Leave a Mark on the World

Calhoun Mane spun a thread around the tip of a needle. He secured the thread, and he dabbed it in an inkwell. He wanted to stand out from the other students at Central Junior High School. Poking his skin repeatedly to leave an inked lightning bolt on his middle finger. He thought that whenever he flipped someone off, the mark would make the insult more powerful. His immaturity had now marked him as naively imbecilic for the rest of his life.

Calhoun’s girlfriend, Jenna, was upset to see his self-mutilation and lectured him about making better choices. The teen had started dressing like a hoodlum and had grown his hair out to shoulder length. She begged him to find his identity after learning that Calhoun resented the hand-me-down clothes he had to wear. Boys at school had bullied him. Now, he had hardened his attitude so much that no one dared speak against this new persona.

Having this homemade tattoo actually helped Calhoun create the character he had invented to gain this popularity. Overnight, he became trendy with every social group. Some kids changed their appearance to match his tough image. Most kids treated him with respect out of fear, knowing Calhoun had the guts to pull a stunt like putting this mark on his hand. This sudden rush of fame went straight to his head. Other girls flirted with him, and Calhoun took full advantage of the new attention.

When Jenna found out he had cheated many times, she broke up with him. Her status as a cheerleader had already made her a key peer amongst the cliques, and they all sided with her decision to break up and move on. Now, when Calhoun walked down the hallways between classes, students sneered and snickered at him. His whole identity shifted from invisible to visible, but his ego led him to become the most untrustworthy student in Central’s long history.

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