Because I'm Falling For You~Treebros DEH AU

Chapter 6

     "Jared... maybe you should apologize to Connor?" Evan finally managed to work up the courage to confront Jared about his hurtful joke. He felt so bad for Connor, and even worse when he realized that the reason Connor pushed him was because of the smile he gave afterward. Connor thought Evan was laughing at him, and so he got angry, and he had a good reason to be! "I really should..."

     "It was a hurtful joke, how do you think I would feel if someone made fun of my anxiety?"

     "That wasn't the intent of the joke, I just wanted to compliment his hair, but yeah it was mean. I feel bad."

     "You called him a troubled teen..."

    "Is that why he got mad?"

     "Probably."

     "Then why did he push you. I was the one who made the joke."

     "I guess he saw my nervous smile and thought I was laughing at him too." Jared pursed his lips but looked like he regretted his joke and wish he could take the joke back. "Sounds like a dangerous kid if he will get violent over a nervous laugh."

     "A nervous laugh which he thought was directed towards a hurtful joke."

     "Fineeee, I'll apologize, happy?"

     "Very."

     "Why do you care anyways? You barely know the guy? Unless you're trying to get Zoe's favor..."

     "This isn't about Zoe, this is about being a decent human. Shit he's right there." Jared looked over his shoulder and saw the boy in a hoodie ripping off notes from his locker. He walked with confidence towards Connor and Evan gawked at him wondering how the guy could have so little care for his life. He was that willing to admit he was wrong and apologize to some random stranger? Evan could never. "Yo, man! I love the hair."

     "I thought you said it made me look like a troubled teen..."

     "That was a joke, my friend, one that I thought you would laugh it but it didn't so that means it was a bad and insensitive joke. Any comedian should accept responsibility for a hurtful joke, so I shall take it for mine, I'm sorry." Jared extended his hand and Connor warily shook his hand. Evan had to bite his lip, he was so sure that Connor would shove Jared out of the way, he looked like he was in a bad mood. Connor just turned away back to his locker leaving Jared standing there confused and Jared made his way back to Evan. "Nice guy," he reminisced.

     "I'd be in a bad mood too if people kept throwing paper and pencils at me."

    "What?"

    "Nothing." Evan realized that if Jared knew about the paper and pencils that he would try to do something stupid to cheer Connor up, in the process Evan could only imagine what would happen if Connor didn't like one of his methods and beat him up. Connor ripped off the final piece of paper from his locker and slammed the door shut walking away to what was presumably his class. Evan noticed that the ripped off paper never made it into the trash. Jared walked away from Evan to AP Calculus, and as Evan went the other direction and was walking by the locker he dropped to the floor pretending to tie his shoes. He picked up the paper and read over it. It didn't have a lot of words, just one big one, 'Freak' smack dab in the middle of the paper. Evan threw the paper away, he didn't know how Connor dealt with this everyday. Evan walked through the halls and began thinking back to the printer incident. He hadn't been there for it but another classmate had described it in great detail, this guy had gone to the same school as Connor for his entire life, they were even friends, but the classmate broke off the friendship after the printer incident. Apparently, Connor just randomly threw a printer at the teacher's head and then never got in trouble for it. As Evan made his way into class, he wondered how he had gotten away with it? Connor didn't seem dangerous, but maybe Evan should keep his distance just in case.

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     Connor was never viewed the same way after the printer incident, before he was just a shy boy who couldn't pay attention in class and was a nuisance. He was a troublemaker, but not a horrible one. One day as the kids lined up for going out Connor dashed to the front of the line and smiled brightly. He would now be the shining face that exited the door from his class and his parents would see him and be proud, they would wave towards him and he'd be first. Don't get me wrong, Connor loved his sister to pieces, but sometimes he wanted the focus on him too and today was his chance. Unfortunately the evil teacher had stepped towards him with a fixed glare on her face. The teacher never enjoyed Connor, he would sometimes fall asleep during class because he was so tired from the night before. Normally, Connor fell asleep immediately but some days he just stared at the ceiling wondering if he just ceased to exist for a minute, would people care? He would hear his wailing sister in the other room as his parents comforted her and he wondered if they ever did that to him. He couldn't remember if they did so he just assumed Zoe came first. As the teacher came towards him she said in her raspy old voice, "Now Connor... it's Millie's turn to be first."

     "B-but..."

     "No buts, remember we take turns in the classroom, now since you ran over here and was inconsiderate to poor Millie you're gonna have to go last." Connor slumped and the bag that he had shouldered drooped with him. He slugged his feet towards the end of the line as the class stared, looked, whispered, and laughed at his drooping figure. It wasn't fair, the teacher never used the line leader list until it was Connor's turn to be first, she always said that the first one there had to be first and would always give it to another kid. However, when Connor abided by this one rule she turned it back on him and decided just then to remember the line leader list she had composed earlier that school year. Connor's eyes filled with a lot of tears and as he started crying the same classmate that had befriended him had turned around, looked at him, and laughed. "Connor's a crybaby!"

      "Crybaby! Crybaby!" The taunts surrounded Connor like angry daggers poking at his skin. He felt so hurt, this was the guy that had been with Connor since preschool, and he called him a crybaby. The tears came strongly and the teacher just rolled her eyes. "Connor, you can't be disrespectful then cry." Connor hung his head in shame as he walked by the teacher and he could have sworn he saw her smirk. After that smirk Connor felt rage take over, as he walked by the printer he tried to swing it over towards the direction of the teacher. Unfortunately, his small 7-year-old hands were not able to push the printer down, and it was the wheels getting caught in the carpet that tipped it over. Surely it wasn't just him that pushed it down, but the teacher didn't care, she marched him to the principal's office. "What happened?"

     "He threw a printer at me!" The principal cocked an eyebrow and stared at Connor's small hands and rolled his eyes at the teacher. "A boy barely weighing 60 pounds threw an 20 pound printer at you?"

     "Yes! How else do you explain the tipped over printer?" The principal sighed and looked towards Connor with amusement in his eyes, Connor could tell the principal didn't like this teacher either. "Don't let it happen again."

     "But, BUT-" the teacher sputtered.

     "No argument, Connor go to your family." The principal was the only person Connor could come through, he even talked to Connor during recess about life, his dreams, and Connor felt safe around him. This was why when the principal had a heart attack the next year and had to leave the school it was Connor that felt the most pain. After his best friend taunted him for crying, the principal was his only friend, and now he was gone. Connor was alone, though not for long. Soon everyone made fun of him as the rumor of the incident spread (Connor believed that the teacher started them but he had no proof). Even through high school, kids would put notes on his locker. They weren't nice notes, they would call him many things like 'Freak', 'Idiot', 'Waste of Life', but Connor agreed with them. The only reason he threw them away was because he didn't want to act up in class and waste his mom, Larry's, and sister's time. He would just feel like more of a burden, and Connor was trying his very hardest to not be one. 

     He was shocked when the boy from earlier apologized for the joke, and even more shocked when it felt genuine. However just as soon as he came Connor realized Evan was standing behind him. Connor bet he only apologized because Evan made him, and he instantly felt worse. Connor should be the one apologizing for pushing Evan, for getting mad at a small joke, and here Evan was making the other boy apologize for it. Connor shook his hand, closed the locker, threw the note, then walked away to class. If he was late he'd just get more taunts and he was scared that if he heard another one he'll break down. He would once again be a burden, and he wasn't ready for any more mental stress that day.