Mad with Help

There is a classmate in Micah’s and Wesley’s grade named Zach who has an intellectual disability. As a result of this impairment, Zach has difficulty controlling his anger and is very competitive whenever there’s a game or race going on. It is his objective to win, and will get angry when it does not happen. Micah, Wesley, and the rest of their classmates and teachers tolerate Zach’s tantrums on a regular basis, which usually end up with Zach getting in trouble. Some of Micah’s and Wesley’s classmates find it amusing whenever Zach gets angry, and will usually pick on him to see more outbursts. Zach, unfortunately, is the one who takes the fall while the bullies get away with it. One day in gym class, Micah, Wesley, and their class play volleyball with Zach (who is on Micah’s and Wesley’s team) missing his shot and throwing a tantrum afterwards. While watching Zach’s tantrum, Micah holds his mouth and goes to a corner, facing away from Zach and chuckling quietly to himself with Wesley approaching him.

“What’s so funny, Micah?” asked Wesley.

“Zach, I’m afraid. I know it’s not funny, but I can’t help myself.” answered Micah.

“Well, don’t let him catch you before…” responds Wesley while Zach approaches Micah.

“Too late.” says Wesley while returning to his team. Zach turns Micah around and picks him up by the shirt while angrily asking, “You think it’s funny when I get mad?!”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t control myself.” responded Micah.

“Control this, you jerk!” replies Zach angrily while curling his hand up into a fist and pulling it back.

“Zach!” hollered Mr. Schondelmyer angrily. Micah and Zach draw their attention to Mr. Schondelmyer, who gives them a stern look and sends them to Principal Graves’ office.

“So, what seems to be the trouble here?” asked Mr. Graves annoyingly.

“He laughed at me! All because I missed the volleyball and got mad!” answers Zach angrily while pointing at Micah.

“It was an accident. I tried to fight it, but it was too strong.” said Micah.

“I’m sorry boys, but there’s absolutely no excuse for what you did. I’m afraid I’m going to have to give you both detention.” said Principal Graves. Micah and Zach exit Principal Graves’ office and go back to their gym class, finishing out the day and reporting to detention as soon as arriving back at the elementary/high school building. Micah and Zach serve their time in detention with Micah working on his assignments while remorsefully glancing over at Zach. After being released from detention, Micah and Zach head home and conclude their day. The next day, Micah meets up with Wesley, Sarah, and Jessica in the elementary/high school building’s gym with Wesley asking, “So, did you get in trouble yesterday after your encounter with Zach?”

“I’m afraid I did. I even got a detention.” answered Micah.

“Micah, you know better than that.” said Wesley.

“I know. There just has to be a way I can control myself.” responded Micah.

“Well, the only thing I would advise is, try to work on that.” replied Wesley. Micah and his friends find their seat in the bleachers and get dismissed to their buses a little while later, going on about their day until the last period with Micah and his friends entering gym class. Micah and his friends play volleyball with their class again with Zach being on Micah’s and Wesley’s team again and Sarah and Jessica on the other team. At one point, Jessica spikes the ball over the net with Micah running towards it, only to accidentally hit it to Zach, who misses and gets angry with Wesley close by.

“Look what you did, moron!” said Zach angrily.

“Zach, we want to win as much as you do. But getting angry isn’t going to help.” responded Micah.

“Just do your best and have fun with it.” said Wesley.

“Shut up, you morons! Just play and win!” responded Zach angrily.

“Like it or not Zach, we’re in this together as a team. It’s not always about you.” replied Micah.

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” said Wesley. Micah and Wesley continue playing volleyball with their class with Wesley missing a shot a short time later to Zach’s anger.

“Hit the ball, idiot!” said Zach angrily.

“Zach, it’s just a game. Losing is not going to make the world end.” responded Wesley.

“It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about how you play.” said Micah. Zach angrily ignores Micah and Wesley and continues playing volleyball with the rest of his teammates until the end of the class period. Micah and his friends and classmates all return home and finish out their day until sundown. The next day, Micah and his friends go on about their day at school and tolerate Zach’s tantrums, giving him advice to no avail. A number of days later, Micah and his friends start playing badminton in gym class with Zach continuing his tantrums whenever he misses his shots or loses.

“Hang in there, Zach. Just keep trying.” said Micah.

“Remember what we’ve talked about.” said Wesley.

“Leave me alone! I have one goal in life, and that is to win!” responded Zach angrily.

“Patience.” replied Micah. Micah and Wesley return to their rounds of badminton and wait on the bleachers afterwards for open matches, watching Zach and the rest of the class play their matches. At one point, Zach’s opponent hits a drop shot that barely makes it over the net with Zach jumping towards it and missing. Angered once again, Zach stomps on the birdie with Mr. Schondelmyer angrily saying, “Zach bring your racquet here.” Zach gives Mr. Schondelmyer his racquet with Mr. Schondelmyer angrily saying, “You are done.” Zach angrily makes his way to the bleachers and sits down, reading a book for the rest of the class period. A number of days later, Micah and his friends play basketball in gym class with Zach violating one of the rules of the sport.

“Foul on Zach. Go sit down. You get a zero for the day.” said Mr. Schondelmyer. Zach sits on the bleachers and begins reading his book until the end of the class period. On another day in gym class, Mr. Schondelmyer is absent with a substitute teacher in his place, having Micah, his friends, and the rest of his class play kickball. Micah, his friends, and the rest of the class listen in on the rules and guidelines of the sport with one of them being counted out if the shot hits the ceiling. Micah, his friends, and the rest of the class begin playing with Zach being on the same team as Micah and his friends, as well as being the first to kick. Zach kicks the ball and begins running to first base without noticing his shot hitting the ceiling.

“Zach, you’re out.” said a classmate on the pitching team. The classmate tells Zach two more times that he’s out with Zach subsequently responding angrily, “I am not out, you jerk!”

“Yes you are. Your shot hit the ceiling.” responded the classmate.

“I’m not out!” replied Zach angrily.

“Zach, the teacher just said we’re out if our shots hit the ceiling.” said Micah. Zach ignores Micah and quarrels with the pitching team for a short period of time until the substitute teacher tells him twice to sit down on the bleachers, in which Zach subsequently stomps angrily over to one of the bleachers and kicks its backrest, putting a big crack in it.

“Hey! Come sit here! You don’t kick chairs!” says the teacher angrily while pointing at the seat right next to him. Zach angrily makes his way over to the chair while the pitching team makes their way over to the chair that Zach kicked. One classmate gasps and says, “He put a big crack in it!” Micah makes his way over to the chair with the teacher pointing at him and saying, “You, go get the principal.” Micah makes his way over to the principal’s office while the class resumes playing kickball. After Micah tells the secretary everything, he returns to the gym and checks out the chair Zach kicked, observing the damage and subsequently resuming his game of kickball while the guidance counselor arrives in the gym. The guidance counselor beckons Zach out of the gym and into the second-floor hallway, punishing him for his actions. After arriving home for the day, Micah goes into his laboratory and begins constructing a gadget to fix the damaged backrest. The next day, Micah goes into the gym after arriving at the facility and activates his gadget, successfully fixing the backrest to its former state. Micah then goes into the guidance counselor’s office and says, “Mr. Taylor, I fixed that crack on the backrest in the gym.”

“Really?” asked Mr. Taylor.

“Yes. I’d like to show you if you don’t mind.” answers Micah while beckoning Mr. Taylor to the scene. Mr. Taylor observes the repair and says, “Well, I’ll be. It would have cost a fortune to have that done.”

“I know, which is why I took the liberty of doing it myself.” responded Micah.

“Thanks for your help, Micah. This school can’t afford any more damages.” said Mr. Taylor.

“Anytime, Mr. Taylor.” responds Micah while making his way to his first-period class. In the last period of the day, Micah, his friends, and the rest of the class play dodgeball with Mr. Schondelmyer back. At one point, Micah picks up two balls and hands one over to Zach, who happily accepts it and throws it at his opponents while Wesley picks up two balls and hands one to Zach. Zach once again accepts the ball offered to him and throws it at one of his opponents, hitting them and dodging incoming shots. Zach eventually gets hit with the same thing happening to Micah and Wesley, who both sit next to Zach.

“Thanks for that extra ball, you guys.” said Zach.

“You’re welcome, Zach. Does this mean you’re not mad?” asked Micah.

“Yes. You were right all along. It’s just a game. I don’t care about winning or losing anymore. I only care about playing and having fun.” answered Zach.

“That’s the spirit, Zach! I’m glad to see you’re turning over a new leaf.” responded Wesley. The rest of the classmates on the same team as Micah, Wesley, and Zach get out, declaring the opponents winners. Another game of dodgeball commences with the team that Micah, Wesley, and Zach are on wins in the end. Zach gives Micah, Wesley, and the rest of his team high fives, having learned his lesson about not focusing so much on winning. From that moment on, Zach only had one objective on games and races: to do his best and have fun with it.

 

The End