The Plague of Popularity
Every Scrap That Falls.
“You can’t even defend yourself! We’re all human Frank, we all want to be wanted, accepted and all that shit but come on, only a select few sink so low as to give up themselves for the sake of all that. Do you even know who you are anymore?”
I know he wasn’t meaning to make my eyes swell with tears but he was and I could feel them building up.
“You wouldn’t give anything for all those taunts to stop?”
He looked at me like I was insane.
“No I wouldn’t. If I give up anything for your friends to stop taunting me, I’m letting them win, I’m letting them know that their antics break me down. I have too much pride to let that happen. They can say whatever the hell they want about me because I know it doesn’t matter.”
“Do you hate me?”
He looked to the floor, the first time we’ve broken eye contact since we started this conversation.
“I don’t know you enough to hate you, or like you for that matter. Don’t even pretend that tomorrow when we’re at school that we’re buddies. You’re just the son of my mother’s best friend who needed a bed to sleep in and it so happened to be in my room. I’m not friends with fake people, I have trust issues.”
He walked across his room and up the stairs leaving me alone to my thoughts and honesty of his words to sink in. They all want what you have but they hate what you are. Everyone wants to be in my place? They want to be the center of attention? They want their every word heard, every action watched and mimicked? I looked around the room, my mind still figuring that statement out. My eyes rested on a black book that sat on the desk on his far wall. Just as I reached my hand for it I heard my name.
“Frank? Dinner’s ready, are you hungry honey?”
“Yes, thank you Mrs. Way.”
I walked to the stairs and glanced back at that book, glad for the interuption of the probing of something I’m sure was personal to the boy who’s room I was sharing for the night. Donna was waiting for me at the top of the stairs. She offered me a small smile; I hope his door was shut when we had our little chat. We weren’t the quietest during parts of it.
“Hi Frankie! Where do you want to sit?”
Mikey smiled at me as we stood in front of a table with two boxes of pizza—pepperoni and sausage.
“I’m not hungry anymore, sorry.”
“Oh shoot, I’m so sorry sweetie, it completely slipped my mind you’re a vegetarian.”
I felt Mikey and Gerard’s eyes on me as Donna smacked herself in the forehead. She rushed into the kitchen and made a lot of noise before coming back out and closing the two boxes.
“There’s a personal cheese pizza in the oven, we’ll wait till it’s ready. I’m so sorry Frankie.”
“It’s alright, really, and thank you, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense, what kind of hostess would I be if I let you starve?”
I heard Gerard mumble under his breath--I didn't catch what he said though.
“You’re a vegetarian Frankie? That’s so cool, I could never be one, I like sushi way too much. Do you have a favorite veggie?”
I smiled, Mikey really was one unique kid.
“I don’t have a favorite.”
He just shrugged and headed into the living room.
I know he wasn’t meaning to make my eyes swell with tears but he was and I could feel them building up.
“You wouldn’t give anything for all those taunts to stop?”
He looked at me like I was insane.
“No I wouldn’t. If I give up anything for your friends to stop taunting me, I’m letting them win, I’m letting them know that their antics break me down. I have too much pride to let that happen. They can say whatever the hell they want about me because I know it doesn’t matter.”
“Do you hate me?”
He looked to the floor, the first time we’ve broken eye contact since we started this conversation.
“I don’t know you enough to hate you, or like you for that matter. Don’t even pretend that tomorrow when we’re at school that we’re buddies. You’re just the son of my mother’s best friend who needed a bed to sleep in and it so happened to be in my room. I’m not friends with fake people, I have trust issues.”
He walked across his room and up the stairs leaving me alone to my thoughts and honesty of his words to sink in. They all want what you have but they hate what you are. Everyone wants to be in my place? They want to be the center of attention? They want their every word heard, every action watched and mimicked? I looked around the room, my mind still figuring that statement out. My eyes rested on a black book that sat on the desk on his far wall. Just as I reached my hand for it I heard my name.
“Frank? Dinner’s ready, are you hungry honey?”
“Yes, thank you Mrs. Way.”
I walked to the stairs and glanced back at that book, glad for the interuption of the probing of something I’m sure was personal to the boy who’s room I was sharing for the night. Donna was waiting for me at the top of the stairs. She offered me a small smile; I hope his door was shut when we had our little chat. We weren’t the quietest during parts of it.
“Hi Frankie! Where do you want to sit?”
Mikey smiled at me as we stood in front of a table with two boxes of pizza—pepperoni and sausage.
“I’m not hungry anymore, sorry.”
“Oh shoot, I’m so sorry sweetie, it completely slipped my mind you’re a vegetarian.”
I felt Mikey and Gerard’s eyes on me as Donna smacked herself in the forehead. She rushed into the kitchen and made a lot of noise before coming back out and closing the two boxes.
“There’s a personal cheese pizza in the oven, we’ll wait till it’s ready. I’m so sorry Frankie.”
“It’s alright, really, and thank you, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense, what kind of hostess would I be if I let you starve?”
I heard Gerard mumble under his breath--I didn't catch what he said though.
“You’re a vegetarian Frankie? That’s so cool, I could never be one, I like sushi way too much. Do you have a favorite veggie?”
I smiled, Mikey really was one unique kid.
“I don’t have a favorite.”
He just shrugged and headed into the living room.