One Shots. Yeah.

The HighSchool Kingdom

There once was a king. And he was fat.

Though that has almost nothing to do with this story. Just wanted to tell you there once was a fat king. This is about me. Dem Straurus the First and hopefully, Last. 

Teachers say life is a beautiful thing to cherish and enjoy.

It's wonder a how memory loss is so effective, ain't it?

They obviously don't remember stuff like

heartbreak

bullying

loneliness.

Take few steps in my shoes for once. I know I'm can be annoying, rude, and maybe a little pervy, but hey, even people with obnoxiously high voices get some lovin', right? The most popular guy in school doesn't have to glare and turn their double-chin away from me, everyone shaking their designer booties behind him.

The jocks avoiding me entirley.

The phat girls skipping away, arm in arm. 

Do people still use phat?

The fat king's many followers shunned a poor, poor village boy, who happened to be different.

Sigh. I hate this. Hugging my stuffed green turtle, Tasman, I try to shuffle past the pack of hyenas.

Please don't see me. 

Please don-

"Ay! Demmy ol' pal!" He stalks over, one of his creepier grins dominating his face, skin doing the wave. "How's life?"

Don't talk, Dem. Don't you dare open your mouth.

A Pancake-Faced sidekick sashays over, poking my cheek with her freakishly sharp red fingernail. I glare at her, backing away. Imagining her with devil horns and tail to match her claws, I giggle.

Then she whines and glances back at the jocks. Of course. Before their thick skulls could make the connection, I run to class with him laughing behind me.

The village boy felt helpless. No one supported him. No friends, family didn't realize.

Sittin' at a table. Sittin' at a table.

Yum. Eating hot lunch all by myself. I can practically see the french fry tumbleweeds.

I'm all alone, there's no one here besiiiiiiide meeeeeee...

Reminds me of Shrek.

...but ya gotta have friends!

..maybe not.

He's over there. Staring at me. Why is he staring at me? Why is he coming over here?! 

No. Don't come over her- OW!

 Holding the back of my head, I glare at the fatty culprit next to me.

 He was punished for being who he was.

"Sittin' at the wrong table, Squeaky. Move," the Pancake-Faced minion hanging off his arm purred, smirking as if she had all the control in the world over me. Screw that, I sat here first. So instead, I just gave her look I would probably give to someone offering me crack, turned around and continued my one person pity party. Surprisingly, all I heard next was a drawn out whine and some shuffling as they moved on. Huh. Surprised that worke- OW!

Rubbing the back of my head, glaring at the tail-end on the jock jogging to catch up to the rest of the group, I look back at my suddenly unappetizing lunch.

Same spot.

Ouch.

Yet, he outlived the fat king and his followers. He outlived the hate, and the punishment for being human.

FINALLY. School's over. This is the only time I'm happy about my day, because all of the popular kids  get picked up. The school is pretty much down the street from my tiny house, so it was just a hop, skip, and a jump from staring at geometry for a few hours. Then maybe rereading my favorite story. For maybe the two-thousandth time.

As every night, he would walk home and   

read the fantasy of a boy.

Just.

Like.

Him.