Sophinisba Solis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophinisba) wrote2007-05-11 09:19 am
sophinisba) wrote2007-05-11 09:19 am
Lasting Effects 9 (old abandoned Faculty fic)
Here's another part of that Zeke/Casey fic I was doing last year. Previous parts are on the tag. I haven't written much beyond this part. (More Homecoming soon though, I hope.) Thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
absolutefiction for some very smart comments on an earlier version of this. This part stars Casey and Stan and is rated PG + swearing.
Edit, January 24, 2009: See part 1 for full heading. This fic involves consent issues and disability. /Edit
Zeke ended up staying in Baltimore for just over a month. As it happened, that was the whole month of December. When Casey got back to school the first week of January, he heard that Zeke was back, even that he too would be starting back at school in another week.
There was grumbling, actually, because there hadn't been a student in a wheelchair at Herrington High for several years, and they were having to make arrangements. There was a side entrance without steps and there was an elevator, and the doorways were wide enough, because there had been other disabled students before. But even little changes and little expenses bothered some people. In between classes he saw Mr. Tate and the custodian, Jim, carrying a table into the history classroom, and he heard Tate saying, "And just think, if he'd put any effort into studying last year he would've graduated already, we wouldn't have to bother with all this."
Yeah, Casey thought, and when the aliens came we would've defeated them with, what? Money? History lessons? Truth is, we'd all be fucking pod people by now, and not just in Herrington, if Zeke Tyler hadn't repeated his senior year.
And rather than keep quiet about it, Casey followed them into the classroom (even though this wasn't his classroom, even though he had econ with Mr. Simpson this year) and said, "Are you gonna keep talking like that after Zeke gets back? Are you gonna keep reminding him how stupid and pointless it is, what happened to him?"
"No, Casey," said Mr. Tate, who'd never spoken to him before but knew who he was, like everybody did. "Seems to me you're the one yelling about it in front of the whole class."
Up till then Casey'd been able to ignore the rest of the room, but yeah, Stokely and Stan and twenty other less sympathetic teenagers were staring at him. Which made sense, really. It wasn't like they knew what Mr. Tate had said, and it wasn't like they got a lot of entertainment in this class.
"Tell them what you said."
"I said that students should study hard, go to all their classes, and graduate on time" Mr. Tate look bored and mildly amused. "Don't you have a class to get to, Casey?"
"Nobody had any problem with it when Zeke decided to take Stan's place on the football team. When Zeke was helping us win games, nobody ever said it was too bad he was still going to school here."
They were looking at him like he was crazy again. Tate was smirking and even Stan and Stokes were starting to give him that look. They were standing up and starting to move towards him. If he were smart he'd just shut up and get out, but he was too angry to be smart.
"He may not be convenient to have in class these next few months, but he's the smartest kid in this school. Hell, he's the smartest person in this town. And you'd be living in an alien colony if it weren't for him. So show -- "
And that was supposed to be show some fucking gratitude, but suddenly Stan was in his face, Stan's hands were on his upper arms, and Stan's mouth was saying, "Hey, Casey, let's go out in the hall, let's talk," and Stan was dragging him toward the door. No hand over his mouth, but the shock of it shut Casey up, and he followed Stan and Stokes out the door.
He let them talk to him, soothe him, calm him down, steer him towards his next class, where he was only a minute late and no one said anything.
He didn't have to argue with them because they understood, they'd been there. And it was good to have friends, Casey thought, and he realized that Stokes and even Stan really were his friends now, and he made it through the rest of the day without losing it.
After school he started toward Zeke's house. The way was familiar enough, though it was a little weird walking there. Well, weird and also excruciatingly cold. After a block he turned around and went to find Stan in the school parking lot.
"Hey, Stan."
"Hey, Casey."
"I was, um... I was gonna try going to Zeke's house and see if, you know, if he'd let me in."
"Right. Yeah, I've been meaning to try again too. Want me to give you a ride?"
Well, that was easy. "Yeah. That's what I was hoping, actually."
"Cool."
In the car, Casey said, "He might not want to see us."
"Yeah. Or he might be busy. Or he might just want to see you and not me. I'm not gonna get worked up about it. We'll see him next week anyway."
That was permission, Casey realized. That meant it was okay for Casey to talk to Zeke alone. Stan wouldn't get upset and, no, he wouldn't tell anyone. Maybe Stokes, but that was okay too. Casey wondered a little whether Stokely had said something to Stan. Not that Stokes would betray his secrets, but probably Stan suspected something and Stokely told him not to freak out, and Stan listened to her.
"Thanks, Stan," he said. "Thanks for the ride, and for helping me out today and stuff. I know we, um, we weren't exactly best buddies before this year."
Stan smiled. "You could say that."
"Or, you know, we hated each other's guts or whatever. But I'm glad you and Stokes got together and I'm, you know..."
"Yeah," said Stan, sparing Casey from having to say glad we're friends. "Well, we gotta stick together. Fearless band of alien killers and all that."
"Yeah, us and Delilah," Casey snorted.
Stan laughed too. "Yeah, well. Delilah was the first one of us to go. Before we left school that day, must've been, so before we even really understood what was going on. Makes sense the bond wouldn't be as strong."
"Yeah." And you were next, Casey didn't say.
"That and the fact that she's a bitch," Stan added.
They were at the house then. Getting out of the car Casey said, "She can be pretty cool sometimes, you know. She's got her own issues, that make her act like that. It's not like she's just..."
"I know," said Stan. "Hell, I dated her for longer than you did. I know about her mom and all that. But you don't have to defend her. I get it, but I still say she's not good enough for you. You ready?"
And Casey wasn't, had no idea what he would say to Zeke's parents, or to Zeke if he got that far, but standing there in the driveway wouldn't do anybody any good, and it would be warmer inside. He went to the door and knocked.
absolutefiction for some very smart comments on an earlier version of this. This part stars Casey and Stan and is rated PG + swearing.Edit, January 24, 2009: See part 1 for full heading. This fic involves consent issues and disability. /Edit
Zeke ended up staying in Baltimore for just over a month. As it happened, that was the whole month of December. When Casey got back to school the first week of January, he heard that Zeke was back, even that he too would be starting back at school in another week.
There was grumbling, actually, because there hadn't been a student in a wheelchair at Herrington High for several years, and they were having to make arrangements. There was a side entrance without steps and there was an elevator, and the doorways were wide enough, because there had been other disabled students before. But even little changes and little expenses bothered some people. In between classes he saw Mr. Tate and the custodian, Jim, carrying a table into the history classroom, and he heard Tate saying, "And just think, if he'd put any effort into studying last year he would've graduated already, we wouldn't have to bother with all this."
Yeah, Casey thought, and when the aliens came we would've defeated them with, what? Money? History lessons? Truth is, we'd all be fucking pod people by now, and not just in Herrington, if Zeke Tyler hadn't repeated his senior year.
And rather than keep quiet about it, Casey followed them into the classroom (even though this wasn't his classroom, even though he had econ with Mr. Simpson this year) and said, "Are you gonna keep talking like that after Zeke gets back? Are you gonna keep reminding him how stupid and pointless it is, what happened to him?"
"No, Casey," said Mr. Tate, who'd never spoken to him before but knew who he was, like everybody did. "Seems to me you're the one yelling about it in front of the whole class."
Up till then Casey'd been able to ignore the rest of the room, but yeah, Stokely and Stan and twenty other less sympathetic teenagers were staring at him. Which made sense, really. It wasn't like they knew what Mr. Tate had said, and it wasn't like they got a lot of entertainment in this class.
"Tell them what you said."
"I said that students should study hard, go to all their classes, and graduate on time" Mr. Tate look bored and mildly amused. "Don't you have a class to get to, Casey?"
"Nobody had any problem with it when Zeke decided to take Stan's place on the football team. When Zeke was helping us win games, nobody ever said it was too bad he was still going to school here."
They were looking at him like he was crazy again. Tate was smirking and even Stan and Stokes were starting to give him that look. They were standing up and starting to move towards him. If he were smart he'd just shut up and get out, but he was too angry to be smart.
"He may not be convenient to have in class these next few months, but he's the smartest kid in this school. Hell, he's the smartest person in this town. And you'd be living in an alien colony if it weren't for him. So show -- "
And that was supposed to be show some fucking gratitude, but suddenly Stan was in his face, Stan's hands were on his upper arms, and Stan's mouth was saying, "Hey, Casey, let's go out in the hall, let's talk," and Stan was dragging him toward the door. No hand over his mouth, but the shock of it shut Casey up, and he followed Stan and Stokes out the door.
He let them talk to him, soothe him, calm him down, steer him towards his next class, where he was only a minute late and no one said anything.
He didn't have to argue with them because they understood, they'd been there. And it was good to have friends, Casey thought, and he realized that Stokes and even Stan really were his friends now, and he made it through the rest of the day without losing it.
After school he started toward Zeke's house. The way was familiar enough, though it was a little weird walking there. Well, weird and also excruciatingly cold. After a block he turned around and went to find Stan in the school parking lot.
"Hey, Stan."
"Hey, Casey."
"I was, um... I was gonna try going to Zeke's house and see if, you know, if he'd let me in."
"Right. Yeah, I've been meaning to try again too. Want me to give you a ride?"
Well, that was easy. "Yeah. That's what I was hoping, actually."
"Cool."
In the car, Casey said, "He might not want to see us."
"Yeah. Or he might be busy. Or he might just want to see you and not me. I'm not gonna get worked up about it. We'll see him next week anyway."
That was permission, Casey realized. That meant it was okay for Casey to talk to Zeke alone. Stan wouldn't get upset and, no, he wouldn't tell anyone. Maybe Stokes, but that was okay too. Casey wondered a little whether Stokely had said something to Stan. Not that Stokes would betray his secrets, but probably Stan suspected something and Stokely told him not to freak out, and Stan listened to her.
"Thanks, Stan," he said. "Thanks for the ride, and for helping me out today and stuff. I know we, um, we weren't exactly best buddies before this year."
Stan smiled. "You could say that."
"Or, you know, we hated each other's guts or whatever. But I'm glad you and Stokes got together and I'm, you know..."
"Yeah," said Stan, sparing Casey from having to say glad we're friends. "Well, we gotta stick together. Fearless band of alien killers and all that."
"Yeah, us and Delilah," Casey snorted.
Stan laughed too. "Yeah, well. Delilah was the first one of us to go. Before we left school that day, must've been, so before we even really understood what was going on. Makes sense the bond wouldn't be as strong."
"Yeah." And you were next, Casey didn't say.
"That and the fact that she's a bitch," Stan added.
They were at the house then. Getting out of the car Casey said, "She can be pretty cool sometimes, you know. She's got her own issues, that make her act like that. It's not like she's just..."
"I know," said Stan. "Hell, I dated her for longer than you did. I know about her mom and all that. But you don't have to defend her. I get it, but I still say she's not good enough for you. You ready?"
And Casey wasn't, had no idea what he would say to Zeke's parents, or to Zeke if he got that far, but standing there in the driveway wouldn't do anybody any good, and it would be warmer inside. He went to the door and knocked.
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;)
*hugs*
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And am glad that Stokely and Stan were there for him.
And yay for more 'Homecoming'!
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