Mr.Vanoss

Ch.13 He's got a face straight outta magazine

His parents were coming in one day. He hasn't been at school for two days. Evan was grateful that his pupil wasn't there. Jonathan pulled himself up and went off the bed. He could feel his body weaken with every step he'd take.

Getting dressed in gray sweatpants and a black polo, he put on his white Nikes and left the house. Realizing he forgot to brush his teeth, he went back to freshen up. Going up the creaking stairs, flashbacks of the night appeared. Red on the walls where his mother hung up the family portrait, red on the hallway where Jonathan would open her door, only for her to throw a pillow at him. Slamming the door shut in his face. Red on the stairs where she'd take his matress and they'd slide down as if they were in the snow.

He snapped out of it pretty quick, muttering- "It's not my fault."

    "You're late!" Nogla said as his pink mouth was ajar and his eyes were wide with a glossy look.
   "I had to wash my face and stuff. Rather come looking nice than come early looking bad." Jonathan rubbed his eyes in a circular motion.

    Marcel licked his lips and furrowed his brows, "You didn't miss much. Aren't your parents supposed to be back?"

Jonathan steadied his breath while he looked up at his friends with angled, stern eyes. "By tomorrow, yeah."

    The loud bell rang, second period was going to start.

"Let's go to class boys." Marcel was the first to get up. The boys followed him out, walking in a V formation.

       Evan had bags under his eyes. Chapped lips and lazy eyelids. 
"Everybody be seated. I have an important announcement. As you know or may not know my wife works here now. Which is not going to interfere with any thing that may go on for the rest of the last two months. I will not be acting all lovey-dovey with her; no saying inappropriate things about us either. That especially goes out to you Mae." He yawned, while he scattered for stability.
Mae shied her head down and giggled. Mr. Vanoss was passing papers out to all the of the class, quickly going by Jonathan, not giving him a paper.

"So does everyone have a paper on how to animate a thumbnail?"
    "I-I didn't get one!" Jonathan raised his eyebrow and his cat eyes twitched.

"Oh here get one." It was as if he was a robot, no tone in his voice to make Jon analyze if he's mad or not. His eyes were glued to the paper as he spoke, trying not to look at his student.

"Alright so we're going to start off by going to the application pics draw."

Jonathan's heart raced. His cheeks went red, feeling the heat. His eyes a bit watery and his lip quivering.

 
He kept speaking, not even looking Jonathan's way. Smiling at the prude jokes, the other kids would make.

Jonathan could feel his body harden. His stomach fell and he laid his head down.
The class went by slow. No one bothered Jonathan, not even the teacher.

When the bell rang, he sluggishly got up and dragged himself to third period.
"As I count the hours so slowly, I mourn over the loss of something that doesn't exist." Jonathan's red eyes hung at Marcel's raised eyebrow.

"What happened to you?" He popped a gum in his mouth, chewing obnoxiously while the teacher bounced her leg up and down.
All the attention was gone, as his friends focused on the red lipstick stained teacher.
"I'm devastated." He hoped that the bees and the trees; the wind and the clouds could hear his plea. Anything, anybody could help his heart mend.

Walking home with the wind and dark clouds above him, soothed his puffy eyes. His sniffles calmed along with his intrusive thoughts.
"If I take off my pinkie, would it take my mind off him?" He wanted to believe that some force of nature was listening to him. He wanted to think that his voice was being heard by others.

She had a face straight outta magazine
God only knows but you'll never leave her
Her balaclava is starting to chafe
And when she gets his gun he's begging, "Babe, stay, stay, stay, stay, stay."

I'll give you one more time
We'll give you one more fight
Said one more line
Will I know you

Pause.

"He's got a face straight outta magazine."

He looked up at the ceiling and admired the silence, the fresh air that was coming in. He laid in bed and tried to rest but his mind.

"Maybe your my blue moon. Maybe I let go to soon."
He looked at his blue walls and his video game posters and told himself, "Grow up."
Only to sobbed into his star wars pillow case.

His heart heavy and his stomach turning. He held himself, a headache stopped his breath.
He got up and sat there on his bed, staring at the wall. His face felt static and his feet were asleep.

Through his open window Evan laid in his bed with his wife, imagining Jonathan fall apart.
And he was fine with that.