The Stories of Misfits

Alien

Alien

I’m one of those guys who honest-to-god hates people. Everyone, every teenager has said they hated people multiple times in their life, but no one has said it and actually meant it as much as I have. People are assholes, judging bitchy assholes who stare and whisper about things they don’t completely understand.

Things like kids without ears.

~*~

My mom kisses me on the cheek. “Bye sweetheart! Have a good first day at your new school!” she calls  at me as I climb out of her tiny black electric car. My face stretches into a wry grin before I slam the door shut. I watch her drive off for a bit before gaining enough bravery to turn around and face my new public school - Susan A. Brian High School. Best school in the county, one of the worst in the country. What does that say about South Dakota?

Kids were already staring at my headband-like headset, whispering in their best friend’s ear about the weird looking new kid with his malformed ears and fanny pack holding his battery pack that powers the headband.

Stupid teenagers. Stupid mom for making us move away from home where people knew what the fanny pack and headband was for. Stupid company for laying her off. Stupid dad for leaving us on our own. Stupid people in general.

My doctors tell me I have Misanthropy, which is basically where you hate everyone. I tell them to shut the fuck up and diagnose someone else, even though I know they’re probably right. People just irk me, like how cats or messes annoy other people. Basically, I want them to go somewhere far, far away where I never have to see or deal with them.

I walk up the center sidewalk that leads to the three to four story main building, shrugging my black backpack higher up onto my shoulder and adjusting the black fanny pack to sit on my hip instead of on my crotch. It is cooler, and less awkward there, according to the only girl I didn’t completely loathe back home in Atlanta.

Eyes of almost every person loitering in the courtyard are stalking my every move, watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake so they could dub me Weird Headband Guy With No Ears. This is who I was in the city I stayed in before this one: Washington D.C, the capital of our absolutely wonderful country.

I stalk into the office, letting the glass door slam shut behind me. The secretary looks up, and then begins to study my headband and nonexistent ears, unabashed. Gritting my teeth, I clear my throat and immediately she looks down at her computer, blushing.

“You must be Derek Bennett?” the secretary says loudly, pulling her blonde hair in front of her face.

“Yup,” I respond, popping the p. “But you really don’t have to yell. See the headset? I can hear like a normal person because of it.” She blushes deeper and begins to type furiously, still refusing to look me in the eye.

The printer starts to whirr, and my schedule squirts out. She grabs it and holds it in front of her. “Here you go,” she mutters. “We have a guide for you to help you around school as well, because she has a near identical schedule.” I shake my head as I grab my schedule and head towards the door.

“Don’t need one, I’ll be fine,” I call over my shoulder. The sound of her voice calling me back reaches my headset, but I ignore her, letting the glass door shut behind me. God, I hate special treatment. I’m pretty much normal in every way except for the ear thing. Why can’t people accept that?

The bell rings, and I sigh, but glance at my schedule. 3-104. Miss Becknell. I hoist my backpack up higher onto my black t-shirt clad shoulder and walk out of building one and towards the square building with the gigantic black three on it. People continue to stare, and one person even runs into a silver pole holding an awning up. I bite my lips and attempt not to laugh. At this point, I’m used to the stares, and the stupid things people do, even though it does piss me off. Once, when I was riding a train in Washington D.C., a guy started screaming at me, asking if I wanted his seat. I just acted like I couldn’t hear him specifically to make him feel like the idiot he was. Just because I have no ears doesn’t mean I’m incapable of standing.