Liberty High School

7:06 am

Brian took the two white sheets of paper tearing them up into tiny pieces before throwing the bits of paper into the air and letting them fall like confetti. Mr. Horner moved so he towered over the seated boy and leaning menacingly over the table.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Mr. Horner growled.

"I'm not writing shit" Brian responded repulsed at the assignment. Who the fuck does he think he is?

"You think you're tough huh, showing off for this bunch of misfits? Well how about we work on your attitude next Saturday in detention!"

"Fine" Brian muttered, looking the man straight in the eye.

"I know your type kid, I got your number. You're gonna be in jail before you even get close to graduation" Horner's voice dripping in revulsion. "Just another loser drop out, like your old man"

Brian quickly grew enraged upon hearing his teacher compare him to his father. He pushed back quickly from the table clenching his fist tightly, preparing for a fight. Standing toe-to-toe with the man for the first time Brian noticed despite his young age they were already the same height. He smirked seeing his teacher flinch first. Brian willed his fist to unclench and his heart rate to slow before he took action too hastily. He knew the teacher was baiting him. He had his number as well. Brian thought the better of the situation and sat down, unwilling to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"Well at least I won't be an asshole in a cheap suit. Where did you even get those threads, dude?" Brian laughed dismissively.

"That's two Saturdays; you want to make it three?"

"Sure" Brian added

"You done tough guy or should we make it four?" Mr. Horner banged on the table, embarrassed Brian was getting under his skin in front of the other students.

"Why not five? Why not the rest of my life?"

"Brian, knock it off" Justin called out, watching in amazement as the heated exchange grew out of control. He didn't know Brian well; he was just a sophomore whereas Brian was an upperclassman already. He knew he was a jerk by reputation but always suspected the exterior appearance was masking some deep pain. Justin was sensitive to plastic public personas having perfected his own over the last several years.

Brian was shocked to hear anyone interrupt his exchange must less discourage him from further self-destruction. He shot the blonde a dirty glance but his eyes lingered as he caught Justin's stare. He wanted to tell the kid to mind his own business, to fuck off but something about the look made him feel calm inside. He decided to back down, not for this kid, mostly because it wasn't making him feel any better.

Mr. Horner sucked in a breath of relief finally feeling he turned the corner and gained the upper hand on the young thug in the making. "That's what I thought. You mess with the bull you get the horns, young man" he spoke purposefully as he turned and left the library to return to his office. He left the doors open to the library so he could keep an eye on the crowd.

As the group was left alone, they nervously glanced at each other. Ted stared at the paper, shaking the pen between his fingers tapping it on his bottom lip.

"Who do I think I am?" he repeated out loud formulating his essay in his mind. He glanced around and felt the eyes of the four other kids glaring at him.

"What?" he asked innocently, unsure of why no one else was starting on their essay?

"Are you really writing that essay?" Brian asked.

"Well Mr. Horner…" Ted began to explain before he was interrupted.

"…Do you always do what your told dork?" Brian asked, getting up and walking over to join Ted.

Justin grew hot under the collar hearing the weaker kid get picked on, "Hey, leave him alone"

Brian couldn't believe the impudence of this blond kid, this was twice he had interfered. He slid into the chair between Justin and Ben and leaned over Justin's shoulder.

"What's it to you? I was speaking to the dork" Brian leaned in close so his lips were near the boy's ear. It was meant to be an intimidating gesture but Brian caught a whiff of the boy's cologne and his anger melted a little.

Justin did his best to ignore Brian's theatrics and picked up a pencil and started sketching. Brian watched in amusement as Justin traced the outline of his face only it was a cartoonish version of him to which he added tights, a cape and a mask. Justin could barely contain his enthusiasm as he insulted Brian with his weapon of choice: a number two Ticonderoga. He wrote one word across the top: RAGE, labeling the newly minted super-villain and putting an exclamation point on the slight.

Brian grabbed the sketch out of Justin's hands and stood up returning to his table. The drawing, as rushed as it was, impressed Brian. Actually Justin impressed Brian, he hadn't met anyone that stood up to him like this in a long time and it intrigued him and scared him at the same time.

"Hey quit calling him a dork, he has a name" Ben defended the stunned Ted. "What's your name kid?"

"Ted, Ted Schmidt"

"Hey Ted, I'm Ben" he introduced himself, shaking the trembling boy's hand across the aisle.

Brian rolled his eyes, "Give me a break" he exclaimed unimpressed by Ben's disingenuous do-gooder attitude. He returned to his seat looking admirably at Justin's sketch one again. The crowd fell awkwardly silent for a few minutes while they felt each other out.

"Hey man" Ben asked nudging Justin, "Are you going to Chris's party tonight?" Ben asked softly but loud enough that the three other's overheard anyway. Ben glanced around after realizing his question wasn't as private as intended. He didn't really feel that bad. Chris Hobbs was popular. He had been invited, because, well he was always invited to jock parties. He figured Justin was invited because he was popular as well. He was "in" with several cliques, not the jocks but he had starred in several school plays, was head of the art club, and everyone knew his father was loaded. Plus Justin's best friend, Daphne, was dating Chris's best friend, Billy Hauser. The other kids were simply outcasts in the social hierarchy of high school; they couldn't possibly expect to be invited.

Justin shook his head, "I can't"

"Why not?" Ben persisted.

"Well my mom sort of grounded me and my dad would let me go and then they will get into a huge fight about it. It's just not worth it. They are already on the edge of divorce. Chris is an asshole anyways." Justin explained.

"Aren't you going to invite Theodore?" Brian asked sensing his opening to put Ben in his place, "Or I'm sorry, were you asking Justin out, was this a date?"

Justin sighed understanding the purpose of the question, "No" he answered honestly.

Ben didn't address the date comment but burned red from anger and embarrassment. He didn't disagree with Justin's response but he wasn't about to twist the knife in Ted' back either. "Look, it's not my fault we are popular and get invited to parties and you don't. I don't make the rules"

Brian huffed, knowing exactly how the popular kids made the rules at his school. "For fuck's sake you don't really believe that, do you?"

"You could be popular" Justin added, "But you're too afraid. You're afraid people will reject you so you reject them first."

"So I could be popular like you if I just join a club? I was in Chemistry club freshman year. I wanted to build a bomb to blow up the school." Brian asked incensed by the naiveté of his classmates.

Ben and Justin both nodded confident that their popularity was based on their own efforts and social aptitude rather than such factors as rich parents and natural born talents.

"I'm in clubs" Ted spoke up.

"Really Theodore?" Brian asked sarcastically, "What clubs are you in?"

"I'm a mathalete, in physics club and in Future Accountants of America" Ted said proudly.

"See Ted and I are in clubs" Brian gestured to Ben and Justin enjoying putting them on the defensive. "Now can we be popular too?"

"That doesn't count" Justin explained, "Academic Clubs aren't the same as social clubs, everyone knows that"

Brian couldn't believe how Justin seemed to be unshakable. He was so full of himself, so conceited. Brian wanted to knock this kid off his high horse and down to his level. He knew just what he was doing when he jumped up and pulled the screw from the heavy double door between their library and Mr. Horner's office. The loss of the screw disabled the door's ability to remain open and it slammed shut with a resounding thud. Mr. Horner, hearing the commotion from his office hurriedly went to check on the source of the noise.

Brian watched in amusement as Mr. Horner examined the door and determined the problem. He briefly glanced around looking for the missing part. A muffled smirk from the Bruckner kid as well as a stifled laugh from Novotny more than told him there was nothing to find.

"Where is it Kinney?" he barked.

"Where is what?" Brian asked innocently.

"The screw"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Brian lied, "Did you look on the floor for it?"

Michael burst out laughing and Brian shot him a dirty look. "Sorry" Michael recovered, "I think I heard it fall" he offered unconvincingly, trying to redeem himself in Brian's eyes.

Realizing there was no breaking the crowd mentality Mr. Horner pointed at Ben "You, come here".

Ben rolled his eyes and walked slowly towards the front of the library. Mr. Horner motioned for him to grab one side of a magazine rack and tried to prop the door open.

"That door is way too heavy for that" Brian warned just as the heavy door slammed shut flinging the magazines in all directions. All the kids broke into barely restrained laughter except Brian who maintained his false bravado.

"You" Horner yelled as he approached Brian, "You think you're clever. You are a fucking waste of human being. You're going to be a loser just like your old man. If you weren't here no one would give a shit, no one at school, not your teachers, not your parents. You should just do society a favor and kill…."

"Stop it! Fucking cut it out!" Justin interrupted, shocked that any teacher would say something so horrible to another person let alone a student in his school. Brian was starting to show signs of cracking under the verbal assault and Justin could see the pain just for a minute. He didn't know what his story but he knew there was more to this boy than other's could see. He was beautifully imperfect.

Mr. Horner whipped his head to see Justin's disdain. He glanced at the other kids and realized his plan was working. He turned silently and walked out of the library hearing a loud "FUCK YOU!" from Brian as he walked back to his office.