Jack passed the cemetery every day on his way to school. From a distance it was beautiful. The long meadows were covered with rolling grass of the deepest green and dotted with huge old trees that spread their branches in cool circles of inviting shade. Today that shade beckoned to him teasingly. Though it was only a little after eight in the morning, the heat was intense and Jack felt perspiration bead on his forehead as he crossed to the other side of Willow Street as far away from the cemetery as possible.

As he passed directly across from the gated entrance, he risked a glance into the heart of White Rose Memorial Gardens and immediately regretted doing so. Row upon row of headstones stared back at him from both sides of the narrow winding driveway. His father lay beneath one of those headstones and that thought brought a thick lump into his throat. Jacks eyes burned but he did not cry. He had never cried.

When his mother had come screaming into the kitchen two years ago covered in blood and frantically called 911 he had not cried. When the ambulance and the police cars arrived he had not cried. When he heard the doctor say his dad was dead... he had not cried. He had been in shock... that's what everyone said... and they were right. The accident was so sudden and unexpected. The tractor... the blood... the screaming.

Jack closed his eyes, swallowing the lump down like a huge dry pill and walked faster. He pushed away the memories and focused on what lay ahead

It was Friday and his first class was English. Another wave of emotion rushed through him as he thought of the humiliation he was about to endure. Today they had to read their book reports in front of the class and that would not go well. Jack could not even kid himself about how it was going to turn out. His stutter only got worse when he was the centre of attention. Surely Mrs. Klein knew that but she had made it clear that everyone would have to stand at the chalkboard and read aloud.

He turned into the Warden Elementary School parking lot just as the bell rang and did a half run to the main entrance. All around him, kids were laughing and yelling hellos to each other. If he were lucky, maybe no one would notice him, but of course, today was not a day for luck.

"Hey, J-J-J-Jack-ass! How's it g-g-g-going?" called Scott in a loud and terribly accurate imitation. All around Jack kids laughed.

Jack increased his pace, trying to ignore Scott and was almost at the classroom door when he felt the hard tug on his backpack. There was a ripping sound and more laughter. He stumbled backward and felt his books and binders tumbling out behind him.

Jack turned and there was Scott, smiling hugely.

"Oh, sorry J-J-J-Jack-ass looks like your piece of shit b-b-b-backpack fell apart!" Scott said, clearly playing to the group of kids that were now crowding around to watch the fun.

Scott Sawyer was a big boy. He was a head taller and a year older than everyone else in grade five and he had a thickness that made him look even more imposing. His head was as round as a ten pin bowling ball, with long greasy brown hair stuck on top and two piggy eyes where the finger holes should be. His arms seemed disproportionately short compared to the rest of his body but they were heavily muscled from working on his families dairy farm.

Jack bent and began picking up his books. He could feel the torn flaps of his backpack dangling against his narrow shoulders. His mom was going to kill him... they did not have money for a new backpack and he knew it. He reached for the last textbook and suddenly Scotts foot flicked out and kicked it away from his hand. It slid easily on the polished grey floor and Jack watched it skitter away to the sound of more laughter. He crawled towards the book but as soon as he was close enough to grab it, Scott kicked it away again.

"What's wrong J-J-J-Jack-ass? Come on d-d-d-dummy, pick up your book!"

Jack felt a flood of rage course through him and imagined grabbing Scott's foot the next time he kicked. He would flip Scott over and then put a karate style beating on him like in an action movie. The other kids would cheer and slap him on the back. Heck, they couldn't really like Scott Sawyer... could they?

Instead, Jack crawled to the book and quickly picked it up just as the second bell rang.

"What's going on here?" asked a voice behind him. It was Mrs. Klien.

Jack stood up and tried to form and answer but Scott cut him off.

"Jack's backpack ripped, Mrs. Klien. I was just helping him pick up his stuff."

Jack realized that Scott had grabbed his history binder and was now offering it to him with a big innocent smile on his round almost cherubic face. Jack reached out and took the book adding to the awkward pile he now had clenched under one arm.

"I see," said Mrs. Klien not seeing at all. "What do you say, Jack?"

Jack felt his face burn crimson and swallowed hard for the second time that morning.

"Th-th-th-thanks..." there was an audible click in his throat at the end of the word and more giggling from the crowd of onlookers.

Jack followed Mrs. Klien into English class in silence and sat at his desk.

After morning announcements, the reading of the book reports began by seat assignment which meant Jack would be third after Jenna Simpson and Olivia Bennett.

Jenna rose from her desk at Mrs. Klien's invitation and strode confidently to the front of the room. She had read a book called The Sign of the Beaver, a title which elicited more giggles and whispers from the class. Mrs. Klien quieted them with a stern stare and Jenna went on with her report.

The book seemed to be about some kid joining an Indian tribe but Jack could not concentrate. He chewed his nails as a herd of butterflies fluttered around in his stomach. Instead of paying attention to Jenna he focused on trying to figure a way out of giving his speech. Fainting could work or throwing up. Maybe he should just ask to use the restroom and make a break for it. Of course, he was not going to do that or any of the other twenty or so crazy ideas that came to mind. What he was going to do was make a fool of himself.

Jenna was done. He could not believe it. Jack had been holding out the small hope that Jenna and Olivia would have super long reports and class would end before he had his turn, but now Olivia was standing in front of the blackboard in her red romper and little girl blonde pigtails.

He felt as though he might actually throw up now and swallowed hard for the third time.

Olivia's book was Little Women which Jack had heard of because his mom had the movie on DVD. It was not on the list of books that had been given to them, and that seemed to impress Mrs. Klien to no end.

Jack chewed his nails more violently actually causing his thumb to bleed and considered asking to go to the nurse... stupid idea. He stared out of the bank of windows that ran down the far side of the classroom wishing he was out there, running on the grass, climbing a tree and never speaking to anyone ever again. A car drove slowly up Willow Street and he imagined himself behind the wheel speeding away from Warden Elementary and never coming back. He couldn't wait to be old enough to drive... he would leave the crappy little town of Warden Mills and —.

"Jack! Are you with us?" Mrs. Kliens voice cut in on his daydream and he snapped painfully back to the present. More giggling and even a snort from Scott Sawyer before the teacher silenced everyone.

"It's your turn, Mr. Miller." She said waving her hand towards the front of the room.

He rose to his feet on rubbery legs and began walking to the blackboard. Each step seemed to thunder in his ears muffling every other sound.

He looked to his right and there was Olivia sitting at her desk looking at him with clear dislike. She said something but his next booming footstep drowned her out. The world had slowed to a crawl and the front of the class seemed miles away.

Now he was passing Jenna, again on his right, but he turned away from her and there was Ted Green on his left. Ted crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue a Jack but Mrs. Klien could not see it because Teds back was to her. Those who could see laughed. The sound was muffled and slow but Jack heard it before his third thunderous step blocked it out.

Somehow he made it to the board and he turned to stare out at the faces of his classmate. His mom had told him to just focus on one of them and he did, staring at Eva Vicolo who sat in the third-row middle seat. Eva was shy too and usually did not laugh when he stuttered. She was not his friend, he had no friends, but she did not seem to be his enemy either.

"Anytime today Mr. Miller." Mrs. Klien said and Eva laughed.

Jack closed his eyes. His left hand groped behind him and clung onto the ledge beneath the chalkboard for support. With his other hand, he held the single page up and tried to read what he had written. His hand was shaking so badly he had trouble seeing the words.

"T-t-t-the b-b-book I read w-w-was —,"

"Louder please Jack, I can't understand what you're saying." Mrs. Klien said.

This caused a full bout of laughter to sweep the room and Jack heard Scott whisper, "none of us can ever understand what Jack-ass says!"

"Quiet down everyone!" Mrs. Sawyer snapped, "Go ahead, Jack."

Jack had read The Last Day on Mars, a book that was also not on the reading list but Mrs. Klien did not seem at all impressed this time.

Over the next four minutes and twenty-two seconds, Jack stuttered and mumbled his way through the report clinging to the blackboard the way a drowning man clings to a life preserver and never looking up from the page.

Authors Note: If you were already reading JUNK please accept my apologies. I decided to go another way with the story. The premise is the same but the protagonist has changed and will be more readily identifiable. I hope you will enjoy the new version as it plays out. If so please leave me a comment and vote!

Thanks,

A.Fisher