After School Activities

Jimmy Maxwell didn't like seventh grade that much. It was October of his first year in Junior High and already he had been laughed at by his Social Studies teacher for not having his homework done, been yelled at by his Science teacher for holding his microscope the wrong way, and been given a bad grade by his Math teacher. The worst, though, was not the teachers, but the other students. Whenever, he walked through the halls, someone would try to knock him over or make him drop his papers so they could be stepped on.

The only thing he really liked about school was English class with Miss Doyle. She was an extremely pretty, friendly teacher who was always smiling at him, but even in that class the students were not all good.

On this particular day, she was introducing them to Edgar Allan Poe. She told them about how Poe had lived a very tragic life, and had written some very disturbing poems and stories because of it. "We're going to start," she announced, "with one of the single most famous poems in the English language. 'The Raven'."

"Ohhhhhhh," a bored moan passed through the room.

"Ooooh," mimicked Miss Doyle. "You don't even know what it's about."

"I do," said a boy named Rick Wagner, one of the boys who was most famous for bothering Jimmy.

"Really?" said Miss Doyle skeptically. "Do you mean to tell me that you've read the works of Poe on your own initiative?"

"I saw it on The Simpsons" A giggle passed through the room.

"The Simpsons!" exclaimed Miss Doyle melodramatically. "How could I have forgotten that? Now, then. Open your textbooks to page 56."

It took a few minutes as the students were not particularly enthusiastic, but they finally all had their books open to page 56 which showed a black and white picture of a man looking at a raven. Jimmy liked the picture. There was something clearly ominous about it. "Now would anyone like to read?"

Jimmy almost put up his hand, but when he saw that there were no other volunteers, he hesitated. Still, Rick must have noticed that Jimmy's hand was halfway up because he leaned across the aisle and gave Jimmy a poke. "Why don't you volunteer?" he whispered.

"Rick?" called out Miss Doyle.

"Huh?" said Rick drawing back into his seat with alarm.

"Would you like to read for us?"

"No!" said Rick.

"I don't think Rick knows how to read," called out a girl in the front row. This made everyone in the class, even Jimmy, laugh.

In fact, Jimmy thought he could see a smirk cross Miss Doyle's face, but if so, it didn't last long. "That's enough," she announced. "I really think you should read, Rick."

"Actually," said Rick, "Jimmy was just saying that he wanted to read."

That wasn't true exactly, but Miss Doyle looked sideways at Jimmy, as if sensing there was some truth to it. "Would you like to read, Jimmy?"

"All right," said Jimmy who actually loved reading out loud. He began to read "Once upon a midnight dreary/while I pondered weak and weary/. . ." By the time, he got to "Be that word our word of parting/ bird or fiend I shrieked upstarting" he was shouting in his full voice. Then he calmed down a little for the last verse, "And the raven never flitting/Still is sitting. . ." After he read the last, nevermore, Miss Doyle applauded enthusiastically. And a few of the kinder students joined in.

"What a great reader!" said Miss Doyle. Jimmy blushed.

Rick murmured something that sounded like, "that was stupid."

"You have such a good voice," said Miss Doyle gently patting Jimmy on the head. "You know, you should speak more often." Jimmy tried not to turn too red.

"Hey, Miss Doyle," said Rick.

"Yes," said Miss Doyle.

"How'd you like to be Mrs. Maxwell? I'll bet Jimmy would like that. You'd make a very nice couple."

The entire class laughed at this except Jimmy who wanted to crawl into a hole. Miss Doyle paused a moment to look around the room, before she said. "Rick, do you what 'unkindness' means?"

Rick didn't answer.

"Unkindness is one of the few things that I do not tolerate in my class. Since you have exhibited it, you will now receive a detention. I'll see you after school today."

Jimmy was grateful when the bell rang not long after that.

As the rest of the class pushed their way out of the room, Miss Doyle couldn't help stopping Jimmy to say, "that was really great, Jimmy." Jimmy tried not to blush too much, but Miss Doyle was so strikingly beautiful with her freckles and her hair which might have been dyed black. Then, Miss Doyle changed the subject. "Does Rick give you a hard time?"

Jimmy thought that was kind of a dumb question, but he nodded.

"I wish I could be more helpful," sighed Miss Doyle, "but there isn't much I can do except give him more detention, and that just seems to go in one ear and out the other."

"It's okay," said Jimmy.

"No, it's not okay. Nobody should have to put up with what you're going through." Miss Doyle paused for a long moment as if she were trying to make a very difficult decision. "I actually might be able to do something else about it, but I'm not sure I should."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's just that. . .well. . ." She seemed to come to a decision. "You know what? I think I will take action. I'm just so tired of seeing you treated this way."

What was she going to do? Call Rick's parents. That might help, but it might not. Jimmy shrugged. "Do what you can, Miss Doyle."

"I will. You better get to your next class." She sighed again. "On another note, I have outdoor duty next period."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Oh . . .nothing. It's just that I never liked being out in the sun that much." Then, she put on a huge pair of sunglasses as they walked out of the classroom.

* * *

Jimmy was glad when school let out that day. It was that part of October when the summer seems to make a brief comeback and the weather becomes oddly warm and almost hot, but Jimmy enjoyed the weather as he walked up the street to his house.

"Hey," called a pleasantly familiar voice. Standing in they yard next door was Melissa Wilks. Several years older then him, she had lived next door since he was a baby--and had even been his babysitter when he was young enough. She was also a tall girl with long blonde hair, and today she was dressed in just a bikini.

"What are you doing dressed like that?" asked Jimmy.

"Just trying to get some sun," said Melissa. "It won't be long before I don't have the chance until spring. Actually, you should probably do the same. You're white as a ghost. Anyway, I was wondering if you could come around back and give me a hand with something. Literally, a hand." She said this last sentence as if it were a joke which Jimmy didn't get.

Still, Jimmy was always glad to help Melissa, so he followed her back to her yard where there were a lounge chair, some magazines, and a towel. She handed Jimmy a bottle of sunscreen. "Could you do my back?"

Jimmy choked, and it got even worse when she lay face down on the lounge chair and unhooked her bikini top. "I'm not sure I should," he said. "My parents might not like it.

"Oh don't be silly. You can tell your parents it's healthy for boys your age. Keeps you away from porn."

Jimmy couldn't imagine himself saying that to his parents, much less imagine their reaction, but he spread some sunblock on his hands and began rubbing it into her back.

"Good job," said Melissa when he was done. "I bet your friends at school would envy you."

Jimmy didn't bother telling her that there weren’t really any friends at school to envy him.

“Well, honestly,” Melissa went on, “you look so nervous. Why don’t you relax a little?” That made Jimmy smile in spite of himself. “That’s more like it,” said Melissa with a laugh, “but I was serious when I said that you should get more sun. Why don’t you take off your shirt?”

Take off his shirt? That wasn’t the sort of thing that Jimmy normally did, but he realized that he liked the idea, so he slipped off the shirt he had worn to school that day.

“That’s better,” said Melissa putting her arms around Jimmy in a sort of gentle hug. “You’ve got such a sexy chest.”

Jimmy knew that his chest basically looked like a little boy’s skinny chest, but he smiled because it felt good and kind of exciting.

“Now,” said Melissa. “I’d like to give you one more thing to reward you for helping me with the sunblock, but you have to absolutely promise to keep it a secret. I mean I know I joked about how you can tell your parents about the sunblock, but you can’t tell anyone about this. Do you promise?”

“I’m not so sure I should—“

“Oh come on. I promise you it’s nothing bad. It’s just that there are these silly laws which make it technically illegal. Can you promise not to tell?”

Everything in Jimmy’s mind told him to take his shirt and run away from this place, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Instead, he nodded and said, “I promise.”

“Good.” Melissa opened a metal box which had been sitting on her table. She took out a cigarette lighter and what looked like a long rolled up paper. “See? Just some harmless pot. Those morons in the government have nothing better to do then write laws against it.” She lit it and took a drag. “That is good,” she commented. “Try it?”

Jimmy was scared, but he took the joint gingerly with his fingertips, and then, with a bit of hesitation, he put it in his mouth and inhaled. Immediately, he began hacking and coughing.

“Oh,” said Melissa with concern. “I forgot to tell you that you’ve got to be careful the first time you do it. You’re not used to it.”

Jimmy sank onto the edge of Melissa’s lounge chair because he didn’t want to stand up anymore. “Don’t worry,” said Melissa putting her arm around him again. “You’ll do better next time.”

Jimmy wasn’t so sure he wanted there to be a next time, but he nodded.

* * *

The next day when Jimmy went to school, his mind was on other things. He was thinking about Melissa and he realized that he did in fact want to see her again.

Even when he got to Miss Doyle’s class, he wasn’t as excited as he usually was. He might not have paid any attention at all if he hadn’t heard Miss Doyle say, “Rick. What did we agree that you were going to say to Jimmy today?”

Rick slowly stood up and then in, an oddly unsteady voice, he said, “I was wrong to give Jimmy a hard time yesterday. I am sorry and I will never do it again.”

“Very good,” said Miss Doyle.

“Also,” said Rick still in a very slow measured voice, “I want to say that Jimmy is the most wonderful person in the world and that I promise to be his friend and protector for the rest of my life.” This caused the rest of the class to laugh. Except for Jimmy himself, who was feeling kind of embarrassed.

Miss Doyle must have noticed this, because she smirked and said, “Don’t overdo it, Rick. Now, let’s get back to Edgar Allan Poe.”

When class ended, Rick waited at the door for Jimmy. Jimmy stopped by Miss Doyle’s desk and said, “What did you do him? Beat him in that detention?”

“Of course not,” said Miss Doyle with an uncomfortable shrug. “I don’t believe in unnecessary violence.” But she wouldn’t say anything else.

When school let out that day, Jimmy saw that Rick was waiting for him. In the past that would have made him feel nervous, but today it made him feel annoyed. “What do you want now, Rick?” he asked.

“Miss Doyle told me to protect you,” he said, “so I will.” He blinked. “I wish there wasn’t so much sun, though. It hurts. I hate walking in the sun.”

“So why don’t you—“Then Jimmy stopped and looked carefully at Rick. He hadn’t noticed it, but Jimmy was actually very pale. Even stranger, there were two bright red dots on Rick’s neck. Almost like somebody had bitten him there. “How did you get that?” he asked, pointing to Rick’s neck.

“It’s nothing,” said Rick.

Jimmy sighed and walked home trying to ignore the fact that Rick was trailing him. The bright sunshine and the beautiful weather reminded him that Melissa might be outside again when he got home. If so, he wondered what she would say when she saw Rick.

As it happened, she was in the yard wearing her bikini calling, “Yoo-hoo,” as soon as she saw him. “Can you ‘help’ me again today?” she asked. Then she noticed Rick. “Oh,” she said, “you brought a friend. Well, that’s okay. The more the merrier.” Then she added in a lower voice, “if you’ll promise he can keep a secret.”

Jimmy couldn’t help smiling at that. He had a feeling that in Rick’s current state, Rick would keep his mouth shut as long as Jimmy told him to. “Come on out to the back yard,” said Melissa leading them though her house, but when they got outside to Melissa’s backyard, Melissa smiled and said to Rick, “Hey, did Jimmy tell you about my house rule? No men with shirts allowed beyond this point. You too, Jimmy.”

Jimmy pulled off his shirt and looked to see what Rick would do. Rick was backing away very slowly from Melissa. “No,” he said nervously.

“Oh come on,” said Melissa. “Don’t be modest. I’ve seen it before.”

“No, there’s too much sun!” said Rick now with alarm.

“So? I’ll give you some sunscreen.”

Rick turned around and ran back into the house.

“What’s wrong with your friend?” Melissa asked Jimmy.

One he’s not really my friend. Two, I have no idea, thought Jimmy. Out loud, he said, “You should probably just leave him alone.”

But Melissa ignored that and walked back into the house. Jimmy followed cautiously. “Hey,” said Melissa, “do you really not want to be outside in the sun?”

Rick seemed to grow a little bit more confident. “I am stronger in here,” he said. “There is not so much light.”

“Okay,” said Melissa.“You know, I’ve got something I was going to save for later, but maybe it’ll help relax you now.” She opened a box and showed him a joint. “The three of us can pass it around, okay? Then maybe you’ll feel better.”

For a long silent moment, Rick stared at Melissa with an unreadable expression. Then, before Jimmy knew what happened. Rick seemed to leap forward throwing his entire body at Melissa and sinking his teeth into her neck. Melissa tumbled to the floor.

For a moment, Jimmy was too shocked to react to the scene. When he finally did, Rick was kneeling over Melissa’s body and sucking on her neck. “What did you do that for?” he asked.

“Miss Doyle said to protect you,” he said. “And she,” he pointed to Melissa, “she was bad for you. Rick paused and wiped some of the blood from his face with the back of his hand. “Besides,” he went on, “I was very hungry.”