The Forgotten

Part One: 

The athlete. The princess. The criminal. The nerd. The basket case. And... The forgotten? 

 I’m the forgotten. I’m the friend that has to walk behind the group when the path isn’t big enough. I’m the friend that gets cut off in the conversation. I’m the friend that gets left behind when I asked them to wait for me. I’m the friend that doesn’t get invited to hang out after school. I’m that friend that if I want to go to the mall or some place with a friend, I have to be the one to invite the people to make sure I get included. I’ve always been that friend. I thought I would be that friend for my entire life. 

****** 

Wasting an entire Saturday. Sitting in detention. I shouldn’t be in here. It wasn’t my fault. “Excuse me, sir?” The annoying little princess said, drawing attention to herself as always. “I think there’s been a mistake. I know it’s detention, but... um... I don’t think I belong in here...” . Join the club sweetheart. Vernon ignored her. I’m sure she wasn’t used to that.

 I have eight more hours sitting here in hell? Great. “And you may not talk. You will not move from these seats.” Vernon kept talking, but I stopped caring about an hour ago. “And you...” He said, walking over to the burn-out, and pulling a chair out from under his feet. I’d seen him around, but never spoken to him. “...will not sleep.

 Alright people, we’re gonna try something a little different today. We are going to write an essay-- of no less than a thousand words--describing to me who you think you are.”. Does it look like I give a shit? The burn-out and Vernon had some kind of exchange, but I tuned out entirely. When Vernon finally left, the shit-head (meaning the burn-out), decided to speak up. I simply rolled my eyes.

 Before I get the chance to think, I hear a loud snapping sound, and look over at the basket-case sitting at the table across from me. She’s sitting there biting her nails so loud a deaf rat could hear it. “You keep eating your hand and you’re not gonna be hungry for lunch.” Bender (again, the burn-out.) commented. She keeps biting her nails, and I roll my eye’s for the 100th time today. How am i going to manage to sit here for eight fucking hours without killing myself or anyone else? 

 **********

“You know, Bender... you don’t even count. I mean, if you disappeared forever it wouldn’t make any difference. You may as well not exist at this school.” I heard Andrew tell Bender. It sounded more like he was talking about me, because I assure you they’ve all already forgotten that I was here. “Well... I’ll just run right out and join the wrestling team.” Bender shot back.

 They had been going at this for a while now, and I tuned them out after the first ten seconds. I resumed my drawing on my paper, outlining a tear that I drew to be falling off this girl’s cheek. I think I’d name this one, The Lost, because she looked almost like a little girl who got lost in the store without her parents. “Well... It wouldn’t have anything to do with you activities people being assholes... now would it?” I tuned in again, unaware of what they’re actually talking about. “Well you wouldn’t know... You don’t even know any of us.” Claire fought back. No. Benders right. You’re all stuck up pricks.

 “Well, I don’t know any lepers either, but I’m not gonna run out and join one of their fucking clubs.” Bender said sarcastically. I unintentionally laughed, accidentally drawing attention to myself. Claire looked at me as though I had just poured  chocolate syrup all over myself and then tried to hug her. She whispered, “don’t encourage him...”, and I only replied by rolling my eyes and looking back at Bender, waiting for him to resume his sarcasm, but it took him a second to look away from me. Claire and the others had already looked away and forgot my existence, but Bender lingered for a second, holding a small smirk, and then finally looked back at Claire, automatically forgetting that I was anywhere around. 

 *******

We all looked up as we heard Vernon moving around out in the hall, so Bender quickly went and sat in the chair between Claire and Andrew and folded his hands on the table. Vernon walked back into his office, and Bender pushed the chair back, and laughed before he started walking to the doors. “You know there’s not s’posed to be any monkey business!” Brian said. God, goody-two-shoes much? Bender turned around so he was walking backwards and facing Brian. “Young man... have you finished your paper?”. I laughed again, but naturally, no one looked towards me this time. Instead, they just forgot that I was even in the same galaxy anymore.

 Bender turned back to face the door, looked around cautiously, and began to remove a screw. Good thinking... “What are you gonna do?” Claire asked him, but Andrew answered instead. “Drop dead, I hope!”. Prick. Bender finally got the screw out and the door slammed shut, and he ran back to his seat, and then turned around to face me... He held out his hand, revealing the screw that he had stolen from the door, and then motioned for me to take it. I leaned over the table and snatched the screw from his hand. He winked at me with that, ‘you’re-just-a-sexual-object-to-me kind of wink. I suppose he gave me the screw so he wouldn’t get caught so... “That’s very funny, come on, fix it!” Andrew shouted, followed by Brian, “You should really fix that!”.  “Am I a genius?” Bender asked, and I fought back my laughter at his sarcasm this time. “No, you’re an asshole!” Andrew answered. They had a bit more of an exchange but I tuned out. “Everyone just shhh!” I finally heard Bender shout. 

 “Why is that door closed?!” Vernon shouted as he bursted through the door. He repeated himself when no one answered him. “Why, is that, door, closed?”. “How’re we s’posed to know? We’re not s’posed to move, right?” Bender replied. Vernon turned to Claire and looked her dead in the eyes. “Why?”. Oh great. Now we’re screwed. “We were just sitting here, like we were s’posed to...” she answered. Oh... never mind... “Who closed that door?” Vernon asked again, obviously getting more frustrated by the second. “I think a screw fell out of it...” Bender lied. I tightened my grip on the screw for a second, and then brought it down my leg, and dropped it into my shoe. “It just closed, sir...” Andrew claimed. “Who?” Vernon asked, as he looked back at Allison, the basket-case. She simply let out a squeak and slammed her face onto the table, hiding her face in her jacket. “She doesn’t talk, sir...” Bender explained. “Give me that screw.” Vernon demanded Bender. Naturally, he had forgotten that I existed, therefore releasing me from having to be asked. “I don’t have it...” Bender told him quietly. It wasn’t a lie either. “You want me to yank you outta that seat and shake it out of you?” Vernon threatened, to bad he was wrong. “I don’t have it... screws fall out all the time, the world’s an imperfect place.” Bender explained. Nice excuse. “Give it to me, Bender...” Vernon said, trying to control his temper. “Excuse me sir, why would anybody want to steal a screw?” Claire asked, and Vernon snapped to look at her. “Watch it, young lady!” he said, pointing a finger at her. Vernon tried to find a way to keep the door open, but failed in the same way that he failed to get laid I’m sure. Before Vernon turned to leave out of frustration, Bender just had to make things worse. “Eat my shorts...” he said under his breath, and Vernon turned to face him. “What was that?” he asked. “Eat. my. shorts!” He shouted. “You just bought yourself another Saturday, mister!’”, “Oh, Christ...”, “You just bought one more right there!”, “Well I’m free the Saturday after that... beyond that, I’m gonna have to check my calendar!”. Shut up Bender!  I wanted to shout, but he wouldn’t stop. They continued to bicker at each other, and he ended with 2 months of detention. Why wouldn’t he just learn to close his mouth. Better yet, why can’t I stop listening to him?