DOGS

Chapter 3

"Can I talk to you before you go, Kenya?" Mr.Bates, the sociology teacher, says in his distinctively throaty voice. As much as Kenya wants to say no and escape to her locker so she can grab her books and leave school for the day, she knows she should stick around and see what he wants.

"Sure," She replies, packing up her notebook and binder into her backpack. The rest of the class files out of the room, leaving her behind with Mr. Bates. She watches as he tries to make sense of all the papers strewn across his desk without spilling what's left of his coffee. Kenya has always thought of him as an awkward man, especially with his thinning black hair that's creating a circle in the center of his head. His eyebrows are forever bunched together like he's confused by every aspect of life and he talks from his throat like he can't quite push his words out of his mouth.

Kenya slings her backpack on to her shoulders and walks up to his desk, she hovers for a moment waiting for her to acknowledge him, but he's too busy sorting through the papers. "So you wanted to talk to me?"

Mr. Bates jumps from the sound of her voice like he didn't just ask her stay after class, and looks up at her with those scrunched up eyebrows. "Kenya, yes, I wanted to discuss your social experiment proposal."

"Ok, did I do something wrong?"

"No, not wrong," He reaches in to his desk and pulls out the red folder labeled Social Experiments before pulling out hers. "It is a very interesting experiment you want to conduct, very unique too."

Kenya beams, "Thank you, I thought long and hard about it and tried to think outside of the box."

"Right, well although I think your experiment in interesting I also think it's borderline inappropriate."

Her smile falls right off her face and now it's Kenya's turn to scrunch up her eyebrows, "Inappropriate, how?"

"You started out discussing how you want to bend the gender roles a bit and I thought that was interesting but the more I read the more uncomfortable I became. For instance, in the second paragraph you write, "I want to adapt the socially acceptable nature of boys mentally, physically, emotionally and sexually, and turn it around so that girls are the one performing these acts, in order to see what kind of reaction we receive from the student body"."

"Yes, I want guys to see what it feels like to be used and mistreated. Every day I watch these boys get away with breaking girls hearts and using them to their advantages, it's time that these young men get a taste of their own medicine." Kenya explains since he's obviously missing the point.

Mr. Bates places the paper back on his desk of mishap and studies Kenya. "I understand where you're coming from Kenya, but I don't think this is a good idea. You are purposely exploiting unsuspecting young men as an experiment, this could have major consequences."

"Young women get exploited everyday and I don't hear anyone speaking up for them," Kenya leans forward on his desk, not caring that she's in his personal bubble. "I appreciate your concern Mr. Bates, but I have to do this. Who else is gonna teach these boys a lesson? I've watched my own friend cry her eyes out multiple times over these fuc---over these jerks, and I'm sick of it. For once, I want them to feel what we feel everyday. It's time for the players to get played. And the fact that you're uncomfortable with my project, tells me one thing. That you're just as bad as the rest of them, you don't care about the struggle girls go through, you only care that the male sex remains in control." She looks him dead in the eye the entire time, her audacity sparkling in the depths of her orbs. "Tell me I'm wrong Mr. Bates."

He breaks their eye contact and looks down at the proposal in his hand, "I see how passionate you are about this topic, but I have the final say of whether of not this project may be carried out and I'm saying no." He hands her back her proposal, "Think of a new project, re-write your proposal and turn it into me by Friday."