Water Fountain

Chapter 1 - If Frogs Could Talk

The faces in the crowds at Freedom Miller High School all blended into each other. A freshman by the name at Gus thought they were all the same. For too long have they stepped over him, manipulated him, laughed at him, and all around hurt him. They were nothing but bullies. Most ignored him, others tried to destroy him, while those who were nice to him were only fake. For all he cared, this whole school could burn up; every possible kid poisoned by an air of ash, the roofs collapsed by the hottest flames, and the faculty buried beneath every single one of their stupid rules and regulations.

As Gus walked down the halls to his Algebra class, he looked away from all those who were around him. He couldn't stand their glares, their smug condescending attitude. He was at the bottom, and everyone else knew it.

As he arrived at room R7, Mr. Donaldson's Algebra Class, Gus didn't bother faking a smile like he had done everyday before. Instead, he walked to his desk, put his face down, his entire face touched by its cold, unclean surface. He wondered why life was so depressing. Why was it so unfair? It wasn't always this way for Gus Blue. There was a time where he wasn't just normal, but even popular and powerful. But not anymore.

"Class, may I have your attention," Mr. Donaldson said as he stood up. "I have some disappointing news."

Mr. Donaldson usually was pretty laid back. Today, he was the opposite. His face seemed stern and disappointed. His nose was unrelaxed, while his eyebrows were high above his piercing green eyes that seemed to hide seething rage.

Mr. Donaldson paced around all the students in his class. "Cheaters, failures....losers."

Mr. Donaldson paused. No one dared to speak.

"You sit here in shock, yet you know what I am talking about....Mr. Blue."

Mr. Donaldson turned his gaze to Gus, who looked up in shock. Gus didn't cheat, so what could this be about?

"If you are so stupid not to understand basic quadratics, you should have come into my office for help, instead of cowardly cheating like a fool," Mr. Donaldson slammed his fist on Gus's desk.

"What? I didn't cheat," Gus responded.

Mr. Donaldson rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."

The class laughed in unison. Gus hunched in shame, as Mr. Donaldson turned around in anger.

"He wasn't the only one to cheat. Three more of you also did. I have the proof and the receipts."

A student named Violet shot out of her desk. "What do you mean three of us cheated? Do you have evidence?"

Gus was glad that at least someone spoke up against this, though he found it ironic that they only did once everyone else was blamed. If he was the only one to get in trouble, they would have all laughed with glee. Either way, he had now idea why he was being accused of cheating.

"I do have evidence. In fact, I can show you the evidence right now," Mr. Donaldson pulled out four quizzes off his desk. "These four quizzes on solving quadratics got 99%. They all got the same question wrong. Question 4. The easiest freaking question."

Trent, a football player raised his hand, "So who were the other three?"

"You were one!" Mr. Donaldson put a tally mark on the board.

"Josh, you were two!" A second tally mark was written on the board.

"Michael, you're three!" A third tally mark was written across the board.

"And last, but least, Gus makes four!" Mr. Donaldson writes a fourth tally mark across the board with increased fury.

"I didn't," Gus pleaded.