No Particular Reason

Fifteen year old Jakob Armstrong stood in front of his bathroom mirror and straightened the tie that was sitting at his neck. He wrinkled his nose at his pressed white shirt with embroidered emblem on the pocket and black slacks. He hated uniforms but now that he was going to high school at Hillcrest Academy, he had to get used to it.

Today was the first day of his freshman year and nerves were beginning to get the best of him. He had heard many a horror stories about what happened to freshmen at Hillcrest and he was not comforted by any of it. Most of what he had heard came from his best friend Frankito Wright, who was also entering his freshman year at Hillcrest.

“Jakob Come on, let’s go ” Jakob’s older brother Joey shouted from downstairs. Joey was entering his senior year at Hillcrest.

“Coming ” Jakob sighed and took one last look at himself in the mirror. He was going to be murdered at school, he knew it. He wasn’t very tall and he was skinny to boot. He wasn’t aggressive and preferred to be quiet as opposed to loud. He was just himself and many people saw him as an easy target.

“Bye sweetie. Have a good day at school.” His mother, Adrienne, kissed him on the cheek and gave him a hug.

“I hate uniforms.” Jakob muttered as he picked an apple out of a bowl.

Jakob’s father, Billie Joe, grunted a small laugh from his perch on top of the kitchen counters. “Really? I couldn’t tell.” Billie Joe wasn’t like other dads. He was a rockstar and toured the world for months at a time with his band, Green Day. He was a celebrity and his name was in the tabloids at least once every two weeks. “Knock em’ dead.”

Jakob could barely twist his lips up into a semi-wry smile as he stepped out of the side door into the garage and got in his brother’s car.

“Stop freaking out, it’s not going to be that bad.” Joey said as he started the car and backed out of the driveway.

Jakob said nothing but played with the stem of the apple. “What if it is?”

Joey scoffed and turned the radio down. “You’re going to believe the words of Franktio Wright, son of Tre’ Cool and an all around jerk and dumbass over me, your brother, you need to reevaluate your situation bud. Not to mention, I have all ready been a freshman and if anyone was going to give freshmen swirlies would be the seniors. And I, as a senior and on strict orders from Mom, will not allow that to happen. Now, letting it happen to Franktio on the other hand. . . . I’ll take the bitching out I’ll get from everyone just to see him squirm.”

“He’s not that bad.” Jakob defended weakly.

“Yes, he is.” Joey snapped back forcefully. “He nearly got arrested this summer for stealing a car. He spends more time in detention than he does in class and. . . . .ugh. . . .he’s bad news Jakob. You’d be better off if you left him alone. Make new friends. Eat that apple, you’re too damn skinny Billie.”

Jakob smiled weakly and bit into the apple. It was a secret joke between them about their dad’s slim frame and Jakob’s inheritance of it. It was one of the many jokes between the brothers. The two rode in compatible silence the rest of the way too school and Jakob wasn’t feeling as apprehensive about it, but he was still nervous.

“Okay.” Joey parked the car in his designated spot. “Here we go. You going to be okay?” He looked at his brother who was pale with nerves.

Jakob didn’t say anything but nodded. “I’ll be fine.” He managed to croak out. “See you at three.” With that, Jakob darted away. He felt so tiny and insignificant compared to everyone else. Invisible too.

He saw a familiar head bobbing and weaving through the crowd. Quickly stepping up his pace, he followed the head. “Frankito ”

A brown head turned and stepped towards Jakob. “Jakob.” He drawled out. “So, you decided to finally show up, eh? Thought you’d chicken out and stay with mommy, since you back out of everything.” Franktio sneered as he continued to walk with Jakob behind him trying got keep up.

“Look,” Jakob side stepped a Varsity jock trying to talk to a random girl. “Just because I didn’t go with you guys to buy weed from that guy in San Francisco doesn’t mean I chicken out of everything.”

“Whatever.” Frankito snapped as he went inside a classroom. “This isn’t your homeroom dude.” Frankito went to find a seat, leaving Jakob inside the doorway alone and he never even looked back over his shoulder at him.

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The next bit of the day was a blur of syllabuses, books and, classes. Jakob’s head was swimming with new information as he made his way to his last class of the day, American History. As he walked down the stairs, he saw Frankito not too far away leaning casually up against the wall.

Franktio saw him coming down the stairs and motioned for him to come over.
Jakob went over, hoping that whatever it was Frankito had to say would be quick and simple as the tardy bell would be ringing any moment. “What’s up?”

Franktio shrugged his shoulders. “Not much. Classes are fucking retarded. Got a swirly yet?

“No.” Jakob replied as less people were milling about them as they all went into their proper classes.

Franktio grinned a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well yay for you. He started to walk off a bit. “I gotta piss dude and we both got History together so don’t ditch me.”

Jakob, trying to be the best friend he could, followed Franktio into the boy’s bathroom where several guys Jakob vaguely recognized from Frankito’s summer misadventures were congregated in.

Frankito walked up to them and did a complicated handshake with some. He turned back around and grinned that grin again. “Swirly time Jakob.”

Jakob’s innards felt frozen with shock as several of the guys, all of whom who were much bigger than Jakob in every way, came up to him. Jakob started to counter their movements by stepping back, but another guy was behind him and grabbed his arms.

They drug Jakob to the handicap stall and thrust his head into the toilet water and flushed it. Frankito was laughing wildly behind them as Jakob was tortured and humiliated at his bidding. Even in the water, Jakob’s cheeks were burning red with frustration and embarrassment. Frankito used to be his best friend, they did everything together, and now Frankito was making Jakob’s life a walking Hell.

When it was over, they left Jakob in the stall and left without any condolence to their victim at all. Jakob laid there on the tile floor, too humiliated to get up or do anything else. His wavy brown hair was plastered to his head and he smelled like a commode. Worst of all, his best friend betrayed him and left him hung to dry alone.