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Hey carried the baby quietly back to his lab. Some of his fellow co-workers saw him and asked, “Hey Owen, who’s kid is that?” To which he answered, “I don’t know.” And he walked past leaving them confused. Yet it was a valid question. Who’s kid was it? Was it really his? The boy’s mother wasn’t exactly the most conservative person he had ever met. Heck he thought of her as a little slut and figured that night was a one time affair. Who would have thought it might end this way. Perhaps it didn’t have to, he approached a large metal door and knew that he answer would be behind it.
He set the child down on a cold metal basket and weighed him. He protested for only a moment. Owen reached into a drawer and pulled out a fresh new needle. He lifted up the baby’s foot and pricked it, instantly eliciting a cry. He pulled back the stopper and watched it fill up with young blood. He removed the instrument out of the little foot, then fumbled through the drawer and found another needle. He took a sample of his own blood then went back into the lab and performed the paternity test himself. A few moments later and the results were in. He compared the blood on the two cards and looked up wide-eyed. It was his son. Everything would be different now.
Ten Years Later.
Summer was drawing to a close. Richard
sat on the floor enjoying afternoon cartoons. The house was nice
and cool as opposed to the heat outside. He reached into a bag
of chips without even looking and stuffed whatever he’d fished
out into his mouth. His face was oiled and covered in crumbs.
He laughed at the antics on the screen and relaxed enjoying his
vacation. His quiet afternoon came to an abrupt end when he heard
a crash come from the hallway. Richard leaped several feet into
the air at the noise. Owen had returned early from work and slammed
the door against the wall as he entered the house. He threw his
brief case across the hall and it smashed into a statue knocking
it over. He then planted a strong kick into the wall and let loose
a huge string of swears. Richard’s heart was pumping. He’d
learned that it was best to stay out of his father’s way
when he was angry, but something was different this time. This
wasn’t one of his normal fits of anger.
“Dad?” He said hesitating as he peeked from the doorway
into the entrance hall. “Are you ok?” Owen had his back
turned to him and he whirled around fixing his bright aqua eyes
on his son. It was as though he had a cold fire burning in them.
His blonde hair was a mess and stuck out in all directions from
his head. Richard clenched his teeth and swallowed hard. Perhaps
this hadn’t been a good idea after all.
“Pack up your things!” He roared. “We’re moving.”
Richard just stared completely surprised by what he’d heard.
“Now!” Yelled Owen and he watched his son run for his
room. Tired from the day’s work he sighed and sat down at
a table holding his head with his hand. A moment later he heard
the boy walk past.
“Richard, come here.” He said in a much calmer tone.
The boy came over and stood in the doorway. Owen gestured for
him to come and sit with him. Richard did so.
“Listen son, I know this is very sudden but it caught me
by surprise just as much as it did you. We’re moving in a
few days to a town called Springfield.”
“But why?” Asked Richard curious. “And isn’t
that where you’re from?” Owen rolled his eyes.
“Yes that is where I am from, and I had hoped I’d never
return to that dump. We are moving there because of the new promotion
I just got.”
“Promotion? Isn’t that a good thing? Why are you so
upset?”
“Because part of the promotion is moving to Springfield.
That’s not good.”
“Then why did you accept?” Richard pressed on. Owen
raised an eyebrow and gave him a strong stare.
“Because my boss made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
I’ll be making a lot more money than I am now.” He held
his head again and looked down on the table slightly unnerved.
“That and the fact that he doesn’t take ‘no’
for an answer. He’s moving his headquarters there for some
reason. Don’t worry. Things will. Get better.” He added
with an unsure tone.
Max sat at the back of the class looking
through his new books. It was the first day of school and he had
just started 4th grade. The teacher, Mrs. Krabapple was calling
out names on her roll. Soon she got to the F’s.
“Maximillain Frink.” She yelled out.
“Here! Oh, and please call me Max.” He added timidly.
She just stared at him a moment.
“Whatever.” She said in a monotone voice and continued
to call out other children’s names. She was interrupted as
the door flung open and in stepped a boy with grey hair. The bangs
of it curled in an elegant wave over his forehead. He was well
dressed with a blue suit, and brown pants. His shirt was green
with a purple diamond shape on it. He walked in with a huge grin
on his face as though he owned the place.
“Ok buster, you’re tardy. What’s your name?”
Asked Mrs. Krabapple annoyed by the late child.
“Richard!” He said as stood tall and proud. “Richard…”
“Ok, just sit down. You’re the only Richard in the class.”
She said cutting him off as she crossed of his name from the roll.
Max looked up and watched him take a seat in the row next on him
on the left and one seat up. To his immideate left was a large
boy named Nelson that had shoulder length brown hair and wore
a blue tattered vest. The teacher continued to call out names,
and Max went back to his book nothing thinking anything of it.
Richard looked around the room. Man, what a bunch of ugly kids he'd been placed with. None of them were even close to what he was. Would any of them be worthy of being his friend? He quickly noticed that one spiky haired boy always had the classes attention by showing off and giving the teacher a hard time. He wasn't exactly great, but he had some popularity and that was a start. Richard would approach him and see where things led from there.
The boy's name was Bart Simpson and he and Richard hit it off rather well. The two played together often along with Bart's friend Milhouse. Milhouse was short, had a huge nose and small glasses. He was a major dork and Richard only tolerated him. He shun the other children in the class and because of his smug attitude to them he soon ended up with the nick name of Richard the Rich Kid. Still Richard did not care. He truely considred himself to be above them, just as his father had told him many times. If they called him this on the play ground he had no trouble reaching over and plastering the annoyance with a ball of mud or dirt. Naturally because of this Richard had trouble keeping the few friends that he had.
The day was sunny and warm, and the trio
pulled a red wagon up a hill. It was filled with mud and weighed
a ton, or so they thought. As the hill got steeper it became more
and more difficult for them to pull it up. Bart struggled with
the handle while Milhouse and Richard got behind the wagon and
pushed it. They made it half way up but soon found that was as
far as they would make it without any help.
"Well this is stupid. Now we're stuck here." Complained
Richard.
"No way, we can't be stuck. There's gotta be a way up there."
Added Bart. "We just need one more person to help us."
"Hey what about that kid?" Said Milhouse as he pointed
to a blue streak coming up the sidewalk.
It was Maximillian, and he rode slowly on his jet powered skateboard
that his father had just built for him. He left a trail of hot
blue vapor as he passed. To the three he seemed bored as he rode
with his head down and his hands in his pockets. Why not, he was
a good a candidate as any to help them out.
"Yo Maxmillian. Care to lend a hand?" Asked Bart. Max
stopped and looked up at them. He remembered Bart and Millhouse
questioning him once about his family being a bunch of geniuses.
What did they want now? Hopeful that something good might come
out of this he nodded and walked up the hill to the three boys
leaving his skateboard on the sidewalk below.
"What are you doing?" He asked Bart.
"We're trying to push this wagon up the hill, but as you
see we aren't strong enough. Care to help us out?"
Max was reluctant to help at first since he didn't want to get
his white coat dirty. He tried to pass that of as an excuse.
"Oh, well I didn't know you were such a tidy baby!"
Snapped Richard. He eyed Max and gave him a nasty smile. Max frowned
at this and finally decided to help them push. The boys put all
their effort into it and soon were at the top of the hill panting
trying to catch their breaths. Milhouse and Bart built it into
a mud man while Richard explained to Max the plan to blindfold
it, give it a cigar and send it down the other side of the cliff
to it's untimely death.
"Now if we only had a cigar, and not just any cigar a really
cool one that would put an end to his misery." Bart said,
"Say Max, you're the son of a genius, can you make something
for us?"
Max didn't want to disapoint his new friends so he smiled and
began to picking up leaves, dirt, and a few other special ingredients
and rulled it all up into a make shift cigar. He placed it in
the mud man's face and said, "So anyone have a match?"
"But of course!" Said Bart impressed. He lit it and
the four kicked the red wagon at once sending the brown victim
down to its fate below.
A blue sedan drove up the street slow
and steady. It never saw it coming until it was too late. The
four held their breath as their creation's cigar reached its end
and exploded just as it rolled out infront of the car. The explosive
Max had made was powerful and sent mud out in all directions like
a wave and covered everything from the houses on the side of the
road to the blue sedan. Milhouse stood up and yelled. "That's
Principal Skinner's car!" The moment he said that, Bart and
Richard ran past him down the opposite side of the hill and he
quickly followed them. Max was left alone. He had not realized
what had happened until a moment later. Fear shot through him
when he found himself alone. He leaped over the side, skidding
on his shoes and slid right to where he had left his skateboard.
Richard, Bart and Milhouse watched as they crouched behind a bush.
"Oh man, that kid doesn't know when to lie low!" said
Bart.
Max hopped on his skateboard and headed off down the sidewalk.
Skinner's car roared over the hill and took chase after him. Max
turned on his jets hoping he could out run him. The spectacle
was amazing to watch and the three kids cheered for the espcape
of their commrad. It would not come to pass. Skinner over took
him and yanked Max right into his car.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Milhouse as he watched poor Max get
taken away.
"Hey, better him than us!" Responded Richard as he crossed
his arms.
"What? No way man. Max took the fall for us. If it wasn't
for him, we never would have gotten such a cool explosion in the
first place." Said Bart surprised by Richard's indifference.
"Well this was a stupid idea." He added.
"Stupid? It was YOUR idea." Said Bart clearly getting
annoyed.
"Uh why don't we just forget the whole thing and..."
"Shut up Milshouse!!" Yelled Bart and Richard simultaneouly.
"Well that's because my great ideas fall apart when you're
around. You and your geeky friend are nothing but trouble."
Richard said as he turned his back on the two and walked out into
the open.
"Oh so that's how it is. The rich kid is too good for us.
Fine then. I should have known from the start. Everyone else has
been saying it. Rich kid! Rich kid! Rich kid!" Bart teased
and made faces as he taunted Richard. Even Milhouse joined in
on the fun by sticking his tongue out and chanting with Bart.
Just then a sleek black convertable sports car roared up to the
curve and pulled over. A think blonde man looked in their direction
though small rectangular glasses.
"Let's go, Richard!" Is all he said and he fixed his
cold stare on Bart and Milhouse.
"YES!" Richard exclaimed and he shoved his fist in the
air. He ran to the passenger side and jumped in over the door.
Richard turn around in his seat and smiled at the two boys and
yelled, "So long loosers!" He wiggled his fingers before
his nose, and the black car tore off down the road leaving Bart
and Milhouse with wide eyes. Owen looked down at his son proudly
and said, "Way to take care of things, son."
