Leif's head hurt when he managed to wake up again. He tried to move his hands only to find himself in a new problem: He couldn't move them.
His eyes shot open to a horrible sight. He's practically crucified at the top of a goal post. His vandalism laid out right in front of him.
Below him holding the ropes in place was a former classmate and a millennial student: Attila the Hun and Mark Antony.
Jesus had been crucified because he spoke the truth and now something similar is happening to him. This is happening to him for a reason, but at the very least they'd have to let him go eventually.
He then focuses on a small gathering. Former classmates had come to witness his punishment. A few of them have their phones out. He didn't really care.
"Confucius here, coming to you live with another update!" Confucius is at the center of it all. Harriet is right by his side.
"Take a look at what happens when you decide to mess around, because in the end, you're gonna end up finding out! This is what the original Confucius would have said had he been born in the present day."
Alongside Confucius and Harriet, Cleopatra sets down a milk crate. It's filled with balloons that are filled with what Leif hopes is only water.
"Alright everyone!" She shouts into the crowd." These water balloons have hot sauce infused in them. This is the best I could come up with given the timeframe. So I want everyone who's willing to form a single file line and… go nuts!"
"Ah… crap." Leif whispers to himself. Just when things couldn't get any worse, it gets worse. There were times he wished he was an actual viking living in the tenth century instead of a modern day high schooler, but the trade-off is as fair as it can be.
"AAAHH!" He snaps out of his thoughts when a water balloon exploded when it came into contact with his already hurting face. He shut his eyes as the hot sauce mixed with their moisture. The fumes he's inhaling were only adding on to the torment.
Without warning, he sneezed. Mucus flowed down his nose like a waterfall. His hands are still restrained so he could do nothing about it.
He has to endure it. This is only going to make him stronger in the end. He'll get back at them. They'll all see things his way sooner or later. This doesn't change anything.
While he continues getting humiliated and tortured, Cleo and Frida have their own conversation with Abe. Who now looks more sad than before.
Frida is the first to speak. "I gotta be honest, Abe. You gave everybody here a reason to smile again. It's good to see somebody taking a stand for once."
Abe nodded. "Leif Erikson, like Amerigo, believed in what he thought was the truth. I feel like… I feel like honesty just isn't enough anymore. Ever since I picked up that book in the hallway, I see things differently. People don't want to hear the truth when it's shown to them. They're shutting themselves off and continue to be deluded. I could never understand why, you know?"
Cleo crosses her arms. "Some people are just ignorant. They're born that way… I should know."
Frida scratches her chin. "I've been thinking. The enemies of the original Abraham Lincoln weren't all that happy that they are against a man who a lot of people label as 'honest.'
Here in the 21st century, there is a term that is widely hated by conservatives. I wanna pitch to you this new nickname."
Abe closes his eyes and bows his head towards Frida, who is surprised that he's acting in this way.
"I would very much like to have a new nickname. One that reflects modern times while also keeping the spirit of the original. One that shows people that I fight for the right things. One that defines… ME!"
Frida smiles as she looks down at Abe's head. "You have a good heart, Abe. As Student Body President of Clone High, it is with great pride that I bestow this nickname to you."
Cleo then sees Frida make a 'sign of the cross' gesture. Whatever she is going to say next may or may not be what she'll start calling Abe.
"From this day forward, your new nickname will be… Woke Abe."
"Woke… Abe." Abe lifts his head up. Immediately, Frida saw the look in his eyes. It's as if they have a subtle twinkle in them.
"I love it. It's like… exactly what I've been feeling lately. Awake. So woke is like… modern for honest?"
"Something like that." Frida nods. "It gets the job done. If you ever want to separate your enemies from your friends."
"I don't know how else to say it, but…" Abe rubs the back of his head. "I'm a different person from who I was last year. This new nickname has… tied everything together. Thank you."
Frida went on to hold Cleo's hand. The two smile at him. "No problem, buddy. I'm here to help."
Unknown to the three of them, Topher Bus had been listening in. He looks at his emotional support possum on his arm, Lucy Fur, who is looking back at him.
"I've been calling myself woke for years and nobody looks my way. But now Abe is woke and all of a sudden people are lining up to praise him."
"SHUT UP TOPHER!" The clones waiting in line to pelt Leif Erikson yell at him.
"I really gotta stop talking to myself." Topher said before walking away.