Once Upon A Prank

Dude we're gonna be late"

"I'm walking as fast as I can right now. Don't push it"

Hunter scoffed at Josh who was waddling like a penguin, his geeky glasses slightly askew on his face, a sheen of sweat glistening on his face.

Josh had a thing with neatness, he couldn't bear being dirty. He didn't play like normal children, act like normal children or ask questions like normal children.

Like yesterday, he asked his mother why the lightning glared across the sky before the horrid thunder stroke.

The puzzled mother told him it acted as a warning so we would know if thunder was gonna strike soon.

Josh, his best friend since seven was a little overweight and wasn't helping matters at the moment.

"Hurry up. Look Zoe's waiting". Sure enough Zoey Chase was waiting impatiently for them.

"What are you guys? Ducks?" Zoey asked, tapping her foot on the sidewalk.

Zoey was shorter than Hunter, had hazel colored eyes and was African Asian.

"Josh caused it"

Josh huffed and panted his way over "Was...late...sorry"

"Whatever. Let's just go, the buses is gone now"

Hunter, Josh and Zoey trekked silently under the few rays of the sun and made it to school six minutes before the bell rang.

They all went to their lockers, Hunter's and Zoey's were three lockers apart while Josh had his near the end of the rows of lockers in the hallway.

Josh took out his Biology notes and the project he spent all night working on, and shoved his backpack inside his locker. As he slammed the locker shut, he could sense someone or something behind him.

He gulped.

He didn't need two guesses to guess right.

He turned around and towering over him was Brent and his clique who did all his biddings and all but worshipped the ground he stood on.

"If it isn't little smarty pants"

"I wanna ge...get to class ppl-ease" Josh stammered

"Hey, whats that?" he asked,.pointing at his biology project.

"My science project"

"Gimme that" Brent snarled as he snatched it away from his hands.

"Nooo" Josh pleaded "please, I need it for class"

Brent handed the handwritten brochure to Cory, one of his minions.

"Here, read it to me". Cory launched into a self acclaimed speech about frogs and their oscillatory behavior of their pharynx producing special sounds and signals vibrating inside the water to attract mates for reproduction.

Brent yawned. "Boring. But, I'm keeping it."

Josh whined. "That's not fair, then what will I submit in class?"

"Make do with this". Another disciple, Jake, thrust a ratty piece of paper at him.

At that moment, the bell rang for first period, and the boys ran away. At first, hr thought it was because they were eager to get to class but looking back, he was wrong.

So Josh did what curious kids do best and he opened the paper thrust forcefully at his hands, he was dumbfounded.

"Clear the halls people. Principal coming through". Sure enough, Principal H. Rockwell (Nobody knew his first name but they were guessing it went in the ranks of Dicky) barreled through the few lingering students loitering the halls and stood beside Josh, brandishing a megaphone.

Then he yelled in Josh's ear. "Why aren't you in class!!" through the mega phone.

Josh jumped and his books and the sheet of paper fell to the ground.

"I'm really, really sorry, principal, I was-". His heart skipped ten beats and flew into his mouth as the principal crouched and picked the paper up.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here". He said, scanning the paper showing the anatomy of a naked female species of the Genus, Homo sapiens complete with sketchy labels including "tits" ( seriously, what the hell are those ) and other things which an eight grader shouldn't be seeing...yet.

"Holy Incarnation" Principal Rockwell screamed, his eyes wide, saucer-like.

"Where did you get this?"

"I uhh, i-" Josh gulped.

"Doesn't matter. Young man I want to see you in my office ASAP". The principal said.

"What are you all looking at?" He screamed at some ninth graders who hurried away as fast as they could, away from the principal's sharp tongue and even worse: detention. They whistled to themselves, sure of their next object of ridicule at lunch.

Josh found his way to the principal's office, a tear slipping away from his eye.

Meanwhile...

📚📚📚📚📚📓📑📚📚

In class, Hunter was casting what he thought was discrete guesses at Ashley. He'd liked Ashley since she transferred schools to H.G Wells Junior/High school.

Ashley was white, had enchanting blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair which she curled.

Ahh....

If I could just bask in her heavenly presence, he thought.

Why is it that she never glances my way? Hunter sighed frustrated. What do I even feel this way? What is this?

All his questions went unanswered as his mind was blank.

Mr. Bryant cleared his throat. "Ahem, Hunter, if you're done looking at miss Ashley over there, can you answer the question on the board.

Hunter turned bright red and kept his face straight so Ashley who was seating at his side wouldn't see.

Unfortunately she already had.

This is not just my day.... Hunter thought

🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔

While students filtered out of the classes and filled the halls trying to get to their next class, Hunter held back.

Mr. Bryant was packing his lesson notes and things inside his bag when Hunter went to his desk.

"Sir about Ashley" the teacher looked up "I think I kinda like her"

"You think? You were paying attention more to her than my lesson". He chided.

"I'm sorry, I just want to ask you for advise"

"Really? For what?" Mr. Bryant asked evasively.

"Should I approach her? Tell her my feeling's?"

"Love is in here" he said patting Hunter's chest. "You'll know when its the right time".

"When is it going to be the right time?"

"That's up to you to decide". The teacher said before leaving the class leaving Hunter to think about what he just said, his mind glazing over his options