The Wolf Who Cried Nerd

Prologue

I sit here in the cafeteria, school paper in my hand and listening my friend going on about the match last night. We played the Volcano High team. It was a good match. They won, but it was a good match. Taylor really is using a lot of words to gush on about it though. I mean, yeah, he did score that field goal and all, but... Soon, I find myself more interested in the letters in front of my eyes and only entertaining him with nods and hums. Then again, it's not as if the content of the school paper was much better. Everybody knows that it's not exactly the newsworthy stuff that gets printed here. I'm pretty sure that our match didn't even merit more than a fifth page column mention. Let alone the headline.

The headline which is...? Oh. Of course. Vegan Victory! Omnivore meals now standard in the cafeteria...

I put the paper down for a second, to poke at the unidentifiable grayish... Something... That's on my plate. It doesn't look very appetizing. And that's not just because I'm a carnivore. I sigh, and continue reading. If I'm being honest, and all-omnivore buffet sounds nice. It really does. Only that it's all herbie stuff that the article dresses up as this super democratic thing. Though I'm not surprised. This is just the way the paper is run here. If it wasn't for Taylor chewing my ear off, I wouldn't have entertained the idea of picking it up.

Flipping through the pages lazily, I try to find any mention of our clash on the field. Turn a page... Then turn a page... Flip it around, go through it backwards... Checking the sides...

Nothing. Nada. Hm? But oh, what's this? Interview with a new student? That should be interesting... He picked an odd time to transfer here, but hey! We're looking for a new QB anyway! Maybe that'd shut Taylor up. Okay, let's see here... A most interesting fellow, who...

A most interesting fellow, who rollin' like the cool guys and only introducing himself by a nickname he's got, I present to you: Nerd!

"...Really, N? You think that sounded good?" I ask the wolf-girl sitting beside me, sceptic, and fixing my glasses that always seem to be living a life of their own.

She rolls her eyes in a way that I don't particularly like, but wait for her reply regardless.

"You know how it is, B... I had to sell the bit so people would read it."

"Well, yeah, but..."

I try to come up with something good, but trip over my own words. Which she takes as her cue to continue, getting up from the table to walk around the room - a habit she has. It's a tiny office at the back of the building, that houses the headquarters of the School Paper and Journo Club. The name makes it sound more pompous than in really is. A bunch of decade old computers, a projector, some printers, and a blotter donated a couple of years ago by a local shop that was a miracle it even worked back then. We usually spent our lunch breaks here, talking shit and giving critique to one another. It was all fun and games, but... N could get very caught up with that latter bit...

"Besides, your notes didn't give me a lot to work with. I had no choice but to spice it up." she says.

This time, it takes some restraint not to let my hands ball up into fists. The audacity of this girl could really be something else, from time to time. Instead, I give her a polite nod, and smile.

"Oh... Yeah, sure. Spice it up..."

Her being my superior, I can't very well disagree with N even if I wanted to. She's been here a lot longer than I have, and everyone seems to like the stuff she writes. And... Uhm... Right. She has. Then... Maybe... Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she fixed up my boring notes... Yeah. Really. Maybe I should thank her for putting in the effort.

As if reading my mind she gives me a smile too and sits back down next to me, patting me on the shoulder.

"Hey, but I reeeallly loved your other piece! Looking into conspiracies and stuff? Being nosy like that is what journalism is all about!"

Her smile is a thousand watts. And it takes me unprepared. But then I smile back, this time genuinely, happy for the praise. What follows then is a genuinely engaging discourse about my article, and all the sneaky stuff I had to do to gather the info. Oh, if my parents knew!

...Still, even though I do my best to listen to Nanaki, again and again my mind goes back to that other article, the one about the new guy. While interviewing him I got that feeling that he wasn't very... Well, I should maybe say he wasn't very remarkable. Looked like some shy type of guy that could blend in and lie low, under the radar. Yet there was this eerie feeling I got around him, something that captivated me. He was both very timid and strangely intense. As if heralding a big change that was just around the corner... A man of... A man of...

"...A man of ideals!" he proclaims, ending his speech.

He bows. The teacher claps. The guys in the front clap. I clap. We all clap. It doesn't matter anyway. It's just a thing people do, a formality.

The guy, Nerd, is then told to sit down. He picks a seat near me. Not sure what I should think about that. I really only think nothing. Mirroring my sentiment the teacher picks up the lesson, and we all take out our notebooks and stuff. From the corner of my eye I watch Nerd unpack his things, slightly amused. I guess I never really seen a human before, up close.

Nerd. What a fucking name. What a bozo... Is it supposed to be satire? No way someone wants to be called that. I mean, I admit, he does look the part. Sitting there with a straight back like he's got a giant stick up his ass, white shirt with a pen protector, neatly trimmed short brown hair... Is this what all humans are like? I could imagine him in like, AV club. Or the Glee club. Even the chess team. Only question I have, what was Becca smoking when she decided to interview the guy? It's not even like she didn't know what he would be like, because she contacted him on Facerock. Spent the whole evening on it, she was probably paying more attention to that than the movie we were watching. And how come her and that other girl running the club were allowed inside on a weekend? Yeah I know it was to print, but one time I try to sneak in a-- Oh whatever, it doesn't matter. Of course they can do that.

I take my eyes off Nerd and look around to see if there's anyone else in class interested in him. ...Not really. Most people are either paying attention to the lecture or playing with their phones. Maybe I should too. Doesn't Becca have a free period after lunch? I wonder what she's doing. Maybe we could have a date this weekend. Maybe a double date with Ian and his girlfriend, to wind down after the match last night. Like a double date? Would Becca like that?

And oh, what the Hell! Maybe we could string this human bloke along too. He doesn't look like the type to make a date interesting, he really does not, but I'd hate for it if he couldn't make any friends or something. Wouldn't want him to shoot up the school, either.

But just as I'm about to very-very stealthily type up a message...

"Taylor, you still with us...?"

Ssshit.

Chapter I - Suspicions

"Yeah man, so what do you say?"

Class is over now. Ian had already gone ahead to hit the gym, and I'll be sure to follow, but first I decided to actually ask this Nerd guy if he wants to hang out with us. He smiles at me all politely... Very, politely... A bit weirdly... And says-

"Uh, sure? If you guys don't mind, I'd be happy to tag along. Don't really know anyone else here, so you know... What the Hell, right?"

"Right. That's why uh, you know. That's why I asked." I try to follow his properness for whatever reason "So uh, this weekend's good for you?"

"Should be, yeah."

"Cool. We'll probably meet at Rebecca's place, alright?" he seems a bit lost when I drop Becca's name, so I explain "She's uh, the girl who did your interview?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Is she your girlfriend, or...?"

The forwardness of his question is a little off-putting. I make a mental note of it, but try to be nice for now. Maybe he's just nervous - new student and all?

"She is."

"Right."

I watch as Nerd finishes packing up his stuff, and without really thinking about it I follow him out into the hallway. This halt in the conversation is getting kinda weird, so I decide to ask him some basic ass transfer student questions. Or maybe human questions. Or wait, better yet...

"So... Nerd?"

"Huh?"

He obviously doesn't get it. ...Wait, it couldn't be that it's an actual proper skinnie name? No way.

"I mean... Is that your real name?"

Understanding dawns on his face, and a cheesy grin spreads across his cheeks.

"Real enough for you."

"...?"

I want to ask him what he means, but then I figure maybe I shouldn't. Another mental note.

"Hey, so uh..." he suddenly speaks up "Do you happen to have a copy of the school paper? I've been kinda wondering how that interview went."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, sure."

Slinging my backpack around on my shoulder I dig into it, retrieving a crumpled up copy - courtesy of Becca, of course.

"Here you go man!"

He thanks me and takes the paper, looking through it almost immediately. I can't tell if that's rude or not, or another human thing.

We split up not long after, going our respective ways. Me to the gym, and him home, apparently. But not before exchanging numbers. So far this Nerd guy seems like an... Okay dude? Weird at times and all but... Everyone deserves to have friends, right? What could go wrong?

Chapter II - eNemies

Chapter III - brOken things

Chapter IV - abso-loots

Chapter V - starT

Epilogue