039. Kick Me


"Don't be so gullible, McFly," Biff chortled and shook his head before jiggling the set of car keys in his hand. "Thanks for the loan, butthead."

George watched his supervisor leave, his all ready slumped shoulders, dropping further.

He heaved a sigh and rubbed under his chin, where Biff had hit him. It was more a nervous gesture than from any real discomfort. He had long ago got used to it.

But he never seemed to be able to stop himself from reacting when Biff played that joke on him, he fell for it every time. It was like some reflex - "McFly, your shoe's untied" - and he would immediately look down at his feet.

"McFly, what are you doing?" Another voice, just as unwelcome shook him from his thoughts.

"Uh..." he swallowed, "um...just...er...thinking, Mr. Strickland."

"Thinking? Slacking more like it," Gerald Strickland snapped, arms folded and eyes narrowed. "Those reports won't do themselves, McFly, get back to work."

"Yes, sir," George gasped hurrying back to his desk, it was a relief to sit down, his legs felt wobbly like they always did when he was confronted by his boss...or anyone really.

Strickland curled his upper lip. "You know, McFly, I always thought Stu was exaggerating when he mentioned you. Not so, you really are a complete nothing."

George stared wordlessly at Strickland, there really wasn't much he could say to that. Instead he made a show of getting out his calculator and picking up his pen, by the time he'd done so Gerald Strickland had moved onto a new victim.

Heaving another sigh he tried to concentrate on his work...but he couldn't, not that this was anything new either. Why was he even working here? He hated maths, it'd had been his worst subject in school. But here he was at Hill Valley's Bank of America, in fact he'd been here for the past 12 years.

Sometimes he wondered exactly how he had offended God so much as to warrant this type of torture. He was a decent enough person, it wasn't as if he'd ever committed any crimes or picked on anyone.

He knew though, deep down he really didn't have anyone else to blame for the way his life had turned out except for himself. He let himself be treated this way and always had.

He had been teased, taunted and excluded his entire life, one of his first memories was playing alone because none of the other kids would let him join their games. But really he didn't mind being ignored by other people, in fact he preferred it. But the teasing and taunting...well it had just got worse as the years went on, despite his father always telling him to "ride it out" and it would get better....

George could still remember the first time someone had stuck a "Kick Me" sign on his back, could remember like it was yesterday in fact.

It had been his first day at Hill Valley High, kids from all over Hill County came to the school, George's father had optimistically told him that it meant a whole new group of kids who wouldn't know him from Junior High (in other words wouldn’t know he was a complete freak) and an opportunity to make friends.

As if! Sitting behind George that day was Mark Dixon, someone George had never seen before that day, but Dixon had taken an instant dislike to George. He spent the whole of Homeroom snickering and insulting him.

But that hadn't been the worst of it, not by a long shot.

As the bell rang for 1st period, George had got up and headed for his first class.

He didn't get far down the hall before he felt the sting of someone kicking him.

He almost dropped his books, but managed to keep hold of them, only to feel another kick...then another.

Finally his books cluttered to the ground and he turned around to see Dixon, grinning and laughing with a group of boys.

And when George had asked (rather pitifully) why they were kicking him, Dixon sneered. "Mama always taught me to obey signs."

Reaching behind him, George had felt a sheet of paper, taped to his back...he pulled it off and written on it in large dark letters – "KICK ME".

Dixon and his friends disappeared down the hallway their laughter echoing in George's ears.

He had thrown the note in the bin, but now remembering that day, he came to the realisation that that note was forever taped to his back and for the rest of his life people would never cease to kick him.


Back to the Flash Fics