Hello lol

So this is very contradictory of me, but I've decided to post this here just to see what kind of response it gets.

If people like it, I'll keep writing it.

Please tell me your thoughts in the comments

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At the beginning of the school year, Lex had a meeting with the principal. It was up on the second floor of the school in a classroom that happened to be free. He always thought it was an odd place to exchange first introductions, as opposed to an office. The room that had been picked looked like it was used for art, or something design related, so perhaps the idea was to plant that impression – that the school was bright, colourful, accepting.

Lex's father was there too, he was a quiet and serious man as far as Lex could tell, but they didn't know much about each other. They had met for the first time earlier in the month and we were still feeling each other out.

He was scared to be alone with Lex, and Lex was just scared in general.

His therapist had joined the meeting per the request of the principal, to fully discuss his 'emotional needs'. Lex was curious to see how a public school planned to cater to his emotional needs when the whole premise of school was to make everyone the same. He was also curious to know what the therapist thought his emotional needs were, considering that he often lied to him.

"You're a very intelligent young man." The principal was looking through the pile of papers that had been compiled from Lex's previous schools. He looked pleased which meant he hadn't reached the ones about his behavioural issues yet. He licked his finger for every third page as he leafed through. Something about that had always made Lex uncomfortable. "I see that you've played sports before. We do pride ourselves in our sporting accolades, especially in our track and field events. It would be a good way to meet people."

"Thanks, but I'm not interested."

Lex wasn't interested in sports, nor was he interested in meeting people.

"I do always encourage new students to get involved with their peers, but that is something we can discuss later."

Lex ripped a hangnail with his teeth, and it began to bleed. He wiped the blood on the chair. When he had no more fingernails left to bite, he usually moved on to the skin around his fingers. It was hard and calloused from years of damage. He wasn't sure that his nails knew how to grow properly anymore, considering that it had been a long time since he had given them a chance.

"Can I ask what your expectations are?"

"I just want to graduate." Lex looked up for the first time since the meeting began. The principal's eyes met his. "And to be left alone."

"Ah well," he sounded amused in a 'kids these days' kind of tone. "School isn't a passive environment. People want to help you."

"It's not helpful if it's involuntary."

"Well, I don't want to invalidate your point, but if students didn't need help, we wouldn't have teachers."

"But aren't you invalidating the individuality of your students by assuming that we all need the same type of support?"

Lex's therapist nudged him as a warning to not start conflict where there didn't need to be.

The principal returned to Lex's records without another word. Lex suspected he was looking for something that would explain his behaviour. Perhaps he would find the notes on his general distrust of authority figures, or maybe it would be something about a series of incidents involving aggression towards other students.

After a few moments of dead airtime, he put the papers down. "You can start on Monday."

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The second time Lex met with the principal was approximately a week and three days after he started school. This time it was in the principal's office. This time there was another student and an upset mother. This time Lex was facing a potential assault charge.

Mrs Williams was pacing. Three steps forward, turn, three steps back. "Doesn't he have a mother you can call?"

"No Mrs Williams, he does not. Can you please be seated?"

Mrs Williams sat, crossed her arms, and looked over at Lex. Her lips were pursed in such a way that it seemed as though she was holding a mouthful of water in there.

"Lex, are you sure your dad can't make it? This is important."

Lex shook his head. "There's no need for him to be here."

"Oh, aren't you just full of yourself?" she checked her teeth for lipstick with her finger, muttering something about children raised by single fathers.

"I was raised by my mother," Lex told her. He was not at all concerned about being in this position without anybody on his side. "Insulting people who aren't here is a bit low, don't you think?"

Mrs Williams was standing again. "Is this how he talks to all the adults in this facility? If you don't address this problem, I'll report it to the board."

"Mrs Williams sit down, and please, let's both be civil."

Lex didn't recall ever being uncivil.

"It doesn't look like anybody else is coming, so let's start." The principal gestured to both students. "You know why you're here, yes?"

Andre nodded and Lex stayed still. Lex looked over at Andre's leg, which was bandaged in a very dramatic fashion. A band aid would've provided more than enough absorbency.

"I'm going to give each of you a chance to tell me exactly what happened. I don't want lies or embellishments, just the truth. Andre, you start."

Mrs Williams was holding Andre's hand like he had just experienced life altering trauma. "Well, I sit behind Lex in homeroom. I was talking to some of my friends and maybe I was just being too loud or something, but he lashed out and stabbed me in the thigh with a pencil."

"Unprovoked?"

"What?"

"You didn't say or do anything that might have caused him to hurt you?"

Andre shook his head.

"Don't you think you're underplaying the seriousness of this issue? What if Andre has lead poisoning, or what if this – this," she struggled for a word because using his name would have been too easy, "this youth decides to use a real weapon next time?"

"Mrs Williams please don't interrupt. You were not there, and I need to hear what happened from the students."

The principal turned to Lex. "Lex, would you agree that you stabbed Andre with a pencil?"

"Yes."

"Would you agree that it was unprovoked?"

"No."

"Then please explain."

"Well, you heard him call me Lex when he was giving his explanation, but that isn't what he calls me in front of his friends. Andre is a bigot. For some reason, my race is so threatening to him that he needs to call me 'chink' and 'ching chong' to feel powerful."

Lex looked over at Andre who had hung his head.

"I warned him that if he called me slurs again, I would hurt him. I told the teacher, I moved seats, but he kept following me. He touched my hair, and he would make jokes about me to his friends. So, I stabbed him with a pencil, which, by the way, is graphite not lead, just to address that."

The principal sighed. "Andre, is this true?"

"I would have stopped if I knew he was actually going to do it."

Mrs Williams was absolutely appalled that Andre had told the truth. "You can't compare name calling to violence."

"Respectfully, Mrs Williams, using racial slurs is verbal abuse, which is a form of violence. I am willing to move Lex to a different homeroom so that they don't have contact with one another, but both students are at fault."

"You can't be serious. Shouldn't other parents know what kind of delinquents their children are in class with?"

"If you like, I can send an email to the guardians detailing the incident, but I would have to include what instigated the action that Lex took against Andre. This is a very diverse school, Mrs Williams, and I doubt that the community would take an issue involving race lightly."

Mrs Williams snatched Andre's arm and dragged him out of the office without another word.

"That was cool sir."

"Yeah, well Mrs Williams is a repeat offender. She's normally in here at least twice a semester with one kid or the other."

"She has another kid?"

"A senior. Don't associate yourself with him."

"So which homeroom are you moving me to?"

"Mrs Holiday, room 18B. Go there tomorrow morning, she'll know you're coming."

"Why that class specifically?"

"There's a group of boys I think you'll like."

"I doubt that."

"Well, they'll like you."

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I guess the first chapter doesn't really tell you much but maybe that's the point idk

Thanks for reading anyway!