Snack Time

I was always a little envious of them. Or as I'm quite ashamed to say”I was quite jealous of them. Jealousy is something I had tried to evade my entire life. It was one of the things that my parents had emphasized since about time I was in preschool. However. I was still jealous of them. Jealous of their ability to act. Jealous of their ability to don another self with ease. Even jealous of their ability to express themselves. I wasn't able to do any of these things. I had shared the same love of the theater that they did. Though I couldn't share that same love in the same way. This is probably why they had let me do their technical work for them. They allowed me to be their shadow. Do the work the work they couldn't do the work they couldn't do. I had become the unsung hero of the theater.

That particular day had progressed like any other. I had managed to survive two tests in math and physics. I got the chance to enjoy a brief visit with my friends during lunch before I had to write down a ton of notes in history. Then it was time for me to join the actors.

We didn't have any clear objective to the class at the moment since we had just finished presenting a play a week ago. Everyone at the school and the community had thought it was one of the better plays put on at the school by the drama department. The only complaint was that the ending felt untouched. But the actors could hardly be blamed for that. That blame would go to the playwright. Even sill, the technicians were eclipsed by the glamour of the actors performing. For the past week Mr. Neo had been drowning the actors in an infinite amount of praise. Neo wasn't his real name of course, just a shortened form of his real name to make himself seem sleek and cool, or at least that is what he said. I wasn't entirely sure of what his real last name I once heard it was Neapolitan-like the ice cream flavor. I would also change my last name if I had the name of an ice cream flavor. However that didn't diminish Mr. Neo's role as a narcissist in my eyes.

Luckily by that day the praise had begun to die down-which was good since the endless praise was driving my nerves. My classmates were being as perky as always, talking about everything besides drama. This only seemed to flare up more when Mr. Neo had entered the room.

"Quiet down class said Mr. Neo in his natural booming voice.

"Oh my god! Mr. Neo you wouldn't believe- shouted Luna, who was acting as perky and out bursting as always. She was then interrupted from her interruption by Mr. Neo.

"Shush it Luna. We don't have time for interjections.

"Okay, Mr. Neo

"Its alright¦.now before we get started why don't we have some snacks? said Mr. Neo.

"Really?! responded Stan in a form of a shout."Really replied Mr. Neo. This triggered a loud scream of joy from everyone in the class. I was the only tech there that day-my fellow techs from what I heard were gone sick. Mr. Neo's voice came out again from the shriek "Megen?

"Yes? I replied.

"Why don't you come and help me get the snacks?"

"Sure I said. Mr. Neo had asked me earlier during lunch to have me help him move the snacks from his car to his office while he ate lunch. My friends had their own test to study for then-so I had relented to give my help.

I then left with Mr. Neo out of the classroom to his office to pick up the snacks I had dropped off earlier. I quickly grabbed the snacks and then began to head back to the classroom. The whole time Mr. Neo gave his whole secret congratulations to the technical work done during the play on the short walk back to the classroom. Before I got the chance to enter the classroom Mr. Neo turned aside to me "I can take those from you he said. And before I got the chance to reply he had taken all the snacks from me. He then proceeded to parade into the classroom under a hail of cheers from the actors. While I returned to my seat under the silence of awed and distracted hunger. I then seized the book from my bag and began to read.

Upon my return to my seat the class began to pour upon the snacks provided by Mr. Neo. I didn't want to eat any of the snacks. I never trusted food from other people. Never eaten at restaurants-haven't even taken food from my friends. This was just another one of the protocols that my parents had drilled into my head when I was younger.

Everyone returned to their seats with their prize. All of them had gotten their snacks that were brought, besides Mr. Neo and me. Immediately they began to devour it, shoveling the fatty snacks into their mouths. Almost immediately something seemed abnormal about them all. They ceased to shovel the snacks into their mouths. In a similar union they began to clutch their stomachs and began to tremble. And one by one they began to fall of their stools onto the ground-They dropped like flies. Colt, Eliza, Jacob, Rhian, and the rest of them. They were all laying on the ground-unmoving. The room that had been full of noise only a minute ago was now eerily silent. During the commotion I had kept to my seat so I was unaware of what Mr. Neo was doing. I had enough of an interest to pay attention to watch the dilemma of the actors. I finally glanced over to Mr. Neo and saw a sinister smile dampen on his face. He then turned in my direction and spoke.

"That play sure did need a stronger ending didn't it? he asked.

"Yeah I replied.

"This might've done the trick. Pity that we're the only two that gets to witness the spectacle Mr. Neo said. He seemed to be making light of the situation. Obviously he had gotten careless since he had reached into the bag of snacks and ate the chip he had just grabbed. As soon as he took the bite he realized what he had done and backed away into the corner of the room. Like the others he clutched his stomach and stumbled on the ground. Never did any of them return from the confines of the ground on their own wills.

I then put my book away in my bag, stood up, and pushed in my chair. I then walked out of the classroom-might as well leave the actors to their work I thought.