"Hey, Gamzee," I look up from search through my locker for my notebook to see John running towards me. "What's up?" I step aside so that the both of us can fit into the locker we share.
"Not much, bro. I'm just ready to get the day over with." The hallway is starting to fill up with other students before John finally gets all his school supplies ready for his classes. We walk down the hall together until we reach where all our other friends wait in the morning.
"Hey! Watch it, you two-legged excuse of an ox! You almost made me spill my drink!" Shouts a young boy wearing a pair of transition glasses, he jerks out the way avoiding a smaller boy with a purple streak in his dark brown hair.
"Fuck off, you four-eyed freak. Like you really need to drink 2 cartons of milk everyday." They're face to face scowling at one another as John and I walk up.
"Knock it off Eridan," I shout to the smaller boy "It's just a motherfucking milk carton."
"Whatever, I don't want to waste my time on this wannabe, trailer-park, know-it-all, OCD freak anyway." He retorts, flipping the other boy off in the process.
"Who are you calling OCD!?" The other boy yells
"Sollux, just let it go," Says John "You know he just does that to bother you."
"Whatever," He gives Eridan a dirty look and turns to me "So, Gamzee, what's up? I haven't seen you since Tuesday." Sollux, has a pretty bad lisp, so I takes me a few seconds to figure out what he said.
"Oh, I've been motherfucking busy. I've been practicing with Coach Zahhak for next weeks Track Meet."
"Next weeks?" I turn to John, who looks confused "I thought they cancelled that one?"
"What? Why?"
"The team that we're playing against had to cancel, so they moved it to tomorrow." John scratches his head quizzically "Coach Zahhak should have told you."
"Tomorrow?!" I shake my head " I can't make it tomorrow."
"What do you mean you can't make it tomorrow? Gamzee, you play first in all the events!"
"I know, I know, but I've had this trip out of town planned, and I've been waiting for this." I sigh looking at John. "I mean, what can I do?"
"Don't go, win the game so we can go to tournament, go camping next week." John throws his hand n the air "Simple as that!"
"It's not that easy," I laugh "I'm just going to have to tell him I can't go."
"Can't go?! Can't go?! Can't go is implying that you're not going to show up."
"Yeah motherfucker, I'm not going." I start walking over to the Coach's office in the Main Office "C'mon, you're coming with me to tell him."
He puts up his hands waving and shaking his head vigorously "Oh, no. I'm not going down there. One he's creepy as fuck and two I don't want him to think that I'm abandoning the team like some asshole."
"I'm not abandoning the team." I roll my eyes at him "And if you're going to be a motherfucking chicken, then I can go by myself."
"I am not a chicken, asshole!" I turn to see John giving me a dirty look.
"Wow," I hear Sollux speaking " I'm so happy that I'm not on the team."
"It's not like you would have tried out for the team anyway," Eridan speaks up slowly getting closer to Sollux's juice box. "The only thing you're good at is sitting at your shitty computer all day long."
"Shitty!?" Sollux turns to him with his eyes narrowed " I have you know that I own a 500 gigabyte Windows 8 PC with-" I hear a scream making me turn around suddenly. Apparently, while Sollux was ranting about his computer, Eridan knocked over his milk all over his shirt.
"Oops," Eridan laughs
"You little shit," Sollux grabs him by his shirt collar and swings back his fist.
"I fucking dare you," And with that, he slams his fist right into the others face.
"Jesus Christ, not again," John slaps his face "This is the third fight this month!"
"Bye, I'm out of here." I start walking even faster away as a huge crowd starts to surround my two friends.
"Wait up!" John shouts running behind.
((()))
"Okay, class, please calm down." I look up from a book I was reading to Mr. Vantas. " I'm going to need your full attention!"
"What is it, Mr. V?" John turns away from Tavors talking about tomorrows meet
"You know first semester finals are coming up, going over what we've learned so far in the school year," Mr. Vantas walks to his chalk board and starts writing "And, being Seniors, you know that this is one of the last tests you'll take during your highschool year,"
"Yeah, thank God," I glance over to two boys fist pounding one another
"So you should know, how serious you need to take it," Mr. Vantas finishes up what he was writing. It says the important dates and study links for his class and a couple others.
" Aren't finals, like, a month from now? Why is he talking about this?" John whispers to me, but I shoosh him quiet.
"Because, Mr. Egbert, I'm making your final eighty-five percent of your final grade, that's why I'm talking about it. Now, open up your English books to page four-hundred thirteen and we'll go over Shakespeare's use of literacy devices in Hamlet,"
As we open the book, the back door opens wide.
"Hey, Makara," I turn around in my seat to see Coach Strider "Get over here, I need to talk with you,"
"Excuse me," Mr. Vantas shouts "Strider, what the heck are you doing?! Can't you see I'm teaching a class!?"
"Yeah, I know, I really don't care," He scowls at Mr. Vantas, then turning back to me " Makara, get over here, now."
"Strider, if you don't get out of my class right now, I will not hesitate to call the Principal!"
"I'm not scared of him, I don't know about you but I graduated High School years ago,"
"Uh, Mr. Vantas, I can just go with him," All eyes are on me as I try to break up this argument "If it's going to be trouble,"
" I'm in the middle of trying to teach the things you are going to need know to pass the final," He suddenly gets from behind his desk and starts stomping to Coach "And if Coach Strider can't appreciate a good education then he can just leave. I assuming that mail-in diploma still hasn't taught you anything."
The class rumbles with the sounds of kids snickering and "ooo"-ing at the two adults. " I'll show you a mail-in order, you half-pint, know-it-all!"
"Ahem! Now what's going on here?" Everyone with in ear-shout turns their head to the front of the class, and automatically grows quiet. The rest that don't, slowly fall in as they see the others, become silent. "Now, gentlemen, I do believe this is English, and not the try-outs for the debate team, now will either of you explain what was going on?"
"Mr. Scratch, sir." Coach Strider, speaks up first to the dapper gentlemen, " I thought you had a meeting?"
"Well, I did, but I wouldn't be a good principal if I don't come to check up on some of my students," He tugs at his neon green bow tie that matches his all white suit "Now, Mr. Vantas, since this is your classroom, I would like to know what's going on here."
"Actually, sir, I was going over finals with my students," I see Mr. Vantas tugging at his own tie, as he tries to keep his voice steady "And Coach, rudely, interrupted me."
"Is that true, Coach," He turns to Coach Strider, with his all white hair swishing at the movement "And, please, take your shades off in the building. It there is no sun in here,"
"Yes, sir, sorry," He whips them off showing off his dark orange eye "And I wouldn't say, rudely. I tried quietly to talk to one of my students."
"Well, apparently that didn't work out to well," He smiles at Coach "Ah, well, you can try again Monday, because as of right now, I need you,"
"Yes, sir," Coach Strider sighs "But, with what?"
"Well, you're the only one that can has the keys to the roof of the P.E. area," He beckons him to follow him out the door "I've seem to have some papers blown up there by the wind and I need you to collect them,"
"But, Mr. Scratch, they probably already fallen off the roof,"
"That's why I need you," He laughs "Just to make sure they haven't," The waltz out the class, with Coach groaning.
"Now that, that's over with," Mr. Vantas walks back to his desk "Let's get back, to work." Then, out the back of the room, a phone rings "Okay, who's phone!?"
"Uh, actually, I think it's coming from your desk, Mr. V," I tell him.
He walks over to it, and opens it the drawer, making the ringing louder, "You're right, Mr. Makara, I thought I turned it off," He picks it up and answers it "Hello? Yes, this is he,"
"This school is so weird," John says
"You have got to be kidding me," I look back at Mr. Vantas and he doesn't look too happy.