JORDI ADKINS
The weekend went in a flash; it seems like us students don't deserve to rest on weekends just like every adult. My mom's pitchy pissed off voice woke me up which just reminded me that Monday has finally arrived. Well, that's not actually my mom, it was the alarm clock that my dad gave me during my fifteenth birthday. He got it from his business trip in France a few years ago and he was the one who uploaded mom's pissed off voice on it. I don't have any idea why he did it but apparently, it's working. Also, I don't know how he got mom's voice—he obviously recorded it—but I don't remember my mom shouting at me like that. It must've been one of those times where she was freaky mad at dad for overdrinking.
I jumped out of my bed feeling much rather lazy and drained. I don't know what's wrong with Mondays and why it has this crazy effect on people, and apparently, everyone hates it too. Including me of course.
I went straight to the bathroom and as I looked into the mirror, I was overcome with dread when I saw my face.
"What in the actual fuck!" I cursed out the moment I found a pimple on the tip of my fucking nose.
This has got to be my biggest fear. Well, aside from being beaten up by Xavier, I'm also afraid of having pimples on any part of my face, riding a Ferris wheel, spiders, dentists, and eating alone at a restaurant. That's a lot to be honest and I'm sure there are other things that I'm afraid of but I just haven't encountered them yet.
When I got to the breakfast table, my mom immediately noticed the pimple on the tip of my nose and it just sparked up a conversation that I'm not invested into.
"Look, Charlie, your son's already becoming a maaan." My mom babbled out accentuating the word man.
"Mom, please!!!"
"What? Is he growing a beard or something?" Focused on his laptop, my dad chuckled out loud even though he doesn't know what he was chuckling about.
"Charlie Brown? Would you mind setting work aside for now? We're having breakfast and it's not like you're being paid for overworking." My mom glowered calling dad Charlie Brown and whenever she calls him that, it means she doesn't have to shout for my dad to obey her.
"I'm sorry, honey." Gently closing his laptop, my dad replied gruffly. "I was just... Wait, you have a pimple, son. Hohohoho."
"Oh my god, yes, dad. I know I have a pimple, now stop laughing." I spat out. I barely even left home and I'm getting embarrassed already, what more if I went to school?
"I bet that's because of your crush. Who's the lucky girl?" My dad teased.
"Dad, I don't have a crush." I wailed seemingly unwilling to open up. No one here in the house knows that I'm gay and a flamboyant one too and as far as I would want to come out to my parents, I don't think I'm quite ready. I wish I still had my grandma because she would certainly help me.
My mom rolled her eyes over at dad. "Charlie, your son already got a girlfriend, he doesn't need to have another crush."
"Naaah, I had a crush on Christina when we were dating." Dad revealed and I'm sure I haven't heard this one before. "It's fine to have a crush on someone else while dating someone. It's just a crush, you know."
"Is that true, mom? That sounds more like cheating to my ears." I shifted my focus on mom while she was pouring dad a cup of brewed coffee. "And who's Christina, dad?"
"It's Christina Aguilera. She's your dad's all time crush blaaah blaaah blaah and yeah, it's probably cheating but who cares? It's not like he could get his pants on Christina."
"No way dad, you have a crush on thee Xtina Aguilera?" I exclaimed almost choking on my own glass of chocolate milk. I didn't know this and I thought I knew everything about mom and dad.
"She's such an angel." Dad's tone resonated very much hazy and dreamy but then he quickly changed it. "But anyway, I loved your mom the most. Plus, I don't have a chance with such an iconic singer anyway."
Before I got to school, I decided to buy myself a facemask at the pharmacy first. I don't really want anyone to see this pimple on the tip of my nose, it embarrassing. I feel like I'm naked. You know the feeling of being ashamed of your own body and then suddenly, everyone saw you naked? That's the exact feeling that I'm having with this pimple.
I clearly know it's normal for us teenagers to have a pimple but I'm still embarrassed by it. When my voice first began changing and sounding like a duck squeaking, that wasn't as scary as this because most boys at school sounded the same. In a way, nobody cared because we all sounded like ducks. But now, I feel like I'm the only one who has a pimple even though that's probably not the case at all.
I found Jane and Nikki at the park bench where we usually gather before class and I realized that someone's trying to copy me. Or maybe that's how I saw it, but Jane was also wearing a fucking facemask like does she also have a pimple, or is she trying to copy me?
"Woah, what is going on with fashion? Did I not get the memo?" Nikki sounded confused looking at both Jane and I wearing facemasks. "Why are you two wearing facemasks and never told me about it?"
"I have a bad cough..." I quickly chimed in a lie subsequently letting out a fraudulent cough.
Jane on the other hand, was completely honest just like the way she was. "Girl, I have a pimple." She whined.
"Wait, what?" I held Jane's shoulder. "You have a pimple?"
"Yeah, it's on my chin and I'm so embarrassed that's why I bought a facemask." Jane continued and the whining in her voice perfectly described what I currently feel. I'm not a whiner like her but I really do understand her. "My boyfriend would probably break up with me."
"Okay, I give up. I don't have a cough and I also have a pimple." I admitted. This was clearly a dumb move on my part.
"What? Really?" Jane looked at me.
"Ahuh."
"Is it on your chin too?"
"No, it's on the tip of my nose."
"Hahaha, you two are funny." Nikki released a laughter. "How the fuck did you two got pimples? Anyway, nobody cares if you two have pimple. It normal for us teens and even adults to have a pimple, dirty skin, oily skin, yada yada yada. I had one last month but it's on my back."
"Yeah, I just realized that." I trailed off.
"Also, those facemasks would just irritate your skin. So if I were you, I'd take them off before it gets itchy and irritated."
Jane and I looked straight at each other's eyes and we both seemed to have spoken telepathically somehow. We both removed our mask in a very similar fashion.
"Ugh, It's just normal pimples." Rolling her eyes, Nikki groaned in annoyance. "I really thought you two were going to spark up a pandemic or something."
"Did you just say pandemic?" I inquired.
"Yeah, why?"
"That's like a new word for you, congrats." It was just funny to me that this was the first time I've heard Nikki say that kind of word.
"Shut up, Jordi. That pimple on the tip of your nose looks really big and plump. Ack, Why'd I say plump? Anyway, you've got a new crush we don't know about yet?"
"W-what?"
"Is it Richard? Lucas? Philemon? Arven? Tell me, is it one of those hot jocks or maybe one of those gothic kids?" Nikki tried to probe but there's nothing to probe because I'm not hiding a secret crush or anything from them. Except that one time I hooked up with Xavier.
"Fuck off, Nikki. I only have one crush and you both know it's Zacheus."
The bell eventually rang and we all went to class. My first period was Sex Ed.; how fucking interesting is that? I sat at my usual spot and when the door opened, I thought our teacher's going to show up since it's already late but Xavier showed up instead.
Now that I saw him, I remembered how he kissed me at the janitor's closet last time and that was the most insane thing that he did to me. Well, except for the fact that we hooked up but we're both drunk that time so that's not valid. He was truly sane when he kissed me. I would have to say that was kind of hot too but still, I'm just bewildered as to why he did it. He's way too predictable and I thought I already knew him as this egotistic bad boy with no backbone.
Is he even gay? I don't think he's gay. He's way too straight to be gay.
I didn't know I was intricately watching Xavier walk towards his chair with his usual swag and with that, I just realized that Nikki and Jane were actually right somehow. That's exceedingly hard to admit for me but yeah, Xavier's a hot guy. Things seem to go in slow motion from this point on and I was just hypnotized by the moment.
I noticed Xavier's red hair seemed bright and burning with the sunlight directly shining on it. His bushy brows and that Tom Hardy lips was just enough to give strong accent to his already handsome face. And that fine jawline most definitely helped frame his face. He's got all the goods, too bad he's just an asshole who thinks he could mess with everybody by being a tough ass bully.
Before my mind could even travel somewhere else in the universe, Mrs. Harding, our teacher showed up eventually rescuing me. Mrs. Harding was holding a fish bowl with lots of folded paper inside. I wonder what crazy activities she got on for today.
"Good morning class, I'm so sorry I'm ten minutes late. I just bumped into an old friend from high school. I'm not saying that I'm old because I'm only thirty-six but yeah." Mrs. Harding pleasantly strode towards the center with her wavy caftan. She looked suspiciously blooming today compared to the last time we saw her. "Anyway, does anybody remember the activity that I told you from day one?"
"I do."
"Yes, Miss Iverson. What is it?"
Pamela Iverson stood up. "Babysitting." She chirped like she's been anticipating this shit for the longest time.
"That's right. The day has finally come for you to become parents."
"Oh my god." I whispered under my breath. I do remember this and I'm not really dosed with excitement about it. This is the part where we all are going to take care of a bag of flour and pretend it's a fucking baby. I mean, I get it, it's sex education and it's not only about sex and penetration but it's also about parenthood and all of that stuff.
Just like me, I heard a few groans and whines of complain.
"Now, I know everyone knows sex is great but what happens when you finally want to become a parent? This activity will exploit your skills and ability and for the whole week, you're going to be parents." Mrs. Harding continued. She sounded cheerful enough like this is some sort of a birthday surprise and it's really helping the people who doesn't want to do this assignment.
"Do we really have to do this?" Lamar asked.
"Why yes of course. Even if you don't want to become parents this is still part of the class and if you don't do it, I'm afraid I'm going to have to fail you."
"Aaahh, men."
"So, today, we are going to draw your partners by random and after that we are going to meet your babies. I'm not really into pairing people by gender and whatnot so, the papers inside this fish bowl contains numbers. Two of those numbers are identical and whoever gets the same number are going to be your partner." Mrs. Harding explained and she really did plan all of this. She's a planner, I get it but I don't have a good feeling about this random draw.
I'm really worried that I'm going to be paired up with someone who doesn't know anything about parenting. To be fair, we all don't know anything about parenting but still, I'm not looking forward to be paired and tied up with a dumb one.
We all went in front and picked a piece of paper.
"So, everyone got their numbers?"
We all nodded and I saw everyone already opened theirs and some are excited but I belong to the minority of the ones who's not into this. I don't even know if I want to open mine but I don't have any other choice. I unfolded the piece of paper and I saw number six.
"Okay, now that you all got your numbers, it's time to find your co-parent." Mrs. Harding blurted out.
Everyone stood up and began looking for their partners.
"Hey, what number you got?" Jane asked when she approached me.
"I got six, you?"
"Twelve."
"Okay, I guess we're not going to be co-parents then." She spat before eventually walking away.
I walked around and began asking one by one. So far, everyone that I talked to don't have the same number that I have. It seemed that I'm not finding my partner and that's when I accidentally bumped into Xavier.
"Oh, hey..." Xavier smiled shyly. He couldn't even look at me in the eye and I realized I never asked him about his number. "W-what number did you get?" He asked.
"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed when he showed me his number and it was six.