Okay. So let's just say that you were having a crappy day and at school it only seems to get worse. Would you respond violently? Scratch that. Let's pick a target. Okay, so we have a bully - we'll just call him Bundy L. Levy for fun - and a bully always seems to have that one target - how about Taylor Regis Ethers.
Great, now we have our characters, or players rather. Now we need a setting. I'm thinking a high school called Lawrence High somewhere in good ole' Cali. So we have a bully, a target, and a school. Now we need a problem. Don't forget about the crappy day. It's important. A reason. How about the bully wants the target to help him pass his classes or he beats up the target? Good? Great. Now let's go over it one more time. So we have a bully, Bundy L. Levy; a target, Taylor Regis Ethers. We have a setting, Lawrence High School in California. And we have a reason - a threat of getting beat up if the bully doesn't pass. Sounds good, right? Yeah, sounds good.
Now let's take all of this, put it in a box, and throw it out the window. Why? Because this story isn't about a kid named Taylor Regis Ethers being bullied by a guy named Bundy L. Levy at Lawrence High School in California. It's about a bully named Evan Satin being bullied by a guy named Taylor Regis Ethers at Lawrence High School in California. Yeah, I'm not joking. A bully getting bullied. And here's what happened.
It was morning on January 17, 2012 and everything seemed fine. Well, fine by me. I'm Evan Satin and, at the time, I was sixteen and a sophomore in Lawrence High School in California. My mom, like most other moms, was a single mother working from five in the morning until ten at night, bringing home two paychecks to keep the two of us fed and under a roof. It wasn't great, but it was better than nothing.
I remember clearly being aroused at the usual four in the morning by my mother. She seemed stressed despite her best efforts to hide it. I brushed it off at the time as problems at work and quickly began prepping for school.
Breakfast consisted mostly of stale cereal and milk. Not much but enough to stave off hunger. That's when he showed up. My dad, Bill Lomer, had been dropping by more often lately and usually ended up just fighting with my mom. And today was no different.
"Bill? Why are you here now?" my mom, Stephanie Satin, asked.
"I just want to talk to Evan," Bill answered.
"He's in the dining room. I know that's not why you're here though. I already said the answer is no."
"But why? Steph, you know you can't take care of him the way I can. Look at you. Working two jobs and this is the best you can do. If you let the boy come live with me-"
"Bill, I've told you before. This is only until my resume goes through. And it's his decision anyways. He wants to stay. You can't force him to change his mind."
"Stephanie, you've been saying 'It's only temporary. It's just until my resume goes through,' for over two years now. Do you really think it takes that long to process a piece of paper?"
"You don't think I know that already? It doesn't mean give up. I have to leave now. You have five minutes. No more." My mom walked out, having just me and my so-called dad alone in the small apartment that was home. Bill looked in the direction my mom had gone for several moments before sighing and walking over to sit down in the seat opposite me.
"Hey there, buddy," Bill said. "How's school?"
"What do you care?" I retorted. "And I'm not your buddy."
"Now don't say that," Bill said, grinning. " I'm being sincerely honest and inquisitive."
"Like you were when you told mom you'd never leave her?" I scoffed.
"Is that why you're upset? C'mon, Evan, that was years ago."
"Only for you," I grumbled under my breath.
"What?" Bill asked. "Never mind. I want to ask you a couple things."
"Three minutes. Make them quick," I growled.
"Wow, you're just like your mother," Bill responded.
"Tick, tock. the clock's winding down."
"Right," Bill sighed. "First question: why do you choose to stay here even though living with me your life could be so much better?"
"Because you'd probably leave me for some new woman the same way you left mom. Next question."
"I see. Two: how's school? I'm serious this time."
"Pass. Next question."
"Fine," Bill sighed, shaking his head. "Number three: what do I need to do to change your image of me?"
"Go freeze hell, find the Holy Grail, or invent time travel," I said sarcastically.
"Funny. But I'm serious," Bill said.
"I am, too. If you can win a heart and have the balls to break it into a thousand pieces after fathering a son all because a younger woman called you hot and gave you her number, I'm certain you could do one of those things."
"Evan, I'm talking about-"
"Time's up. Sorry, but you're going to have to leave now," I interrupted.
"All right," Bill said, getting up. "Just remember: if you ever change your mind, the door's always open."
"Right. You'll have to freeze hell first," I retorted.
"Love you too," Bill said, ignoring my last comment. That was the start of the day that changed my entire life.
Great, now we have our characters, or players rather. Now we need a setting. I'm thinking a high school called Lawrence High somewhere in good ole' Cali. So we have a bully, a target, and a school. Now we need a problem. Don't forget about the crappy day. It's important. A reason. How about the bully wants the target to help him pass his classes or he beats up the target? Good? Great. Now let's go over it one more time. So we have a bully, Bundy L. Levy; a target, Taylor Regis Ethers. We have a setting, Lawrence High School in California. And we have a reason - a threat of getting beat up if the bully doesn't pass. Sounds good, right? Yeah, sounds good.
Now let's take all of this, put it in a box, and throw it out the window. Why? Because this story isn't about a kid named Taylor Regis Ethers being bullied by a guy named Bundy L. Levy at Lawrence High School in California. It's about a bully named Evan Satin being bullied by a guy named Taylor Regis Ethers at Lawrence High School in California. Yeah, I'm not joking. A bully getting bullied. And here's what happened.
It was morning on January 17, 2012 and everything seemed fine. Well, fine by me. I'm Evan Satin and, at the time, I was sixteen and a sophomore in Lawrence High School in California. My mom, like most other moms, was a single mother working from five in the morning until ten at night, bringing home two paychecks to keep the two of us fed and under a roof. It wasn't great, but it was better than nothing.
I remember clearly being aroused at the usual four in the morning by my mother. She seemed stressed despite her best efforts to hide it. I brushed it off at the time as problems at work and quickly began prepping for school.
Breakfast consisted mostly of stale cereal and milk. Not much but enough to stave off hunger. That's when he showed up. My dad, Bill Lomer, had been dropping by more often lately and usually ended up just fighting with my mom. And today was no different.
"Bill? Why are you here now?" my mom, Stephanie Satin, asked.
"I just want to talk to Evan," Bill answered.
"He's in the dining room. I know that's not why you're here though. I already said the answer is no."
"But why? Steph, you know you can't take care of him the way I can. Look at you. Working two jobs and this is the best you can do. If you let the boy come live with me-"
"Bill, I've told you before. This is only until my resume goes through. And it's his decision anyways. He wants to stay. You can't force him to change his mind."
"Stephanie, you've been saying 'It's only temporary. It's just until my resume goes through,' for over two years now. Do you really think it takes that long to process a piece of paper?"
"You don't think I know that already? It doesn't mean give up. I have to leave now. You have five minutes. No more." My mom walked out, having just me and my so-called dad alone in the small apartment that was home. Bill looked in the direction my mom had gone for several moments before sighing and walking over to sit down in the seat opposite me.
"Hey there, buddy," Bill said. "How's school?"
"What do you care?" I retorted. "And I'm not your buddy."
"Now don't say that," Bill said, grinning. " I'm being sincerely honest and inquisitive."
"Like you were when you told mom you'd never leave her?" I scoffed.
"Is that why you're upset? C'mon, Evan, that was years ago."
"Only for you," I grumbled under my breath.
"What?" Bill asked. "Never mind. I want to ask you a couple things."
"Three minutes. Make them quick," I growled.
"Wow, you're just like your mother," Bill responded.
"Tick, tock. the clock's winding down."
"Right," Bill sighed. "First question: why do you choose to stay here even though living with me your life could be so much better?"
"Because you'd probably leave me for some new woman the same way you left mom. Next question."
"I see. Two: how's school? I'm serious this time."
"Pass. Next question."
"Fine," Bill sighed, shaking his head. "Number three: what do I need to do to change your image of me?"
"Go freeze hell, find the Holy Grail, or invent time travel," I said sarcastically.
"Funny. But I'm serious," Bill said.
"I am, too. If you can win a heart and have the balls to break it into a thousand pieces after fathering a son all because a younger woman called you hot and gave you her number, I'm certain you could do one of those things."
"Evan, I'm talking about-"
"Time's up. Sorry, but you're going to have to leave now," I interrupted.
"All right," Bill said, getting up. "Just remember: if you ever change your mind, the door's always open."
"Right. You'll have to freeze hell first," I retorted.
"Love you too," Bill said, ignoring my last comment. That was the start of the day that changed my entire life.
