We the People Are Good to Eat
4. Girls Gym

Secondperiod had ended. Karen was on time for her third period girl's physicaleducation class.

When sheentered the girls' locker room, Alyce Vanderland and Louise Torelli werechanging into their gym uniforms. Karen's locker was beside theirs.

As Karenbegan changing into her uniform of shorts, socks and sneakers, Alyce asked,"So what's the twitter from the Birdhouse?"

"Mr.Charles Avery is a God damn mthrfkr!"

Alyce asked,"He's a what?"

"Ican't believe what that man just did. He said that the noose had a kink in it,and that somebody deliberately saved my life."

Louise said,"A kink?"

"Yeah."said Alyce. "Her."

Louiselaughed.

Karen said,"This is serious. He said that the rope had been tampered with, and heblamed Dave Krendell for it."

Louise said,"But Dave would never do anything like that."

"Iknow; but that mthrfkr Avery doesn't care. He just suspended Dave for aweek."

Alyce said,"I don't believe it."

Louiseshouted. "Suspended for a week?"

"That'snot all. He's being banned from all extra curricular activities for theremainder of the year."

"No!"

"YesLouise; and he won't be permitted to attend his graduation."

"But Iwas beside him when he took the rope out of the equipment locker. The noose wasalready tied. I was with him when he brought it out, and he didn't touch therope after that. He was sitting right next to me in the stands, while you werebeing hanged."

"Itwasn't just that. Dave admitted that he prayed for me, during the hanging. Thatmight have been what saved my life."

Louise said,"He's not gonna graduate for that?"

"Ohhe'll graduate. He'll receive his diploma in the mail. He just won't bepermitted to attend the Ceremony."

Louise said,"You know you're right. Mr. Avery is a God damn mthrfkr!"

Alycelaughed, "He prayed?"

"Yeah.He said, 'Lord Jesus. Please keep Karen alive. I love her.'"

Louiseshouted. "He said that?"

Karen said,"Face it girl. If Dave Krendell’snot getting any from you, he knows where I am."

Louise said,"He told me that he likes girls who are intelligent, dignified and havesome class."

"Thenwhat's he doing with you? Forget it Louise. Last year, Dave was doing it withHomecoming Queen Alyce here, even before he started dating me."

Alyce said,"That only happened once Louise. We were celebrating after we won a game.Dave's the equipment handler, and as part of the celebration, I let him handlemy equipment while I handled his; but only that once."

Louise said,"He told me that he likes knowing that I'll still be around, after all youwarrior team sluts are dead."

Karen said,"Well being a shirking wussy, who never thinks of anybody but herself, isnothing to brag about."

Alyce said,"You got no business calling her that."

"No?Remember last year, when she joined the girls' warrior squad? During her firstgame, she got one little wound. Then she fell down and played dead for the restof the fighting; but as soon as the clock ran out, she jumped up and ran to theinfirmary."

Alyce said,"That's not true. I fought right next to her in the phalanx. Her shieldand mine overlapped. When the opposing team broke through, I saw her getstabbed really good, with a spear deep through her side. I was sure they'dscored a kill off her."

Louise said,"So was I."

Karen toldher, "So was the score keeper."

"Ifhe’d stuck it in me just half an inch higher, we would have all been rightabout that. Now I don’t know who got upand ran, but it wasn’t me. I didn’t knowthat I wasn’t dead until after the game was over and everyone had gonehome.

“That was when the guys from the meat companywere tossing the bodies into their meat wagons.

“That waswhen I woke up, and I found myself lying among all the dead warrior girls onone of the wagons. I climbed up and outof that pile of dead warriors, and off of the wagon. Then I limped slowly, and in great agony, tothe infirmary.

“That meantthat I was still a student here at L-1378-55 High. That meant I was still expected to have allmy homework completed and ready to hand in on Monday, instead of partying inParadise.”

Alyce said,"What more do you expect?"

Karen said,"She didn't fight in one single game after that and she forfeited herfamily's extra rations. That's what I call shirking."

Louiseshouted, "You've got no business talking about my family!"

Karen said,"The only reason you joined, was so it'd look good on your collegeresumes. You only had to show up for one game to do that, and that's all youdid. You didn't care about the game, or the team, or the school, or reducingthe population, or your family, or anybody but yourself;

“So whywould Dave Krendell think he could count on someone who’s as selfish as you?”

Mrs.Ramierez, the Phys. Ed. instructor, stood at the end of the locker row.

“Karen.” Shesaid, “Could I talk to you for a minute.”

“I apologizefor using an obscenity, Mrs. Ramierez.”

“Apologyaccepted, but this is something else.”

Karen walkedup to the woman.

She said,"As your faculty advisor, it is my unfortunate task, to advise you, thatas of last

Saturday,you are no longer a member of the cheerleading squad."

"You'rekicking me off the squad?"

"It'snot my decision. It's the School Board. You see; you are now listed as anofficially hanged cheerleader. I don't know what happened, but you no longerofficially exist, and the School Board doesn't want to provide any extrarations, for someone who no longer exists, or your family.

"I alsohave to ask you to hand in your cheerleader uniform and your pompoms."

"They'retaking away our extra rations?"

"Sorry,but that's what I was told."

"Butafter a cheerleader's hanged, her family's still supposed to receive the extrarations, for the remainder of the season."

"Yourswould, if you were really dead."

Then Mrs.Ramierez blew her whistle. The girls went out into the Gym. Louise ran pastKaren shouting.

"Iwasn't playing dead! Were you?"

During thisgrading quarter, the class was graded on punch fighting. The girls wore nogloves, but thick leather pads were tied across their fingers and the backs oftheir hands.

Mrs.Ramierez paired them off, generally by size.

Karen waspaired with Alyce Vanderland. She pounded her anger into the Homecoming Queen.Alyce hammered back, making Karen cry out in pain.

Nearby,Louise punched out her opponent Sarah Denski with all the anger she felt. Sheslammed her fist hard into the girl's jaw, knocking Sarah out cold.

"Nicegoing Torelli!" Mrs. Ramierez shouted. "That's what I like to see!That's an auto-matic A plus!"

Afterhearing that, Karen called out, "Teacher's pet!"

Karen hadwon her fight with Alyce. Alyce was seated on the floor moaning, with two blackeyes and a broken nose. That always happened to the Homecoming Queen, duringher first gym class after the Dance.

Karen hadone black eye, a bloody nose, a split lip, and she was groaning in pain. Thatalways happened whenever she was paired with Alyce. She was however still onher feet, but numb, groggy, and had trouble standing.

Mrs.Ramierez called out, "That's a 'B' for you Bennet! A ladylike 'C' for youVanderland!"

The pain inKaren's neck had returned. She felt a severe burning where the noose had chokedher. Her throat felt tight, and she had trouble breathing.

Now Louisestood facing Karen, with her fists ready and a lusty grin on her face.

She shouted,"You keep away from Dave, you slut!"

Karen wastoo groggy to move. The nerdy girl's fist, banged into the wobblycheerlead-er's jaw, making a very loud crack.

Karen wasflat on the floor, aware of nothing.

Then throughthe nothingness, a Voice spoke:

"Karen arise," the Voice said,"and chose life, so that you and your children will live, and possess theland, that the Lord your God has given you."