- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
Enter Michael Keswick. Eighteen years old, IQ of 170. And probably one of the dullest people anyone could meet. But that's the price of being a genius sometimes; popularity sacrificed in exchange for academic performance and mental stimulation. Michael didn't think he was dull; withdrawn, shy he knew he was, but that was only because he didn't associate well with the 'hip-hop' and 'wanna-be gangster' culture that seemed to have flooded this school. His quiet nature, unfortunately, meant that he was often a victim of bullying; he always let it go, simply because he hated starting trouble. It also didn't help that he was six feet tall and weighed in at 150 lbs. He was considered 'normal' by most medical standards, but he still looked very skinny. His body lithe yet toned
He always dressed in very plain clothing; a plain, logo-less shirt, jeans, and white shoes. That was it, day in and day out. People just assumed it was his 'dorkiness' that made him wear such lackluster clothing. While part of that was true, it was also due to his being emancipated at 15 and working as a grocery store cashier. Since he was on his own, he had to be frugal, which meant not conforming to people's imposed necessity of buying designer clothing.
It was largely because of his non-conformity that he didn't have a lot of friends; it was this lack of friends and social commitment that also enabled him to succeed, and at the same time earn the ire of the school's many steroid-laced, party-hound tough guys. They often called him names like 'Poindexter', 'dork', 'nerd'. It was basically every tired, overused insult for people with an IQ higher than a rock. But that to him was unimportant; he continued with his studies because he wanted to make something of himself. His efforts were rewarded as he entered his senior year; he'd aced all of his classes thus far, with exceptional performance in the advanced placement mathematics and sciences.
He was lucky though; he didn't wear glasses or have pimples or possess many of the other stereotypical signs of the common dork or nerd. His eyes, being a strange mix of gunmetal and cobalt, were one of the things he was recognized for in the school and shone with the fiery intelligence and gift for observation and insight that his possessed. Another mark was the prominent scar extending across his face from his right temple to his left jawbone; people sometimes asked him what happened and he would tell sternly it's none of their business.
But now, let's come to the present. Michael sat at the front in his AP Calculus course, away from the jackasses who were taking the course just to make them look good. The only reason they succeeded was because their parents hired people to basically give them the answers. One of the aforementioned jackasses, a jock named Donovan 'Brick' Davies, glared daggers at Michael's back. He and two of his buddies, James 'Heavy' Brown, and Thomas 'Powerhouse' Anderson were 'plotting' on how to torment the 'egghead nerd' as they called Michael. They decided to go with an old classic; wait until class was over and corner him.
The class went by without incident, and as Michael bid the teacher good-day, he stepped outside the classroom. He didn't very far when he felt someone grab him and push him into the lockers. "Hey nerd, I noticed you didn't do our homework yet. We ain't doin' well because of your laziness." Donovan spat at him as he and his two buddies surrounded him. "Considering that I work, Donovan....." he started to say, but Donovan cut him off "You know my name around this joint is 'Brick'." "Fitting, since that's about your intelligence level, you neanderthal." Michael thought to himself. "Fine, Brick. The truth is, like I've said before, I'm not doing your homework. I have too much to do on my own." 'Brick' shook his head, "Ah, you nerds never get it, do you? We run this school, and we ain't afraid to 'persuade' you to do it." He and his buddies got their knuckles cracked as they got ready to 'persuade' Michael to comply.
He always dressed in very plain clothing; a plain, logo-less shirt, jeans, and white shoes. That was it, day in and day out. People just assumed it was his 'dorkiness' that made him wear such lackluster clothing. While part of that was true, it was also due to his being emancipated at 15 and working as a grocery store cashier. Since he was on his own, he had to be frugal, which meant not conforming to people's imposed necessity of buying designer clothing.
It was largely because of his non-conformity that he didn't have a lot of friends; it was this lack of friends and social commitment that also enabled him to succeed, and at the same time earn the ire of the school's many steroid-laced, party-hound tough guys. They often called him names like 'Poindexter', 'dork', 'nerd'. It was basically every tired, overused insult for people with an IQ higher than a rock. But that to him was unimportant; he continued with his studies because he wanted to make something of himself. His efforts were rewarded as he entered his senior year; he'd aced all of his classes thus far, with exceptional performance in the advanced placement mathematics and sciences.
He was lucky though; he didn't wear glasses or have pimples or possess many of the other stereotypical signs of the common dork or nerd. His eyes, being a strange mix of gunmetal and cobalt, were one of the things he was recognized for in the school and shone with the fiery intelligence and gift for observation and insight that his possessed. Another mark was the prominent scar extending across his face from his right temple to his left jawbone; people sometimes asked him what happened and he would tell sternly it's none of their business.
But now, let's come to the present. Michael sat at the front in his AP Calculus course, away from the jackasses who were taking the course just to make them look good. The only reason they succeeded was because their parents hired people to basically give them the answers. One of the aforementioned jackasses, a jock named Donovan 'Brick' Davies, glared daggers at Michael's back. He and two of his buddies, James 'Heavy' Brown, and Thomas 'Powerhouse' Anderson were 'plotting' on how to torment the 'egghead nerd' as they called Michael. They decided to go with an old classic; wait until class was over and corner him.
The class went by without incident, and as Michael bid the teacher good-day, he stepped outside the classroom. He didn't very far when he felt someone grab him and push him into the lockers. "Hey nerd, I noticed you didn't do our homework yet. We ain't doin' well because of your laziness." Donovan spat at him as he and his two buddies surrounded him. "Considering that I work, Donovan....." he started to say, but Donovan cut him off "You know my name around this joint is 'Brick'." "Fitting, since that's about your intelligence level, you neanderthal." Michael thought to himself. "Fine, Brick. The truth is, like I've said before, I'm not doing your homework. I have too much to do on my own." 'Brick' shook his head, "Ah, you nerds never get it, do you? We run this school, and we ain't afraid to 'persuade' you to do it." He and his buddies got their knuckles cracked as they got ready to 'persuade' Michael to comply.