HDA - Dead Scholar's Society by Gabrielle de Lioncourt Chapter 2

Joe stared down at the textbook in front of him. He had gone through the first subsection but he still couldn’t make sense of it all. He could make neither hide nor tail of what this cosine or sine or cosecant thingy was all about, much less try to solve the complicated questions down at the bottom of the page.

He knew why Frank was so angry with him, and he couldn’t exactly blame Frank either. His big brother had tried everything to help him but still Joe found himself failing his classes. And he knew his parents were becoming deeply concerned too. They sure made it perfectly clear to me at the dinner table, Joe thought, feeling down-right miserable.

"That’s great, honey!" Mrs. Hardy smiled at her elder son. Personally she had always been proud of Frank’s achievements but what Frank had told them exceeded all her expectations.

"Congratulations, son. I knew you could do it," his father said. Frank couldn’t help smiling. He knew the news would make his parents happy. He’d just been told over the phone that he’d passed the admission test and all he could think about was how great this would look in his resume and university applications.

So what if Frank’s representing the state to the National Chemistry Quiz? Joe thought resentfully, dismayed at the happy looks on his parent’s faces. For the first time in his life, he was suddenly hit with pangs of jealousy over his brother’s academic performance, which far surpassed his. And that feeling was totally alien to him. He had never been able to spur the same kind of pride in his parents like Frank always did. Suddenly Joe felt totally self-conscious. Am I really that bad? He remained lost in his thoughts until Frank gave him a sharp nudge with his elbow.

"You seem preoccupied. Anything wrong?" Mr. Hardy asked, concerned. Laura and him had decided to broach the subject tonight but if Joe was not feeling up to it, he felt that they’d better wait. But Laura beat him to it.

"Joseph, honey, I received a call from your teacher today," Mrs. Hardy said hesitantly. Joe had always been a bright boy, if not academically but he had always maintained his grades at a satisfactory level. But this time she felt that she simply must say it. Joe looked up sharply from his plate, and stared at his mother, saying nothing.

"He told me about certain things, concerning your studies." Joe swallowed hard, staring back down at his food.

"Are you having any problems, Joe? If you are you know you can always talk to-"

"No. No problem," Joe muttered. His lips pursed in a tight line, a telltale sign showing that he was not liking this conversation at all, Frank noticed. Glancing between his brother and their parents’ stern yet worried faces, Frank was sorely tempted to intervene.

"Joe, you know you can’t let this go on. You’re in danger of failing all your classes! Why not you ask Frank to-"

"I said I’m not having any problems," Joe spoke up, his blue eyes hard and defiant. Fenton closed his mouth.

"That is not the way to talk to your father, Joseph," Laura rebuked sharply. Joe drew in his breath sharply, feeling his cheeks go red. I knew it, I knew it, Joe thought in rage. Why is everyone picking on me about my grades? So what if I failed my classes? There’s no way I can ever compete with Frank so why should I even try? Suddenly Joe was not feeling very hungry anymore.

"Dad, I’m sorry. Mom, may I be excused?" Without waiting for an answer, Joe pushed back his chair, threw his napkin down on the table and left the dining room. As Joe walked up the stairs he could feel Frank’s eyes boring into his back.

Joe sighed. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried. He had. Truthfully he himself didn’t know why it was so hard for him to grasp sometimes even the simplest concepts of Maths, or Physics or Chemistry. He hadn’t realized how bad he was until he saw the big red F on his paper today. Maybe he just wasn’t trying hard enough. Frank had come to his room and even offered him his help to tutor him but Joe politely refused, knowing for a fact that he couldn’t stand the thought of studying with Frank tonight. It was just too stressful. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he was going to stay in Frank’s shadows forever.

Sighing again, Joe started right back at the top of the page, determined to get it over with. By hook or by crook, he was going to digest this trigonometry thing by tonight. Gee, Joe, since when have you cared so much about schoolwork? He heard a little voice say inside his head. Shut up, he scolded himself. I can do this.

"Really? A bronze medal?" Frank’s eyes went wide. "I’m impressed!"

Vanessa nodded enthusiastically. "Can you believe it? He’s a total genius!"

"What’s so great about bronze? I got a gold at the meet last month," Joe said stealing a fry off Frank’s plate. He’d long since finished his own lunch but he was still hungry.

"Joe, track and mathematics are two completely different things," Vanessa said patiently. "Do you know how hard those Olympiad questions are? There are only 5 questions per set and to solve even one is an accomplishment!"

Joe shook his head in disgust. He’d had enough of this conversation. Since the Swede guy came, he instantly became the topic of every conversation here and there. Craig Henderson didn’t turn out to be just your normal, average guy. With an IQ of 179 he proved to be a genius. Not that Joe was jealous.

"Hey, guys." Callie slid into the chair next to Frank. "So, what are you guys talking about?"

"Craig Henderson," Joe muttered. Callie’s eyes went wide.

"The new guy?"

"You heard of him?" Vanessa asked excitedly.

"Of course." In fact the whole school knew about him. Even Callie who was a senior, same as Frank. "He won a silver medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad in Bucharest in 1999 didn’t he?"

"Bronze," Vanessa corrected. "And he’s a member of MENSA International." She sneaked a glance at the tall, dark-haired guy sitting at a table near theirs. Not only is he brilliant, he’s gorgeous too, she couldn’t help thinking, instantly feeling her cheeks flush with momentary guilt. "You should have seen him in class. Mr. Beckett hasn’t even finished explaining about quadratic equation thing we learnt today and he volunteered to solve the mind-boggling ones on the board." Joe didn’t miss the note of admiration in her voice.

First some international Maths quiz, now MENSA? Joe thought, feeling a little envious. Silently Joe studied his girlfriend. Joe realized that he was far from being a straight-A student but couldn’t Vanessa see that he was not enjoying the conversation? Joe placed the handful of fries back on Frank’s plate, suddenly losing his appetite.

"Isn’t that the society for people with high IQ?" Callie asked.

"Yep, whose IQ is in the top 2% of the population, with the objective of enjoying each other's company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities," Frank said. He couldn’t help feeling impressed. He himself had tried taking the difficult MENSA test and narrowly missed the cutoff percentage for admission into MENSA. "I’ve really got to meet this guy."

Joe could feel his ears burn. All these talk about IQs and studies and grades were really getting on his nerves. Since when did Vanessa care for brainy guys anyway? OK, fine, he’s good-looking, not that I’ve noticed those high cheekbones with anything more but masculine criticism but-does she really NEED to say all these in front of me? First Frank, then his parents, now Vanessa. Who’s next?

Joe realized that he was being irrational and yes, more than a little jealous. But who could blame him?

"Here’s your chance," Vanessa said. "Hi, Craig." Joe looked up to see the new guy walking toward their table.

"Oh no," he muttered.

Craig smiled, showing off two perfect dimples. "Hi, Vanessa. Hi, Joe."

"Guys, I’ve gotta go." Joe abruptly stood up. "I’ll see you later." Without waiting for a response, he practically leaped out of his seat and was gone before Frank, or Callie or Vanessa for that matter could say anything. He could feel the four of them staring at him, could just imagine the look of total confusion on their faces.

Joe bolted out of the cafeteria with a burning inside him, a burning that he’d never felt before. It’s true what people say about me, he thought remorsefully. I’m the brawn of the Hardys, instead of the brains. That’s always been Frank’s department. I’m nothing but a big, stupid bozo. I’m nothing.

"Hey."

Joe looked up. "Hey."

"Mind if I join you?"

"No, of course not." Joe went back to staring at the ground, and Tessa unceremoniously plopped herself down next to him. She had seen him sitting under the tree, alone and looking totally dejected. No, scratch that. Try depressed, she thought.

"You look depressed. Something wrong?"

Joe glanced at her sharply. Tessa’s smile faltered. "I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-" Gee, Tessa what were you thinking? He barely knows you. Why should he tell you anything?

"No, it’s okay," Joe said hurriedly. He forced himself to smile. If Vanessa could gush about the new guy, then she wouldn’t mind if I spend some time with Tessa, would she? He asked himself sarcastically. Besides it wasn’t as if they were doing anything but talk.

"So how do you find Bayport so far? Or the States for that matter?"

Tessa shrugged, casually tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder with a flick of her hand. "Not much different than Stockholm, but it’s okay."

"Stockholm? I thought you were from Sweden."

"I am from Sweden. Stockholm is the capital." She stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh." Joe could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment. I should have known that. Great. This just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it, Hardy? You can’t even remember where Stockholm is. His inferiority complex suddenly hit him again in full-force and Joe didn’t realize that he had groaned out loud.

"What’s wrong? What’s the matter?" Tessa asked, a little worried. She couldn’t help noticing how miserable Joe looked. When she met him she had instantly taken a liking to him. She suddenly felt the urge to run her fingers through that fine, golden hair of his.

Joe studied her closely, staring into her deep brown eyes. He didn’t know why, but he felt that he could trust this girl.

"You really want to know?" Sometimes it’s better to tell a complete stranger all your problems rather than confiding in someone you already know, Joe thought. It’s easier that way. You don’t have to worry about what people who matter think of you.

"I don’t think you’re stupid," Tessa said softly the moment Joe finished telling her what had been bothering him. Joe felt a rush of giddiness run through him.

"I think everyone’s smart in his or her own way." Joe nodded in understanding but he still wasn’t completely convinced.

"But why is it so hard for me to be smart in the way that my parents want me to be?" Joe said resentfully. "I’m sick of being the stupid one. I’m sick of Frank being better than me all the time."

Tessa couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. She could see how frustrated he was. "Look, Joe, I-" She hesitated. "I don’t know your brother. And I’m new here so it’s probably not best for me to say this but- I can help you out if you want. Since you’re uncomfortable with your own brother and all."

"Really? You’d do that for me?" Joe asked doubtfully.

"Of course." Tessa laughed at the doubtful look on Joe’s face. "Don’t worry. My dad’s a professor back in University of Stockholm, and he’s a great teacher and a great motivational speaker. He even gave a few great tips on studying and you know, memorizing techniques and all that. I could teach you a few things. We could even study together if you want," she suggested shyly.

Joe bit his lip. That sounded very tempting but would Vanessa mind? He thought about it for a while. Oh what the hell, he thought. He might as well go for it since it was just studying. And besides every time Vanessa and he decided to study together they would end up doing something else.

Joe took a deep breath. "Sure."

"Mary, you coming?" Mary Helen Lee shook her head, her shoulder-length red bob tumbling from side to side like a mobile mushroom. She risked a glance at her wristwatch.

"I don’t think so, guys. It’s already late."

"Oh come on, Mary. Just for a little while," her friend begged. "I’ll even buy you one of those giant chocolate chip cookies you like so much."

"Thanks, but no thanks, Katie. I really need to get home." At her friend’s crest-fallen face, she added. "We’ve got a test tomorrow remember?"

"Like you could fail it even if you try, Mary-O," Katie laughed. "You’re the best student in all of Kennedy High and you’re worrying your pretty head over a lousy History test?"

Shaking her head, Mary waved her hand. "Later, Katie."

"Yeah, whatever. Good night!!"

"You too." Katie waited until her friend disappeared into the night before closing the door. Little did she know that that was the last time she would see her friend alive.