On the day that I talked to him he was sitting at a table with two chicks, and then there was another guy that kinda looked like a wannabe goth floating between that table and another. Normally I like people to be as alone as I can get them, so that their reaction isnt as affected by peer pressure, but I figured this wasnt too bad. He was sitting reading "to kill a mockingbird," so I gathered that he was a freshman. I sat at my table and scouted out the situation, and eventually decided there was no point in putting it off any longer.

 

I walked to the seat next to him and said "Do you mind if I bother you for a minute?"

"Sure" he responded, apathetically.

"Whats your name?" I asked once I had sat down.

He mumbled, so I said "excuse me?" and he said a little louder "Randy."

"Hey Randy. I'm Eric." He kind of mumbled "ok" or something, and I realized I was using a kind of high voice, like you use when youre talking to a girl or when you want something from your mom. I hadnt really meant to do it, but thats just how it ended up coming out. I felt wicked gay though, I made it sound like I was going to ask for his number next or something. Thats why when the girls he was sitting with were sitting in dead silence just kinda looking at me I said:

"I like talking to people I don't know."

They said something like "Oh, ok." Trying to make everyone, myself included, more comfortable I said "Yeah Im not a child molester or anything." This got a laugh and the girls said

"Oh thats not what we were thinking."

and I said "Yeah thats kind of what I feel like though. Anyway, so are you a freshman?"

"yeah" he said.

"That sucks." Just trying to make conversation I said "do you like get pushed around at all?" It was one of those things that just kind of came out it wasnt like I expected him to say yes or anything.

"no" he said.

"no? cause people think youre fucking crazy?" I was busting his balls a little bit about the whole wannabe goth thing. He just kind of shrugged. "ya know, what with the whole slipknot and marilyn manson thing" I was making reference to the hat and t shirt he was wearing. This got me thinking "so, I have a question- would you still listen to slipknot and marilyn manson if they didnt dress up all crazy and shit?"

"yeah" he said.

"its all about the music then huh?"

"yeah" he kind of said. I found it interesting that I was kind of teasing him for lack of anything else to say. I saw that he only had a few pages left in "to kill a mockingbird" so I asked

"do you have to have that read for like, tomorrow?"

"yeah" he said.

"who do you have?"

"spaeth" he said.

"spaeth? aw, he's awesome.

"hes a hippie" the girls across from us said.

"hes a recovering hippie" I corrected, "and he's the man."

feeling that I had little else to say I figured Id let the kid off the hook so I just kind of said "well good luck with that, nice talking to ya" and left.

 

I remember at one point one of the girls asked "is this some kind of interview?" and I was just like "no, I just like talking to people I don't know." and they said something like "cool" and I said "yeah I guess." I wonder if they thought some teacher gave me a crazy assignment like "interview someone you dont know" or something like that.

 

So Randy wasn't horribly interesting, he seemed apathetic and I think I felt a hint of intimidation. And of course a little "youre fucking weird." I wonder if he would have reacted differently had the girls not been there.

 

Im beginning to think that the majority of the interesting experiments will take place outside of school. Im thinking of talking to someone when I go to the movies with cory kat and alyssa tomorrow.