Lets Call It FML

So I haven't been on here in a while. I guess I'm on here now because I am kind of freaking out about my life. So I am going to take my time to rant for a while. Its not going to be funny. It will be some serious stuff about my life. Feel free to stop reading whenever.....Well I guess I should say that I decided on a career path. I want to be a lawyer. I know ironically the self obsessed guy who goes on rants wants to be a lawyer. So I want to be a lawyer and I got into the spring semester of the University of Georgia. That is great news I guess but there are a lot of issues. For instance, I took seventeen hours of college classes in high school. That sounds great but it means I need to take another fifteen in the fall semester here at home before I leave in the spring. That is so I can start in the spring as a sophomore. Here is where that all become a problem. Its going to cost a ton of money to get me through college and law school but I don't have that kind of money. My parents make decent money but its all tied up in bills so I applied for a summer job that pays well. The timing messes with a play I signed up for with our local theater company. I can't bail on it because they are counting on me and cant do the show without me but I'm just starting the job I need and cant ask for any time off.
I like to think I'm a problem solver so here are the options I am faced with for college expenses. (a) I can work my but off and take on massive student loans. That has its obvious disadvantages. (b) I go to a cheaper school and I become just some jo blow lawyer that is barely a legal aid. (c) This is probably the most iffy. The military has this program called ROTC that lets you study at college for four years then work in the field you studied for as an officer in the military for four years. Sounds great but here are all of its pitfalls. If I start in the spring as a sophomore then am I eligible for ROTC? Would I just catch up on my freshman ROTC classes? Then there is the problem of time. I want to settle down and have a family someday. So lets say I go to college four years and get a political science degree. Then I would work for the military as a para legal or something for another four years. By the time I get out and can go to law school I will be twenty six. Say I'm smart and can get through law school in three years. I'm a twenty nine year old associate. If you don't know how law firms work associates work like ninety hour work weeks. It takes about five years before you could become a junior partner. At what point am I suppose to find this girl of my dreams, settle down, and have a family when I'm thirty four years old. Frick this is a long rant! I'm not sure why I am saying all of this but if you managed to read it all please tell me what you think or if I am being completely nuts.

Exceptionally Talented Students(Story Beginning)

He knew it wouldn't last long. He knew somebody would figure out about him eventually. He knew that they would take him away. Not that he had a problem with leaving another foster home. What he didn’t expect was that he would be sent to some prestigious private school located in the middle of nowhere. When the man had shown up and asked him so directly if he had some special gift he had panicked. Most people would have just played it off even if they had been special but Simon hadn’t had good experiences with men in suits. Instead of denying it he sent a snow globe flying at the man’s head from across the room and went into a sprint for the door but as soon as he opened the door the man appeared outside of it and grabbed him. The man had to calm him down and explain why he was there before Simon could hurl any of the other objects he had floating in midair at him.

            So here he was at Levan Academy that was fifty miles from the closest town. The man had explained how it was a school for people with special talents like him. Simon had joked about becoming one of the X-men. The man had actually been a really nice guy but he still didn’t like the fact that he had no choice but to go to this school, after all he was only two months into his freshman year. He hopped out of the black Humvee that was dropping him off and thanked the driver. The driver wished him luck in return. There was a blond kid about his age waiting for him at the gate. Simon made a mental note about the walls around the property being considerably high. “Hi, I’m Lance and I will be your guide around this lovely school and by school I mean prison. Though most schools feel like a prison this one actually is. In fact our motto is you can’t ever leave in Latin.” Simon couldn’t help but laugh at that “I’m Simon but you can call me Sim and will you teach me how to make a shiv or will I have to learn that myself?” Lance smiled at him and said “We have things a little more dangerous than a shiv to deal with here, if you know what I mean?” That’s what actually made it click for him. The man had told him it was a school for special people like him but he couldn’t actually believe there were more people who could do what he could. Lance chuckled “We may be a little rough around the edges and the inmates are also the wardens but they do a pretty good job of it.” Sim looked at him with a serious expression “Exactly how many students are at this school?” Lance paused and thought for a second “Maybe a little over five hundred.” Sim was shocked by that “And they all can move objects with their minds?” Now Lance looked shocked “There are lots of different abilities but telekinesis is super rare. Is that what you can do? That’s friggin Awesome!”

            Lance showed him around the outer school buildings and the dorms since classes were in session. The reason Lance was chosen to be his guide was for two reasons: One was that they were roommates and two was that Lance’s father was the man in the suit who he met. That thought stirred up a lot of questions for Sim. “So these abilities are you born with them or do they run in families or something?” Lance had to think for a minute or two on how to explain. “About ninety percent of the students come from families that have abilities. If you have one gifted parent and one normal and you’re lucky enough to get an ability then you will get the same one as that parent. That is about seventy percent of the school. Then there are the ones with two gifted parents. They can have either of their parent’s abilities or a completely different one entirely. They make up twenty percent of the school. Finally the last ten percent are the students who don’t get it from either parent and are just gifted anyways, like you.” The conversation just seemed so odd and foreign that Sim busted out laughing. “Dude, why are you laughing?” Sim pulled it together “Sorry it’s just that I never thought I would be in a situation like this and you can so calmly explain it because you have dealt with it all your life.” Lance looked a little sad when he answered “In a way I have had to deal with it all my life. We don’t develop our abilities till around the ages of fourteen or fifteen so they only have to worry about providing a high school for us. Our abilities are extremely dangerous and we have to learn to control them or else we could seriously hurt somebody. That’s why they made this high school but even with all the problems these abilities cause we still can’t help but want them. My Dad has abilities and my Mom is normal so I have worried about whether I will get them or not all my life. I have three brothers two older and one younger. So far I am the only one to develop abilities. So don’t make this out to be like you drew the short straw in some lottery.” After hearing that Sim did feel kind of ashamed of himself “I…I’m sorry. Even when I was a normal person I still just wanted to be a normal person. I don’t really know what it’s like to have a family or the strain it would put on your family to have to worry about all of this but I will do my best to look at this as a gift.” Lance grinned at him “Good cause I don’t think I could win in a fight. You telekinetic people are notorious Bad Asses.”

            Things after that went smoothly, for the next hour and a half anyways. The incident that happened next would be an important turn in Sim’s life, a defining point if you will. Sim was walking with Lance around the school building when he saw something not unfamiliar to him, three older students forcing a nerdy kid about his age toward a deserted area of the school. Sim had never been the type to let things like that go. He would always go help the kid out even if it meant taking a beating. All the other foster kids had made fun of him for it, sometimes they were even the ones he fought but he always gave twice what he got. So he was half way acting on  instinct when he went to follow them but Lance grabbed his arm then shook his head at him “Don’t do it. Those guys are juniors and the guy leading them is a real SOB with pyro-kinetic abilities. Besides the guy they are bullying has the ability to heal quickly so he will be fine.” Sim just looked at him for a minute then shook Lances hand off “I just can’t let this go. Sorry Lance…” Then Sim took off after them.

            By the time Sim got to them the fire guy was throwing fireballs from about twenty feet away from the nerdy kid. The kid was in a fetal position and Sim was so pissed at just seeing such a thing that he snapped. Sim stepped between them and shouted “Stop you psychotic asshole!” The guy just stared him down like he had found a new ant to burn with a magnifying glass. “So you want to take his place then? It doesn’t bother me if it’s one of you fresh-meat or the other. You all look charred when I’m done with you.” Sim really wanted to hit the guy; once for being a lunatic and a second time for sounding like a comic book villain, “Please spare me from the clichéd crap your spouting. I don’t really want to hear you master plain and I don’t have the time or energy to stop a death ray. So just shut your mouth and walk away.” The psycho’s two friends looked slightly amused, whether from his comments or from the idea of what that guy was going to do in return he couldn’t tell. The psycho however was beyond pissed. Sim was prepared for the guys fireballs though, he could probably dodge them easily but then they would hit the kid behind him. He couldn’t block the fireballs with his telekinesis but if he focused he could divert the guys wrists at the last second and make him miss. It was a serious gamble but not the first or last one Sim would make. Then it was time to put the theory to the test. The guy’s hand was moving forward, the fireball was taking shape, and he slightly nudged the guys wrist to the right. The fireball landed seven or eight feet away from them. The expression on the guys face changed from anger and smugness to anger and rage. He fired another fireball and it missed too. He just kept getting even angrier while he shot fireballs as fast as he could at them. Luckily they all veered left and right no matter what he did. Sim’s plan was working but he couldn’t stop the guy just by diverting his attacks, that’s when he saw a decent sized rock five feet in front of him. The plan clicked into action in a fraction of a second. The guy was shooting a huge fireball that would kill him if it landed; Sim grabbed the kid behind him by the collar and jumped to the right of it. While he was still in midair he pointed at the rock with his free hand and did a flicking motion in the direction of the psycho. Sim had always been good at throwing rocks and apparently that still applied to his ability. The rock shot from the ground like a rocket and hit the fireball throwing jack ass right between the eyes. The rock knocked him off his feet, the ground knocked him unconscious, and apparently the rock had hit enough of his nose to break it as well. The other two guys looked shocked but then started to make a move towards him, then out of nowhere Lance popped between them and punched the guy on the right in the jaw. Before the other guy could turn to hit Lance, Sim found the rock that bounced off the psycho’s face, pointed at it, and flicked it at the other guy. The rock had the same result again. Lances punch had knocked the guy off his feet but the guy was still conscious so Sim took off in a sprint and kicked the guy in the face just before he could get up. Lance gave him a funny look but Sim wasn’t going to apologize for being a little harsh, “You can’t hesitate with guys like this. They deserve much worse and they can be really dangerous if you underestimate them.”

            Just as soon as Sim finished saying that he heard clapping and looked up to find a tall black haired guy smiling at them. He looked over at Lance questioningly but Lance had turned pale just from looking at the guy. The dark haired guy didn’t look bothered by that reaction at all, “Getting into a fight on your first day isn’t a good thing Simon, that is your name right, and you too Lance Galvez. I can’t really blame you for it though. Van and his cronies are dicks.” Sim wasn’t sure what to think of this guy. He knew his name already and that didn’t make sense “I don’t believe we have been introduced but since you know my name already how about you tell me yours.” The dark haired guy smiled, “I’m Daron Cane the leader of the schools Defense Force. Since you probably don’t know what that is I will explain. We are the group who keep students from misusing their abilities and we deal with problems related to those abilities. Now will you please come with me.” The last sentence wasn’t asked like a question but more like a statement that you have no choice but to obey. The odd thing was that Sim did feel compelled to go with him but he had a lifetime of disobedience to make him not listen. He stopped himself and he grabbed Lances shoulder to stop him as well. Instead of being angry about them not going the guy smiled like he was happy to see them resist. Sim was gearing up for another fight when the guy spoke again, “You’re not in trouble at all Simon. I have a proposition for you. And you Mr. Galvez will you take Mr. Twain to the nurse. I imagine the physical damage will heal pretty quickly with his ability but the psychological damage could be bad.” The nerdy kid got up and brushed the dirt off “I’m fine. I can go to the nurse by myself.” The dark haired guy named Daron just motioned for Sim to walk with him. He took a breath and walked up to Daron who then turned to Lance once again to say “I will finish giving him the tour if you don’t mind Mr. Galvez?” Lance just nodded to him and gave Sim a shrug. Sim gave him a sigh in reply.

            Just like he had promised he finished the tour and then took Sim to the Defense Force office. It reminded him of a politician’s office with a wooden desk facing the door, a huge chair behind it, and two seats in front of it. Daron walked around the desk and sat in his big chair then motioned for Sim to sit in one of the two chairs. As Sim sat down Daron began talking “I told you earlier that we deal with problems that students’ abilities cause whether intentionally or unintentionally. What I didn’t say was how difficult it is. There are over five hundred students and only eight of us.” Sim could kind of understand him. With that many students with abilities like that Van guy, things could get bad. Sim had seen how a little bit of power could corrupt the gang kids in his old neighborhoods and he couldn’t imagine what kind of effect these abilities would have. “So what does that have to do with me and this proposition of yours?” Sim had some idea what he had in mind but it didn’t make much sense. “Like I said we are understaffed and we can’t just bring anybody in. We have very strict enlistment requirements.” Sim didn’t exactly know how he fit in but he was sure that Daron was trying to recruit him. “What are the requirements?” Daron sighed then said “For starters they have to have a very strong or useful ability. If the person wasn’t then they wouldn’t be able to do much and they would be in serious danger. The person also has to be willing to put themselves in serious danger. Lastly that person has to have good character and a strong sense of justice. You seem to have all of those characteristics.” Sim just sat there for a second staring at him. “You have to be kidding me. This ability of mine isn’t very strong, I’m just use to dangerous situations, and my character can be defined by the fact that I got into a fight on my first day of school. I get that you desperately need help here but I wouldn’t be much help.” That’s when he heard a female voice come from behind him “That not true.”

            Sim was a decent height, especially for a freshman. He was about the same height as any of the seniors at his old school and he had a bigger build than most but this girl was almost as tall as him. She was extremely beautiful with wavy brown hair and bright brown eyes. She wasn’t really his type but he could still appreciate just how gorgeous she actually was, even if he only had a few seconds to do it before she started talking. “You’re Important! You’re very important. Don’t worry about your powers. You will start getting stronger after some training and one day you will be insanely powerful. As for the rest, you can’t fool us. We both know that you risked the bad side of a pyrokinetic upper classmen to help out a kid you didn’t even know.” Sim turned his head to Daron “Who is she?” Daron smiled at him “She is Laura, my second in command and the most talented precog in the school.” Sim looked back at her and said kind of sarcastically “So you’ve seen my future then?” She smiled at him “Just a few key events. You have a bright future, don’t you know.” Sim looked at Daron again to show him he was confused and Daron gave him an understanding grin. She started talking again “So I am taking that as you joining us. You should be proud. Freshman are almost never invited to join and definitely not this early in the year.” Sim couldn’t go against this girls will. She was very dominating yet easy going so she was going to be hard to deal with. “I guess so then but can you tell me why you want me. Is telekinesis really that strong?” They both smiled at him like he was saying something dumb then Laura answered “I only know of two other telekinetics in the world. One is the head of the International Supernatural Suppression Squad and the other is number one on the international supernatural criminals list.” Sim felt weird hearing something like that. “I see that I’m in good company then…”

            Sim walked out of the room after they agreed on his joining and he felt terrible. In some ways he was happy to have found something to work towards. He was also happy that somebody wanted his help for once. Both Daron and Laura seemed like nice people but they had such high hopes for him and there was no way he could live up to them. He had barely walked ten feet out of the door when Laura came out and walked up to him. She smiled like she still had a secret “I have something else to tell you that might cheer you up a bit?” Sim had learned within the last half hour that any information Laura gave you was worth listening to. “Please tell me then.” She smiled like she was going to tease him with information that he would really want to know. “You’re going to fall in love pretty soon.” Sim was speechless. He wanted to either tell her she was wrong or ask her more about it but Laura took off right after she said it. Sim could have gone after her but he had a feeling that she wouldn’t tell him anymore than that so he just walked back to his dorm room.

Apparently Worrisome?

So some of the things I have been saying lately worry my friends. So this will actually be my first serious post in a while. Ok how should I start this, the way my parents brought me up is as good a place as any. My parents are always arguing. Now you may think so what all parents do that but my parents argue about everything. That sounds bad. I think they enjoy arguing. They have raised me to be strong willed and free speaking. Every teenager argues with their parents from time to time but I was practically trained to be good at it. Its probably why my best friends are the people I disagree with most. When you are raised like that you have a very different personality. My heroes in life are anarchists like Emma Goldman, writers like Ernest Hemingway, politicians like Thomas Jefferson and FDR, civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, and the Yippies movement in the 60s and 70s. If you grow up like that then you grow up a fighter who wants to take on the world. Unfortunately I was born to a time where those issues have been mostly dealt with. I have been feeling like The Rebel Without A Cause lately and that's not a movie reference. I was going to be a doctor not too long ago or that was the plan. Then this whole train of thought hit me and all I could think is why would I ever want to be a doctor? Now I am thinking Law School. Lawyers get a bad rep for being dicks but that's not all lawyers. What about Environmental Lawyers, Union Lawyers, and Lawyers who work Pro Bono or do it for free. I guess I have just been a little lost in my own mind lately. The classic what am I doing with my life blues. Though I think I'm a little young to be getting it.

So I don't want to be one of those bright minds of a generation that run mad through the streets. If you don't know I'm talking about the poem Howl.
Sincerely,
The Guy Without A Compass.

My Roommates Girl (Short Story)

                What could be the worst way to meet your soul mate? Having the girl stumble out of your idiotic playboy roommate’s room hung-over and remorseful is one. Liam had gotten the drill down for when his roommate was successful in his bar hopping and flirting. The girls could almost never believe what had happened. Liam would offer them coffee and aspirin for the hangover and tell them that them going home with Brian was all the alcohol. As far as Liam knew Brian had never attended classes and the girls dumb enough to sleep with him probably didn’t either. This girl finished creeping out of the room and closed the door behind her as quietly as possible. She was a very pretty girl with reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. He heard her whisper to herself “Shit!” He was barely suppressing a laugh when she looked up at him.

                Stacey had just finished making what she assumed was the worst mistake of her life. She succeeded in creeping out of the room only to find another guy standing behind a counter chuckling. He was cooking with an open book in front of him, that wasn’t a cook book but was a psychology book instead. He had short brown hair and muddy brown eyes that made you feel like he was a good listener. She wanted to stumble over her words at meeting him under such awkward conditions but he spoke first “Do you want some breakfast?” She looked back at the door she had just come from “I should probably…” like he was reading her mind “He won’t wake up till sometime this afternoon if that’s what you’re worried about.” She sat at the counter while he whipped up French toast and made coffee. She didn’t want to talk about her night so she asked him about himself. His name was Liam and he was an English major, which he said laughingly was just another way of saying undecided. He kept a low tone that could be easily understood without making her hangover migraine any worse. Eventually she couldn’t help but ask “Do you do this for all of the girls that wander out of your roommate’s bedroom?” He smiled really big and put his fork down “Most but I don’t usually have real conversations with them. Mostly it’s just them rambling on about how big of a mistake they made and how drunk they were.” At that she laughed and he just kept on smiling. They talked while she ate her French toast as slowly as she could and for an hour after that.

                Liam had just finished typing his psych paper when Brian came out of his room. “Wow. That was some night.” “That’s the third of those this week. Maybe you should cut back before your kidney gives out.” “Liam your cool man but I don’t want to hear any of your Pre-Med bull crap.” “I’m not pre-med Brian, I’m an English Major.” “I don’t know what that means? For an English Major you are speaking some foreign language.” “So you do understand?” “Nope but what did you think of that girl?” Liam was a bit shocked by that comment since Brian had never asked his opinion on the girls he brought home, unless you count him saying “How hot was she?” which he didn’t. “She was pretty cool. Why?” Brian gave him a questioning look “I think I’m going to ask her out.” Liam was shocked again “You’re going to ask a girl out…on a real date? Who are you and what has happened to my psychotic womanizing roommate?” Brian smirked at him “He may have fallen in love that’s what. She is majoring in…” “Cinema production I know.” “Oh right, I forgot you actually talk to the girls I bring home.” Liam raised his eyebrows in questioning look “Well good luck with that then. I have a British Literature class to get to.” Liam got up and walked out with his back pack on his shoulder. Brian called after him “I’m going to marry that girl Liam.”

                Stacey was unreasonably happy for someone who had just had a one night stand with and absolute idiot. Her friends even commented on it. Leila said to her “Did you have fun last night? I think you were the second drunkest person in the bar last night. It seems only right that you went home with the number one drunkest. Also I’m sorry about all of those shots I made you drink.” Stacey thought about saying something mean but Leila was always like that, getting her into crazy situations and apologizing later. “It’s completely fine really.” Leila gave her a funny look “I mean he was hot and all but I thought you were more of the troubled soul poets type...” “No the guy was a complete idiot but it wasn’t all bad.” “While I love this bad girl Stacey we need to get to British Lit. Class like now.” “Leila, pay more attention we have been walking that way this entire time. Do you see that door? That’s the class.” Stacey entered first but almost jumped back out of the room when she saw Liam siting at the front of the room. Leila just kept on walking until she got to the row right behind him and looked back to call her “Let’s sit here Stacey.” Of course Liam turned and looked up at her with his honest brown eyes. He grinned at her then pointed at the seats Leila had motioned towards. Stacey went and sat beside Leila who was looking back and forth between her and Liam. He just smiled at her and said “Hi.” Leila didn’t miss a beat “Hi I’m Leila and this is Stacey.” He grinned “It’s nice to meet you Leila and nice to see you again Stacey.” “Yeah, I’m much more pleasant without the hangover and with a good breakfast in my system.” Leila just said “Breakfast?” He smiled again “I am glad you liked it.”

                Liam had given Stacey his number and told her/warned her about Brian’s intention to ask her out. He would have liked to hang out with her and her friend Leila who liked to embarrass her. He had agreed to help them with the British Literature assignment their professor had given them. If he hadn’t been sure that morning then he was now. He liked Stacey. She had the same sense of humor as him, she got almost all of his book references, and she liked some of the oddest things he had ever heard of. Leila said Stacey liked to eat lemon drops and fireballs at the same time. Just thinking about it made him laugh. He walked into his apartment and saw Brian eating honey combs on their couch. “What are you laughing at? Why didn’t you make me some French toast?” “Why would I make you French toast? Also you’re eating my cereal.” “Big dogs gotta eat if he wants to go hound dogging all over town.” “I assume your big dog? Weren’t you going to ask that girl out from this morning?” “Nope, I just said that to see what you would say. Besides its obvious that she has a thing for you.” Liam smirked at him “How would you know?” “Actually I woke up when she did this morning but when I looked out you two were so into each other you didn’t notice me. Saying you should go for it wouldn’t have been enough so I tried a little reverse psychology.” “You know Brian I’m not sure if you’re a genius or not.” “I graduate top of my class from the most prestigious boarding school in the US I should be.” Liam grinned and picked up his phone to call her.