GMs Note – This is a Worm AU Quest. This has sorta been in my brain for a while now, and I hope it goes well. Now that it is Labor Day weekend I have time to get this thing started. I will try to get at least one update in a day. Let's see if I can manage that.
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Arc One - Trigger
The trees swaying in the distance we're beautiful. The way they moved with the wind, going with the flow, bending but not breaking. Eternally flexible but indestructible. Mountains could be ground down. Fires could be put out. Water could be consumed. But the trees, they endured. Even destroyed they would grow again. They would return.
I wanted that.
I wanted that sort of strength. I wanted that more than anything.
"Mr. Herbert. Tyler Herbert. Are you with us?" Mr.G asked, standing in front of my desk, snapping his fingers once or twice to get my attention.
I looked away from the window, and towards him. Apparently I had been daydreaming again as was my (bad) habit of late. Made the time pass quicker, and as long as I did that I could be ignored. They would not bother me, hopefully.
Mr.G was cool for a teacher. At least approachable, if not caring very much.
"Sorry" I apologized, shaking my head to clear my head and focus on the material.
"It's alright. I just know how much you have been waiting for the class to go over the Parahuman phenomenon and I did not want you to miss out. Just try to pay attention okay?" He said, smiling slightly.
Most teachers would have bitched me out for ignoring a lecture. Not Mr.G. He was cool.
"Alright class. Today we are doing something a bit different from our usual lecture where I talk and you listen and take notes. Today we are going to do something called a Socratic seminar. We are going outside so we can sit in a circle for this activity."
At that the class burst into cheers, the various little cliques and groups of friends starting to get together and talk to each other like they always did whenever there was a break or they thought they could get away with it. With the sun up and a nice breeze in the air, and the clouds fluffy and white, today was not a day anyone wanted to be cooped in up inside.
"Alright class. You know the drill. No noise in the hallway. Now lets go."
At Mr.Gladly's directive we formed into less a single final line, as a porous stream of bodies into the hall. I intentionally stuck to the back of the line. Better to be in the back of the line, unnoticed, and with luck unbothered.
Only to be surrounded by them. Great. Apparently they saw me. 'Big' Hess, and his cronies Joseph and Edward - the latter of whom had been my friend once upon a time.
"Hey faggot. What do you think you're doing?" Hess jeered, sticking a stubby finger into my chest with a thud.
I tried to walk around him, doing my best to ignore his taunts, my temper rising though I did my best to control it. Joe and Eddy cut me off.
"I was talking to you asshole. What do you think. you. are. doing?" He asked me, timing each word with a quiet but hard blow to the chest.
This was not the first time this had happened. I don't know what exactly it was what I did to deserve this. I stayed to myself. I studied and worked hard. I mean, I thought the football jock bully stereotype was supposed to be a cliche? But no.
[ ] Run. Juke from behind and move. These guys may be big, but I am probably faster. Time my moment just right and get away. Do it quickly enough and I should be able to get near enough to Mr.G or another member of the school's staff that they won't risk trying to anything.
[ ] Hit them. Bullies never expect their victims to fight back right? Maybe I can get them to stop.
[ ] Mouth off. Give them a piece of my mind.
[ ] Snap. I just see Red.