suburbia [joshler]>> j.d t.j

f i v e

i can't sing.

i like singing, and i can play a few instruments well, sure. i've played a couple shows for church and coffee shops and whatnot. other people like my voice, and i get encouragement a lot, but i hate my voice. i think i sound nasally and too high pitched.

so, tyler, if you're reading this, don't try singing for them.

✦✦✦

fighting gets you nowhere in life. the wars overseas, to me, are pretty pointless. if leaders would just shut up, sit down, and talk about their problems, the world would be a better place. instead we solve our problems through violence. i don't want to be a violent person.

so as a rule, i generally avoid conflict.

except for now. when i wound up and full on karate-kidded the football captain who also happened to be the son of the principal.

shit.

i barely even remembered what exactly i had done.

i sighed, looking around the office, at the floor, at my hands, basically anywhere but gerard who was beside me, and mr. way, who was on the other side of the desk.

" mister joseph, mister way, i'm very disappointed in you both."

i hated when grownups used their parent voices on me. it made me feel like shit.

" you both know that here at columbus high we have a strict no violence policy, and violation of this results in suspension or worse."

i sighed, putting my elbow on the arm of the leather padded chair i was sitting in and resting my chin in my hand. i didn't really care what happened at this point. i accepted i'd get yelled at by my mom, and that was fine. i heard gerard exhale heavily out of his mouth and cross his arms.

" come on, dad. tyler attacked me, and anybody you ask will tell you that. i was just trying to help that new kid, and tyler had a problem with it for some reason."

i spun at him, leaning away and furrowing my eyebrows.

" excuse you?! you shoved him backwards into a table then called both of us gay!"

gerard gasped in fake offense.

" i did no such thing!"

" boys, boys! calm down, both of you!"

mr. way glared at both of us, his mouth in a frown that looked like his son's.

i rolled my eyes at gerard and went back to staring at a framed picture on the bookshelf against the wall. whatever. gerard could kiss his dad's ass. me and about five other people knew the truth, and that was enough, even if i had to make an entire powerpoint presentation involving graphs and charts.

" tyler, i don't know what got into you. you have a clean record here, and you're an all a student. aside from the basketball incident, you haven't done anything inappropriate here at school."

the principal turned to gerard, his expression hardening.

" and you, young man. as the captain of the football team, you should know better. and as your father, quite frankly, your mother and i raised you better."

gerard sucked his teeth and made a 'pff' noise.

" oh, come on, old man. save the speech. i think we all know whose fault this really was. it wasn't mine, that new kid's, or anybody else's. it was tyler's. so let me go back to class, and i'll let you deal with this kid."

my jaw fell open and my eyes went wide as i looked from gerard to his dad. my mother would whip my ass if i talked to her or my dad like that. i couldn't believe gerard had just said that to his father. i waited for the principal to yell at his son, or at least do something.