II The Walk of Shame
Angelo Tallerico
Seems like the next day the whole school was out to get me.
On Tuesday I wasn't just Michelangelo the waiter: oh no, I was Michelangelo the Selfish bastard who broke Atlantic Central's royal couple up. Carson McQueen had been caught cheating but it was Angelo Tallerico that became the bad guy, their scapegoat. I was the designated Judas Iscariot.
I have been called every name in the book - bastard, pig, douche , son-of-a-bitch - you name it and I probably heard it
Then the stories came
".... Did you know Carson caught them together in the locker room?"
"....... I heard Madison paid him for the sex..."
"He's sexting nude pics of himself to Harper Doyle for Percocet and Adderall ... disgusting!"
".... He's actually been black mailing Carson ... Poor Carson .."
Poor Carson? Poor Carson!?!??!!
I turned a deaf ear to all their accusations just barely keeping a lid on my sanity but when my algebra teacher Mr. Holt gave me a pitiful look I felt like crawling into the sewers and dying. So now the teachers knew ... perfect. I kept a lid on it until baseball practice (don't act so surprised, I had to have enough things to pad my application to Yale).
I was selecting a bat in the field when my heard some other players laughed loudly and asked, "Hey Michelangelo the Waitier! Heard you nailed Madison Shepherd! What's she like in bed?"
I lost it them.
Slamming my fist on a locker, I made for the player grabbed him by the front of his jersey and slammed him against a locker.
"Hey what the hell man?" he yelled in terror.
"If I have to tell you one more time not to call me Michelangelo the Waiter, I'm going to hit you so hard Chuck Norris would be impressed," I warned darkly.
"Hey don't get mad," he huffed, "Take it up with McQueen! He's the one who said Madison was paying you for it, you know?"
My eyes narrowed, "Did you say Carson McQueen?"
"Yeah! Dude let me go!" he cried.
I released him abruptly.
I should have known it was the little weasel! Well I'd just had about enough of.him as I was going to take. I looked around and spotted an aluminum bat, picking it up I made for the football field with murder on my mind.
I didn't need to tell people to move out of my way, the expression I wore and the iron bat said it for me.
When I reached the football field, some cheerleaders started whispering amongst themselves.
"Isn't that Michelangelo?"
I planted myself in the middle and started shouting, "McQueen! McQueen!! Come out you bastard! McQueen!!!"
Carson emerged from two football players who were watching me incredulously.
"What do you want Michelangelo?" he sneered then laughed among his buddies.
This weasel had the nerve to laugh. I strode purposefully toward him but him goons quickly realising my intent blocked my way.
"I just want a few words with McQueen," I said as calmly as I could.
"You'd better walk away, Michelangelo," Cole Jameson warned.
I shoved him away angrily.
"Come here McQueen," I said directly to Carson, beckoning him with an index finger.
"Get away from me," he growled, "why don't you go back to your girlfriend. And by the way, how's it all working out?"
I smiled and said, "I just have a few things I wanna clarify."
"And I don't give a crap!" he retorted rudely.
"I'm sure your don't," I replied without losing my cool tones, "but that hardly makes a difference."
I broke through the rest two football players and stood directly in his front.
"Now tell me why you spread that awful lie about I and Madison?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied haughtily.
"Of course you'll deny it, but we all know, Carson McQueen that your word is good for nothing."
"I'm telling you I don't know what you're talking about," he shouted indignantly.
"How dare you repeat your falsehood?" I whispered in anger then shook my head, "I wonder what Madison ever saw in you."
He smirked, "What's the matter? Do you have a itty-bitty crush on Madison Shepherd?" The football players all thought this was hilarious and began laughing.
"Oh this is priceless," Carson was saying to Parker and Cole, "Michelangelo the waiter is in love with Madison Shepherd the Ice Queen."
"Madison Shepherd was wasted on a self- absorbed, lying, cheating and worthless little snake like you!" I hissed.
He laughed some more, "Don't worry Michelangelo. I heard about your stud services so when Madison pays you then you can comfort her tonight."
I just about lost it then. Advancing on him with my bat I growled, "You loathsome, foul evil little snake!" Carson, coward that he was, cowered and fell onto the grass. "Say another word," I asked him menacingly, "I dare you, Carson McQueen! Do it. Come on, say another word."
"Hey what's going on here!" shouted Coach Fairchild who had come onto the scene. He looked at Carson lying down on the ground and me holding a baseball bat to his precious face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled at me. "Let him go now!"
I stepped away and allowed him to get up. Carson scrambled away like a mouse to stand between Cole and Parker.
"I hope I won't have to take this to Principal Sinclair," he said sternly.
I shook my head, "No, Coach Fairchild."
"Good," he nodded. "Now beat it."
"Yeah! Beat it Michelangelo!" Carson echoed with a snippy laugh.
"Seriously?" Fairchild asked curiously then laughed, "He's named Michelangelo? I'd probably be that pissed off if my parents played that joke on me."
I pointed the bat at Carson, "If you don't curb that nasty tongue of yours I'm going to cut it out and shove it so far down your throat you won't need to eat for a month or swap spit with another girl."
He only scoffed. "I'm not scared of you and your threats."
Smiling I shook my head, "No Signorino. That's not a threat; it's a guarantee. Stay away from me McQueen."
I whirled around and walked away back to the locker room where I took out my anger on an undeserving locker.
"Damn it Angelo!" I seethed. "What a mess!"