[Jeanette X]

Endless Mike stalked grimly through the halls of Wellsville High School. He fucking hated it here. He hated the jocks who thought that their letter jackets made them gods. He hated his teachers who looked at him like he had two heads when he mispronounced a word. But he did like one thing, and that was shop.
He loved shop. It was the only class he really excelled in. There, amidst the bright welder's flame, the drone of the saws, and the feel of the wood beneath his hands, he felt at home. He would often whittle scrap wood, turning it into small figures that even Mr. Slurm was impressed with.
It was there that he had really fallen for Ellen. Most students simply did the assignments with little enthusiasm, simply waiting for the bell to ring. But not Ellen.
She did her projects with such care, unlike the half-assed attempts of most of the students. She often asked him for help. Nobody had ever come to him for help before. Endless Mike was amazed by the skill of her work, and he offered her many pointers, his palms sweating as he did. And she never called him by that fucking stupid nickname that everyone, even his friends, called him. He couldn't even remember how he had gotten it, he had been called it for so long. She always called him "Mike." His heart went faster whenever he heard her say it.