The Plague of Popularity
Puppets Of This Bullsh-t Industry.
I caught myself before I gasped out loud as I took in his room. Bedrooms were always too personal for me; none of my friends have ever seen my room—though I had no problem letting Mikey follow me in. There were comics everywhere, a few band posters and a lot of drawings. His drawings—he was talented.
“You think that nice bullshit’s going to fly with your friends? What if Mikey walks up to you tomorrow at school, you going to let your friends treat him the way you just stood there and let them treat me the first time you saw me?”
He wasn’t going to waste any time—perhaps that’s why he looked so apprehensive in the hall.
“It’s not bullshit. He’s a cool kid. He made an effort to get to know me.”
“Like you made an effort to get to know me?”
“I’ve never teased you, I’ve hardly ever spoken to you!”
“You just stand there and let it happen. I see the way the kids at school look at you, they look up to you like you’re some idol to them. Do you have any idea how many kids emulate you?”
“Really?”
He threw his hands up in desperation.
“Are you that thick? You really don’t see how many people look up to you? You don’t see how many people practically worship the ground you walk on?”
“If they like me so much why’d you tell me they hate me?”
He sighed and sat down on his bed, we had been standing and glaring at each other; I took a seat on the bed I was sleeping on for the night.
“You’re a fake Frank. You act all day long. You spout out words and do little jigs all day long just to keep everyone else around you happy. Why would you do that to yourself? Be everything that everyone else wants to be but what you want to be?”
I didn’t know what to say.
“You think that nice bullshit’s going to fly with your friends? What if Mikey walks up to you tomorrow at school, you going to let your friends treat him the way you just stood there and let them treat me the first time you saw me?”
He wasn’t going to waste any time—perhaps that’s why he looked so apprehensive in the hall.
“It’s not bullshit. He’s a cool kid. He made an effort to get to know me.”
“Like you made an effort to get to know me?”
“I’ve never teased you, I’ve hardly ever spoken to you!”
“You just stand there and let it happen. I see the way the kids at school look at you, they look up to you like you’re some idol to them. Do you have any idea how many kids emulate you?”
“Really?”
He threw his hands up in desperation.
“Are you that thick? You really don’t see how many people look up to you? You don’t see how many people practically worship the ground you walk on?”
“If they like me so much why’d you tell me they hate me?”
He sighed and sat down on his bed, we had been standing and glaring at each other; I took a seat on the bed I was sleeping on for the night.
“You’re a fake Frank. You act all day long. You spout out words and do little jigs all day long just to keep everyone else around you happy. Why would you do that to yourself? Be everything that everyone else wants to be but what you want to be?”
I didn’t know what to say.