“If you want my advice? Untie me now while you’re still in my good graces,” Ryerson suggested, winking flirtatiously at Chad. “You don’t want to get on my bad side, boy.”
“What the hell, Ryerson? You can’t talk to a student like that,” Travis scowled.
“I don’t see why not. If I have it my way, it’s just a matter of time until he’s me. Same goes for you, Travis; enjoy that hot tight body of yours while you have it, cause this is in your near future,” Ryerson laughed, nodding downwards to gesture at his own naked form.
“Why are you doing this, Steve?” Travis crossed his arms and took an apprehensive step away from Ryerson.
“You’re still young, so you don’t know what it’s like. I’ve been teaching at this school for nearly half my life, and I have given my weeknights, my weekends, my everything to these students. I didn’t have a personal life because my focus was always on my students, and I thought that I had at least earned some respect for the dedication I gave them. And then one day I realized that the best years of my life had passed me by, and I had nothing to show for it. Our team is mediocre at the best of times, and the students that I gave everything for are little rebellious assholes. But I still held my head high and slogged through day after day at this shithole. And then the punks decided that they’d start stealing from me, taking clothes from my locker. I don’t know if it was for the thrill of it, I don’t know if it was to mock me. Hell, maybe they got off on jizzing in my jocks. Doesn’t really matter; that was one bridge too far.” Ryerson’s eyes were wide and crazed; his face flushed red with rage. This was obviously a sensitive topic, and bringing it up had set something off in him. Travis and Chad exchanged an uneasy glance.
“That still doesn’t explain what happened to Derrick,” Chad said, breaking the extended pause that had settled between then men.
Ryerson let out an aggravated sigh, looking at Chad as if the young man was an idiot. “My husband, as it turns out, dabbles in the dark arts. He had the idea of putting a spell on my clothes so we could catch the thieves next time they were stolen. I wasn’t aware of just how creative he planned on getting in his punishment, I must admit. But what kind of teacher would I be if I didn’t teach my students a lesson?”
“Brody’s a wizard?” Travis exclaimed, clearly taken aback. Travis had met Ryerson’s husband a handful of times at staff functions and other social events over the past couple of years, and the man seemed so normal. As far as Travis knew, Brody worked in the tech industry on video game software.
“Derrick didn’t even steal your jockstrap!” Chad object angrily, taking a step towards Ryerson. “The spell messed with his mind, and he couldn’t even think straight when he put it on. He didn’t take it from your locker; it was just lying on the change room floor!”
Ryerson shrugged indifferently. “Obviously the spell affects anyone who touches it, whether they stole it or not.”
“How do we reverse the spell?” Travis demanded.
Ryerson smirked. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. I like being in this body, and I have no intention of giving it back.”
“You’re lying,” Chad hissed angrily, taking another step towards Ryerson. “It was your spell, so you know how to stop it.”
“It wasn’t my spell, it was Brody’s. Are you even paying attention, Richardson?” Ryerson asked, rolling his eyes. “Besides, even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Oh, you’re going to fucking tell me!” Chad demanded, rushing towards Ryerson. Travis tried to intercept Chad’s attack, but he lost balance and slipped backwards on his sneakers.
“Chad, don’t!” Travis shouted.
Chad was seeing red, eager to beat the information he needed from Ryerson. Derrick was gone, and he couldn’t imagine a life without his best friend. If there was any chance of getting him back, Chad would do whatever was necessary. He wasn’t one for violence, but desperate times lead to desperate measures.