Chapter 3

The first week of school passed in a haze of fists and rumors. Nobody stood up for him. Nobody said anything, not even the teachers.

Dan didn’t fault the students for their cowardice. After all, they had just watched Dan get handled after his first attempt to be the hero.

On the bright side, he had properly isolated himself from the social scene. It allowed him to wander the school and find a place for himself to get a break from Jax’s beatings.

There in an unused music room, the soundproof walls shielded him from the whisper campaign against him. He kept a first aid kit there, handy to nurse his wounds.

Dan also ate his lunch there, avoiding the cafeteria. But this day he packed for two.

A girl tentatively opened the door, poking her blond head in. He’d seen her before.

“Took you long enough,” Dan said.

“You knew I was watching you?” she said.

“You’re a hard girl to miss.”

“Um, thanks.”

“Come sit with me. We have much to talk about.”

They sat amid an assortment of band instruments waiting for the other to speak. He’d waited a week for her to talk to him. He could wait another minute or two. But he did hope she talked before lunch ended.

“I’m Krista, from the second employment test.”

“That much I know. They sent you to babysit me?”

“No! They trust you. But there are aspects of this school you are not equipped to deal with.”

“But they kept your involvement a secret.”

“You were to take an active role while I observed things from a different perspective.”

“OK, and what have you learned? And what of these aspects I’m not equipped for?”

“Well, that accusation of harassment is one. Girls were responsible for that. It’s not like you can beat them up.” Dan nodded at that. “Also, while you can beat up any guy at school, you can’t keep them down. Not when the incentive for them to keep bullying is so sweet.”

“The cheerleaders. That’s what I have learned while getting beaten up. Sex for muscle is the deal they have worked out. Or so it seems so far.” Krista seemed surprised. Dan grinned. “What, you thought I was spending all my time playing the victim? People are at their most dangerous when they are down.” His father had taught him that the hard way.

“I don’t think I can stay on the sidelines any longer. I didn’t think it was that bad here.”

“Same. I’m glad I don’t have to convince you to take a direct role. They were right to send you. My way of doing things was too blunt. I’ll need a softer touch. Me and you are going to find out everything about those responsible for the bullying and stop it.”

Krista had played with her blond hair throughout their talk. Something was bothering her and he’d waited for her to reveal it. Dan told her how much he needed her in the hopes of giving her the confidence to speak.

It worked. “The truth is ... I’ve always gone to this school. I’m not placed here like you. I could do nothing about the bullying then and I don’t think I can now.” Krista looked down at the floor. “They had to bring in outside help.”

So that was what she held back, insecurity at not being able to handle the job herself.

Dan could work with that. “Look, you can’t expect to take down an entire system of bullying by yourself. Be glad you have fresh eyes on the problem. Together we can do this.”

Krista likely knew he was trying to cheer her up. That didn’t stop it from working. She graced him with a sunny smile and stopped playing with her hair.

“Something has bothered me though about this job ... what the hell does this have to do with feminism?”

“Oh, that. Well, you see...” Krista started at her hair again. A troubling sign. “This school, and the people who hired you, are with the Cult of Man.”

“Oh shit.”

“It’s not what you think! The media have us all wrong!”

“So, you’re not a man-worshiping sex cult.”

“No. We are. But it’s so much more than that. It’s about self-determination and embracing the freedoms of the new age and enjoying and bringing out the good in men for the mutual benefit of both genders.”

Dan had his doubts. “I’m not here to judge. I just want to know what part the school plays in it all. Is it an indoctrination thing?

She pouted. “Sounds like you are judging. But it’s a lot to take in so I understand. Many, maybe all, of the school’s students are connected to the cult in some way.”

“So, it’s a safe place for the cults daughters and sons.”

“Yeah. It’s also a place where the leaders see how their teachings affect youth that socializes with each other outside family settings.”

“This is a testing ground for their ideas.”

Krista looked like she wanted to debate his phrasing, but eventually she nodded slowly. That cleared up many oddities of the school.

He knew there were after-school classes, but all were invite-only. If the students’ parents tested ideas here, then they already had classes picked out especially for their kids. As an outsider, he had no way in.

“Do you think what they are teaching in those classes is the cause of the bullying?” Dan said.

“Nothing in our teachings encourage bullying to this extent.”

“That makes it sound like a little bullying is OK.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it that; but pressure is not looked down on if it motivates students to the right action.”

“And that right action is? C’mon, Krista. Do I have to tease everything out of you?”

“Sorry, I’m not trying to be evasive. I don’t have to explain this to outsiders often. I grew up in this.”

“Alright then... , “ Dan said.

“The after-school class I take is mostly an alternative look on history. Modern feminists teach about the repression of females throughout history. My class discusses what steps women could have taken to better their lives without male help. We imagine what could have happened if they’d pushed themselves like men had.”

“Get burnt at the stake.”

“Actually, yes. Think about it. Men die by the thousands fighting over useless land, simply on principle or on the orders of a man they will never meet. A lot of time it’s over who marries who. Women need at least that much determination to match men. If not, well, there is nothing wrong with that. It just means they have chosen a different way to live.”

“I’m not an intellectual. I packed boxes before this. But I hope you can see how that can be twisted into the bullying we see today.”

Krista blushed and mumbled, “Maybe.”

Dan threw his head back, taking everything in. “Look, lunch is almost over. I have to head back. Let’s meet here from now on.”

She nodded. Then Dan’s phone rang.

It was his mom. “Dan, hey, just checking in. How is the security job?”

“It’s fine mom,” Dan lied.

“What about those bruises?”

“They are just bruises. It’s actually safer than the packaging job and has a better insurance plan. I’m getting paid for some baby bites.”

“Take this seriously!”

“I am, I am. Look, I got to get back to work. Bye mom, love you.”

Krista looked at him awkwardly so Dan explained. “Should I tell her I’m working for a cult to spy on high schoolers?”

“I suppose not.”

The explanation may have satisfied Krista, but not Dan. He’d lied to his mother. His father would be proud.

With furniture gathered from other unused parts of the school, Dan and Krista did a mini-renovation of their music room base. It now had a couch, curtained windows, and a line of padded chairs at both ends of the room. They couldn’t find a TV though.

Dan lounged on the couch and Krista sat on a chair in front of him, holding an unplugged speaker to her mouth. The speaker seemed to give her confidence. The topic of today’s meeting was the bullies of Masons High.

“So, let’s start with Cara first,” Krista said.

“The one who made that girl eat her out.”

“Yes, her. I didn’t know she was going that far in the bullying. She’s the head cheerleader. Within school, she is very popular.”

“Looking the way she does helps.”

“I guess she’s attractive. Cara and her cheerleaders are known to hang out with Jax and his jocks.”

Dan couldn’t help but chuckle. Krista joined him with her own giggle. The names of the groups were a bit on the nose.

Krista gathered herself to continue. “Cara has held the position of head cheerleader since school started and Jax has held his position for just as long. Both are mean, both love sex.”

“And their relation to the cult?”

“Cara’s family was high up in the sorority. They were said to be rainbow girls.”

“What’s that? Why are you blushing?”

“Well, you see ... have you heard of rainbow parties?”

“Oh ... Oh!”

“It’s a way to get funding and encourage unity and determine will for the cause.”

“Sure, right.”

“I’ve never seen one. I don’t want to be one either, in case you are wondering.”

“I was. We have to talk more about this sorority later. Let’s look into the victims. It should be easier to learn about them. They probably know more about their bullies than anyone else.”

“OK, we meet back here at lunch.”

Thankfully the school had half-hour breaks before and after lunch. Combined with the spare classes, some students spent more time doing nothing instead of learning. For students on their last year like him, he really had little to do.

The same went for the bullied students who had plenty of time to find places to hide. Dan knew the usual spots. Bullied kids like to hang around places that fit their low social status and mood.

Dan found the boy Jax was beating on near the janitor’s storage room. Other boys were huddled around him playing a card game. On seeing Dan, they scattered.

With friends like them...

“I’m sorry I left you to fight Jax!” the boy blurted out.

“No problem,” Dan said. “I wanted you to run. And I don’t expect you to stand up for me. That wouldn’t have ended well.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Then why are you here?”

“Let’s talk somewhere that doesn’t smell like cleaning fluid.”

When Dan and his fellow student, Greg, returned to the music room, Krista was there already. Two girls were sitting with her on the couch. Damn, Dan wanted that couch. Oh well, ladies first.