Jeremy Lewis
From Create Your Own Story
You are Jeremy Lewis, age sixteen. You have been told you look really girly and the fact that you keep your hair long doesn’t help your case. A few of the assholes at school even tease you and say you are pretty enough to be a girl. You always carry around your laptop bag because you never know when you might need it. Most people bully you but they keep their hands off your laptop bag since it’s usually full of the homework of the bullies who… acquire your services. You really don’t have to do their homework but you do anyway. Not so they don’t mess with you but so James, your best and only friend, doesn’t get in trouble for fighting them. You really love James. A lot more than you think you should. He doesn’t know you like guys and you don’t want to ruin your friendship by telling him.
Today you’ve had three pop quizzes and are confident you aced them all. It’s after school and you’re sitting under a tree, chewing the arm of your glasses while you wait for James to get out of detention for sleeping in algebra. While you hate that he’s in detention, you’re glad it’s not because of you. You’re playing a computer game when a shadow falls over you. You look up smiling.
“Get out early for good behavior?” You accidentally ask Carlos Garcia, one of your bullies.
The guy gives you a puzzled look.
“Thought you were someone else.” You sigh, putting your laptop down on its bag and standing up. He’s at least half a foot taller than you, so you have to look up to keep eye contact. “So... What do you need?”
“Tutoring.” Carlos says simply.
You can’t help but be surprised at this. You’ve been asked, well ordered, to do bullies’ homework before. But none of them have asked you to tutor them.
“Tutoring?” You ask, making sure you heard right.
“Yeah, I’m failing chemistry. The coach says if I don’t pick up my grades, I can’t play football anymore.”
Carlos looks like he’d just been given the death penalty.
“Look I understand if you don’t want to, but I really need this! My dad was a tight end and so was his dad! If I don't play college football, he’ll be disappointed. Please help.”
Carlos looks close to begging. You really look at Carlos. He’s big and broad and his muscles are more defined than the the almost shapeless bulk of most of his teammates. He's Latino and has black hair cut in a short buzz and dark skin. He’s actually kind of cute when he’s not threatening you with bodily harm. You do feel bad for him but he is a bully. Do you help him?
