Wear - Chapter 22

Later that day, during lunch period, The Rejects talk at their usual meeting spot of the school roof. “But most people are usually really aggressive towards laibah and their supporters, right?” Emma asks.

“Well, some are really aggressive” Wyatt says. “I think it’s more like a battle between the louder few. The rest of the people just adapt to one side that they believe is the norm. Unfortunately, in this case, the norm is against us. But I’m sure most other people don’t have that strong of an opinion about laibah. I mean, look at the group we have here! I think we’re a pretty good example of that”.

“So what’s your plan?” Jackson asks.

“Well… I’m not sure yet” Wyatt says. “Somehow, we’ll have to find a way to let people know it’s okay for them to support laibah or its okay being born a laibah… but I’m not sure how. I mean- I don’t want to force people to change their minds, but if we can find enough people like us, we can at least have a community of people that can stand up to those who are violent. Like… a strength in numbers kinda thing”.

“Fat chance of that happening” Jackson says. “This plan doesn’t even sound like it’s all there”.

“That’s because it isn’t!” Wyatt says. “I just… I don’t know how, but we’ve gotta find some way, right?”.

“It’s… at least a starting point, I’ll give you that” Emily says. “However, I think we’ve all already come across this solution. What we need are connections”.

“Yeah, and we seem to really lack on that” Jessica says.

“I know, I know!” Wyatt says, “just… I can’t plan these things this fast. We just need some time to come together with a plan. That’s all”.

“I’m sure we can do it” Emma says, “but I have a question…”.

“What?” Wyatt asks.

“These… connections” Emma says, “do they have to be human or…?”.

“That’s a good question” Wyatt says as he thinks. “I’m not sure yet. It really depends on the position we’re in and the people we can find”.

Meanwhile, in the teacher’s lounge. “So, the peace amongst your students really was only temporary” Quincy says as he enters the room with Refus. “Told you. Like I said before, it’s only a matter of time”.

“I have things handled” Refus says, “so just leave it be”.

“If you say so” Quincy says with a smirk. “Just remember, I’ll make sure anything worth reporting is immediately reported to Principal Schafold”.

“And what business do you even have with Ryan?” Jeff asks as he enters the lounge too. “Last I heard, you didn’t even like the way he runs this school”.

“And I still don’t” Quincy says. “That old fool… it’s only a matter of time before he realizes it’s time for him to retire. All he needs is a little… evidence to push him. Once he realizes how many bad decisions he’s made for this school, and the cost of those decisions, he’ll surely hang up the towel”.

“And what?” Jeff asks. “You take over for him? Pfft- like you could do any-“.

“I’d gladly take that spot” Quincy says.

“You what?” Refus asks, suddenly standing up from his table.

“Let me get this straight” Quincy says. “Nothing against Ryan, except for his many failures, but I could run this school better. I could make it more profitable. This school only does so poorly and has to cater to the bottom of the barrel because that old fool feels like it’s just ‘the right thing to do’. He doesn’t even raise enough money to support the fools that enroll here! We run on pretty much government grants at this point… and for what? This poor society? What we need is a more strict management”.

“You… you wouldn’t dare” Refus says.

“Senior staff or not” Jeff says, “I’ll make you eat those words if you don’t-“.

“What’s all the commotion in here!?” Rose asks as the door slams open. “Jeffery Hendricks, picking fights with senior staff?”.

“Oh god, there’s the full name. That’s how you know she’s angry” Jeff says. “Fine! I’ll drop it…”. Jeff then writes something on a napkin and folds it up. Jeff then looks at Quincy and says “Watch your back”. Before leaving, Jeff pats Rose on the shoulder, leaving the napkin in her hands.

Rose keeps the napkin folded, and refuses to read it while accompanied by the other two teachers. “Refus, you too” She says. “Ryan always spoke highly of you, and I told you I’d make sure you’ll lose your job if you make Ryan look like a liar, didn’t I?”.

“Y-Yeah… I remember” Refus says.

“And Quincy” Rose says as she turns to him, “I’ve worked here longer than even you have. I don’t want any sass from you either. If it’s not productive, don’t say anything to the other staff… that’s the ONE thing that Jeff does correctly”.

“I’ll keep that in mind” Quincy says with a smirk, “but do you really have any authority to speak like that towards other people? You may be one of the longest running teachers here, but last I heard, no one respects you for your sense of judgement. I don’t think you have much room to speak”.

Rose gets closer to Quincy and says “Stay in your lane, Quincy Daffen”.

After school, Rose and Jeff met in the hallway close to one of the side entrances of the school. “So, your little note said you had something to talk about?” Rose asks. “Knowing you, nothing needs to be said unless it’s worth knowing, so spill it”.

“Quincy is trying to get rid of Refus” Jeff says. “That much, I’m sure you’re aware of”.

“Correct” Rose says.

“But he’s only using that as a means to an end” Jeff says. “He’s trying to use that as a reason to get Ryan to quit his position”.

“He thinks this is enough to remove Ryan?” Rose asks with an eyebrow raised.

“Well, if he took that to the board” Jeff says, “the department of education would likely push towards Ryan’s retirement anyways. Not only that, but Quincy is trying to take over for Ryan so he can change the school to be more ‘profitable’ or whatever”.

“The board of education, huh?” Rose says to herself. “And his selling point?”.

“From what little I’ve heard of Refus and Quincy’s conversation, his selling point is the discomfort of Refus’s classes based solely on the fact that he’s a laibah… b-but I’ll tell you, I don’t think Refus has been doing a bad job really. He hasn’t really bothered anyone that I know of, nor do many of his students complain. There’s just a few of them, and Quincy’s looking to make this issue bigger than it really is”.

“Yes, I’ve heard all about this Refus character from Ryan…” Rose says. “I’ll take your word for it… for now. You don’t usually say anything unless it’s worth knowing… that much of you I respect”.

“Really?” Jeff asks.

“I’d respect you more if you’d shut up for a lot longer” Rose suddenly raises her voice. Jeff gulps nervously and Rose continues to say “Take tomorrow off. I’ll find a sub for my class and help handle yours, since your class takes place right after Refus’s homeroom. I’ll see for myself what the buzz is all about, got it? Besides, I don’t need you and Refus getting together and making things worse”. Jeff stands still nervously and nods his head. “You can speak now…” Rose says in agitation.

“Y-Yes ma’am” Jeff says.

“You okay?” Amelia asks Wyatt while the two of them were waiting for business during work hours. “You seem to be spacing out quite a bit…”.

“Y-Yeah” Wyatt says, “I’m fine”.

“Romance problems?” Amelia asks.

“No, not that” Wyatt says. “There’s just this issue at school. Most of the people in our class kinda see my friends and I as social outcasts of some sort…”.

“Why’s that?” Amelia asks.

“Well…” Wyatt says, “I’m not sure if I can say”.

“Why not?” Amelia asks.

“I mean… if someone you know, like a friend or classmate, was a laibah… what would you do?” Wyatt asks.

“A laibah huh?” Amelia asks. “I don’t really care about most of these things. I just focus on getting my major and kissing my school goodbye”.

“Well, let’s say some people… well, I’m sure you already know how violent some people are towards laibah” Wyatt says, “but let’s say someone is in danger and you wanted to help them”.

“You don’t have a lot of friends, do you?” Amelia asks.

“W-What? Why do-” Wyatt begins to ask.

“Look” Amelia says, interrupting Wyatt, “I don’t judge here. Personally, I’m not sure if I could stick next to a laibah. But if you want to help a friend, you’ve gotta have friends to back them up. Seeing as how you’re at a loss of a means of nonviolent protection, I’d say it’s obvious you lack in your ability to socialize and make friends… to be honest, that’s probably how you got stuck with a laibah in the first place”.

“Y-Yeah, but…” Wyatt says.

“You now know your weaknesses” Amelia says. “If you really want to help, strengthening your weaknesses is a good place to start. Find more friends, maybe more laibah or other weirdos like you, gain your support through numbers. Your classmates that I guess you could count as your enemies in this scenario have probably already figured out that you and your friends have a lack of friendly support, or a lack of friends in general, and are probably going to use that against you. You need to find a way to prove them wrong”.

“I get all of that, but how?” Wyatt asks.

“I’m not a therapist…” Amelia says. “I don’t know how to help you with that, but at least you know wherein your focal point lies… you’ve got to figure out the rest”.

“Yeah…” Wyatt says. “Thanks”.

“No problem” Amelia says. “You’re a weirdo, but at least you’re a… a nice weirdo”.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, I guess” Wyatt says.

The next morning, Wyatt talks to the rest of The Rejects before class begins. “I have a plan, but it’s not exactly what you’re hoping for” Wyatt says.

“Well, I guess anything is fine for now” Aeris says.

“If strength in numbers will be the name of our game” Wyatt says, “then we’ll have to lay low until we can get that sorted out”.

“You’re right” Jackson says. “This isn’t what I was hoping for. I was actually hoping for something more… productive”.

“Now hold one just a minute” Wyatt says. “There’s steps to this process”.

“Oh, so there’s a method to your madness?” Jackson asks.

“Yes” Wyatt says. “Wait, no- I mean… shut up! Look… lay low until we can get our numbers. However, we can’t make a sudden move when we do have our numbers”.

“You mean ‘if’ we can gain numbers” Jackson says.

“Well… yes” Wyatt says. “If and when we can gain numbers, we’ll need some subtle way to show support for our cause. Something nonaggressive, so we don’t send out the wrong message. We’ll likely have to start reaching out towards other classes, and maybe even more than that”.

“So how do you plan on doing that?” Emily asks.

“Easy” Wyatt says. “The club”.

“Oh right” Jackson says. “I totally forgot! Everyone would listen to the cool kids club, even though we’re all seen as freaks and weirdos! That makes total sense!”.

“Now hold on” Aeris says. “I’m interested…”.

“So, we can easily reach out to more people when we can make the club” Wyatt says. “After that, we can design our own club symbol and everything! The symbol we use can be a badge that shows our support. The more people willing to wear this badge, the less likely the others will be to break out in violent protest against your presence. I mean- you know how most clubs can wear a badge on their uniform in accordance to their club, right? Well, we have someone right here who can do that part for us!”. Wyatt then turns to look at Emma.

“M-me?” Emma asks.

“Yeah” Wyatt says. “You can design our mark! We can use that mark to show how many of us there are, in this class and in others! Once people come to realization that we no longer have a weakness in numbers, they’ll be less likely to start issues with you in fear that it’ll cause them to suffer as well! If we have power in numbers, it brings that idea that we’ll easily have people to support each other through these kinds of issues!”.

“So instead of physical war…” Jackson says, “you’re aiming for more of a psychological war?”.

“I… wouldn’t use the word war” Wyatt says, “but yeah”.

“That way” Emily says, “we could settle the conflict before it even starts in the distant future. As long as we can all make it to the next semester without getting expelled for fighting, then the rest should be pretty smooth sailing… I like it!”.

“Precisely!” Wyatt says.

“So then…” Emma says, “next semester, we’re really doing this club then?”.

“Seems like it” Aeris says.

“I thought we were gonna form the club anyways” Jessica says. “I am, however, a lot more pumped though!”.

“Yeah” Jackson says, “but that’s only IF we make it to the next semester. What are you going to do until then?”.

“Like I said before” Wyatt says. “Lay low, avoid the issue, ignore the bastards”.

“So we’re going from cold war to psychological war, huh?” Jackson asks. “Fine, I’ll try doing my part. No promises though”.

“That’s the spirit!” Jessica says.

“Erm- no” Emily says, “that’s not the spirit at all… that’s like… exactly how you get yourself in trouble”.

After the homeroom class ended, and Refus left, Rose entered the classroom. Surprised by the change of teachers, students immediately began muttering to each other. “Calm down” Rose says to the class, “Mr. Hendricks is sick today, so I’ll be taking over for his class. I’m Ms. Weber, and one of the other teachers at this school. Some of you may recognize me”.

“Whoa” one of the students says, “hey! Doesn’t Ms. Weber look a lot like Emily?”. As the rest of the class looked back and forth between Rose and Emily, everyone noticed they both had bright red hair and similar looking facial structure. “Ms. Weber!” The student speaks up, “Are you Emily’s mom?”.

“Umm… no” Rose says with a confused expression. “I’ve never had kids”.

“Are you sure?” Another student asks.

“Am I sure if I’ve never had kids?” Rose asks sarcastically. “Hm… yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve never given birth”.

“Do you guys know each other?” Another student asks.

“No, we do not” Rose says. “Look, this is an economics class… try and stay focused”.

“Yes ma’am” the student replies.

At the end of the class, before the bell rang, Rose spoke to the class. “Now, before I go, I’ve heard a lot about this classroom and the troubles with laibah. How many people here are nervous about laibah?”. Most of the class raises their hands. “How many people are used to having a laibah as a teacher?” Rose asks. More than half of the class raises their hands. “Good, now keep that mindset, because Mr. Maloney isn’t going anywhere”.

Most of the class groans, and a student says “but why can’t we at least change home rooms?”.

“Why can’t you stop coming to school?” Rose asks with a stern look. The students immediately fell silent. “The correct answer is everyone has a job in life. Refus chose his position of being a teacher, and you guys chose to come here to find what you need to do in life. I don’t want to hear any ‘ifs’, ‘ands’, or ‘buts’, got it? Just because it makes you a little uncomfortable for someone to follow what path they were lead to, doesn’t mean it’s in the way of you fulfilling your role in life. A wise man once said the universe works in mysterious ways. That wise man is your principal, and he’s aware of your current situation. We’re trying to help you move on in life, not cradle you like we’re your parents! Be a little more mindful of the things you say and do, unless of course you want to be removed from the school roster. I’m telling you now, so consider this your final warning, I will have you expelled for starting fights in school. I will also have you expelled for getting in the way of someone else’s work, including that if your teacher’s. Have we all come to an understanding?”.

“Yeah” most of the class says in unison.

“Excuse me?” Rose asks.

“Y-Yes ma’am!” The whole class says in unison.

The bell rings, and Rose grabs her books and begins to leave. “Good” Rose says to the class, “remember that, because I’m not known for being much of a liar”.

After Rose leaves the class, some of the students say “Geez, Ms. Weber sure is scary…”.