Stefan.p-To+help+or+not+to+help

Monday morning, 9.00 am. The day begins. I step off the rusty bus step and look up at the huge white and grey building I call my school. Sure this school has done a lot for good for me; I’ve been student of my year every year I’ve been here. Im always top of the class for every class, and I do everything im suppose to do by the book. Alright, so the day begins. This Monday will be like every other Monday, like every other Tuesday, like every other Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Entering the blue corridor towards my locker I see the same group of jocks I see every morning. Of course there all circled around the golden child, Jason McDonald. Jason great at every sport, captain of the hockey team, the football team and the basketball team. Yeah you could say he’s 100% natural talent. He also always finishes second to me in every class. I don’t know how this is because he never seems to listen, and never completes his homework. Im starting to form the solution that the teachers bump his mark up in every class because hes from the legendary McDonald family of Portland, Maine. Jason dad, Jason’s uncle, Jason’s older brothers, all dux of the school and all college sport captains. I always wanted things to be different. I wanted to break the chain, to get the Comerford name up the school shield. As I swing open my locker door a feel a heavy hand smash down on my right shoulder. I turn around and sure enough its Jason McDonalds ugliest chum, Brendan Shump. He spins me around like im a sheet of paper in the wind. “Listen hear Kurty O boy, its Monday morning, and lunch is only four periods away and I’ve seen to of left my money at home. Gimme yours.” He demands. I reply “Sorry Brendan, I’ve got a packed lunch today. Maybe another day.” He looks down at me; he towers over me by about 4 inches. “Not good enough bud, looks like me and the boys are gonna have to get you a little wet.” It comes naturally now; I don’t even struggle much anymore. My body kind of goes floppy as I let them carry me into the bathroom, and place my head continuously in the toilet as they flush. Sure it’s not the best experience, but it’s a lot better then what they usually do on Mondays. I emerge from the toilets 15 minutes later looking like a drenched rat. My watch doesn’t lie; I’m 10 minutes late for first period, English. The story of my life continues. “Sorry I’m late sir, I was in the bathroom’. I say to Mr Douglas, one of the meanest teachers ever to roam these corridors. Of course, just like most other Mondays, there is no chance on Earth Mr Douglas is going to accept my excuse. “Ha-Ha, you must be joking son. You’re going to have to put a bit more of a creative spin on an excuse like that to avoid a lunch time detention. Sit there, at the front.” I slide my books on to the wooden frame and look at who I will be sitting next too for the next 60 minutes. Jason McDonald. He doesn’t make eye contact with me or open his mouth as I sit down, instead pretends to be doodling on the cover of his work book. Of course, he’s too cool too give me the time of day. Mr Douglas announces, “Alright gents, I’m going to hand back your last assessment, there where some good marks, but a lot of people need to raise the bar if they want to go on to year 12 English which is essential for college entry.” The last assessment I found very easy, it was an essay, my speciality. We had to right about how we made meaning from Oedipus the King, an ancient Greek play I had read before. Mr Douglas didn’t look at Jason when he gave his paper back, but gave me a half smile half ‘you’re still seeing me at lunchtime’ look. I glanced down at my paper, at my result. 49.5 out of 50. C’mon Mr Douglas, you really couldn’t have found another half a mark somewhere? I try to catch a glimpse of Jason’s paper, 13 out of 50. You must be joking. Looks like the golden child finally found a teacher he couldn’t have his way with. His face didn’t look like his normal face; he usually has a cheeky smirk on his face. An untouchable look. He kind of looked human now. Like someone had pushed his head back onto his shoulders. I heard Mr Douglas whisper too Jason that’d he see him after class. So for the next 40 minutes we didn’t do much, went through the paper, people asked questions, while I just sat there listing attentively. The bell went and I stood up and left the room. The back of my locker faced my English classroom, and as I changed my books for my next class, I listened in too the conversation Mr Douglas and Jason where having. It sounded pretty civilised, back and forth mumbling until I heard a change in tone. In sounded as if Jason where sobbing, but that can’t be, the football captain wouldn’t cry. I decide to pretend I’m going to the drink fountain to look in through the door, you can’t exactly judge me for wanting to know what’s going on with my number one competitor. Sure enough as I gaze through the top of the door, where the dirty window sits, Jason has his head in his hands, looking as if hes crying. Mr Douglas is leaning against his desk; his body language tells me whatever he just told Jason, he shows no sympathy for him. Jason leans back and we catch eyes. I quickly duck under the door and shoot around the corner back to my locker. I think it might be too late. Im thinking the worse, he approaches me with his band of merry men, and smacks the living day lights out of me, in front of everyone. I should probably for my own sake fake a sickie, and get mum to pick me up. At least so I can better prepare my self for the beating Im going to receive. Maybe there’s something on YouTube I can watch that will teach my black belt tai kwon do in half an hour. I better go home and have a look. Just as I’m about to turn around towards the front office, with my bag hung over my shoulder, I collide with Jason. We smack heads. I almost fall over, as my head feels light and I’m dizzy as hell. Jason stands there like he’s just brushed a bug off his face. I quickly start apologising. “Sorry Jason, I didn’t any you where in that class I was going to ask Mr Douglas something!” I’m Sorry Jason!” He pulls me by the arm into the Projection room and tells me to shut up. I don’t say a word. “Listen bud, I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’ve just ran into a spot of trouble and I’m not exactly sure how to deal with it. You see I’m failing English, because Mr Douglas is the first teacher I’ve met at this school that marks me by work, not by my last name. So I was thinking, with the exam coming up, would you mind showing me how to answer the exam questions, kind of help me study?” I stand there dumbfounded. I feel as if im going to fall at any second, that my knees are going to buckle. I look him in the eyes and mumble ‘Is this a joke? Why do you need my help?’ He pauses for a minute, then replies. ‘Im going to be complete honest with you, if I don’t pass this exam, I don’t pass year 11. I think for a moment. In that moment I see him glace at the ground. Sure, he has done a lot of bad too me but I can do a little good, at a price. Im a fair person sure, will see what I can get here. He’s in my hands, for once in my life, Im on top. “Alright Jason, but for a price...” “Yes anything!” Jason demands. “Alright then, I get to sit with your group for the rest of school, you have to accept me in everything we do, and what I say is final.” I have power above all, the tables of turned. Outsider to insider in one day.