Pressure cookers, an every day object that erupts if not properly handled that can do some major damage. Damien Drake, a boy who's been bullied non-stop for so long, that it was bound to cause an eruption.

  The alarm blared, and Damien knew immediately, he was late for school. He was late frequently, it was one of the major issues he had with school. However, today was the first day of his final exams and what he missed he couldn’t make up. Running through the house he slammed out the door still in the same outfit he wore the following day.

  By the time he made it to class, he had already missed the first final of the day Mr.Cliffes English final. The second final he hit as he burst through the doors just as the bell rang. Panting, sweating, he looked like he had just barely survived some near death experience with his pale face and clammy hands. The math teacher, an older woman with a distaste for Damien, ordered him to sit down for the math final.

  Doing as he was commanded he plopped down and flipped open his final exam. It was all gibberish, he meant to study but he had been distracted last night. Honestly, he was distracted every night. Damien's heart sank, he was about to fail this test and he knew it.

  Thankfully it was multiple choice though, filling in the bubble sheet answers he stared at the paper guessing A, B, C, D, D, C, B, A, A-. He repeated the pattern over and over, ‘Pathetic Damien, you're such a pathetic person.’ He cursed at himself the entirety of the exam.

  It was almost two hours of grueling torture, and by time he finished everyone else was already done. Turning in the paper work he dropped down in his chair and hid his face from the world and the stares that he had on him.

  Damien sat in the cafeteria, he forgot to put money into the account again. He leaned on the palm of his hands and watched the cafeteria around him. His eyes were stuck on Lucy. Lucy had always struck him as a beautiful person, even when they were kids he felt a string in his heart strum when they would hang out. It was why he couldn’t handle they way she looked at him after the incident.

  Then, what was probably the worse thing that could happen, happened. Billy’s eyes landed on Damiens, and he slowly followed the gaze back to Lucy. The gears turned in the behemoth's head, and he immediately realized, “Damien loves Lucy.” Billy’s lips broke and slowly began grinning. It was a dangerous grin.

  “Hey, Damien. You looking at Lucy?” Billy shouted, it was loud enough to cause tables to glance at the scene. Damien's eyes flickered off from Lucy just as she looked at him, she caught him, but so did others. He turned his head towards Billy who was grinny. “I mean, go ask her out.” His mocking tone was loud, it was echoing, and it was bringing more and more people into the scene.

  Damien's heart began to race, his face turning pink and hot. “Lucy, Damien wants to ask you something.” He shouted to her, she looked upset. ‘Stop this.’ Damien thought, he opened his mouth too say it but nothing came out. “What? Too scared to ask, Lucy wanna go out with Damien?” Lucy blushed looking away, she didn’t know what to say either.

  Damien heard the laughter, his body shook, he wanted to do something he wanted to fight but he couldn’t. Standing up he gripped his bag and slowly began leaving, he would have ran but he didn’t think that would make it any better. ‘Pretend like none of this matters.’ It was all he could tell himself, but he knew it all did matter. Everything about what was happening mattered to him more than he wanted it to.

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  Making his way into the bathroom, he stood as the water faucet dripped. The anger boiled up inside of him, his eyes gripped shut, it felt like his heart was gonna rip out of his chest. The pain inside of him, the bullying, the missed exams, the failed tests. Damien finally had enough of it and snapped. He grabbed his bag and threw it against the mirror as hard as he could. The books in the bag cause the force to break it, rippling glass across the mirror like ice braking under his feet.

  He kicked one of the stall doors causing it to swing smashing into the stall itself taking a chunk out of the porcelain wall. He grabbed his bag and began swinging it down on the sink over and over until it snapped and the chunk shattered against the tile floors. The porcelain sounding like a bowl hitting concrete with the echoing shatter of glass bringing him back to his sense too late.

  Sitting at a small table, three teachers sat across from him. The principal was pacing the small conference room, and Mr.Cliffe sat next to Damien. He hadn’t realized it during the snap, but one of the stalls had a student in it and before he made it to his next class Damien got snatched up by the principal.

  The head over Math, Science, and History sat across from him. Mr.Cliffe, who was the head of the English department, had a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him. He wasn’t too sure what was discussed. Damien had broken so much that was gonna be expensive stuff to fix, and an expulsion was on the table and practically guaranteed but they didn’t know what to do for the rest of his finals.

  “Fail him.” The science teacher said.

  “No, he lost his temper, he is only human!” Mr.Cliffe argued.

  “He was getting mocked in the cafeteria.” The History teacher said, causing Cliffe to retort. “And you didn’t help him?” The silence fell amongst them all. Mr.Cliffe hit a string with his comment. Why had none of them helped him? Damien was bullied relentlessly. How could the teachers be so blind except for Mr.Cliffe?

  “Everyone hush up.” The principal finally said, “If they weren't touching him then it isn’t bullying.”

  “You're kidding me. That's some 1980’s viewing right there Clint!” Mr.Cliffe said angrily, “I will not be talked too like that by you, remember where we stand in the rankings Clifford.” He snapped back. The entire room fell silent again.

  “Fine, obviously he has to be expelled, but let him retake all his finals as soon as the expulsion is over!” Damien perked up and looked at Mr. Cliffe, he was fighting hard for him. Damien wasn’t sure if he even deserved this type of fight. He was a nobody after all.

  “That's…not a bad idea, Damien has never caused trouble before. Sure I think he is lazy, but he doesn't talk or act out.” The History teacher said, maybe it was guilt for letting him be bullied, regardless it was two votes. “No.” The math teacher immediately said, her snarky distaste for Damien in her mouth. “Mr Porter. You're the final vote, if you tie I'll make my final judgment.” Clint said, everyone looking at Mr.Porter, the science teacher. “I say…let him have a shot.”

  Cliffe gripped his fist like he just won a lawsuit. Damien didn’t look up, he wasn’t sure if he was happy about surviving this little fiasco, but Mr. Cliffe fought hard for him so he had to have some happiness. The teachers began to leave, they were quiet as they did. Mr. Clint left as well leaving just Cliffe and Damien.

  Standing up Damien had gone to leave, his school year was already finished. Then he jerked some, Mr. Cliffe held his half opened bag with his hand and frowned. “Damien, the ending isn’t set in stone. You can be anything you want, this does not define you.” Damien took the words in. He knew he was right, but he didn’t want to believe him.

  “Doesnt matter. You just prolonged the inevitable.” Damien said softly as he turned and left the office heading for home.

  New Player initiated. Artifact passed.

  Player name: Damien Drake

  Age: 17

  Class: Undetermined

  Stats: Calculating

  Moral Compass: Neutral