George
had always been a good kid, did well in school, played sports,
listened to his parents, and was the ideal image everyone wants their
son to be. His parents pat themselves on the back on a job well done
and foresaw him going off to college and getting a degree and getting
married and having children and a white picket fence. George thought
that was what he wanted too, until he found out that he wanted
something else even more.
He was
just entering the seventh grade, surrounded by his peers all going
through puberty and experiencing rapid changes in their bodies and
minds. Growing exponentially, voices changing, styles changing, some
good friends were no friends at all anymore, and some old enemies now
were equals. George had not had his growth spurt yet, so early on he
was the easy target for the bigger kids because it is always pick on
the little kids.
“Look
at the little boy.” “HAHA, he is so small. You think he lives in
a miniature house too?” “Hey George, when are you going to become
a man?”
That was
when he decided he was going to change. He wanted to be a man, more
than anything he wanted to be a man so they would stop picking on
him, so he could be on the top of the totem poll. He started to pay
less attention in class, because the bigger kids did not. They would
stop looking at him like he did something wrong for doing well on a
test, because now he pulled off straight C's. He no longer moved out
of the way of people in the halls, instead holding his shoulders
tight and bouncing off of the other kids. They noticed his
rebellion. He even started to copy the clothes they wore. More
jeans, and printed tee's instead of his khaki's and polo combo he had
been wearing since he could remember. One of them even said “cool
shirt” one day.
He found
that their bullying subsided. They were not necessarily nice to him,
but they did not shove him in the trashcans or trip him in the halls
anymore. He felt stronger, more powerful, but knew he had to do more
if he wanted to be like the other boys.
One
Monday his friend Charles came to him to see how he did on the last
test.
“Oh, I
don't know, I got like a 72.”
“I
thought you normally did better than that George, what happened.”
“I do
not need to tell you!” George blurted while shoving Charles away.
“Hey,
you did not need to do that.”
“Oh
ya?” George reared back and punched Charles. “How did that feel
huh?”
He was
hauled off to the principles office that day, and he was almost
ashamed, until school got out that day and all the big boys were
waiting for him. He flinched when they came right up to him, but was
surprised when they were all patting him on the back, congratulating
him on growing up. That was all it took.
The next
week it was two more kids. More detention. His parents tried to
intervene but that made him lash out more. School did not get any
better, and George finally started to grow. He was bigger than most
of the other boys now, and wanted to feel even bigger. So he kept
getting in fights, and even started to hang out with some of the high
school kids that also liked to go around picking on kids.
One
night out by the gas station that he had begun to frequent, a younger
kid nabbed one of Georges new friends skateboards and tried to make
off with it. He was not quick enough to get away though. George was
the first one to catch him, and the first to start hitting him. The
other boys joined in continued to pile on the kid. George went home
that night finally feeling like he had become a real man, and the
police were there waiting for him, to show him what happens to “real
men.”
