"Can you sit down,
Dan?"
"Sure." I wonder what they called me out of English class for. Was it the copy of the Anarchist Cookbook I had been printing out in the computer lab?
"I hear that you're not reading the assigned reading in your English class. The Red Badge of Courage is a very important book."
"Uhh . . ."
"Now I understand that you might think it is boring. But you need to read what's assigned, not some comic book or whatever you were reading. What were you reading?"
"The Waste Lands. I already finished The Red Badge of Courage." Perhaps this would be a bad time to ask to be moved to the AP class.
"So, how did it end?"
"Did you read it?" I ask him.
"Does it matter?" he responds. I think, He's never . . .
"The main character, a guy named Dante, runs off and joins the other side and ends up killing his brother." He doesn't even blink.
"Okay. Well. What kind of comic is The Waste Lands?"
Of course, this was after the coounselor had
betrayed my trust about some
depression I had, and ended up telling all my
teachers and
parents and I had to sit in this
group therapy thing where I would make up
stories about how I hated life.
I regret both incidents. They were just trying to help. Stupid or no, apathy isn't a happy thing. Too cool to care is depressing.