Constance

Author's Note: Attention students, faculty, and readers of all ages. There is a handful of Wayside Fanfics, and I've read them all. But that's not enough for me; I also need to write a story that may astonish anyone who loves the show. So without further ado, you may begin reading the story, which will take place in Todd's point of view unless stated otherwise.

Monday

I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm getting sick and tired of my school and I feel like I need to flee. Every day the same thing happens to me, constant pain and humiliation day in and day out. Day in, Maurecia punches my shoulder painfully, and day out, Mrs. Jewls sends me home on the Kindergarten bus for reasons no sane person would concur to. I've been here most of my seventh grade year and now I'm two and a half months into my eighth. I'm really considering going back to my old school because I knew sane people there. The Kindergarteners might still be mad about that incident I had but other than that it might be my best option.

I arrive at my twisted up and turned over school. I admire the colors of the building but the intimidation of the open windows with the possibility of falling out doesn't redeem it. I'm always afraid Maurecia will punch me the wrong direction and I'll fall out the window. The more I think of it the more it haunts me. But I need to stay focused if I want to keep my head on straight, unlike everyone else. As I approach the door the school specialist opens it for me.

"Hey Todd what's up?" Louis greets me.

"Not much." I respond. "I'm just a little tired, that's all." Louis raised an eyebrow.

"Any reason in particular?" He asks. I sigh and give him the honest truth.

"I'm just not in the mood to walk up thirty flights of stairs then have to leave the class halfway through like usual." I told him.

"Maybe you should try not doing anything." He says.

"How will that help me?" I ask him.

"Shari sleeps in class all the time and does she get away with it?" Louis asks.

"Yeah I think she does."

"And does John get away with standing on his head where he can't even see the chalkboard?"

"He does."

"Well Todd maybe for one day you shouldn't participate." He says. "If you don't do anything then you can't get into trouble."

He's got a point, but it's not who I am. I'm a committed student who always engages in class and pays full attention. "I guess I could try that. But I'm afraid I might not be here much longer." I said.

"Why's that?" He asks.

"I'm getting tired of being the only person here who actually uses their brain 100% of the time." He looks at me confused. "Besides you." I say.

"Well I hope you're willing to change your mind Todd. It's nice having you here. But if you want to leave I can understand. Anyways have a good one." He says as I start walking up the stairs.

"You to Louis." I wave goodbye as I scale the first floor. He's a really nice guy and he's the only person I have full respect for at this school. I have a lot of kids in my class who lack common sense, a teacher who gives me unfair punishments, and a principle who I'm a little surprised attained the authority of this school. He's crazy and often irresponsible, and he doesn't seem to have respect for the students of Wayside. I think he only took this job because he likes having power over everyone else. Speaking of which when I reach the top I'm greeted by potentially the biggest idiot on the planet.

"Hi Todd." It was Myron. The kid I'm surprised made it to the eighth grade. Most schools would've kept him in elementary if they knew what he's incapable of.

"Hi Myron." I say sarcastically. "How are you?"

"Fantastic! I've got a plan to finally win the class election!" He says with excitement I can hardly take seriously.

I prepare to lower his expectations for him. "Myron maybe it's time you actually had a plan that'd lead you to success."

"What?" He gives me a concerned look. "You don't think I'd make a good class president?"

"I think the level of seriousness you take it too is complete idiocy. It's already November and it's not something that will continue in high school." I say.

"It will if I get re-elected." He said grinning. "And who cares if a third of our school year is over? I can still make some real changes in the next six months."

"What change? You're only president of Mrs. Jewls class and you're only supposed to turn on and off the lights."

"Lights? If I could only find which button does that maybe it'd be easy." He said.

"The switch is literally right next to the door." I say unamused. "Face facts Myron you're not smart enough to be a leader." He frowned.

"If I'm too stupid to be a leader then how come I got an A on last week's math test?" He said looking unusually serious. I rolled my eyes.

"Probably because you waited until Mrs. Jewls disciplined me then copied everything on Dana's paper."

"That's called 'using resources' and it's not wrong for her to help me when I need it."

I glared at him. "No that's called cheating and if you did that in college you'd get kicked out immediately." He looked a little concerned for a second.

"Who needs college? When I graduate from Wayside School I'm going to run for actual presidency!" I gave him a bland look. "You don't need college for that right?"

"Well if Mr. Kidswatter can be principle without any qualifications then who knows?" I tell him.

"Good. So you'll vote for me at the class election right?" He asked grinning.

I gave a dark grimace to him. "I wouldn't vote for you if you were the person holding the cure for cancer." Then I walked away. "Bye Myron." He looked upset but who cares what he thinks? He doesn't take anyone else seriously except for Mr. Kidswatter and Kidswatter doesn't even care enough to call him by his own name. I moved further down the hall to see another kid in my class, Dana. She's noticeably smarter than Myron but equally as crazy.

"Hey Todd!" She called out with that annoying grin she always has. I smiled back a little cause I know Dana is someone I can annoy and she won't do anything about it. She always gives me dumb rules to follow.

"Hi Dana." I say casually. "How was your weekend?"

"Fabulous! I did this week's assignments and now I need to wait for the deadline to turn them in." She said gleefully.

I smirked. "I've already done all assignments this year. Each of which is already graded and passed." Dana frowned and grabbed her rulebook.

"But Todd, the rules say-" I abruptly grabbed the book out of her hands and closed it.

"Hey! Todd that is not cool!" She pouted. I raised an eyebrow as I handed it back.

"Don't you remember? I did it to save Mrs. Jewls's ass from being relocated."

"Todd language!" She said sounding serious.

"Freedom of speech Dana. That's a rule that was written long before your rulebook. But you can't do a damn thing about it can you?" I said grinning.

"Todd what is your problem?" She asked. "I've never heard you swear before."

"I'm getting very tired of this school." I told her. "I'm in an area where common sense is critically lacking and I go through constant pain and humiliation. Maybe I should just go back to my old school."

"Todd you can't be serious! Wayside needs you!" I flinched. "Remember when you were our school mascot? Our tetherball team won because you held more school spirit than anyone else!"

"Well Dana if the school needs me then maybe I should get some sort of amnesty."

She raised an eyebrow slowly. "I'm listening."

"Maybe you should convince Mrs. Jewls to keep me at the school all day so we don't lose the school spirit at 12 huh?" She looked down at her book.

"But the rules don't allow-" I pulled the book down to make eye contact with her.

"Dana, sometimes you need to put the rulebook down and look at other possibilities." I said attempting to shock some sense into her.

"I don't want to break the rules." She said.

"You're not breaking them. But they shouldn't be the only thing you set your mind on. Now can you attempt to talk Mrs. Jewls out of sending me home on the Kindergarten bus?" I asked sounding praising.

"I'll try." She said nervously. "But isn't it wrong to question the teacher?"

"It doesn't matter. It seems anyone but me can get away with that sort of thing. But if you're successful I promise I won't leave Wayside for good." I could see determination growing in her eyes.

"You're right! I will question her disciplining methods and she won't get to say a damn thing about it!" She flinched. "Oh no! You got me into swearing."

I grinned. "Relax Dana. There isn't anyone other than me who heard it, and frankly it's a phase most people go through growing up. Something you could be proud of." Her frown turned into that large grin she normally has but this time it was more satisfying to look at than annoying.

"You're right Todd. You see what I mean! The school would be lost without you." She said happily. Then of course she said that other thing. "Enough with the fun!" She turned around. "See you in class Todd." Then she was out of sight and out of mind. As I got closer to my locker I heard footsteps… no, wheels.

"Not again." I thought to myself. The wheels came closer and closer.

"Hi Todd!" A familiar voice called out. It was Maurecia. The one person who causes me more stress than anyone else. Stress, and muscle soreness. I shiver just thinking about the pain she inflicts on my shoulders each day. Honestly Maurecia is pretty cute and always seems excited, but the fact that she hits me at full force everyday negates her attractiveness from my eyes. If she'd never hurt me or let alone tried to I don't think I'd have a problem being her boyfriend. But no matter how loud I say ow she is only motivated to keep doing it. I wonder if anyone has ever punched her.

"Hello Maurecia." I say in an unamused manner hoping she'll realize I'm not in the mood to get abused today. She winds up her fist and that raging glare appears on her face. Why am I not surprised? She swings her fist at me, only for me to step aside and her to punch the metal locker I'm standing in front of.

"Ow!" She cried as she aided her freshly damaged hand. "Todd you made me hurt my hand!" She said angrily. I rolled my eyes.

"No Maurecia, you damaged your own hand by trying to hit me. I used no net force and neither did the locker. Only you could control where your hand went." I said in a smart alack tone.

She frowned. "Thanks for that. Now don't move next time." She took another swing and I dodged it. This time she didn't hit the locker but she still looked ready for the pain if she did. She kept punching but I kept dodging.

"Todd I'm getting tired." She said. I thought this would be my opportunity to end this pain.

"Good. You shouldn't consume your energy on punching unless it's in self-defense." I said. She looked at me blankly.

"You know I only punch you because I like you right?" She said.

"I'm well aware. But what you don't seem to get is that lovers don't hurt each other, they embrace each other." She looked a little saddened.

"I do it differently." She said. "How come you can't accept that?" Where do I even need to start? Are her pain sensors disabled? Or does she think she's physically weaker than everybody else?

"What I can't accept is that you love me." I made finger quotations at the word love.

"I can't love you?" She asked looking sad.

"No, no. Not that. I can't take you loving me serious because you punch me every time I try to get comfortable around you." I said in a harsh but honest tone.

"Come on Todd it can't hurt that much. Remember when Jenny slammed the top of your head with a tire?" She asked.

"It's not about what pain hurts the most Maurecia. It's about the pain I receive most frequently."

"So you want me to stop?" She asked.

"I think that'd do us both a favor. It'd do the guy you like less pain and your chances of having a boyfriend more likely." I lectured her.

"Wait! If I don't punch you again you'll be my boyfriend?" She asked looking excited. Too bad I have to take that excitement away.

"No, not exactly."

"What!" She looked angry. "You don't like me?" I sighed and realized I was digging myself into a deeper hole.

"Not really." She was about to cry. "Look I tried really hard to like you Maurecia. I really did." Tears formed in her eyes. "But I'm not convinced you actually like me because you punch me every day. And no excuses! It's not attractive in the slightest." I said prepared to endure potential sadness. To my surprise her tears faded before they were shed.

"But you won't be my boyfriend?" She asked.

"Maurecia, you're really cute." She made eye contact with me, blushing slightly. "You have a lot of spirit and I generally find that really attractive." She looked like she was ready to faint at this point. "But I'm a sane person and I'd like you to accept that I've been hurt too many times and I'm respectfully not interested." She frowned subtly. "But if you don't punch anyone else maybe the next guy you find hot will be your boyfriend."

"So it's too late to win your heart?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so for now." She looked disappointed. "But I do think your pretty and know you're capable of a lot of things. Maybe sometime in high school you'll convince me to change my mind." She smiled.

"Thanks Todd." She said sincerely. Just as I turned around I heard her pull her arm back. I quickly turned around and caught her fist. I was not amused in the slightest.

"Okay we're off to a poor start." I let go of her hand. "Let's go with college. One can only hope we end up in the same place." I walked into the classroom even though today I showed up 30 minutes early. Class doesn't start until 9:00.

Maurecia's POV

Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. I do love Todd and I'm a little surprised he just said those things, and he's really fast. Perhaps he played Ninja a lot at his old school. It's only 8:30 though so I have some free time. I went back to my locker to get my backpack. I often leave it there before class starts so I can skate around the school but I can't leave it there or my best friend would get lonely.

"Come on out Fluffy." I call and my precious little porcupine crawls out of the bag and into my arms. He purrs as I gently stroke his back avoiding his quills. "Do you like it when I punch Todd?" I ask him.

"Hm." He shrugs casually. I always wonder what he thinks of Todd. I bet if the two sat down together they'd get along. I slowly pulled out a customized scrapbook with Todd and my initials on it in a large red heart.

"What do you think of these photos Fluffy?" I ask him. He just stares at them and growls somewhat audibly. While I tell Todd I like him a lot and show my affection via punching him, an enormous part of me loves this scrapbook but I can't gather the courage to show him. This book holds many memories of the two of us and has my heart written all over it. If only Todd's heart were in it as well. But I cannot show him this book. It'd be far too embarrassing and he'd probably think I'm obsessive, which is sadly not very inaccurate, but I still think if he saw he wouldn't be impressed.

"Fluffy which photo is your favorite?" I asked as he turned away with his arms crossed. "Come on Fluffy just pick one." He turned back to face the book. "Which one is the most inspiring?"

"Hm." Fluffy hummed quietly glancing around until one caught his eye. He pointed at a picture of me punching Todd, not in the shoulder but in his jaw. That was a punch I aimed poorly.

"Oh you like that one?" Fluffy nodded. "Maybe I should discard this one." Fluffy's eyes popped open.

"Mm-mm!" He hummed shaking his hand and head at the same time.

"But he actually looks hurt in this one don't you think?" I asked looking at him.

Fluffy grinned, crossed his arms, and then shook his head. "You think Todd likes it when I punch him?" Fluffy nodded. "You're right. I think he's just so used to it he's lying to himself. If he didn't like my fist on his shoulder he would've probably done something last year. Maybe he's just delusional right?" Fluffy's head was moving up and down faster than I'd ever seen. "Do you think I just need to hit him a little harder so he truly knows my feelings?" Fluffy gave me a thumbs up.

"Okay then it's settled! I'll get him when he least expects it! Love is blind after all." I then closed my book, put Fluffy back in the bag then enter the classroom. I cannot wait until noon!

Todd's POV

It was a long day. Or half of the day that is. I guarantee the day still feels longer for me than the other students even if they do go home later than me. Lunch was horrible since Ms. Mush doesn't know how to cook anything that isn't hazardous to your health. Though just when I thought I was scot-free for the day Mrs. Jewls called my name.

"Todd." I looked up. "Why haven't you been paying attention today?" I frowned.

"I've been paying attention all day. I always do." I said honestly.

"Not today Todd. You know how I know?" I didn't respond. "Because on the days you do pay attention you engage in class." I'm getting steamed.

"Well on the days I do engage you tell me not to talk and then right my name on the discipline list." I said.

"Well that's no excuse to not do it today." She grabs her chalk. "I have no choice but to put your name on the discipline list." She proceeds to right my name on the board. I turn to Dana.

"No! Not today Mrs. Jewls. Right Dana?" Dana doesn't move her head. "Dana are you okay?" I ask her. She turns around in tears.

"I'm sorry Todd I tried." She said sadly. I looked back to Mrs. Jewls who wrote a checkmark next to my name. I felt enraged.

"What's with the checkmark?" I asked.

"Dana questioned my disciplining methods. I had a serious lecture with her and she says you told her to."

I turn her direction. "Why Dana?"

"Sorry Todd. It was too much pressure to break another rule."

I looked back at Mrs. Jewls. "Okay. Well it's 11:45 and it takes me 12 minutes to get down stairs. Any more reasons to send me home early?" I ask.

"No I don't think so. Do I?" Mrs. Jewls looked confused. Then someone spoke up.

"I do Mrs. Jewls!" Maurecia raised her hand. I glared.

"You do not!" I said firmly. Maurecia turned my direction and winked. I didn't understand what that meant.

"This morning Todd forced me to punch a locker and badly hurt my hand." She said.

"Oh he did?" Mrs. Jewls asked. "Is that true Todd?" I was ready to explode.

"No! She tried to punch me and I dodged it! She punched the locker at full force and told me it was my fault. I didn't do a goddamn thing!" I shouted loudly and everyone was staring my direction. Most of the classmates looked kind of scared.

"Todd! That's an outburst that would probably get a student suspended." She circled my name. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." At this point she's lucky I'm not holding a weapon. I'm so infuriated I should be prematurely put in an asylum.

"Fine!" I grab my bag and stood up. "I've made my final decision. I'm going back to my old school. You people love having me around so you have someone to trash. But next week I'll be gone and you'll wish you hadn't driven me away."

"Just leave my room now Todd!" Mrs. Jewls pointed to the door. "We'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy riding the Kindergarten bus." I felt an undying flame burning inside my soul.

"I'm happy to go home on the Kindergarten bus. Because they're not normal people who have common sense or very developed brains, but unlike anyone else in this room, they still have a shot at a bright future!" Some students gasped. "I can't wait for the week to end." I headed towards the door but once I got close to the end something heavy hit the back of my arm. The force felt like a small battering ram.

"OW!" I fell face-first and crashed into the pole of the gumball machine next to the door. "AH!" I yelp while aiding my head, then I looked up to see Maurecia aiding her fist.

"Ouch. That punch actually hurt my hand." I glared at her.

"Mrs. Jewls did you see that?" I asked with a concerned frown.

"Saw what dear?" She asked.

"Maurecia just punched me on the shoulder and I ran into the gumball machine. Aren't you forgetting to do something?" I asked.

"Yes. You hit my gumball machine. If you want gum you should bring a quarter. I'd put your name on the list but it's already settled, goodbye." I glared and walked out of the room. I had a massive headache from both shouting and crashing, and I feel the bus ride will only make it worse.

This means war!

Author's Note: And that's the end of the first chapter. Carry on students and readers. Goodnight.