and asked, "Why should I?"

He didn't respond to it and one of his friends asked, "Hey, Russ. What should we do with this emo kid?"

Russ looked at Jojo and gave him a mischievous grinch-like look. He looked at the others and asked, "What do you think, boys?"

"I say we beat him up."

"Great choice!"

Jojo looked terrified and swallowed hard and before he knew it, all of the boys were all over him. He tries to break free, but one of the boys grabbed him by the ankles and pinned him down to the ground, then he punched him in the face, shoved him to the ground and Russ used a baseball bat to punch his lights out.

BAM!

Five minutes later, Jojo was conscious and he looked around and saw all the high schoolers were gone. He sat up and picked up his stuff and all of a sudden, he received a black eye and a swollen lip. It was painful to him, but what was even more painful that the intense pressure aout his father wanting him to be mayor of Whoville, when he really doesn't.

He walked back home, looking extremely upset that he got beaten up, because he was the mayor's son and because he was emo. It just drove him insane in the membrane and when he almost got home, he sees the huge poster of the mayoral talent show occuring in Whoville Park. Seeing his dad's face on the poster made him feel like the enire day has been ruined and ended up being a mockery.

As soon as he got to the house, he went in with this extremely angry look on his face, like he's completely having a bad day. He stormed upstairs to his room, slammed the door, threw his things on the floor and laid down on his bed. While laying there, he can still hear the words of his father running through his head that cannot be ridden of.

'You can be whatever kind of mayor you want to be.'

'It would be the world to me if you followed in my footsteps, Jojo.'

'Someday, you'll be the one wearing the mayoral crest. You just--you just need to--you know what I mean? Okay! Good chat! I'm glad that we had this talk....that I'm continuing now by myself. Good!'

'I tell you, Jojo. There's nothing like being mayor.'

'I am expecting big things from you, young man. Big things!'

'I can just picture it--my son, the talented mayor.'

Those words were definitely hard to ignore, because the pressure was growing in an extreme pace. It's like as if no matter what Jojo's interests are, it was always his dad's dream passing to Jojo that he doesn't even want. It's like he sickens his dad for some reason, but he just does not want to follow in his footsteps. He grew upset, angry, livid and frustrated all at the same time because of him being bullied by the kids in school that always picked on him for being an emo or that he's the mayor's son. He just couldn't stand his dad pressuring him anymore.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the door opens and in comes Ned, checking on Jojo. He asked, "What's up, son?'

There was a long pause. Jojo didn't want to say anything to his dad, because his day in school was like a living heck.

"You have a good day in school today?"

Still no response. Ned could barely tell that he had a bad day and all. Then, he sighed and got on his room and sat on the edge of his bed, just trying everything he could to talk to him.

"So, are you up for the talent show tomorrow?"

Jojo sighs heavily and said, "Not really."

Ned was a little surprised about what he just said, that Jojo doesn't want to participate on the mayor's event. He looked at him and asked, "Why not?"

"I just don't, okay?"

"You know it would mean the world to me if you did. People will come and see you and say, 'You know that boy is gonna make his dad proud by stepping in his father's footsteps.' It would be so great."

Jojo seethed a little and sat up on the bed, his eyebrows lower than ever and asked, "You just don't get it, do ya? I do not want to be a part of this whole thing."

"But I just told everyone in city hall that you are performing there."

"Well, I can't do that when you're pressuring me too much about my future."

Ned was taken aback by this and asked, "What does that supposed to mean?"

"Everything is all about you, you, you and you. Thinking that I should be one of the greats. Why should I even want to be like them, anyway?"

"Because it's your future!" he said, angrily.

"It's your future!"

"My future?"

"Yes, your future. Ever since I was eleven, you kept bragging about me being the next mayor of Whoville. Well, I do not want to take this part of being one of the greats."

"Jojo Nathaniel McDodd, as your father, I strongly urge that you should participate in this talent show, where you like it or not."

"Forget it. I will no longer take part in this stupid mayoral traditional crap!"

"It is not stupid! And you will take part in it, and that is final!"

Jojo started to look very angry at his father and got completely livid towards him. He turned to him and screamed, "I HATE YOU!!!"

All of a sudden, those words shattered his father to pieces. He was shocked and disturbed that his son actually hates him. He said, "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do! Sometimes, I wish you were out of my life forever so I wouldn't have to deal with being bullied and it's always your fault. You know something else, and I'm gonna say this--I wish you weren't my father. Just leave me alone."

It just hurt Ned to hear Jojo say those words. His blue eyes got a little misty-eyed and he sighed heavily. There was nothing he could do about it and he just got up and left his room without another word. He stopped and looked at his son and then closed his eyes and left the room and closed his door. He leaned his head against the door and one tear fell from his eye and whispered to himself, "I'm failing as a father."

Ned felt completely damaged, like his heart was broken into several million pieces and it couldn't be repaired. He went into his bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking about Jojo. He covered his face with his hands and started crying softly. A few tears were coming out of his face and looked at the picture of Jojo, when he was 5, hanging on the wall and to hear him say that he wishes he wasn't his father really tore him up.

Two tears streamed out of his face and whispered, "I love you, Jojo. I always will."

How dramatic is that?! Jojo's wish is coming up soon....