There's Something Wrong With Charlie Baxter

Chapter 2

I rewarded myself a sugar cookie for completing the poem before getting dropped off at school. It was a short poem, I admit, but I like the idea of having a reward system in my daily routine. It does its job on keeping me productive, and I get to munch and savor the soft texture and sugary taste of my snack. Definitely worth the seventy-five cents I spent on the vending machine by the cafeteria. 

I let the crumbs fall on the white-tiled floor as I walked down the science hall. I'd feel bad about the mess I left behind since the indoors was so clean, but the problem was that it was too clean, so clean to the point it was boring to look at. This place prided itself at maintaining an A+ on cleanliness among other schools in the district, not that it mattered to me. The trail of cookie crumbs I left added incongruity to the pristine environment. A little incongruity never hurt. 

The english class I entered had a more welcoming vibe. The walls had an orange tint and were covered by art-filled manilla papers decorated by a previous class of students. One of the drawings was boy with a red fleece cap in front of a carousel, inspired by The Catcher in the Rye. I forget the name of that boy, but he sure as hell looked lonely in the drawing. There was another one with a freakish looking humanoid on an icy mountain; he was on his knees and screaming towards the heavens. This one was based off of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I think I like that drawing the best.   

Everyone else got settled into their respective seats, and Mrs. Neeson proceeded to start first period English 2 with an attendance roll. 

"Bella?" Mrs. Neeson had a shrewish voice. 

"Here, Mrs. Neeson!" The Cherokee girl spoke up. For some reason I always see her smiling. What would I give to be a morning person like her. 

"Hannah?"

"Present!" This was a blonde chick who sat farther up in front of me. She always caught my attention with the way she walked into the room, and she had the body of a volleyball player, which admittedly made my gaze linger onto her without me realizing. 

"Adelha?" 

"Here!" This one's a Pakistani girl who wore a hijab, only revealed a plump face. Nothing interesting about her. 

"Charlie?"

"Here, ma'am." I acknowledged. 

"Carmelita?"

"Here!" This Latina was skinny as a stick, but had this confident attitude about her I kinda like. And her face was pleasing to look at, I admit. 

"Ryan?" Silence. "Ryan Bishop?"

"Not here, ma'am!" Hannah chimed. Mrs. Neeson checked a box off her clipboard and continued roll call. 

There was a boy in front of me who leaned forward and whispered into Hannah's ear. This was was Alex. "You know where my boy is?" 

Hannah leaned her head back and said, "You're not gonna believe this, but Charlie got your 'boy' kicked off the bus."

"Say what?"

"They got in a fight over a seat, and he actually 'won'".

Alex turned to look at me, then back to Hannah. "'That' Charlie?"

"Yep. It's real life 'Revenge of the Nerds'. Better hide your girlfriend, Alex." 

"Oh, hell no!" Alex cringed, "That weirdo will never get pussy, no matter how many fights he win.   And I still don't believe he actually did. He probably got lucky."

"Not too sure about that. Alyssa was on that bus and saw the whole thing. He sent Ryan flying with a kick." 

"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit."

"Excuse me, Mr. Garcia!" Mrs. Neeson raised her voice, "Do you have anything to share with the class?"

Alex sat back. "Erm, no Mrs. Neeson."

"Then be mindful and stay quiet. Xavier?" 

"Here, ma'am!"

"Isabelle?"

Alex leaned forward again. "Charlie does know that Ryan is one of Dean's best friends, right?" Hannah nodded. "He's gonna learn today not mess with Dean's boys. He cracked a dude's head open for messing with Lenny. And Lenny was just the runt of the group. Makes ya wonder what he'll do for messing with Ryan." 

Alex sat back in his chair in a relaxed manner, and my right hand was shaking violently in my jacket pocket. 

***

Word count: 690

This chapter is short, but I did reward myself a slice of pizza. 

Got a good feeling about Chapter 3. See you there.