tpdncr4christ
06-29-2007, 11:36 PM
The Modern Day J. walked into his High School Cafeteria, having gone through his first day of senior year in a new school. The indoor cafeteria bustled with motion in stark contrast to the cold snow blanketed Colorado world just outside the walls. The Modern Day J. smiled and sauntered forward, gleaming with the confidence of the most popular student of the school. At first glance, anyone would think this kid was top notch prep, spoiled too cool for school Joe who had the system strapped under his belt like yesterday's lunch. Of course, the Modern Day J. was nothing like that. Even if the crown of popularity was offered to him, he would shrug it off and move on with life. Yes, the Modern Day J was that cool.
While the students of the school noticed the novice, they did not notice his eyes, darting back and forth. Most assumed he would go and lay his tray at the table with the cool kids; the ones who practically decided who was who in their small little high school social bubble. The thing is, J was too cool for that. In fact, he was searching for the kid at the table, by himself, the kid no one wanted to sit with. And when he found this kid, the Modern Day J plopped his tray on the table and sat right down next to him. After a few seconds the rest of the school lost interest and somehow missed the following exchange.
The boy who had been alone looked startled, eyes wide with wonderment. Here was perhaps one of the coolest people he had seen, sitting down next to him, scoffing down his Sloppy Joes and soggy French Fries. The boy who had been alone stared at J for a moment, and, figuring the new kid to be a little off in the head, he scooted down the bench and resumed eating.
J stopped eating, swallowed that particularly soggy fry, and looked at the other boy. "Well, damn it." He said. He placed his burger on his plate and looked forward with a puzzled look, and then, speaking to nobody in particular, "Did I forget to put on deodorant again?" His exclamation was a bit too loud, had you asked the kid who had been alone. J lifted his left arm, took a good long, and loud, sniff and then another whiff of his armpit.
The boy who had been alone laughed a bit over his own Joe, recovering quickly, and returning his interest to the remarkable folds of the napkin in his lap.
"Ok… it's not that." J said, again, speaking to the air; with a crook of his head he continued, "Well what could it be?" He thought like this for a moment, his head angled up to the ceiling in a definite My Space shot, before he shrugged his shoulders and turned to his neighbor, "I give up."
The boy who had been alone looked up from his lap, unsure of how to respond. He saw the new kid, lips pursed and eye brows furrowed in concentration, and couldn't help but smile. His eyes connected with the deep blue of the boy across the bench, and he felt, better.
"I give. What's the answer?"
The kid responded, "To what?"
J answered in such a way that, if he hadn't gone through puberty he would have sounded very much like a five year old spoiled girl, "To why you moved. Duh."
The kid again looked down to his lap. "I dunno," he shrugged.
"Well… I don't smell, and if you don't know, it can't possibly be explained by an itchy butt, you would have known if you had an itchy butt, so you would have moved to itch it… Gosh I am stumped."
The kid who was alone smiled, "Well…" He sighed, looked defeated and returned to his examinations of his napkin.
"So when's your test?" J asked.
"What test?" The kid looked entirely too confused.
Well, you've been studying that napkin like notes before a test that you didn't study for. When's your test?"
The kid chuckled, "There is no test…"
"Gosh you are confusing."
J returned to eating his burger, lapping up stray bits of the Joe with his tongue, drinking down more soggy fries. He sat for a moment, contently thinking, until he looked back at the boy.
"So, if my pits don't smell, and your butt doesn't, or rather, didn't, itch, and if you're not taking a test soon… then do I at least get to know why you were sitting alone?"
"I just…" the boy sat there, and took a deep breath, "I don't really have people to sit with."
J noticed a particularly odd inflection when the kid said "people." He shrugged and said, "In other words you have no friends."
The kid just stared at his napkin.
"Well duh. If you find napkins more interesting than me, no wonder you have no friends! You can't just guilt people into being your friends dude, that never works." J smiled, "Listen. If you're gonna guilt me into being your friend, can I at least know your name?"
The kid sat there, thinking. He looked at J, and smiled, before saying, "John."
"Well John," Said the Modern Day J, "Pleasure to meet you sir!"
While the students of the school noticed the novice, they did not notice his eyes, darting back and forth. Most assumed he would go and lay his tray at the table with the cool kids; the ones who practically decided who was who in their small little high school social bubble. The thing is, J was too cool for that. In fact, he was searching for the kid at the table, by himself, the kid no one wanted to sit with. And when he found this kid, the Modern Day J plopped his tray on the table and sat right down next to him. After a few seconds the rest of the school lost interest and somehow missed the following exchange.
The boy who had been alone looked startled, eyes wide with wonderment. Here was perhaps one of the coolest people he had seen, sitting down next to him, scoffing down his Sloppy Joes and soggy French Fries. The boy who had been alone stared at J for a moment, and, figuring the new kid to be a little off in the head, he scooted down the bench and resumed eating.
J stopped eating, swallowed that particularly soggy fry, and looked at the other boy. "Well, damn it." He said. He placed his burger on his plate and looked forward with a puzzled look, and then, speaking to nobody in particular, "Did I forget to put on deodorant again?" His exclamation was a bit too loud, had you asked the kid who had been alone. J lifted his left arm, took a good long, and loud, sniff and then another whiff of his armpit.
The boy who had been alone laughed a bit over his own Joe, recovering quickly, and returning his interest to the remarkable folds of the napkin in his lap.
"Ok… it's not that." J said, again, speaking to the air; with a crook of his head he continued, "Well what could it be?" He thought like this for a moment, his head angled up to the ceiling in a definite My Space shot, before he shrugged his shoulders and turned to his neighbor, "I give up."
The boy who had been alone looked up from his lap, unsure of how to respond. He saw the new kid, lips pursed and eye brows furrowed in concentration, and couldn't help but smile. His eyes connected with the deep blue of the boy across the bench, and he felt, better.
"I give. What's the answer?"
The kid responded, "To what?"
J answered in such a way that, if he hadn't gone through puberty he would have sounded very much like a five year old spoiled girl, "To why you moved. Duh."
The kid again looked down to his lap. "I dunno," he shrugged.
"Well… I don't smell, and if you don't know, it can't possibly be explained by an itchy butt, you would have known if you had an itchy butt, so you would have moved to itch it… Gosh I am stumped."
The kid who was alone smiled, "Well…" He sighed, looked defeated and returned to his examinations of his napkin.
"So when's your test?" J asked.
"What test?" The kid looked entirely too confused.
Well, you've been studying that napkin like notes before a test that you didn't study for. When's your test?"
The kid chuckled, "There is no test…"
"Gosh you are confusing."
J returned to eating his burger, lapping up stray bits of the Joe with his tongue, drinking down more soggy fries. He sat for a moment, contently thinking, until he looked back at the boy.
"So, if my pits don't smell, and your butt doesn't, or rather, didn't, itch, and if you're not taking a test soon… then do I at least get to know why you were sitting alone?"
"I just…" the boy sat there, and took a deep breath, "I don't really have people to sit with."
J noticed a particularly odd inflection when the kid said "people." He shrugged and said, "In other words you have no friends."
The kid just stared at his napkin.
"Well duh. If you find napkins more interesting than me, no wonder you have no friends! You can't just guilt people into being your friends dude, that never works." J smiled, "Listen. If you're gonna guilt me into being your friend, can I at least know your name?"
The kid sat there, thinking. He looked at J, and smiled, before saying, "John."
"Well John," Said the Modern Day J, "Pleasure to meet you sir!"