a short story by Jeremy Albert Ringermacher
Nick’s heart was beating so damn fast. Thora was sitting just in front of him and he could hardly sit still. There was something wrong with the air and Nick knew it. He blinked, thinking that would stop the pressure and wondered if people really spontaneously combust, like he had heard once. Thora was talking, answering something like she always did- she was smart and the teacher nodded and smiled.
Nick mumbled to himself, wiping the spittle from the corner of his pimply mouth. It was happening all the time now, and he hated himself.
“Sure thing, Nick…..You OK?”.
Bent over and taking small careful steps he left the classroom. The fluorescent lights always had a way of hurting his eyes and the hallway was empty. The bathroom smelled like kiddie piss and Nick stood in front of the metal mirror over the small ceramic sink. “You Suck”
Staring back at himself he smiled and blinked, the pressure gone, almost. He closed the door to the cramped damp stall, the handicap one. When he finished he looked down in disgust.
He hissed and spat a loogie in the toilet and flushed. His sneakers squeaked a little on the recently buffed linoleum floor and the overhead fluorescents reflected nicely, Nick could almost see himself.
A lanky kid in combat boots lumbered from out of the closest stairway.
“Hey Nick, what’s good?, you jerkin’ it in the bathroom again?”, sneered ‘combat boots’. “Fuck off” thought Nick but saying nothing he just stared at the lanky kid who smelled like a combination of mould and cigarettes.
“Wanna do something later?”
Still looking at the floor he turned and headed back into the classroom and slunk down into his seat behind Thora. With his hard-on gone, Nick’s mind began to drift to more important day dreams.
His heart started to thrum as he imagined himself glowing and growing, bigger and bigger. His chair groaning and finally breaking apart with explosive force as Nick, newly hulking and glowing in a neon fury stood up, his head bowed to as not burst through the old stained asbestos ceiling he glowered and breathed flames, almost searing the eyebrows on all the heads now focused on him.
Thora’s breast heaved and her mouth was open, all their mouths were open, but no one said anything, no one dared. Then, towards the front of the room, the teacher spoke up.
“This is my class, Nick! Sit your ass down!!”, but almost swallowing his words, he looked away, sweating.
It was getting so hot. Nick blinked and wiped his brow. No one noticed, they never do. He focused on the sunlight creeping through the open window, then the wind blew hard and the bell rang.
“See you tomorrow, Teach”,
everyone mumbled and laughed as they all filtered out into the hall.
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