Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal by Chris Colfer Page A

said.
    “This is bullshit!” Nicholas said. “Not to mention illegal! Do you know how many lawyers my family has? Seven .”
    The rest seemed to agree with him.
    “ ¡Enséñame los pompones! ” Emilio said.
    I had just gotten them here. I couldn’t lose them yet.
    “If any of you would like to share the information I have on you, please feel free to do so and leave the room,” I said. The room went dead silent. They all looked at one another, each quietly encouraging someone else to go first. Luckily for me, they were all too proud to do so.
    “I didn’t think so,” I said.

    “I’m late for Hello, Dolly rehearsal,” Scott said. “What do you want from us?”
    “As you all know, I am starting a school literary magazine,” I said, cutting to the chase.
    “You want us to buy your school literary magazine?!” Claire said in a mocking tone. It pissed me off. Did she really think I had gone to all this trouble just to sell them something? She was the idiot for having sex with a coach, not me!
    “No, Claire,” I said. “I would never expect you to recognize an intelligent publication, let alone purchase one! But your friends and family? Yes! Why? Because you’re all going to be in it. I want a literary submission from each of you!”
    It was out in the open, and they all moaned like the whiny bitches that they are.
    “So that’s what this is all about?” Dwayne laughed.
    “This is ridiculous,” Vicki said.
    “ ¡Tu aliento huele a animales de la granja! ” Emilio yelled.
    “Wait, I’m not even a student here,” Colin said from the back.

    “That’s because I want something more from you,” I said, and then pointed at Claire. “And you. I want a submission from every football player and cheerleader.”
    The room erupted in complaints. They thought I was out of my mind on some kind of totalitarian power trip. And to be fair, I was.
    “ You can’t make me or my cheer team or anyone else do anything!” Claire yelled. She was so high-strung and high-pitched, I thought her head was gonna fly off her neck. “There’s a reason why you and Precious in the corner over there are the only members of your club, and it’s because everybody hates you. Even if you spread whatever information you have on us around school, no one is going to believe you, got it?!”
    The others cheered her on and muttered their agreements. Scott did a solo round of applause. Remy nodded her head as though to the bass of a hip-hop track. Malerie kept looking behind her, trying to see where Precious was.
    My posture started to slump. I’d been afraid this was going to happen. Their complaints got louder andlouder and I fell deeper into my own self-doubt. It was happening, my biggest fear: They were realizing they outnumbered me and I couldn’t beat them.
    I could feel sweat forming on my forehead. They were all shaking their heads and rolling their eyes, mad that their Friday afternoon had been wasted. A few of them got up to leave the room…and that’s when I snapped .
    A rush of adrenaline surged through me and I was no longer vulnerable Carson Phillips. I don’t know who the hell I was.
    “ Sit down! ” I ordered. My voice was so sharp it scared them. They didn’t know what to do but follow my instructions. I had the floor, and I had it good . Years of stomaching their shit had led to this moment and I went Dante’s Peak on their asses.
    “For years I have been poked and stabbed with your bitchfork , Claire!” I yelled with my whole body. I still don’t know where the words came from. “You have beaten me down to the bottom of the high school food chain with the shitty end of the stick for far too long! You don’t think they’re gonna believe me? I will make them believe! You don’t think the people at this school havejust been waiting for an excuse to turn against you?”
    Everyone’s eyes grew to the size of whale testicles.
    “Sure, they all hate me,” I went on. “But that’s because I’m the only