8-tennessee+charm

“YAWN” Jason looked around, and was disappointed at what he saw. He was still in the little old town of Eagleville, Tennessee. Not many people knew of this single stoplight farm town. The downtown was only two blocks long, and there were only about four- hundred residents. This is what Jason didn’t like about Eagleville, but whether he liked it or not, everything went on as usual. The cows were grazing in the fields, the chickens were clucking, and everybody was up and awake and headed to work. All of the teenagers in town were easing into the end of their summer. Yes, the first day of senior year was approaching. It was the day Jason Phillips, All-Star Jock Superstar, was looking forward to. Jason was the king of the school. His teachers, his peers, everyone loved him. He was your typical cowboy cutie, tall, broad, muscular, tan with beautiful blue eyes and an irresistible, charming smile. Every girl in the school would do anything to get just one date with him. Yet no one lived up to his sky-high standards. Jason was greeted with giggling girls and high-fives from every guy in the school. He flaunted his stylish plaid shirt, new boots, and those cute boy-dimples. Jason had the real “Tennessee charm”. He appeared to love the attention, and he did, but this wasn’t his type of crowd. Jason was raised as a farm boy, but that all changed in middle school. Jason began really looking at people, dissecting them almost. He would judge them in his head, but never out loud because he didn’t want to lose his popularity. He had an opinion about everything and everyone. In his mind, he was far more superior than everyone he came into contact with. He manipulated people when they though he was their friend. He had everyone around him wrapped around his finger. That is, everyone except the gods. Zeus had been keeping an extra close eye on Jason; he was afraid he would become so vain and that he would believe that he was a god, and try to take over Olympia. Jason truly believed he was perfect, and Zeus was not the only worried god. Aphrodite had taken notice as to how he ridiculed and used every girl in his school. No one was good enough for Jason. Aphrodite and Zeus met with each other and devised a plan to teach him a lesson. People would finally hear what Jason thought of them, but Jason won’t know he’s saying the comments out loud. He will feel humility and loss of friends and fall from grace. Then Aphrodite will create the most beautiful girl in the world, one Jason can’t resist. He will fall madly in love with her, but she will be just as cruel to him as he was to others. She would lure Jason in, and then cut the line. So, the next day at school, a “new student” was introduced, and was in every one of Jason’s classes. Jason’s first period teacher announced the tall, beautiful blonde Teagan’s arrival. She was everything Jason wanted, yet, they were complete opposites. Jason was so bewildered by her beauty; he couldn’t focus on anything, or anyone else around him. The long school day was maddening for Jason. It felt like forever waiting for the dismissal bell to ring. It tortured him inside not being able to talk to a creature that may be even more beautiful than he himself. For some reason, now, everyone was staring at him. “Hey, guys,” he said a little unsettled, “why are y’all starin’ at me?” “Dude, did you not just hear yourself?” said one of Jason’s close friends. “Naw man, I didn’t say nothing.” “Me and the rest of the class are pretty sure we just heard you just drooling over the new gal, out loud.” “Oh my god! This is so embarrassing, why is this happening?” Jason said out loud again, not realizing it. Everyone in the class started laughing at him, including Teagan. “This is the worst day ever,” cried Jason, as he realized he had no control over his thoughts and speech process. He ran down the hallway, all types of insults and derision spewing out of his mouth, not knowing how to stop the comments from leaving his lips. He ran all the way to the field hoping no one was following him, but his hopes were shot down when he turned to see none other than Teagan herself. “What are // you //doing here?” Jason said, almost screaming the words at Teagen. “I just came to see if you were all right. Also, that I thought it was kinda’ cute how you were drooling over me out loud. You’re a very attractive boy on the outside, but you are a terrible person inside, and you don’t reach up to my standards. You don’t respect people, and you’re rude. Your peers may not see it yet, but I do. You are a vindictive cruel creature, and will never love anyone, or be loved by anyone,” she said in a brutally honest and razor sharp voice, “and with that I bid you good-bye Jason Phillips.” Then, there was a cloud of pink powder, and the girl of Jason’s dreams disappeared forever. Then, he had realized, Teagan was right. He didn’t deserve anything he had. And so, Jason decided, he would run away. Jason ran far away, to the mountains, hearing only the echo of his own thoughts for the rest of his short life. Every night, after a torturous day, he would dream of his angel, Teagan. It would torture him to wake up, and that is just what Aphrodite planned to do for forever. Zeus was getting tired of the redundancy of this punishment, so he created a pack of wolves to kill Jason. When the wolves came, Jason sat there in silence letting the wolves tear him apart. His mind flashing back to all of the misery and hurt he had caused. He had one last thought, “This is for the best, no one will miss me.” And in time, Jason Phillips’s handsome face faded from everyone’s minds. Jason was sent to the darkest depths of Tartarus. Stuck as a servant to Hades and Persephone, he continued to get punished for every bad thought he had about his two masters. So, in the end, Jason ended up being a slave to his own vanity.
 * “Tennessee Charm” **