INTP

by Nico Grey

Part 2

School the next day followed the same boring routine as most school days. Josiah found that comforting.

He considered asking Jodi Corse if she knew why her cousin had missed his Psychology class on Monday, but he really wasn't sure how that sort of question might be taken. It could be a conversation starter. On the other hand, she might not know anything. Or she might be annoyed that Josiah was prying into her family's business. He decided that the practical thing to do was to say nothing.

There was a faint buzz in the rumor mill about something that had happened in Mr. Waxon's class the day before. Details were scant. All Josiah could garner was that Mr. Waxon had been very upset and that some of the boys in the class had been involved.

Josiah had taken an Introduction to Physical Science class with Mr. Waxon the previous year and thought he was a competent but uninspiring teacher. He couldn't figure out what it might have taken to set him off so much that he had called for reinforcement from the Vice Principal.

During English class, Mr. Fisher seemed distracted. Josiah wondered if it didn't have something to do with the red-haired kid. It sounded like he might be one of the teacher's favorites. Josiah thought about asking Mr. Fisher if Ian was in school and what had happened. But he wasn't sure how that might be received. On the one hand, a conversation might help pick up the teacher's spirits, especially if Josiah gave the man an opportunity to recruit him a little for his soccer program. But Josiah also knew that what was going on wasn't really his business and Mr. Fisher might not appreciate being asked about something like that. It was more practical to say nothing and keep his ears open for news.

Josiah didn't notice Ian in the lunch room, so he wasn't terribly surprised when he also didn't appear for Psychology class. Ms. Porter had seemed disappointed at the start of class, glancing around the room and appearing to notice his absence.

Josiah thought about volunteering to bring the MBTI homework assignment to Ian. His usual running route went right past where he had seen the kid the previous day. It might even be a good chance to strike up a conversation that could lead to a question or two about his cousin Jodi. But Josiah couldn't really think of a way to pull off that conversation without it possibly sounding a bit weird. He decided it would be more practical to do nothing. But he really felt like he wanted to do something.

As soon as he arrived at school on Wednesday, Josiah started to hear solid rumors about the incident in Physics class on Monday. They came mostly in excited whispers, but it appeared that someone had tampered with the PowerPoint lesson that Mr. Waxon had prepared for his class. A slide was inserted that said something pretty nasty and had Mr. Waxon so angry that he was threatening to injure someone. It was just rumor, but it sounded pretty wild.

Josiah didn't approach Jodi in homeroom that morning. Ordinarily, she was quiet but pleasant. But now she looked like she was quite annoyed when she arrived in the classroom. Josiah took the hint. It was the practical thing to do.

In English, on the other hand, Mr. Fisher appeared to be in a better mood. 'Determined' was the word that came to Josiah's mind. It looked like he had a plan and was on a mission. Again, it didn't seem like anything that Josiah should stick his nose into.

He was a bit surprised when wasn't able to locate the red-haired kid during lunch again. The rumor mill was flowing more freely and Josiah heard several versions of how Mr. Waxon had been insulted by his own PowerPoint presentation. Several seemed improbable. Josiah couldn't imagine saying even the tamer versions about a teacher. He was rather surprised to notice Jodi being approached briefly by some of the juniors and seniors. She didn't seem very happy with the attention she was getting.

In Psychology, Ms. Porter reminded her class that she needed their MBTI booklets back by Friday. Josiah was starting to worry about how Ian would get his test in time. He still wasn't sure enough of himself to say anything. Instead he worked through some of the exercises that the teacher had prepared for the class; the sort of short personality questionnaires that he sometimes saw on line or in magazines and pretended they could tell someone who they should be dating, or how to be more successful in life.

Ms. Porter made sure her students understood that they shouldn't put too much stock in the results of those tests. She said they were good places to start thinking about who a person really was, what motivated them, and what they wanted out of life. But it was foolish to take their results too seriously. She introduced many of her students to a new word: pseudoscience.

Still, Josiah found it pretty interesting. Most of the time, he went through life without thinking too much about himself. He was just who he was. But he recognized that there might be real benefit to understanding why he behaved as he did, what motivated him, and how to identify and measure strengths and weaknesses. That seemed like very practical knowledge.

Josiah was getting eager to learn more about the Myers-Briggs assessment and how it worked. But it had been years since he felt the need to investigate his presents before Christmas arrived. He would wait for Ms. Porter to collect all the MBTI booklets and offer her presentation about the assessment to her class. She always offered clear explanations and was willing to answer any of her students' questions.

Josiah was surprised to notice the red-haired kid in the lunch room on Friday. He hadn't even bothered to look for him on Thursday. He was starting to think that, after whatever had happened in Mr. Waxon's class, maybe the kid wouldn't be returning to school at all. But he was in the cafeteria on Friday, sitting alone and quiet, with his head down and picking at his meal with little apparent interest.

Josiah was even more surprised when the kid appeared in his Chemistry class after lunch. Mrs. Johnson noted that there was a new student joining their class, then continued her lesson without further comment. Ian found a quiet corner of the class and settled in. Josiah thought that he wasn't very happy. In fact, he looked miserable.

The kid also appeared in Josiah's study hall. Again, he found a quiet corner and sat by himself. He opened a textbook and tuned out the rest of the room. Josiah was becoming curious about the changes that suddenly placed the freshman more frequently in his orbit. It might give him a better chance to ask about Jodi. But Josiah didn't need what he had learned in Psychology to recognize that Ian wasn't in any frame of mind to welcome an intrusion, however friendly, on his solitude. And if Josiah was really honest with himself, he didn't do friendly well. Awkward was more his speed when he attempted social interactions.

Ms. Porter seemed quite pleased to find Ian back in her Psychology class. Some of the other students didn't take it as well. The students arriving from Physics class were quite surprised to see him. The boys, Russ and Daniel, eyed him with open hostility. Ian shrank in his seat.

Josiah realized that this was an unfamiliar reaction from the kid. As a freshman in an upper level class, Ian had never been loud or boisterous when interacting with his classmates. But despite being a little guy, he had always radiated confidence. That self-assurance was gone now. Josiah noticed the change with a sense of loss.

He was pleased to see Ian turn in an MBTI booklet when Ms. Porter collected her homework assignment from the class. She took a few minutes to answer her students' questions about the assessment.

"The Myers-Briggs is a useful tool that helps us to understand how we and others relate to the world around us, including how we gather and process information. It won't tell us anything about whether someone is a good person or a bad person, about our sense of morality or our character. What we will use it for is to get information about how we and others prefer to interact with the physical world and what sorts of situations might present more challenges for us. It's an important part of our individual make-up. But it's only a part of who we are."

When the bell rang at the end of class, Josiah glanced around and was surprised to find that Ian was already gone. Russ and Daniel were also looking around with dull and confused expressions. One of the junior girls from their Physics class sidled over to join them.

Josiah caught a few of the words exchanged between them. The girl seemed to be telling them that the kid had shot out the door before the bell even finished ringing. He heard the boys snarl something about the trouble that Ian had caused them and a harsh promise to "take care" of him next week.

Josiah wasn't sure what Ian had done to upset the older kids in his Physics class, but he didn't think it was likely that the kid had acted too badly. Josiah recognized that it was a foolish and illogical sentiment, but he told himself that Ian really didn't seem like the type of person who would do something seriously wrong.

Over the weekend, Josiah made it a point to keep an eye out for Ian every time he ran past his house. He didn't really have a plan. It just felt like a way to make some form of contact with someone that he thought might need some help.

He didn't see Ian during his runs. But once or twice he did think that he might have seen a curtain move in one of the windows on the upper level of the house. Each time he arrived home, he felt disappointed that he hadn't managed to connect with the kid.

Josiah wasn't the sort of person to get involved in other people's business. He was surprised to find that he was feeling something for Ian that most people might recognize as empathy. The kid had obviously become a target for several older classmates and Josiah doubted that he would be able to manage their attention very well. He wasn't sure if he could do anything about it, but he decided that he would help protect the kid if he could.

When he arrived at school, last week's news was surprisingly still driving the rumor mill. A teacher's meltdown was apparently interesting enough to hold people's attention for at least a week. Josiah didn't get the full story, but apparently Mr. Waxon's PowerPoint had been adulterated with a slide that read "Waxon Whacks Off". When he turned the video projector on to begin his lecture, the image appeared on the wall and he went through the roof. There were several versions of the story floating around. No one seemed sure about what role Ian had played in the affair, but most were blaming him for getting the entire Physics class in trouble with the teacher and school administrators.

During homeroom, Jodi still didn't seem to be in a very good mood. Several of the girls were trying to commiserate with her. Some of them were sincere, in Josiah's estimation. But a few looked like they were just trying to add more heat to a boiling pot. Josiah decided that he needed to stay well away from that drama.

In English, Mr. Fisher appeared to be distracted. Josiah wasn't sure what was bothering him, but he suspected that it might have something to do with Ian. Josiah knew that Mr. Fisher loved to teach, but he lived and breathed his soccer program. He had told Josiah that Ian was going to be his star midfielder for the next three years. Now the kid was in some kind of trouble.

Josiah thought he might get away with probing for more information. Mr. Fisher had even looked in his direction several times while his students were working on an assignment in class. But Josiah lost his nerve. Old habits die hard. It was just practical to stick with a formula that had worked for him for the past eight years and avoid getting involved.

When he entered the cafeteria, Josiah marked Ian sitting quietly near a small group of freshmen boys at the front of the room. He wasn't engaged with them. He appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. Again, Josiah was struck by how different he seemed from the confident, sociable kid he had noticed occasionally throughout the year.

Finding a seat for himself against the back wall, Josiah proceeded to take in his surroundings. He wasn't usually very engaged with what was happening around him, but the mood in the room felt different. It was interesting.

There was definitely some sort of tension in the air. Conversations were more animated and intense. From Josiah's perspective, much of the focus appeared to be directed at the table where Ian was sitting.

He looked around to see if Jodi was even aware of the dark mood that appeared to be focused on her cousin. She was also involved in an animated conversation, she and her friends casting occasional indecipherable glances of their own in Ian's direction.

Josiah had no idea what he should do. He wanted to scream at everyone to just stop, but screaming wasn't really a practical thing to do. It could get him in trouble and might even make things worse. He thought about going to find a teacher who could help him, but he really didn't know what to tell them. There wasn't anything happening beyond harsh whispers and angry glances. He knew that he should be able to figure out a solution if he could just think calmly about the problem.

Before Josiah could even take a calming breath, he noticed Ian push back his chair and walk toward the return line to deposit his lunch tray. Then he headed straight for the exit without even a glance back toward his friends.

Josiah was surprised when he saw Russ and Daniel leave the cafeteria several seconds behind Ian. He hadn't even been aware that they all shared the same lunch period.

Josiah was so startled by the sudden appearance of the two older boys that it took him almost half a minute to recognize the implications of their departure, hot on Ian's heels. He shot out of his seat, hastily deposited his lunch tray, and left the room without even checking to see if any of the lunch room monitors were aware that he was leaving.

Hurrying through the school corridors, he caught sight of Russ and Daniel skulking outside the door of a boys' bathroom. They were glancing around surreptitiously and, in Josiah's opinion, looking guilty as hell about something. He almost kept walking straight toward them, and later wished that he had, but curiosity got the better of him.

Josiah flattened his body against a wall and kept his eye on the two upperclassmen. Daniel was leaning with his ear against the bathroom door. Russ cast anxious glances in all directions, occasionally hissing some sort of instructions to Daniel, which really seemed to irritate him.

After a minute or so, the two upperclassmen quietly slipped into the bathroom. Josiah rapidly covered the distance and took up his own vigil outside the restroom door. He couldn't hear anything inside the room at first, but when the sound of loud bangs and thumps came through the door, he cracked it open carefully.

He could see Russ and Daniel standing outside one of the restroom stalls, pounding violently on the door.

"Open up, faggot," Daniel demanded. "Everyone is still at lunch. No one is going to help you now."

"Yeah, dwarf," Russ added. "Daniel and I just dropped by to see if you need help wiping your butt. We can wait around if you aren't done yet." He sounded amused by his own cleverness.

Daniel had less patience. He just slammed a shoulder into the door and it gave way. Then he stopped dead, filling the entrance to the stall. He looked annoyed. "Why don't you just use a urinal like a normal person, you little freak?"

"Maybe he wanted to do something else," Russ suggested. "Do you think that Ian was whacking on or whacking off?"

Daniel entered the stall. A brief commotion followed. "Good grief. I guess that was why he thought we should write 'Waxon Wax Off'. He's got less hair on that little thing than my grandfather has on his head!"

Russ followed Daniel into the stall and Josiah took advantage of the distraction to slip into the restroom.

The situation inside the stall sounded like it was escalating. Ian's angry protests only seemed to encourage the older boys. But Josiah had no idea how he could stop what was happening.

"Who knew that the shrimp's cocktail would be so small?" Another snigger.

"Do you think the little freak needs something bigger to play with?" Josiah decided that was probably Russ' voice.

"Play with?" Probably Daniel. "He doesn't want to play with it. He's a born cock sucker. Open wide, little boy! Wider!" Josiah could feel the slap from where he was standing. "You sure don't have any trouble opening your big mouth in class!"

Josiah was appalled. He couldn't believe the older boys would actually treat another person like that.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Josiah heard Ian complain.

"You got us in a load of shit and you wonder why we're going to get even?" Josiah thought it was Russ. But really, it didn't matter. Two thugs, barely half a brain between them.

"I didn't do anything! I even took the blame for what you did!" It sounded like Ian might have started to lose control.

"If you hadn't tried to interfere, nobody would have been in any trouble!" That was Daniel. "Now take your punishment!"

Ian screamed.

"Get those lips wrapped around my dick and start sucking right now or I'm going to twist these little balls right off. Then you'll never grow any hair to keep you puny pecker company."

Josiah didn't bother to figure out who was issuing the threat. He felt like he had to do something before Ian's plight became even worse.

For a rare occasion in his life, Josiah didn't think through his next move. He didn't even bother to think at all. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, stepped fully into the restroom, and pointed the phone toward the open stall.

"Get away from him right now!" Josiah demanded.

Russ and Daniel jumped and spun around in mid-air like they had been goosed by a cassowary. Josiah was both amused and disgusted to note Daniel's erect penis bouncing around violently before it finally came to rest pointing directly at him.

He would never understand where the calm and confidence came from, but he ordered Daniel to "stick that thing back in your pants before you're charged with a second sexual assault."

Daniel hurriedly put his penis away and pulled himself back together. Then he and Russ edged menacingly toward Josiah.

"I think you're in for a world of hurt, bitch," Daniel snarled. "Maybe Russ and I will both get our dicks wet." He turned to glare back into the stall.

"The police take sexual assault pretty seriously," Josiah waved his phone in Daniel's face. "Sexual assault on a minor? You'll both be charged as adults."

"I'm going to stuff that cheap phone straight up your ass, pussy." Daniel continued to inch forward. "There isn't going to be any evidence left except the word of a weirdo and that little freak. Who's going to believe we had to assault a fag who would wrap his lips around anything that even resembles a dick? That little cunt probably gives head to his breakfast sausage."

"Do whatever you want with the phone," Josiah extended it toward them. "I streamed the video straight to my cloud account. If anything happens to me, it will be found during the investigation. And I think you can figure how that will turn out for you!" Josiah's rational mind was starting to take control again. He was finding it hard to breathe.

Fortunately, no more words were necessary. Daniel snarled. Then he fixed Josiah with a hard stare. But his hard dick stayed in his pants. He gave Josiah a vicious shove into the tile wall as he pushed past him. Russ, without an original thought in his head, caught Josiah on the rebound and also slammed him into the wall.

Josiah saw stars, but he was relieved to hear the restroom door open and close behind him.

It took him a moment to regain control of his senses. Then he remembered that Ian was inside the restroom stall and might still need help.

Glancing inside the stall, he saw that Ian was standing with his pants pooled around his ankles. Aside from his labored breathing, he hadn't moved.

Josiah didn't really want to look. He felt like a real creep for even thinking about it. But he was curious. And yeah, bald as a cue ball.

He started to worry when tears began to flow down Ian's face.

"Come on, man. Lunch is almost over. Someone could come in any time now!" Josiah turned away from Ian and did his best to fill the door of the stall to protect the kid and give him privacy.

It felt like several minutes had passed before Ian tapped on his shoulder.

"Why did you video me?"

Josiah turned and noticed that Ian's eyes were fixed on the floor. At least his pants weren't down there anymore. But Josiah thought he was still crying. It sure sounded like he was.

"Ian! I didn't film you! I promise." Josiah tried to explain what he did, but he still wasn't sure himself. "I just told them that so they would think we had evidence and would leave us alone. But I never even turned the camera on." He held the offending device out for Ian to examine.

Ian looked up and met Josiah's eyes. For a moment he appeared to be relieved. Then his eyes returned to the floor. "But you saw me." It wasn't a question.

It took a moment for the meaning of the statement to register with Josiah. He didn't really understand. Ian was an athlete. Getting changed for practice and games, and in the shower afterward; lots of people must have seen him. But he did realize that Ian needed reassurance.

"It's nothing to worry about. Really. We all grow at different rates." Josiah was struggling to make sense. "When I was in eighth grade, I looked just like you. You're not very far behind me." He tried to look into Ian's eyes to see if he was finding any reassurance.

"Yeah. But I'm me."

It didn't make sense to Josiah. But at least Ian was starting to pull himself back together. He led him to the sink and helped Ian wash his face.

Josiah felt a bit nauseated when Ian rinsed his mouth out with water and spat several times into the sink. He really didn't want to think about why he needed to do that.

Ian followed Josiah through the school corridors, battling the flow of students changing classes. He didn't say anything, but Josiah thought that he detected suspicion in Ian's occasional glances toward him.

When Josiah turned toward the administrative offices, Ian looked alarmed and began to shake his head violently.

"The nurse needs to check you out," Josiah insisted. "I won't tell her anything. Just that I found you being sick in the bathroom. But she needs to make sure you're okay."

Ian needed a minute to think about it, but he followed Josiah reluctantly into the office.

Josiah wasn't surprised when Ian never made it to Chemistry class. After he also didn't show for study hall, Josiah didn't expect to see him in Psychology either. But Daniel and Russ were waiting there.

The two upperclassmen rarely took their eyes off Josiah through the entire class. Strangely, he didn't feel intimidated. He met their glares with an even stare. When he finally grew tired of their hostility, he reached into his shirt pocket and eased his phone out. A meaningful glance at the two ended the confrontation.

They were waiting for Josiah in the hallway after class. He didn't expect the confrontation to turn violent, but he steeled himself for the worst.

"This isn't over," Daniel threatened. But he made sure the hiss was very quiet.

Josiah felt relief. "I don't get why you guys are so pissed off. He's the one that got punished."

"Yeah." The truth didn't affect Daniel's expression. "But Waxon and Harding still suspect we had something to do with it. And if he had stayed out of it, no one would have been in any trouble!"

"So what happened, anyway?" Josiah didn't expect much of a response, but it was even more of a relief when the confrontation turned into dialogue.

"We… " Russ started and Daniel glared at him. "Uh, someone put a slide in Waxon's class presentation that said 'Waxon Whacks Off'. The little shit said we shouldn't do it. Then he told us that if we were going to do it, it should say 'Waxon. Wax Off.' That way Waxon couldn't lose his mind, even if he figured it out."

"Well, he was kind of right," Josiah observed.

"It doesn't matter," Daniel cut in. "Waxon deserved it. And when we wouldn't change the slide, that little know-it-all cunt went up to Waxon's desk and tried to do it himself. Waxon walked in while a bunch of us were up front trying to stop him."

"But he still got in trouble." Josiah was trying to be reasonable. "He took the punishment for you guys."

"You don't get it," Daniel insisted. "There wouldn't have been any punishment if he just kept his mouth shut. Waxon would have had a stroke and everything would be cool. Now Waxon and Harding are watching us for any fuck ups. My parents expect me to go to college. That might not happen if I can't get recommendations or have too many disciplinary reports in my file."

"So what happens if you push this with Ian… and with me?" Josiah asked. "That sounds like something that would lead to more disciplinary reports. Maybe even police involvement."

Daniel growled inarticulately. "This still isn't over," he insisted as he and his shadow stalked away. "Make sure that little twat knows it!"

Josiah was feeling pretty good about himself when he arrived at school the following day. He didn't fully understand how he did it, but he had stood up for a younger kid who was being bullied. Then he faced down the bullies alone later in the day.

During his after-school run, then later while he was falling asleep, Josiah had tried to sort out exactly what happened and why. Nothing was clear, but he was sorting information into categories and trying to assess cause and effect. He hadn't even started to wrap his head around what he had been feeling and how that had affected events.

Josiah wasn't a natural optimist, but he felt that maybe everything was starting to move in the right direction. It didn't make sense to him that the mood around school was just as unsettled and tense as it had been for the past week. Negativity was driving the gossip mill. A new year had just started and already most people's positive New Year's resolutions were abandoned and gathering dust in a dumpster.

Josiah watched Jodi for a few minutes during their home room period, but her mood didn't seem any better than it had been for days.

Math and Social Studies classes were their usual dull routine.

Josiah was hoping for something better when he arrived for his English Composition class. But Mr. Fisher was distracted. His class lacked its usual spark; like he had too much on his mind.

He looked around the cafeteria after stumbling through the serving line at lunchtime. Ian wasn't in his usual seat. Josiah shrugged. He felt disappointed, but didn't understand why. Was he worried about the kid?

Ian also didn't appear in Chemistry class or for their shared study hall, so Josiah knew that he wouldn't be in Psychology class. Ms. Porter spent the class explaining the history of Myers-Briggs typology and how it compared to other types of personality assessments. Josiah found himself paying even closer attention than usual, thinking that he might have to help Ian catch up when he returned to class. Fortunately, Daniel and Russ treated him like he wasn't even there.