gooseberryhigh | MEETINGS WITH THORN

After receiving multiple student complaints, Mr. Thorn requests that Christopher Park and Levi Kramer come see him in his office after classes end. It's immediately apparent that the normally upbeat Quidditch coach is in no laughing mood when he tells the boys that if they want to skip this chat, they can consider themselves removed from the school team.

"We talk a lot about pro scouts and showing up Ilvermorny, but Team Gooseberry is meant to represent the school, first and foremost. Bullying and harassment aren't qualities we want Gooseberry to be known for, and they're definitely not what I want associated with the person I've trusted to lead. Being on this team is a privilege. If you don't think so, there are a dozen kids who'll take your spots. And sorry, gentlemen, but I hold my players to a higher standard than Vector or Merrill do.

"Chris, you're no longer captain. Levi, if you're serious about wanting to play pro, then you should learn to show respect and restraint. Attitude can mean the difference between first string or staying on the reserve bench." Thorn crosses his arms, looking at Chris and Levi in turn to make it clear that his next words are addressed to them both. "If I hear about another incident like this again, you're off the team. Consider this your one chance." He dismisses them with that warning.

Before junior bonding begins, Mr. Thorn tracks down Clementine Decourt for a talk.

He gets right to the point. "Clem, I'm making you the new captain of the school team. Roster's the same otherwise. Game against Ilvermorny's on March 12. That's three weeks. Plenty of time to get settled." Thorn pauses a moment, his demeanour softening. "If you need help, I'm here, but I know Fiori and Stoker respect you and will offer advice." He laughs. "Not that you're forced to listen to them. I'm more than confident you can handle this."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A guaranteed way to get Levi to behave is to threaten him with Quidditch. He hears the message loud and clear and assures Thorn that it won't happen again. Once they step out of his office and the door is shut behind them, Levi swivels his head to Chris and whispers a quiet, "Fuuuuck."

A guaranteed way to make Chris behave is to shame him. And how abruptly he loses that captain spot is a great motivator, mostly because he wasn't expecting it. He gets to dwell on not even being captain of a team for longer than a month. That's pathetic. He hadn't realized how much it had meant to him until they were out of the office. And he'd thrown it away to laugh at a sophomore. It doesnt seem worth it now.

"Shit," he agrees.

Levi still thinks the talking penis was funny. But it's severely less funny now that Chris has lost his Captaincy over it.

"Dude, are you okay?"

Chris isn't gonna cry. He's still first string. He still in the exact spot he'd tried out for. He hadn't been aiming for captain. But being captain validated him. Losing it invalidated him. Shit he feels like crying.

"Yeah I'm good," he says ~~dishonestly~~.

Levi knows that's a lie, but okay. He rests a hand on top of Chris's head in an attempt to soothe. "I really did want to help find the jewel thief with you, though. ... I think I'm gonna start a youth group and be a Nice Jewish Boy from now on. Wanna join me?"

Chris doesn't swat Levi's hand away. "Sure. I'll be a nice Jewish boy with you," Chris says. He's Catholic. Levi probably already knows that. "No more drawing dicks at Ramirez," he says mournfully. "No more laughing at other people's pain. No more antagonizing people for fun. No more starting fights. We might even be expected to compliment people for no reason and care about their shitty problems without provocation."

Levi had already assumed that Chris is Catholic based purely on the fact that he's from Bahhhston. But that doesn't matter. He's a Jewish boy now.
"Just be your new roommate, but more Jewish," he jests without thinking, then pauses to reconsider, "Shit, is that a bullying statement? How am I going to unlearn my Problematic Behavior? This is why we need our youth group."

Youth group is probably just going to turn into scheduled times to hang out together in the woods and smoke weed, but whatever.

This youth group is probably just gonna be them warding eachother to say youth group just so they can go to the woods and get high. The bitterness is starting to set in. "We're never gonna be able to make a joke again," Chris says mournfully. "I really needed this. I was smiling too much. I was enjoying life too much. It was uncomfortable. My cheeks were starting to hurt."

"Maybe we can still make shitty comments if we whisper them to each other quietly and put them behind wards?" he suggests in a flawless display of having learned his lesson. "It's like farts. You have to let them out or it just builds up and you might shit yourself."

Maybe it's because Chris lost more than Levi, or self growth (it's because Chris lost more than Levi), but Chris doesn't really feel like being shitty behind wards is a good response to this.

"I haven't shit talked people behind their backs since I been here. I'm not gonna start doing it now just because the need to be a piece of shit is so strong I can't resist the temptation. He just called us pieces of shit, threatened your spot on the team, took my -" Chris stops himself to scowl at Levi. "I'm not gonna prove his disappointment right by becoming a worse person than I already am. I'm not a fucking disappointment, and I'm gonna prove it." It's hard to tell if Chris actually learned his lesson, or if he's currently combating a severe inferiority complex, but at least he seems determined.

MEETINGS WITH THORN

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Levi & Chris

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Levi & Chris

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