Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Put My Hands Away

"You'll Never Steal Me Lucky Charms"

"Hi."

"Hello."

"What're you up to?"

"Just sitting here."

"I see."

"Yeah."

"Mind if I sit down by you?"

"I don't care."

"Okay. So what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? There has to be something."

"No. There's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"All right then. How's school been so far, then?"

"Okay."

"Okay? I sense you're not telling me the truth."

"Maybe."

"Aw, come on."

"It's Tuesday and I feel like crap. I didn't sleep well last night. I had two tests today. I failed them both. I. . .I. . .was walking home from school yesterday, then I fell down on some ice—see, look here—yeah, that's where I fell."

"Looks pretty bad. Did you disinfect it?"

"Yeah."

"That's good. Does it hurt? What does it feel like?"

"It hurts, but most of the pain is gone. It just feels numb now."

"I see."

"Yeah."

"What two tests did you fail?"

"Umm. . .Chemistry and Geometry."

"Don't like your math?"

"No. . .no, I don't."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

"Sure. Sure I do. And so why do you think. . .why do you know you failed these tests?"

"How do I know? Well, I've always been bad at math. . .and Chemistry is mostly math, and Geometry, of course."

"Is math too. Yeah. I have Chemistry, but it isn't too hard. Geometry, though, I had last year. That was hard."

"Who'd you have for a teacher last year?"

"Mr. Frein."

"That's who I have."

"Yeah. Frein's a good guy, but the way he runs the class. . ."

"The way he runs it just makes you hate Geometry more."

"Yup. That it does. He acts like we actually come to the class to learn."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you go to school to learn. . .but not on the level Frein seems to think you need to. I mean we have lives. That we're learning, but. . .but it's not about fully learning it, unless that's the thing we plan to do. It's more about getting a general idea of what you're doing. Frein was too serious with the class in that way. He made it too much."

"I guess you're right."

"Yeah. . .but it's just the breaks, I guess. You're stuck with that teacher unless you can get your schedule changed."

"And I couldn't get mine changed; it's locked in place. It's either that or get rid of Newspaper."

"Guess you just have to tough it out. You're not the only one doing it. That should make it easier."

"I guess."

"What about Chemistry? How do you know you failed that test?"

"It's like you said: the way the teacher runs the class is too much. I have it as a block. And, well, I have it right after Geometry. I'm just worn out of numbers by the time I come in the class."

"I see."

"Yeah."

"What was your test on, in Chemistry?"

"Chemical formulas."

"Oh. And who do you have for a teacher?"

"Mr. Lady."

"That's sure a nice name for a teacher. Mr. Lady."

"Yeah, it's sure an oxymoron."

"Yeah. He sounds like a moron himself."

"Maybe. He's a good guy, though, like Mr. Frein is. I've seen Mr. Frien and Mr. Lady talking before. I think they're friends."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I didn't know what I was doing on the test at all. . .the way Mr. Lady had explained the chapter was just too quick for me. I'm brain dead by the time I get to the class."

"That's too bad. Too bad you don't have an easier teacher."

"Yes and no, I guess. On one hand, it's good it's hard. It makes me learn what I'm at the class for. . .as much as I'd rather say it the other way around. And yes, it's too bad, because I've become sick with the class. I'm so tired of it."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. I'd still rather have the easy way out."

"Me too. But I can't have that."

"Nope. You can't."

"Yeah, it's just too bad. . .What can you do, though."

"There's not much you can do. Just take it as it comes, I guess."

"Yeah."

"I'm just as tired of school as you. I'd rather be doing anything else than be here."

"Me too."

"Hmmm. . .so did you sign up for the ACT?"

"Yeah, I did. I did it online, the last day before it was due to be done."

"Sounds like me. I did the same thing."

"Heh."

"Are you even going to take the practice test they gave? I have mine at home. . .I think I will. But at the last minute, probably."

"I'll probably practice it, yeah. I still think it's a waste of time."

"I do too. But you just have to make the motions, I guess."

"Yeah. But still. . .I wish colleges would look more at you as a person, not a number."

"Well, get used to it. That's the way it is. There's not much else you can do but get used to it, really."

"I guess so."

"Plus there's your social security number. To employers, that number means more than most anything else about you. At least until they interview you."

"Eh."

"'Eh'? What, did you have a bad experience working?"

"Yeah. I did."

"Where'd you work?"

"KFC."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So what happened?"

"They fired me after four weeks of working there."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah. I'm mostly over it now though."

"That's good."

"Yeah. But I'm still incredibly timid to getting another job."

"A lot of people are. At least you can say you had enough in you to get one already."

"I suppose."

"Yeah. All that you can do is keep going on."

"Yeah. That's what I think, anyway. My dad tells me everyday I need to get a job. . .and I know it. But I don't really. . .want a job, you know."

"Nobody does."

"Yes. I know. Maybe it's selfish. I don't know."

"It's not selfish. . .it's just honesty. Honesty is a good thing."

"I think it is too."

"But there is cases where lying's needed, of course."

"Of course. There's always exceptions."

"Yeah. There always is."

"It's almost time for next period."

"Is it?"

"Yeah—look at the clock, over there."

"Oh. Yeah."

"What class do you have next?"

"Latin."

"Latin? How do you like that class?"

"It's okay. Sometimes it's great, other times it isn't."

"Sounds better than Geometry or Chemistry, at least."

"Yeah. It's better than those. But the teacher, Ms. Hans, is sometimes in bad moods. And I just don't enjoy some aspects of Latin."

"Well, I'm taking Spanish. I'm in Spanish II. I know the pains of learning another language."

"Yeah. What kills me is declensions."

"Declensions? What're those?"

"They're these charts that arrange nouns into groups. Declension one, two, so on. Each declension has a certain type of noun that will conjugate a certain way. From these declensions, you can turn the noun into the various cases. There's nominative, vocative, dative, genitive. You get the idea. It's a lot of memorization."

"Oh."

"You've never used declensions?"

"No."

"You're lucky. But I'm sure it's just as hard."

"Yes. It's just as hard. It's the memorization that kills me."

"Yeah. That's my main problem, I think."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. The classes I'm having trouble in. . .the reason why I'm having trouble is because it's all about memorization: memorizing chemical formulas, memorizing properties of a circle, memorizing declensions, cases. That's the root of my problem. I'm just too lazy to care, too."

"Hm."

"It is my fault I'm getting bad grades. It's because I don't force myself to remember these things. And without knowing what I'm doing, I do terrible."

"Makes sense."

"Yes, it makes perfect sense. Now, last year. . .last year was so easy in comparison."

"I'd have to say the same thing. I don't know what it was, but it was mostly easy last year."

"I think it was a lot of things. The teachers you get makes a difference—how challenging the make the class—and it's also the curriculum. I guess it's right to say the curriculum gets harder every year. There's other things, but I'd say that says most of it."

"Yeah. If I'd only known it'd be this much harder."

"It's not too bad. It's just that we as teenagers are too lazy to care about school. We just don't have motivation. We'd rather be doing anything but school."

"Yeah. Plus there's the fact that you don't even remember most of the things you're taught in school. Well, I think the first few years of school—preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, teach you things. But they only teach you them in a general sense. It's then that we take what we learn generally and focus on whatever we find works for us."

"Also, there's the fact that you're thrown so much knowledge each day that it just. . .seeps out."

"What I think would be better is if I could just focus on what it is I enjoy doing and am good at. I mean, it's what I plan to do when I finally graduate from college. . ."

"But you need to be well-rounded."

"I agree. Okay then, how about this: you take some general classes on other important subjects, but focus on what it is you're best at, and want to do."

"I think I'd like that."

"I would too."

"But I think that's what college is for, maybe. . ."

"Well, from what I understand, that's what college is. At least past generals."

"Yeah. I think it's a waste of time. College should come earlier."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But what it's like now is the way it is. You have to live with it."

"I know."

"I know you know."

"That's good to know."

"I know it's good to know you know."

"Heh."

"So, less than a minute."

"Hm."

"I guess I'd better get going. I have to go to English."

"English? I'd die to have that right now."

"Oh, but Latin can't be too bad."

"I guess. We're getting our tests back today, though. I don't want to see mine."

"Why, is it bad?"

"It's going to be, I think. Yeah."

"What you need is more confidence."

"It's hard to get that when everything's so frustrating and brings you down."

"You just need to learn to rise above all that."

"I try. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't."

"It's like that for me, too, I guess."

"Yeah."

"You should be glad, though. Once Latin's over, it's the end of the day."

"You should be glad, too. English, an easy class, then your day's over."

"Should I be more glad than you?"

"Yeah, you should. You're a lucky guy. More lucky than my luck."

"It's the luck of the Irish, I guess."

"Yeah."

"I guess women just don't have as good luck."

"Hey now, women have just as much luck."

"You know I'm just teasing."

"Yeah, sure Mr. 'Luck of the Irish,' sure. I believe you."

"For some reason I detect you don't believe me."

"How'd you do that?"

"With my magical luck of the Irish you seem fond of talking about."

"Oh, you're such a silly man. Too bad I don't have time to laugh. The bell's about to ring."

"That's too bad. Maybe my luck of the Irish will stop time, though."

"I don't think it's that lucky."

"I don't either."

"I don't even think it's lucky enough to do much."

"Well, I don't think the luck of a woman has enough to do much at all."

"I'm going to quote you on that one."

"Are you?"

"Yeah."

"And what're you going to do?"

"I'm going to hire a ninja woman assassin to nail your ass."

"Assassin. That's sure a. . .cheeky word, you know."

"Not as cheeky as nailing your ass. That goes beyond cheeky. . .it goes to being much beyond that."

"Oh does it?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm going to quote you on it being cheeky nailing my ass."

"Fine then. You do that. And I'll quote you and your luck of the Irish."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"And look there—there's the bell. Isn't it so beautiful. . ."

"Not really. It's more beautiful than the luck of the Irish, though."

"Well, I for one think it's beautiful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have English class to attend to."

"And I have Latin."

"Ta ta for now."

"Yeah, see you later, you leprechaun. Be sure to keep watch over your lucky charms, if you know what I mean."

"Listen: I'm not going to let you get the last word! So, I'm going to say what I say, and run! IknowyouthinkI'myourluckycharm! You'llneverstealmyluckycharms!"

"Damn. He's gone. That was quite a swift one. . .but I'll get you back, you just wait. It'll be your lucky charms. It'll be the cheeky nailing of your ass. We'll see about never stealing your lucky charms.

"Well, off to Latin. . ."


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