Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 21:20:28 -0500
From: Landon Blake <landon.a.blake@gmail.com>
Subject: A Step In The Right Direction- 2

After spending my summer at summer school for my actions, I realized that I
had not finished paying for my actions on the last day of school 2 and a
half months prior. I received a letter in the mail in July notifying me
that I had to report to the principal on the first day of school, so here I
was.

Principal Lopez had been lecturing me for the past five minutes about my
"inexcusable actions" that occurred inside of the classroom. Honestly, it
felt more like a formality than anything. I've never been in trouble, and
Lopez knew that.

Principal Lopez looked at me and rubbed his baldhead and let out a long
sigh.

"Look, Landon. We both know that his is a one-time thing, but can you help
explain to me what caused the disruption in class?"

Yeah, I'm in lusting with an Adonis who turned out to be a complete
idiot. I'm probably the only gay guy stuck in this hillbilly town, and I
want time to speed up so I can graduate already.

"I'd just had a long day," I replied after calming my thoughts. "I get very
passionate about English, and some of what the other student said just
rubbed me the wrong way. I know it's childish, and I already know I'm going
to apologize to Mrs. Anderson after school and accept whatever punishment
she deems fit."

"That's very mature, but I'm going to need a bit more from you," said
Principal Lopez.

My mouth dropped and felt like it could drop even more if I didn't pull it
up so I could stammer my words more than any human should. "Professor
Lopez, what do you mean?! I've sat here and listened to your speech, and I
already feel bad about interrupting and causing a scene in my favorite
teachers class to which I'll go apologize. What more do you need from me?"

Principal Lopez got a mischievous look in his eye and, if my eyes didn't
betray me, smirked as he gave out his cruel form of punishment. "I also
need you to work things out with Addy. That was his first day here, and it
isn't how I want him to think we run things. What you said to him was not
only rude, but also very unlike you. You two will be going to study hall
together for the next month and a half so you can get to know each other
more."

Of course his name is Addy. Why not? God, it's like he truly is the
reincarnation of Adonis himself. Fuck my life.

"Wait, you can't force me to be friends with him. That's completely
unfair!"

"I'm not asking you to become best friends with him, but since you were so
quick to hate him and compare him to Hitler, you're punishment will be a
month and a half of study hall but you'll be working together while you're
there. Think of it as a team building exercise," he said with a smile on
his face.

"Fine, but don't expect me to be a happy camper for the next month and a
half," I said as I picked up my things and left his office.

I decided to head to the library and skip my second class. It was a
creative writing class, so I'd make up some bullshit excuse later about how
I needed to explore my creativity later. The teacher was kind of a ditz,
but she always loved what I turned in, so it wouldn't be hard to convince
her of why I wasn't in the first class of the year.

I guess I really couldn't consider it skipping. I did go to the library to
write, but I just couldn't sit through another class with all the anger I
had inside of me. Writing has always given me a release, which is why I
liked English. It was my chance to write in a different manner, and
sometimes even help me escape what I am feeling.

Football also does this for me, but there was something special about
writing. When I'm out on the field, it's like I'm a completely different
person. I don't want to call myself a madman, but that's how I feel.

My primal instinct takes over, and I enjoy the rambunctiousness of it
all. However, it's also where I get to feel myself be the most strategic
and study other people. Most people think it's a bunch of people hitting
one another for the pleasure of it, but I love seeing the little things. If
an individual is going to be blitzing during a play, it takes me one or two
times to see his body movements that give it away. It's invigorating, but
most of all, it's a way to help release my anger.

Writing is different. There are some emotions that I can't release on the
football field, and this is an outlet that's both healthy and doesn't have
me waking up in pain on Saturday mornings. I started writing when I was
thirteen, and became enveloped in the process. The intricate emotions that
I put into each character, and the details that I could create down to the
shadow cast by a pebble were so interesting that I couldn't stop.

When I first started, it was very High School Musical because I didn't tell
people because I was ashamed of how it would make me look to other
people. One day, after football practice, I dropped my backpack and a
couple of my stories fell out and went in almost every direction.

I immediately got scared because I didn't want to be made fun of, but there
was nothing I could do. A couple of my teammates helped me pick up my
papers, but started to read them in the process. I sat on my locker so I
could wait for the verbal torture to begin, but it never came.

I wouldn't call myself a geek, but I'm not the most popular either, so the
idea that everyone would be okay with my writing was the farthest thought
from my mind. Instead, they just kind of brushed it off, but made a few
comments about how great my writing is. It wasn't a huge spectacle, but it
gave me the courage to keep doing what I love.

So now, I'm sitting in the library writing a new story based on how my
emotions had me feeling after my meeting with Principal Lopez and how
unfair life can be. It seemed I had been writing for a good 20 minutes when
I finally heard someone clearing their throat I look up and my stomach
drops. It was AdonisÉI mean, Addy.

I was instantly love struck again because I was finally able to see him up
close. His brown hair pulled back, but with a bang hanging over his sexy
green eye like some model. It wasn't until I pulled myself together that I
realized our earlier conversation, and put on an angry face.

"Can I help you?" I asked icily.

In a deep voice that made me start twitching in my pants he replied, "Whoa,
calm down there. I was just going to ask if there's room for Hitler at your
table." Smirking as he said "Hitler", I felt like I was going to faint.

"I don't know, is there? I know I came off pretty rude in class, but your
views on controversy are completely demeaning! How can you have those
ideas? How can you not want our society to move forward? What makes you
think that controversy is such a bad thing?!"

I felt like I was talking a million words a minute and I could have kept
asking questions, but I had to take a breath. He used that moment of
silence to give a rebuttal to our earlier discussion.

"I never said those were my true feelings, you just assumed that they
were," he said with a stern, but assuring voice. "Before I get another one
of your deadly, and I mean deadly, death stares, I don't think that you're
wrong. However, letting your emotions get the best of you when you hear
someone else's opinion isn't going to help much in the long run.

"So many civil rights movements are hindered before they even begin because
of the fact that the people who let their emotions get the best of them are
the ones who show the negative side of movements. They act before they
think, and people believe that this is how the organization must truly
be. Just some food for thought."

I sat there completely dumbfounded. He had a point, and while I could
continue debating with him all day, I decided to let him win this round.

"Okay, fine. You win," I replied. "But don't think that you're off the
hook. I'm the type of person to hold a grudge."

He smiled this obnoxious smile and said he wouldn't have it any other
way. He finally took the seat across from me and we began to work in
silence until I finally broke the silence.

"So, I guess I should get to know you a little bit since we're going to be
in study hall together after school for the next month and a half."

He made a sound that sounded like he was choking on a drink and looked up
at me with an astonished look on his face.

"You? YOU'RE Landon?"

I was a bit shocked by his voice level, and quickly looked around to make
sure nobody was coming to shush us.

"Yeah? Why? Have you heard things about me?"

"You're the fucker I'm paired with?!"

He had a lot of anger in his voice, and I was honestly becoming a bit
scared.

"Wait," I quickly said. "Why do you have to come to study hall? It's
usually given out as a punishment."

I knew I was paired with him, but I needed to make sure he wasn't going to
study hall for fighting or something violent. Not going to lie, I was kind
of scared for my safety at this point.

"Because," he said with anger written across his face. "It's for disrupting
class back in May. I knew I had a hand in the disruption, so I accepted the
punishment. Howver, they said they were going to pair me with a random
student, but this doesn't seem so random."

"YeahÉ" I said with some embarrassment. "Principal Lopez seems to think
that doing this will help make your transition into the new school a bit
easier. I'm so sorry that it's an inconvenience to you, though."

That last part came out with a bit of malice, and I instantly wish that I
could have taken it back.

We sat there in silence as Addy seethed in his anger, and I tried
diligently to write down all the emotions that I had been feeling in this
last encounter. I had probably been scribbling for about 15 minutes when he
finally broke the silence and announced his departure.

"It's honestly not fair that I have to come in because you couldn't keep
your emotions in check. I would have liked to have been paired with someone
else because of the simple fact that I don't like being tricked like
this. If you think for one second that this is going to work out, don't get
your hopes up."

And with that he turned around and walked out of the library.

Authors note: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. I tried to
get a lot of Landon's back-story in this chapter, so I hope you feel a
better connection with him! As always, feel free to email me any feedback
you have at landon.a.blake@gmail.com! I love to hear from you guys!  All
the best, Landon.