mR Ch. 2: Fighting Tautology

Chapter Two: Fighting Tautology


"'Cause we were never being boring; we had too much time to find for ourselves, and we were never being boring. We dressed up and fought, then thought: "Make amends."  And we were never holding back or worried that time would come to an end. We were always hoping that, looking back you could always rely on a friend." - Being Boring, Pet Shop Boys



I slammed the classroom door shut on my way in. Abruptly it became quiet and everyone turned to look at me. I winked and smiled, making a few girls blush and look out the window, because oh, wasn't that a handsome butterfly that just flew by?

"Max Price, what makes you think you can come in here ten minutes late?" Mr. Decleus asked.
I ignored him and stalked to the back of the classroom where Adrian was grinning slightly at my dramatic entrance.
"Maximillion, answer me!" The teacher said again, thinking that by using my full name I'd answer. I grit my teeth in annoyance. No one ever called me that.
I was nearly to my seat, but then Mr. Decleus grabbed my arm and yanked me around to face him. I looked at him coolly.
"Price, just because your father is the superintendent does not give you any right to do whatever you please. When at school, act like a student, not daddy's little boy."

I smiled down at him, his height being a few inches less of mine. "Mr. Decleus," I began, purposefully incorrectly pronouncing his name like I always did so it sounded like he was missing a part of his anatomy, "When I am at school, I am simply a student, as that makes the playing fields level for everyone. Now, when at home, that's when I have my father. The superintendent is the superintendent: Dr. Price."
He twisted my arm some and a grimace slipped onto my face, ruining my asshole façade. Hey! It's a façade, alright? I'm actually a nice guy.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but then Adrian was next to him, hand on his shoulder and openly smiling, teeth showing slightly and looking positively dangerous.

"Mr. Decleus, I'm sorry that by my request Max has arrived late."
"Y-your request?"
"Yes, I asked him to do me a favor, and he agreed whole-heartedly. However," he added, dropping the smile and frowning a bit, a much more normal look for him but one that still looked out-of-place with his eyes burning angrily, "He won't be able to complete the second part of my request if you hurt him. And seeing how my request is really a request for my family, you can imagine how that might upset them."
"Y-your f-f-family?" Haha, I thought, the bastard's stuttering. Adrian can be really frightening sometimes.
"Yes."
Mr. Decleus paled and let go of my arm hurriedly. He walked hastily back to his desk.

"You're a lifesaver, Adrian. I thought I was gonna get a month's worth of detentions for sure!"
He merely grunted and said, "Don't thank me for it. I don't like that guy. And he's not cordial with anyone unless he must be."
I ignored his response and went right on. "I'm so grateful that if weren't in the classroom right now, I'd kiss you so long you'd collapse from lack of oxygen."
He shook his head. "You don't have to give me any thanks. Especially that kind," he added dourly.

I laughed and put an arm around his shoulders, "Let's sit down so our dear teacher can lecture us about the great Roman Empire."
     
He nodded and sat back down, our classmates' eyes following us the way, probably because of my extremely good looks.
   
"I can't believe you keep calling him Dickless," Adrian said suddenly, when our dear teacher was reading us a page on Marc Antony.
I smirked and then feigned innocence. "Whatever do you mean? It's his name."
He actually laughed quietly and I smiled to myself, glad that I'd made him laugh. He was just so morbid sometimes, it could make a guy depressed. I attempted to re-focus my attention on Dickless, but then the door opened again, this time with enough force it hit the opposite wall.

A very pissed off looking Drew strode into the room. He glared at the students, searching for one in particular. That would me, of course. To help him along I stood and waved at him. He snapped his head around to look at me. Scratch that, to give me a look that said he knew where I lived, when I went home, and where he was going to hide my dead body.
     
His eyes stayed locked onto mine as he walked to the back of the room.

Then the door opened for the third time and Neil walked in, his eyes red from cry-laughing. His lips quivered as he fought to not laugh as he caught sight of me. When Drew reached us, he turned to Adrian, switching his expression to one that was that made his lips pout, his chin quiver and made your gut squirm because you wondered what had happened to the poor little boy.
     
"What's wrong, Andrew?" he asked, concerned.
I gaped at him. It was so obvious he was faking, this guy had to have taken acting classes! Why was Adrian going along with it?!
Drew let a tear threaten to spill down his cheek and he wailed, "Max has been saying perverted things about me again!"

I shoulda known, I thought as I hit my head on the desk and groaned.

I could feel Adrian turn to look at me, probably with his grey eyes narrowed and an eyebrow raised in a questioningly way. He was the undisputed master of expressing every emotion with his brows.
"Were you and Neil playing the Let's-be-Poetic-and-Stupid-Like-Shakespeare-Game again?"
"Yes," I admitted reluctantly.
"Do you know that it ends badly every time you play it?"
"Yes," I said, knowing that he was about to pwn me.
"Then why do you play it?"
"'Cos it's hilarious." Neil had managed to get by Dickless and sat down next to me.
"You think comparing my lips to ice cream is hilarious?!"
My head shot up. "You told him that?!" I accused Neil.
"He wouldn't shut up! He kept asking!"

I sighed and let my head drop to the desk, this time more gently. I do not recommend smashing your head against flat pieces of wood. It hurts and you will probably loose brain cells.
     
"I don't talk nearly as much as you and Max do!" Drew retorted.
"Me and Max-"
"Max and I," Adrian corrected him.
"Max and I-"
"Suck up," I mumbled, earning myself a smack on the head.
"-don't talk so much as we flirt. Well, I talk, he flirts."
"When you two flirt, it's messed up!"
"How's that?" I asked, raising my head and an eyebrow.
"I'm not talking to you right now, Max."
"Why? Because he jokingly talked about your desirable qualities?" Neil asked
"Well yeah. But that's not it, exactly. He does it all the time. I just want him to stop."
"I do not do it all the time."

Some students had begun to turn around to watch our argument.

"You do too! You and Neil play that stupid game all the time and your excuse is, is that you're practicing acting. Well, you don't need to practice. You're practically a star in your own mind, and you act on a regular basis. It's natural for you."
"Was that a compliment, Drew?"
"I'm not talking to you!"
"And might I say that you're doing a damn fine job at that."
"Shut up!"

"Are you mad at him, Andrew?" Adrian asked, still calm and probably bored.
The blue eyed boy gave it about two seconds' thought.
"Yes!"
"Why?" Neil said.
"I dunno. I just don't think it's necessary to use me for the game. You could use someone else, a girl. I don't want to be the object of your "practice affection". I'm just something for you to joke about!"
"That's not true!" I said. "I do that because it gets a reaction out of you and you get all flustered!" Drew turned his back on me. "I don't actually want to make you angry. I guess," I paused, thinking, "I guess that I just get caught up in the game and forget that you're not acting like me and Neil."

He looked at me. "Is that supposed to be an apology?"

"I'm being serious, Drew. When you're mad, you don't try acting like this cute little boy that everyone adores. You're this entirely different person that can fight his own.. and," I paused, trying to think, "and I guess that's why I piss you off so often. Part of it, I don't mean, I honestly don't," I added when he frowned somewhat skeptically, "and the other part is, I guess because I don't get to see that side of you so often."

His blue eyes bored into my green ones. "You think I'm cute?" he asked.
I nearly burst out laughing. Was that the only part he had heard? Was that what the frown had been about? But I just smiled a little and put my hand on his head, roughing up his hair some. "You're adorable. And I'm sorry that I upset you that much."
"Max!" Drew exclaimed, his mood now happy and he glomped me right into my chair.. and on top of me.

His small arms wrapped around my neck. I laughed at his sudden mood change, and the apparent loss of years of maturity, also relieved he was no longer angry. You know what they say about dynamite? Yeah, Drew fits that description pretty well.

I lifted my eyes to see that the majority of the girls in the class were looking at me and Drew with blushes apparent on their faces, others just surprised and still others with bored expressions. Well, I admit, it might happen kinda often. This reaction and argument with Drew, I mean.
I grinned suggestively and winked, making one actually swoon.

I heard a sniffle and turned my attention back to the light blonde head that was buried into my shoulder. Was he -  ? Oh, no way! He was crying? I swear, this kid was so emotional, he was like a girl. I mean, honestly, how can he stand being so dramatic? Didn't it annoy him that his feelings just came and went like a.. a wave or - My thoughts were interrupted when my shoulder tingled and shivered as a reaction to damp cold.

Gently, I ran my hand through his hair. "Are you okay Drew?" I murmured near his ear.

I felt his head shift and wrinkle my shirt as he moved it in a nod. "You're a hard person to stay angry with."
I laughed slightly.

"Guys, could you stop now? I don't think I can hold Decleus off any longer."
I glanced up at our teacher and he, Drew, lifted his head from my shoulder. Apparently, Adrian and Dickless had been having a stare-down, Adrian silently telling him to not interfere, and him, furious that we had interrupted and halted class.
"Thanks, Adrian," I said, aware that he and the rest of us were going to somehow loose some points from our History grade. He wouldn't have lost any points, until that, and I knew as much as anyone how much Adrian worked for his A's.

Drew smiled at him and got off me, sitting down on his other side. We attempted returning our attention to the front of the room, but Mr. Decleus was only to begin telling us about the similarities between the Greek and Roman gods before the bell rang. Wooping with sudden joy, I sprang to my feet and fairly ran out of the room, glad to be out of Decleus-hell.