Chapter Nine - Not a Buffoon
Ted went into the detention room that afternoon. The janitor, Mr. Dayton was sitting in front of the room in his desk, watching everyone with a close eye. Since there were no open seats, Ted sat torwards the back next to what looked like a tough senior. He took some homework out of his backpack and started to work on it.
"What're you in here for," the senior whispered.
"Oh, I'm not quite sure," Ted replied honestly, "what about you."
"Beating up some geek," he muttered.
"Okay."
"This is really boring. There's never anything to do in detention."
"HEY," Janitor Dayton yelled, "YOU WITH THE MOUTH, SHUT IT!"
The senior snorted, and continued, "I wish my girlfriend was here. You got a girlfriend?"
Ted hated questions like this, but he said, "Well, not officially, but I'm really good friends with this one girl."
"Who?"
"I'm not sure if you know her, but her name is Patrica Peach," Ted nervously added.
"Know her," the senior growled, "she's my sister. I'm Mark Peach."
Ted's heart leapt to his throat just like when he was in trouble with Principal Deezer. He really hoped Mark Peach wouldn't take this too seriously, but as Ted saw him roll up his sleeves, he knew that he was in for a romping. Amazingly in the middle of class, Mark threw a powerful punch aimed right for Ted's jaw. It didn't connect though, because Ted blocked it, and clenched on to his fist with a death grip.
"What is your problem," Ted urged loudly, while trying not to let go of Mark's fist, and attracting the attention of the class.
"You're messing around with my sister, thats what's my problem," Mark clenched.
"YOU TWO UP HERE," the janitor shouted.
Mark released his fist and the two walked up to the front. Janitor Dayton slapped the two.
"GET IT TOGETHER, YOUNG MEN," he yelled, "YOU EACH HAVE TWO MORE DETENTIONS!"
"Do you ever NOT yell," Mark rudley asked.
"NO! NOT AROUND BUFFOONS LIKE YOU," Janitor Dayton replied in scream form, "NOW GO INTRODUCE YOUR HINEYS TO YOUR CHAIRS!"
The two truged back and slumped into their seats, arms crossed.
*****
Janitor Dayton released everyone with a scream, and detention was done. Ted marched up to the janitor.
"Janitor Dayton," he urged.
"Yes," he replied in a suprisingly quiet voice, while polishing his glasses.
"Whoa, you didn't scream that time," Ted thought out loud.
"Well Ted, frankly I don't think that you are a buffoon. You are probably in here for strange reasons," he replied.
"Yeah I didn't bring the Principal pudding cups."
"Indeed strange," the janitor answered, "now, what is that you want."
"Well, Mark Peach, the one that tried to punch me," Ted said, "is probably looking to hurt me some more in following detentions. I really don't want to be hurt, plus it would disrupt the detention room."
"You raise a good point," Janitor Dayton replied, "no more detentions."
Ted jumped in delight! He didn't know he could get off the hook this easy!
"Instead, you have after-school janitor's assistant duty."
"WHAT?"
"Well, it's where you help me clean the school. It won't take as long, it'll only take three of your afterschool days, and it won't be as boring. The only minus is that you have to wait until I've finished watching the detention kids."
Ted pondered this in his head for a moment and said, "Okay, I think I'd rather be a junior janitor."
*****
After that little discussion, Ted decided to visit Lou's club.
"Teddy! Glad you could show up for Kabob Club," Lou exclaimed, terriaki sauce covering his face from his Chinese kabob, "but we're almost over."
Ted looked around in amazement there were over fifty kids! Ted had underestimated the power of the kabob.
"What took you so long," Greta asked, as she chewed on a fruit kabob.
Ted laughed as he picked up a chicken kabob, "I've been assigned a duty of doody."
