INTP

by Nico Grey

Part 8

Josiah was feeling unusually confident when he arrived at school the next morning. He was still in the lobby when that comfortable feeling was challenged.

"Oh, Mr. Brantley! A word, please." Mr. Harding had been waiting for him. "Thank you for helping to collect the trash yesterday." The vice principal led Josiah toward the administrative offices.

"I had an interesting experience at the end of school yesterday, Mr. Brantley." Mr. Harding directed Josiah toward a seat in his office, barely giving him time to get settled. "I happened to observe two senior boys leaving the boys' restroom in the Humanities Wing during homeroom period. They appeared to be quite upset!"

Josiah nodded uncertainly. He couldn't figure out where the conversation might be headed.

"They didn't seem very happy to see me, either." The vice principal almost preened. "Something really seems to have shaken them up."

Josiah nodded again. He wondered if he was being interrogated.

"Just a bit of advice, Mr. Brantley." Mr. Harding's expression turned more serious. "When bullying other students in a deserted restroom, you might want to keep your voice down a bit."

Josiah gulped. "Yes, sir."

"I'm not sure I heard everything that was said clearly. And I know how it is to be a young guy. Some young men might not want to admit they're being bullied… especially in certain ways." It felt like the subject had shifted subtly. Josiah couldn't quite put his finger on the change. The vice principal held Josiah's gaze with his eyes. "I just need to be sure that no one has been bullied in ways that might cause them permanent harm."

Josiah sifted back through the conversation, trying to make sense of what he was being told. As far as he could determine, Mr. Harding probably heard most of what he had said to Daniel and Russ, and now he knew what they had done to Ian in the bathroom three weeks earlier. At the very least, he had a good idea about what they had done.

Josiah was pretty sure that he wasn't being censured. And he didn't think that he was being probed for information. At least it didn't feel that way.

Still, he sensed that Mr. Harding wanted something from him. He had said that he needed to be sure that permanent harm hadn't resulted from the bullying. And apparently he wasn't complaining about Daniel and Russ being bullied by Josiah. He had actually seemed rather amused when he alluded to his encounter with the upperclassmen. So he must need to know about Ian, Josiah concluded.

Josiah wondered what he should say. The bathroom incident had humiliated Ian. But he was over it in a day or two. The ongoing harassment from Daniel and Russ was doing much more harm, in Josiah's opinion. But that might also be under control. At least he hoped that it was.

The vice principal needed reassurance. If he had too much information, he would probably have to act on what he knew. That could make the whole situation worse, especially for Ian. Josiah thought carefully while he considered his words.

"A young man spoke to a psychologist about it last night. I know that. I don't think he needs more help. But if he does, he's in the best hands possible. And I'll be watching out for him, too."

Josiah looked at Mr. Harding uncertainly. 'How the heck do politicians do it?' he wondered to himself.

The vice principal examined him critically. Josiah squirmed under the man's gaze. Finally, Mr. Harding nodded decisively.

"I'm sure you're right, Josiah. But please make sure I hear about it first if there are further repercussions."

Josiah bobbed his head vigorously.

"In the meantime, I'll continue to investigate the information you gave me yesterday. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I have the impression that it might be better not to pursue any discipline too aggressively unless there are further problems." The pitch of his voice rose as he concluded his statement.

Josiah assumed that required an answer. "Yes, sir," he said. "I think that would be best."

Mr. Harding stood abruptly and held out his hand. "I'll trust your judgment then, young man. But please make sure I'm the first person you talk to if you're ever worried that your young friend might get bullied again."

Josiah shook the vice principal's hand. He wasn't sure what had happened, but it felt to him like the crisis had been successfully navigated and the situation had been resolved. He waited while Mr. Harding filled out a hall pass for his first period class.

Ian and Jake were seated at their usual lunch table when Josiah entered the cafeteria. They were sitting alone.

Josiah examined the room carefully, but there didn't appear to be any tension in the air. Each table of diners was focused on its own concerns and there were few exchanges with other tables. Even Daniel and Russ seemed to be minding their own business, although they did spare a brief glance for Josiah that didn't look very friendly.

He set his lunch tray down across from Ian. The boys glanced up at the interruption, then resumed their conversation. Josiah thought that was encouraging. They weren't distracted or anxious.

The level of conversation hadn't changed since Josiah entered the cafeteria. It didn't seem like anyone had any interest in Ian or Josiah. He glanced down at his lunch tray critically. Well, he concluded, at least it didn't seem likely that there would be any unpleasant drama during lunch.

Josiah started to tune in to Ian and Jake's conversation. It sounded like Jake was trying to check on Ian's mood without directly addressing the previous day's drama.

"What did your mom say?" Jake was asking.

"You know. Mom things," Ian grimaced. "She was even talking about sending me to another school."

He noticed the shadow that skittered across Josiah's face. "I told her 'no'," Ian assured his friends. "I told her that I like it here. My friends have my back," he flicked a glance toward Josiah and smiled shyly.

Josiah was embarrassed when he noticed that Jake was also looking at him and smiling. It was a knowing smile.

Their mood at their table relaxed more as they continued to be ignored by the rest of the room. None of the other freshmen had joined them for lunch. But Josiah assumed that they would trickle back in over the remainder of the week, once they perceived that the danger had passed. He found himself enjoying the quiet conversation between his two friends.

Josiah was content to let Ian and Jake chatter while he simply listened to them. It was a peaceful moment in time. Everyone was safe. He hunched over a story he was reading for his English class and focused on the text while his ears absorbed the quiet activity around him.

It took several seconds for Josiah to be aware that Ian was speaking to him.

"I really like your dark hair and the way it hangs over your eye sometimes," Ian was watching Josiah as he read. "It makes you look kind of mysterious."

Josiah wasn't sure how to respond to the compliment. It felt like anything he said might be awkward. He wished he had been paying closer attention to the entire conversation.

"You look pretty cool, too, Ian," he said. He hoped that might be an appropriate reply.

"Nah," Ian shook his head ruefully. "I just look like a leprechaun".

"Coolest leprechaun ever," Jake murmured. He seemed surprised that he might have spoken out loud.

Ian blushed slightly and grinned, but his eyes turned toward Josiah for confirmation.

"Jake's right," Josiah assured him. "Coolest ever."

None of the boys had much more to say. They sat back to digest the conversation and savor the memory while they waited for the bell to ring.

Josiah and Ian entered their Psychology classroom tentatively. Ian hadn't been bothered all day. But in this class he had the closest daily contact with his tormentors. It triggered unpleasant memories.

No one paid any attention when the boys arrived. They took their seats in the back of the room. The rest of the class ignored them completely.

Once Ms. Porter entered the room and started her lesson, Josiah was able to turn his attention to academic pursuits; that and thoughts about his INTP assessment. It was still bothering him, although his conversation with Ms. Burton the day before had offered hope that he might make some friends, find a job, maybe even find love someday.

Josiah understood that he just needed to meet people who weren't put off by a brainy, self-absorbed introvert. It wasn't impossible. Just improbable. But Ian and Jake didn't seem to mind being around him. A few teachers seemed to like him. Ms. Burton might, too. And Jodi…

Josiah realized that he hadn't spoken with her yet that week. He resolved to talk with her in homeroom, either after class or in the morning. He didn't want her to think he had forgotten about her, or that he didn't like her.

There was a new buzz of excitement when Josiah entered the school lobby the next morning. The school bulletin board, and every corridor wall as far as the eye could see, was covered with colorful posters. Every place where Josiah could remember ripping down an offensive poster Monday morning, one of the new posters was hanging.

The school was announcing a dance the following Friday night to celebrate Valentine's Day. Josiah wasn't certain, but he thought it was an annual school event. With the holiday falling on a Friday, it was likely to attract more interest than he thought the dance had the previous year. But he hadn't really been paying attention. Social events hadn't interested him.

In homeroom he finally connected with Jodi. He thought that she seemed a little cooler toward him than she had been acting the previous week. He suspected that she might think he had been ignoring her and be upset about that. Josiah had heard that girls usually demanded a lot of attention from their guys.

He exchanged a few polite words with Jodi, then quietly faded to his desk in the back of the room when she didn't respond with much enthusiasm. He was more disappointed than he thought he should be.

He and Jodi had really only started talking to each other quite recently. But Josiah had been feeling good about how he had managed Daniel and Russ. He was very happy that he had helped Ian, and that he thought he was starting to become pretty good friends with Ian and Jake. He was even rather proud of his collaboration with Mr. Harding. The setback to his developing friendship with Jodi disappointed him deeply.

Josiah's mood improved as the day progressed. Mr. Fisher had a few kind words for him as he left English class. Mr. Wyman singled him out for some praise during his Phys Ed class. Ian and Jake were waiting for him to eat lunch with them, and three of their freshman lunch crowd had rejoined them. Josiah spent most of the period observing Ian's interactions with his classmates. It was good to see the improvement in his friend's spirits.

From time-to-time, Josiah glanced up from his lunch, or from his reading, to find Ian or Jake watching him. Nothing was said, but it was clear from their fond smiles and the gentle light in their eyes that they enjoyed having him there. He was starting to wonder why he had ever preferred eating alone.

During lunch, Josiah became aware that there was more social interaction than usual between tables in the cafeteria. Observing for a while, he noticed that most of it was between boys and girls. Eventually he figured out that he was watching courtship rituals; girls and boys seeking attention from each other, with dates to the Valentine's Day dance their goal.

It took several minutes for the implications to dawn on him! Fortunately, Jodi was at her usual table and she didn't appear to be the object of any unusual attention from the guys around her. But Josiah felt a sense of urgency over what he hoped was their developing friendship. He decided that he would have to be more assertive the next time he approached her.

During their study hall together, Josiah and Ian made plans to go running that evening. They also spent a little time discussing their Psychology class. Josiah was still bothered by Jodi's reaction to him in homeroom and he was wondering if his personality type was the difficulty. Ian didn't see that as likely. He noted that his Myers-Briggs type differed significantly from Josiah's INTP, but they still got along extremely well. In his opinion, something else was the problem.

Josiah encouraged Ian to speculate. After all, Jodi was his cousin. He should know something about why she was suddenly reacting poorly to Josiah after shining him on the previous week.

Ian refused to speculate. It seemed to bother him that Josiah was fixated on Jodi's behavior. He changed the subject quite effectively when he invited Josiah to join him and his mother for dinner after their run Friday night.

Waiting for Ms. Porter and the start of Psychology class, the mood in the room was turbulent. Small clusters of students were engaged in animated conversations.

Josiah was relieved to note that Daniel and Russ didn't appear to be involved in any of the discussions. They sat together on one side of the classroom, quietly observing the activity.

As the second hand on the clock ticked slowly toward the start of the class and Ms. Porter's arrival, one of the junior girls turned away from her conversation and strolled toward the back of the room, straight toward Josiah and Ian.

Josiah couldn't figure out her intentions. Misty had never spoken much to either him or Ian before. But she was walking toward them, looking directly at him, and there was something about the sway of her hips and the way her chest proudly preceded her that disrupted his rational thought process.

She inserted herself between Josiah and Ian, placing her hand on Josiah's arm.

"Have you seen the posters for the Valentine dance, Josiah?" she asked quietly. He thought she might be batting her eyes at him.

Fortunately, Josiah didn't have to say anything. He nodded.

"I don't know if you heard. My boyfriend just broke up with me. And, um," Josiah was surprised that Misty was acting somewhat unsure about what to say, "Well, I know we don't know each other very well. But I know that you're smart. And a nice guy." She glanced away shyly while she found more to say. "I think you're really nice looking, Josiah."

He noticed Ian slump in his chair. He didn't notice that the entire room had grown silent.

"Well, I'm looking for someone to take me to the dance next Friday." Josiah thought she appeared uncertain, like she was actually afraid of rejection. "Do you want to take me to the Valentine's Day dance, Josiah?" Misty had trouble meeting his eye, but Josiah thought that she looked hopeful.

Josiah had never been in the situation before. He had never asked a girl out. He had certainly never been asked out by a pretty girl, especially one who was a year older than him. He really didn't know what to say, but she seemed to need his approval.

He had trouble speaking. "S-s-sure," he stuttered. "I'd l-l-like to g-go to the d-d-dance with you."

The uncertain look in her eye disappeared instantly. "That's too bad," she informed him, "because I really don't want to go to the dance with you!"

Josiah was stunned as he watched her saunter back toward the front of the room. Howls of laughter erupted around him.

Josiah couldn't process what had happened to him in the moment, but several vignettes were etched into his memory. Daniel and Russ crowed as they high-fived each other. The two junior girls from the Physics class almost collapsed in hysterics on each other's shoulder. Another dozen boys and girls were limned in various stages of amazement and amusement.

Only, Jennifer, the senior girl from Physics class, appeared to be above their antics. Abby Joyce, a quiet junior girl who sat next to her, looked away from what was happening like she was ashamed of everyone involved. And Ian sat next to him as if he was unsure whether to comfort Josiah or kill somebody.

The only thing that kept Ian from making an unfortunate decision was the arrival of Ms. Porter mere seconds later. She didn't even bother to address the disturbance in her classroom. Her annoyance was written clearly on her face.

"We have a lot of information to cover today and we don't have much time," she announced. "I'm going to talk. You're going to listen and take notes. If you have any questions, refer to your notes. If you don't have good enough notes, that's your problem.

"When I'm through talking, you will each start to write a summary of what you learned in class today. I expect at least three full pages from each of you. Anything less isn't going to earn a top grade. You will submit it to me at the start of class tomorrow. The grade you earn on the summary will count for ten percent of your grade this quarter, so you'd better make it good!"

She turned on her laptop and the video projector, then raised a finger as if struck by a sudden thought.

"In this class we learn about how the human mind functions. We study personality, including dysfunctional personalities. But I haven't really talked much about how personality relates to character.

"To earn extra credit on your homework assignment, I want each of you to share your thoughts about character: what you believe constitutes good character in a person, as well as those traits that define poor character. Write up to two pages. You can earn as much as twenty additional points on the score of your homework assignment, so impress me. You might even give me some examples of poor character, including behaviors you have witnessed right here in school… or this classroom."

Ms. Porter cast her gaze around the room, pausing occasionally to let it deliver her message.

"Now take out your notebooks and a pen. Let's begin… "

It was the least enjoyable Psychology class of the year for Josiah. But he focused on Ms. Porter's words and her PowerPoint presentation, his pen scribbling notes furiously while he also tried to commit salient details of her lecture to memory.

During one very brief pause in the teacher's monologue, Ian signaled a reminder that they would be running together that afternoon. Josiah realized that would also give them time to share notes and discuss the lesson. That was encouraging.

Later that evening, after he had finished writing his paper for Ms. Porter, Josiah thought about how much his conversation with Ian had helped him with the assignment. He knew that Ian was very intelligent. Mr. Harding had suggested as much to him, and the time they had recently spent together had only supported the vice principal's opinion. But Josiah had never seen Ian display so much ability in school, in front of other students.

Discussing Ms. Porter's lesson earlier that afternoon, Josiah realized that Ian possessed a near-photographic memory. But he didn't just recall what she had shared during her lecture, he also displayed an understanding of the class material that went far beyond mere information. Josiah felt like his own understanding of the material was amplified several-fold after his conversation with Ian.

He wondered why Ian wasn't willing to demonstrate his full abilities in school. He also wondered why Ian didn't mind doing so when the two of them were alone together.