Fire and Deception

I walk into class earlier than usual to Rick helping the teacher with file work. Rick is the nice guy everybody loves. He helps out when possible and has that charm he uses on girls. He’s on top of my hatred list with the heroes.

I found my seat at the back of the class.

“Morning Mr. Ridge,” Our Social teacher welcomes me.

“Morning,” I mumble.

She then leaves the class room and it’s just him and I.

His eyes burn in my direction but I don’t dare look in his. I pulled out my notes for the test this morning.

“You know, if you want to ace this test, I can help you study.”

“If I want to suffer then sure, come tutor me.” I look up to him staring at me, expressionless.

“Maybe if you actually tried then you won’t be where you are today.”

“You have no right to say that. A lot of things could be happening right now and you accuse me of not trying?” What the hell is this guy thinking? “I think I’m old enough to know when I need help and when I don’t. So why don’t you stick with charming your way through school. That works best for you.”

“You know, you’re not going to go anywhere.” Would this guy ever shut up?

“So? What if that’s what I want? Like I said, you don’t know what’s going on in my life and you have no business to know.” I sit back crossing my arms over my chest. The fire rages through my veins, pushing to be released. The fire begins to slip from my grasp so I fist my hand to keep it caged. I close my eyes and take deep breaths to calm myself. I don’t want to burn the school down right now.

“You should really work on your anger issues.”

I snap my eyes open and before I know it, I’m at the front with my fists grasping his shirt, holding him against the wall. The files he once had are sprawled on the floor. His eyes burned into mine

“Would you ever shut up? I don’t fucking care. You think you’re so perfect and everybody’s favorite. You think by helping around you’ll pass and leave an impact? Well newsflash, it’s not. I don’t give a fuck what you do but you do not insult the way I live. I’m better off without some perfect person coming after me.”

“Well Jasper, I only wanted to be nice. No one ever rejects my help.”

“You know what they say, ‘a first time for everything’.”

Rick pushes me off and I go back to my seat. He picks up the files, quickly organizes them and heads to his seat in the front of the class. The warning bells ring and everyone pours into the class finding their seats. I couldn’t concentrate on the chatter. Once I absorbed the information I was reading, the bell rings and the teacher steps inside.

“Alright class. You need your pencil and put everything else away,” She orders, grabbing the tests and handing them out. “Good luck, you all will do great.” She looked at me when she said that. I casted my gaze downwards waiting for my test. Once it was handed to me I began.

When I finished I sat back down doodling in my notebook about ways I’d kill Superion.

How I’d rip him to pieces and then burn him until nothing is left but ashes. It’s fun to imagine what I would do with these thoughts. Glancing at the clock in the front of the class, I begin to pack my things.

Once the bell rang a couple minutes later, I rushed out of class. I head towards the cove where I hide in the lockers. I like this place. I can be alone with my raging thoughts and find my inner peace without burning the school down.

No one bothers me and I don’t bother them. That’s what I like. I hide in the corner playing with a small fireball I created.

“Jazzy!” I recognize that voice anywhere. I look up to Caleb, my best friend, walking towards me. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“Playing with fire.” I hold up my ball.

“Nice. Can’t stop you there.”

“No you can’t.”

I held up my creation and blew it into his face. He scrunches his nose and waves away the ashes. I chuckle when familiar voices sound in the hallway passing by. I hold my finger to my lips, listening to what they have to say. Until they appeared in front of us.m

“Hey. you know, if you have friends you wouldn’t be sitting alone,” one of Rick’s annoying friends, who I’m calling asshole one, commented. I flipped my finger at them not wanting their unwanted attention.

“Get me out of this hellhole,” I mumble and Caleb stifles a chuckle. He knows I despise school and can’t wait to get out of here away from everyone.

“Not in the mood,” I say to them.

“Why don’t you come join us?” another one of his friends, who’s going to be asshole two, asked.

“I’m good.”

“No, seriously, come with us.”

Asshole one walks up to us finally spotting Caleb. Caleb’s gaze hardened when they made eye contact. His girl friend came up to us looking towards Caleb.

“Heyyy, are you new here? We can take you under our wing and not with this loser,” she says pointing towards me. I roll my eyes. She kneels down, twirling her hair and resting her other hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks,” he says, pushing her hand off. Her smile turns to a frown. “But I’m visiting this loser. I graduated last year so my high school days are over.” I chuckle at his rejection.

“Ugh!” she storms away, flipping him the finger.

“Good one.” We fist bump.

“So why are you here?” asshole one said.

“Are you deaf? I’m visiting this loser.” Thanks Caleb.

“How far away do you live? You must’ve traveled to visit your friend.” The rest of the gang comes towards us.

“I live far.”

“How’d you get here so fast?”

“I have my ways. Why do you want to know?”

“Because of this . . .”

Caleb and I exchange confused glances when a cold liquid is poured onto us. We glance up to that bitch and her friend snickering with a bucket of water over us. We stood up looking intimidating. Caleb grabs onto her shoulders and pushes her into the lockers. She yelps and attempts to free herself but Caleb is much stronger. I grab onto asshole one and throw a punch his way. Too bad his bitch is a girl or I would’ve punched her too for dumping water on me.

Rick interfered pulling the bitch away from Caleb and then Caleb pulled me away while Rick pulled asshole one away. A teacher walked by, and of course it had to be Mr. Scotch.

“I’m getting out of here. See you later,” Caleb said scurrying away before he got caught.

“HEY!” We stop what we’re doing.

“ALL OF YOU! In my classroom, now!”

Grabbing my things I follow the rest of them towards his empty classroom. All I wanted was peace and now I’ll probably have detention for getting into a fight.

“Find a seat away from each other.” he scowls. I took a seat in the back corner where I like to be. I silently take out my notebook and start doodling while keeping my ears on alert for his lecture, and not the good kind.

“What were you all thinking? Starting a fight in the hallway in the middle of class. You are not in preschool anymore. You’re young adults, some of you are graduating this year.” He put emphasis on ‘some’. “You are not children. Unless that’s what you want to be treated as. Do you want to be treated as children?” Technically we still are but I didn’t want to be in more trouble than I already am. I’m saving that trouble for later on. “Huh? You don’t want to be treated like kids? Mr. Ridge, what are you doing?” I glance up to everyone staring at me.

“Doodling.”

“Mr. Ridge, put the pencil down.”

“Oh but I am. And, technically we are still children. None of us are eighteen yet, we’re still allowed to act like children. And I know you’re singalling me out for not graduating. Not a good teacher. So unless you want me to keep listing the facts, I suggest you stop being the shitty teacher that nobody likes and tell us what our punishment is.”

His astonished face said it all. I smirk at my accomplishments. He coughed and proceeded with his lecture, while I continued on with my drawings. “Now all of you will be having detention for the next week. I don’t care who started the fight or who was part of it, you all were there and are now serving detention. Today after school, you will be meeting me in the art room. Not a second later and you will be having another week of detention. Do you all hear me?”

“Yes, Mr. Scotch,” they say in unison. We got up and left the room dreading detention.

Lunch is almost over so I decided to head to my next class.

I wait outside the art room as everyone piles out. Rick and his friends are waiting on the other side of the door chatting. Once everyone’s out, the teacher came to get us.

“Have a seat,” She ordered. The desks are raised and slanted and the seats are stools with a little backing but not enough to be able to lean back on. I take a seat at the back of the room. The others sit near the front. On each of the tables are paint brushes, pallets, and water cups, and paint is splattered on the tables.

“I told my students to leave their mess since you will all clean it. I will show you a demonstration and then I expect this place to be spotless when I return. None of you are allowed to leave until I approve. I will be down in the teacher lounge. Take as long as you need.”

We gathered around the back where a massive sink is and she showed us what to do then she left.

“Well, the faster we get started the faster we can leave,” Rick replies. They began the task. Instead, I sat at the teacher’s desk watching them when I noticed a girl painting. I don’t know how I missed her but she was there the whole time. I left her be for now. Asshole one noticed me lounging at the desk, admiring the art displayed on the walls.

“How about you help us instead of lounging around.”

“Pass. I was minding my own business until you folks showed up.” I relaxed my legs on the desk and I twirled a flame behind them. I eyed the girl constantly. She either hasn’t noticed us yet or she did but doesn’t care. Rick walks over to her and taps her shoulder. She glances at him and pulls her earbuds out. They exchange words and then she looks in my direction. My flame vanishes and I flick him the finger. He shakes his head and continues chatting quietly. Once he leaves her alone I sprint over, grab the chair from the desk in front of her table and sit down resting my arms on her table.

She looks up from her project and stares at me. Taking out her headphones she continues to stare at me. “What do you want?” she rudely asked.

“What did Rick tell you?”

“Nothing.”

She’s putting her earphones back in her ear but I grabbed it, refusing for her to ignore me.

“What did he tell you?” I growl.

“Shouldn’t you be cleaning up?”

“Nevermind that. Now answer the question.”

She shrugs her shoulders, setting the paintbrush down and squints at me.

“You’re Jasper, aren’t you?” How she knows my name is beyond me. “You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

She sighs in defeat ready to explain. She pauses her music. “Alright. You’re the one who got them all detention.” So now they’re blaming me. I scoff at the fact they’re not taking the blame.

“First off, I never got them detention. They came to me and spilled water over me, ruining my peace.”

“Seriously?” she burst into laughter. “Oh my, that’s the best excuse I’ve heard.”

I can’t believe her. I was about to tell her off when my eyes caught a glimpse of her painting.

Wow. I’m amazed at the realism until I realized . . . that’s me.

“What happened to m-his clothes?” She stops laughing and admires the work she did. “I kept his original costume, just changed the color.”

“Why?” The girl explains to me her project and what she has to do. I don’t understand why they have to change anything. My costume is perfect. Her’s is red with a flame wrapping around the upper arm. “I also added the flame colors to the tips of his bangs because it’s so cool.”

Damn right it’s cool. She’s completed the realistic part so well that it actually looks like someone took a picture of me. She’s got my eyes correctly with a small flame inside them. The height of the ski mask is correctly placed and even my body shape is on point. The detail is immaculate.

“That’s . . .” I have no words to describe how wonderful she made me. I don’t even know what to say to that.

“That’s what?”

I shake my head coming back into the present. “That’s cool,” I managed to say. I internally scold myself for saying that. She looks so proud and I only say “that’s cool.”

Damnit Jasper, you asshole.

“Hey Jasper, why don’t you wrap up your conversation with the hot chick and come help us. You got us into this mess,” asshole two says.

“Actually, if I remember correctly, I was minding my own business and two of your bitches decided to dump water on my friend and I. So you brought us here,” I say matter of factly.

“Oh, Waterboy.” The girl says to me. My eyes avert back to her attention.

“Excuse me?”

She raises her eyebrow as if to say she’s the one that’s making up shit. “Did I stutter?”

“You have a smart mouth, don’t you?”

“And what if I say I indeed do?”

“You’re gonna have to be careful. One day you’ll end up in trouble.” I lean in closer to her being cautious to not ruin her project. She leans forward as well.

“Please. I think I know when to use my mouth. Right now, I’m not in danger.”

“How do you know?”

She smirks. “Because I know.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Thanks for your help, Jasper.” We move away from each other. I didn’t realize how close we moved. Rick wraps an arm around her. Oh, so they’re dating. Good to know.

“No problem. Now if you excuse me, I’ve got places to be.” I grabbed my bag and left the room without the teacher’s approval.