The Seven Deadly Sins: Greed

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” Kids were gathered around me and another boy, but neither of us wanted the first punch. I wasn’t trying to get in trouble, I knew the consequences of fighting, but I wasn’t a goody two-shoes, either.

“Come on, punch him!” A girl yells. Sydney, I liked her. She wasn’t my crush, not anymore. I had grown out of that, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still beautiful.

I didn’t want to be the first one to throw punches, I’d be the one punished harder. Instead, I watched the other kid, who watched me.

“Come on! We’re not watching a catfight, are we?”

I kept my eyes on the target, raising an eyebrow, challenging him. He had always been asking for my lunch money, and I’d given him half out of pity.

I could’ve beat him up the first time, but I consider myself to be benevolent. We’re the same size, and probably roughly the same height. Probably similar in our strengths.

His eyes stayed on me, as they should, and I looked around, nervously. “You think you wanna take me? I wanna give the people what they want, but I don’t wanna damage my school record. Why don’t we settle this after school, at the park down the road?”

“No,” The bully was persistent. I suppose it wasn’t bullying, since I was perfectly capable of standing up to him- and his goons- all by myself.

“Why? Scared you’ll lose? I’m not gonna bring backup, my only backup is surrounding us right now, and honestly they’re more like cheerleaders.”

“Ahem!” A throat clears behind us, and I turn to the principal.

“Hello, I see you have caught us in the act of settling our disagreement. He needs lunch money, I think he’s poor. I have always given him half of mine out of pity- no child should go hungry- and he wants me to feed him every dollar I have.

“I told my mom, she sends me with extra money for him, but the thing is, he’s so big he wants mine, too. Who eats two lunches? Who needs to fight somebody to eat a second lunch? Why would he do that? So I was here defending myself because he wanted to beat me up over the money I didn’t give him, completely disregarding the money I did.”

“Is this true, Isaiah?”

“No! Not really! I was just trying to ask him about homework answers, not lunch money.” He huffs a breath. “Who needs lunch money these days? I mean, why would I be in this nice school if I didn’t have money? Who does that?”

“Uh, the same person who was trying to fight Cash over a second lunch.” Sydney says. “Mr. Bryson, I saw it all! I’d be more than happy to inform you of the details as a witness.”

“Alright, well,” Mr. Bryson sighs. “I don’t know what all happened, I was told by a student there was a fight breaking out in the hallway just outside the cafeteria.

“I need all of you to go back to class, back to lunch, wherever you were. Isaiah, Cash, Sydney, you’ll come with me and tell me what’s going on.”

We listen, following Mr. Bryson back to his office. He tells me and Sydney to wait in the office. The secretary smiles at us as we take our seats.

Sydney sighs. “I think you offended him when you said he has no money.”

“I don’t really care. Obviously it’s not his fault, but his behavior definitely is. It makes him look stupid. I could’ve beaten him, had we started fighting. But I’m in a good spot in this school, definitely not trying to get any write-ups.”

“Right,” Sydney leans back, closing her eyes. “This is a crazy school. I feel like something weird is always happening.”

“This isn’t some novel,” I smirk at her. “It’s not Wayside School. I don’t get what you think is weird about it.”

“The people!” She exclaims, looking over at me. “Let’s be real, the people are weird. The teachers, the kids, Mr. Bryson.”

“I think they all want to get out of here.”

“I suppose.”

But I knew I was right, who didn’t want to escape this place? It sucked.

When I was called into Mr. Bryson’s office, I passed Isaiah, nodding to him. I had no reason to not like him, but I knew I wouldn’t get away with the comments I suggested earlier.

I sit in the seat across from Mr. Bryson, and he folds his hands together, shaking his head. “I expected more from you,”

“You must have unrealistic expectations.” I respond nonchalantly. “See, I prefer not to engage in harmful activities, but sometimes they’re out of my control. I wouldn’t have stood idly by while he stole my lunch money- especially since I gave him some.”

“It’s been mentioned that this has been happening for a while now, care to explain?”

“Of course, he has been harassing me for lunch money at least since middle school started. I haven’t said anything because if he needs to eat, he needs to eat.

“Eventually I grew tired of it and I was like, okay, I’ll bring some money in for him and call it a day so I start doing that, then he wants my money, too. He wasn’t okay with the ten bucks a day I’d give him. Realistically, that ten bucks could get him two lunches. Maybe today, maybe split them up, maybe accumulate that money, but he could’ve eaten. Every single day.

“Still he chose to threaten me, and I responded defensively telling him if he wanted my lunch money, too, he had to earn it. He assumed that meant fight, and I wasn’t about to chicken out. So I said sure.” I shrug.

“We ended up in the hallway, some kids crowding around because you know they talk, and they were telling us to fight. Neither of us threw any punches, you can see that on the camera, but I think I wounded his ego.

“Especially with my acknowledgement of his poverty.”

“Right,” Mr. Bryson nods. “So, if he has been bothering you for lunch money every day, how come you’ve never said anything?”

“Sometimes it’s easier to just ignore someone or just succumb to what they’re doing. It just becomes easier to really do that. I just gave him money but it was not enough. I couldn’t help him with that.”

Mr. Bryson sighs. “You know fighting is against school policy, right? So you still should’ve told an adult. We would have handled it, we could’ve put him on the free or reduced lunch program, and you wouldn’t have been out of hundreds of bucks.”

“It’s not really a loss since it was a good thing.”

“I mean,” Mr. Bryson shakes his head. “If that’s how you feel. Now, I didn’t punish him, merely because there was no real fight.

“As for you, you won’t be punished, either. Matter of fact, I thank you. You were doing what you thought was best to help a fellow student out. It might not have worked out how you both wanted it to in the end, but it worked.

“So thank you for trying. We’ll take it from here, if he comes for you again you need to tell an adult. We’re gonna help him out and do what we can to make sure his time here is good. I need you to do your part, too.”

“And my part is?”

“Avoid him, avoid ridiculing him, avoid spreading lies and talking about him.” Mr. Bryson shrugs. “Just be a good kid, you usually are. Don’t return the favor, either. Don’t bully him in return.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” I smile, standing up. “Am I good to go back to class?”

“Yes but behave yourself. And send Sydney in.”

I didn’t think he had to talk to her since I had told him the truth, but I guess a witness confirming what went down would probably be better for everyone.

She smiled as she passed me, probably nervous to be in the office. She was a good kid, and she probably never set foot in the principal’s office.

It wasn’t a scary place, but the stigma still surrounds it- how could it not?

In class, kids were whispering about who they thought would’ve won.

I won’t engage in the conversations, but I’m not gonna tell them to shut up, either. Personally, I think I would’ve won. Maybe that’s a little biased, but I had every reason to be angry and upset with him. I had every reason to have an adrenaline surge. Him? Not so much.

Chatter died down and class started.

We worked on stupid math sheets, practicing with harder versions of math- to prepare us for Algebra I offered at the high school.

I wasn’t looking forward to it, that’s one year closer to adulthood and though I still have plenty of time to think about it I didn’t want to.

I focused on my math and kids started talking again. Topics changed, moving from the latest gossip to their own plans to their own dramas. I overheard a lot of things, I don’t have a lot of friends to talk to, and the one I do have isn’t in this class.

I suffered through the rest of math and the last part of gym, changing and running out of the bus. I got on, my friend Jasper sitting next to me.

“So, how was everything after lunch?” He asks, and I smirk.

“Piece of cake, honestly. See, I told Mr. Bryson what happened- what was happening- and he was like, oh well don’t let it happen again. Basically. So we both got away with it, Sydney was called as a witness and we were both let off with warnings.”

“Dang,” Jasper shakes his head. “It’s probably because you’re popular and all that. The baseball team needs you, and if you start a streak of misbehavior they’d kick you off in a heartbeat.”

“Exactly. So, I sweet-talked him into letting us just leave with the warning. It really wasn’t that bad. Not that hard, either. I definitely can’t risk being kicked off the baseball team, either.”

I was the star player, once my brother’s had left and all that. I couldn’t let my parents down by being the only boy to not play.

“Right. We’d suffer without you, and I’m sure your parents would be upset.”

“Upset? They’d be livid.” I shake my head. “They want me to be the best at everything. They say it’s okay if I’m not, as long as I try. So I got good. You could be the same way.”

“Nah, I’m not motivated.”

“I’ll coach you.”

“It’s not about that,” Jasper sighs. “I just, I’m not interested in the game, really. I wanna do theater in high school, singing and acting is more for me.”

“Are you gay?”

“Is it bad if I am?”

“Well, no, but I don’t want you to like me. Like, like-like.”

“I wouldn’t, you’re my friend. No, I’m not gay, but I’ve always been a fan of musicals and stuff and I wanna pursue something that I could have an actual career in.”

I snort. “Please, do you think you have a chance at being a Broadway actor? Of making it to Hollywood? The people pick and choose who they wanna see, I kinda doubt you’ll be one of them.”

“Okay, like you’re gonna become a professional baseball player?”

“Maybe,” I shrug. “I mean, they offer scholarships for that-”

“They offer it for the arts, too. You just don’t care because they don’t apply to you.”

“Damn, okay, paint me out to be a jerk.”

“You’re kind of being one.”

“Sorry,” I shake my head. “I don’t mean it like that. Bro, I’m trying to look out for you. You make it hard if you’re taking offense to what I’m saying.”

“You know, not all thoughts need to be spoken. Not to be philosophical or anything.”

“Right.” We sit in silence for the rest of the ride home.

I wasn’t offended by anything he said, and I hoped he wasn’t offended by me. Everything I said was for his benefit, why would I hate on him? He was my friend.

I wave to him when I get off the bus, going inside to hear my parents talking about dinner.

“I was thinking about just eating out, I don’t really feel like cooking,” Mom is admitting.

“That’s fair, but I don’t feel like paying for super big meals.”

“I’ll get a salad and water, and we’ll split the check.”

“No, no, I wouldn’t take you out to eat and make you pay.”

“It was my idea.”

“I suppose.” Dad smiles. “Hey, champ, what’s up?”

“Just got home from school. Mom, I don’t need money for Isaiah anymore. He tried to fight me for mine, too, and the principal spoke to us.”

“I heard, he called.” Mom smiles sadly. “I don’t understand why that boy won’t just ask for help.”

“His mom probably would yell at him,” I admit. “I don’t think he goes home to love.”

Mom nods. “That’s a shame. Well, I told the school I’d be more than happy to put a little bit of money in there for his lunch. It would be anonymous, so no one would know but me and he’s still getting to eat.

“Then, hopefully he’d leave you alone.”

“I think he’s being put in the free lunch program.”

“That works, too. Hey, if the school needs anything, I’m always ready to help. Especially when it comes to the children.”

Mom had been a teacher, dropping out of her career field because kids were so disrespectful. She tried being the nice teacher but it got her walked all over.

So, she pretty much accepted her job as a housewife.

“So, we’re eating out tonight?”