Chapter 2

Dad’s next assignment was a lot better, at least as far as the weather Ft. Benning, GA. But for me it was different, I had hit a growth spurt. I grew up but didn’t fill out much, my sister Sarah took after Mom and was short and curvy. I took after Dad at thirteen years old, I was already 5’ 9” tall and weighed 155 pounds. At least it was all muscle from my years of Martial arts training.

We did find out something we hadn’t known about Dad when he got assigned here, at least Sarah and I didn’t know it. Apparently, Dad had gone to Ranger and airborne school as well as the one for MP’s. A damaged knee was what got him reassigned as a regular MP from his first post with the 82nd Airborne. He was actually back at Benning for a refresher course for the Ranger school, after that he was going to be a DI for the ranger school.

Once again, I would be starting a new school in the middle of the year, at least this time we had on base housing so we didn’t have to live in a motel. Sarah and I were happy but sad at the same time, since we got a three bedroom house for the first time in our lives we wouldn’t be sharing a room. Mom liked that idea because Sarah would be graduating and heading to college in just over a year, which would give us time to adapt to sleeping in a room alone.

I found out school was going to be different here, in Ayer junior high was seventh through ninth grades then you moved to the high school. In Columbus, GA ninth to twelfth all go to the high school. So I was going from being one of the upperclassmen at my old school to being at the bottom of the totem pole at this new one.

At least at this school I could take AP classes, so maybe I wouldn’t be so far ahead of everyone. I had been doing Sarah’s homework, no, not for her but along with her in Ayer so I had actually been doing a high school juniors work according to what they had assigned Sarah. Sarah had just gone along with it and turned in her assignments even though she was ahead of the rest of her class. I couldn’t do that when I was in school to learn so I had continued learning two years ahead of my class.

When Mom took us to register for school, Sarah got a rude surprise that she was actually behind on classes. I found I was still ahead of classes just not nearly as far as I had been, I was only about a year ahead here. I wasn’t able to get AP classes until the 10th grade, but I was able to get into some advanced classes that were prep for the AP classes. We were told to stop by the office to get our class schedule, we also got a student handbook with a school map in it.

I had trouble sleeping that night, I was so used to hearing Sarah’s snore, she says she doesn’t snore but she does. She does this funny little grunting sound. I was kinda tired when I got up the next morning, luckily unlike Sarah I could get ready quick in the mornings. I normally just threw on whatever I decided to wear for the day. Today I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans with my bomber jacket.

Getting off the bus I went by the office and picked up my schedule. Looking at my schedule I was lucky in one regard, my PE class was last period. However my first class was Biology II, with Mr. Cooper. Walking down the hall to get to my class I realized I was taller than 80% of the people I could see. Stepping into the classroom I could tell from the fact that it had big tables with 2 stools at each one I was going to have a partner for this class. I waited by the door, because I imagine that the teacher had assigned seats. Since classes had been going for about 2 weeks already.

The man sitting at a desk in the front of the room finally noticed me and waved me over. I walked over to him. “I’m Susan Smith, If I found the right room you would be Sensei Cooper and this is Biology II,” I said.

“Well I’m Coach Cooper not Sensei, but other than that you got it right. However I didn’t get a notice about a Susan Smith being assigned to my class,” He looked at a note on his desk, “I have a note for a Johnathan Smith though,” he said.

“I’m Johnathan Susan Smith, but I go by Susan,” I told him.

“Okay then I think I’ll pair you with wonder woman, I might as well keep the odd name bunch together,” he said, before pointing me to a desk in the middle of the room.

Walking over I couldn’t help but notice that the girl already at the desk, had an abundance of cleavage. “Hello, it looks like I’m your new lab partner, Susan Smith,” I said.

She stared at me a moment before giggling, “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. Coach has a weird sense of humor, I’m Linda Carter Jones, or Wonder Woman to most of the people in this school, which makes us Smith and Jones like the TV show,” she said.

I understood what Coach Cooper meant by strange names now. “Well Coach said he was going to put the strange name bunch together, so you might as well know my full name is Johnathan Susan Smith,” I said.

Linda just stared at me for a moment and started to speak, but Coach called the class to order and started teaching, so she wasn’t able to say whatever she had started to say. Half way through class she slipped me a note. It asked are you a boy or a girl, I put a check mark on the girl and passed it back to her. She got a relieved look on her face before smiling at me.

As we walked out at the end of class she explained herself, “I was afraid if you were a guy, that coach Cooper was pairing me with another dumb jock so I could get him through Biology,” she said.

I realized about that time that my braid was inside my jacket, which helped explain her confusion. With it inside my jacket it looked like I had short slicked back hair. Reaching over my shoulder I pulled it out, my hair when I braid it comes down to just above my butt. Linda looked at it before nodding her head, “I wish my hair would grow that long mine always breaks and splits. Okay I’ll see you at lunch if we don’t have any classes together before then,” she said, before heading to her next class.

My second period class was the only one I had other than PE, that wasn’t a prep class. English was the only class I ever had a problem with, because I sometimes still find myself thinking in Japanese and having to translate that to English for classes wasn’t easy. I managed to muddle through the class but was very glad when it ended. I discovered when I got to third period, that my English class was the only one me and Linda didn’t have together. She was also getting set up to take AP classes next year.

I came very close to getting in a fight at lunch. As Linda and I walked in together, An older boy behind us in line said, “Oh look, it’s Wonder Woman and her new sidekick Jonathan the Sissy boy.”

I started to reach for him when a hand landed on my shoulder, I turned and had to look up at the mountain that had my shoulder. “Don’t get in trouble your first day here, I’ll take Jake here and have a discussion about how to talk to a Lady,” he said before grabbing Jake by the back of his neck and walking him away from us.

Turning to Linda I asked, “Who the hell was that?”

“Well Jake is a rich jock that thinks his shit doesn’t stink. The big guy is Jethro, he is even richer than Jake but is a nice guy.” She said.

I later found out that Jethro is 7’ 2” tall and weighs a whopping 375 pounds. All I knew at that time was that he was the biggest person I had ever seen. Linda took me to a table where some people were already sitting, “Everyone listen up, this is Susan Smith her Dad just transferred here, so she is an Army brat just like us,” she said as my introduction to the most fun group of people I would ever meet.

There was Amy, her Dad was a supply Sgt., Tom, his Dad ran one of the rifle ranges, Miguel, whose Dad was in charge of the confidence course, and of course Linda whose Dad was a DI just like mine but at the jump school. Linda’s Mom was the one I really couldn’t wait to meet. She was from Israel and taught a form of Martial Arts I had never heard of before called Krav Maga.

“We hang out together after school if you want to join us,” Amy said.

“Yea we normally meet at the PX after we get home and decide what to do from there,” Tom added.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to go today, but I’ll ask my mom when I get home,” I said.

About that time Sarah walked over to us with her tray. “Everyone this is my sister Sarah, Sarah this is everyone,” I said. We all had a fun time talking for the rest of our lunch break, when it was over Linda and I headed to our next class.

My next two classes were World History, followed by Algebra II. I had fun in them because of Linda, but also I had good teachers who made it fun to learn. After those classes I was ready to work my body instead of my mind so I was very ready for PE.

Linda and I walked into the locker room, and girls ran away screaming while trying to hide. I just stood there wondering what the hell was happening, until I heard an angry voice say right before I was grabbed from behind, “Young man you need to leave and go to the principal’s office right now!”

Turning I used my arm to break their hold on my shoulder, I used my movement to catch the same arm and use a shoulder throw to get them away from me. “I AM NOT A YOUNG MAN!” I shouted. Before looking at the person I had thrown, Shit it seemed I had thrown and looked like I hurt the teacher.

“Linda run to the office and get help while I check on the teacher,” I said.

Linda took off, while I knelt beside the teacher. “I think all you have wrong with you is a dislocated shoulder but we need to get you checked out anyway just to be safe,” I said to her.

She looked at me with a strange expression before she said, “I’m sorry for calling you a young man but I heard the girls screaming about a boy in the locker room and when I stepped out of my office I saw you with your short hair, and size I mistakenly thought it was you.”

I had stuck my braid back inside my jacket to walk to the gym, since we had to go outside to get there and it was raining. I hadn’t had a chance to take off my jacket before the excitement started so I reached back and pulled it out.

“Sorry about that but I didn’t want a wet braid to start class with so I covered it up, also I think that the rumours over my name might have caused all of this,” I said.