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Giving Back


xythanshadow

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I always loved this time of the year, right when school was starting back up. Granted, I’ve been back here for at least two months, coaching summer football practice and other things, but seeing all the kids come back from their summer vacation made me happy to be a teacher.
 
I know that there were rumors about me in the middle school, stories about some huge bear of a man that taught AP Math for the incoming freshmen. Some of the tales were more exotic than others. I specifically remember a kid asking me if I really hunted animals with my bare hands and another was surprised that I didn’t duck every time I entered a room or tear out doorframes with my mass.
 
It flattered me greatly that I made such an impression on everyone, but of course I had to set the record straight.
 
-No, I did not grow up in the woods by myself. Truthfully, I lived not far from the school and went here when I was a kid.
 
-No, I never hunted anything with my bare hands, never hunted period.
 
-I’m only 6’5” and near 300 lbs. 
 
-No, I’m not part animal, I’m just slightly hairier than most and I’m proud of it.
 
-No, I don’t eat kids who disobey. I just growl a little at them.
 
I always laugh after I say that one. It tends to break the ice with the freshmen who have never seen me before. I admit, I can be a bit intimidating. Long time ago, when I went to this school, there was a coach that was in charge of the weight room and football linemen. I’m pretty sure he changed my life for the better. Back then, I was quite fat, even though I was fairly tall. I spent most of my time snacking on junk food and watching T.V. He got me into lifting weights and playing football and inspired me so much that I decided to follow his footsteps. After high school, I went to college and got my degree in Math and Science with a minor in Exercise Science. The whole time I was in school, I focused hard on my lifting and bodybuilding, promising myself that I would become as big as I possibly could, hopefully to inspire more kids to take up the mantle of healthy living.
 
That was six years ago. Soon after I graduated, I moved back to my hometown. Not long after, I was hired as a teacher for my old school and I haven’t moved since. It felt so good inspiring kids, not just with my size, but with caring and understanding. There are so many times that I have had a young teen open their hearts to me, crying away their pains and fears. You would be surprised at how much young people go through, especially the few that I know that can’t talk to their parents. I’m just glad that I can make a difference in some people’s lives.
 
Speaking of which, a group of kids come up to me and start talking with me. I recognize each of them instantly. They’re what I call my “Bulls”. Some of them are linemen on the football team, others not, but each and every one of them I have personally trained in one way or another. They’re like my children and family, and I’m the head bull. Each of them wore a black and gold jacket with their name and nickname embroidered on the left. On the right was a stylistic Minotaur that one of the more artistic bulls drew for us a few years ago. It was a very big and muscular anthropomorphic drawing that took up the majority of the right half of the jacket and reflected the wearer in every case.
 
I didn’t hold them up long, we quickly caught up with each other, me asking them what their summer entailed of and trying to get the non-football bulls to join the team, and them asking if I had found a man that could handle me just yet. I always laughed at that question. Thankfully, everyone knew my sexual orientation, but no one had a negative opinion of me because of it. I was grateful that my actions spoke louder than whom I liked to have sex with.
 
The bell rang and we all started to separate, heading to our various classes. Of course, I went to my class room, ready to meet the new crop of young minds. I was quite lucky when it came to new students. I rarely had problems with discipline seeing as how I was a giant bear of a man. But it wasn’t just my size that gave me an advantage, it was my youthful demeanor combined with my caring heart that seemed to win over my students. 
 
The first few weeks of school always instilled in me a sense of excitement and anticipation. It was during that time that I would get to know my students and eventually picked the kids that seemed like they could use my help. Usually there were at least two or three that were like how I was when I was young; unfit, shy, timid, lonely. I would try my best to break them out of their shell, make their lives a bit better in my own little way.
 
Clay stood out to me this year, along with Shawn and Mike. All three of them fit the profile. They were in different classes but seemed to be so much alike. Each of them were pale and slightly chubby, signs of their lifestyle. Mike wasn’t as fat as Clay and Shawn, but I could tell he was on the road to obesity, his metabolism the only thing keeping him safe for the time being. I assumed they didn’t do much outside, instead spending their time sitting in front of a computer. My theories were confirmed when I saw the manual for the latest video game stuck in Mike’s books.
 
I remembered how much teasing and taunting I went through in school when I was young and unathletic, so I really wanted to help these kids. Being a gamer wasn’t a bad thing, as long as it was tempered with some physical activity. So, after making my decision, I started with Shawn.
 
Shawn was about 5’4” and I would have guessed around 14 years old. I couldn’t tell if he had went through puberty or not, but his frame seemed decent from what I could tell. He slouched a lot, but by looking at his wrists, I could tell he had at least a solid framework. I had asked him to stay after class for a little and promised him a pass to his next class.
 
He came up to my desk, timid as a mouse. I’m pretty sure he was worried I had some bad things to say to him, after all, I’ve been doing this for years. I first calmed his fears by saying he was doing great in class. Then, I asked him if he had ever played sports.
 
The look I got from him was both sad and classic. He shook his head sadly and didn’t say anything else. He didn’t have to, I knew exactly what he was feeling. I took out my yearbook photo and a picture of me at the beach and gave them to him. I told him, “This was me when I was your age, and this is me at the beach not long ago.”
 
His eyes became as wide as saucers. I was quite used to that reaction. The next question was the important one, the one that would see if he had it in him to be a bull or not. I asked him would he like to be like me.
Whenever I asked that question, I would watch their eyes. The ones who could do it, who were tired of being who they were and was hungry for a change had a look in their eyes when I gave them that opportunity. It was a look of hope, something that told them that they could have a different future and perhaps more. Only a handful of people didn’t have the look when I approached them, and sadly there was nothing I could do for them.
 
Shawn had the look though. He said to me, “Really? I can get as big as you?”
 
I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder, “Maybe not as big, but I promise you, you’ll be happy with where you end up. I won’t lie to you, it’s going to be rough to start with. You’ll have to do a lot of stuff you’ve never done. Your entire life will have to change and adapt to the work that I’m going to give you. You’ll have to exercise, eat differently and you have to give me your all, but in the end, you’ll be better than you are now. If you don’t feel you’re up to it, I will understand. But, if you agree, I will accept nothing less than 110%”
 
That was the second point. I kinda knew what the answer was, but this gave them a moment to really reflect. Of course, he agreed. So did Clay and Mike later. I was very grateful that they had enough faith in me to give me this chance to change their lives. 
 
That afternoon, my newest subjects met me in the weight room for the first of what would be a yearlong regiment. I watched from the coach’s office as each of them came in. They all had the same look of abstract fear and inadequateness etched on their countenances. I motioned for them to come into the office as they arrived one at a time. Once the three of them were there, I introduced them to each other and had them sit down.
 
“Gentlemen,” I started, “I’m very glad you showed up. Like I said this morning, this isn’t going to be easy. You’ve been living one lifestyle for years now. From what I can guess, you guys love playing video games and rarely do anything sports like. In addition, your eating habits probably consist of Cheetos, soda, chips and other junk food.”
 
Each of my young disciples nodded in agreement as I continued, “Well, we’re going to change all that. You’ll still be able to enjoy some junk food and video games, but it will be a treat instead of a lifestyle. Who knows, you might want to give it up entirely once you really get into it. A few of the guys that sat in those seats before you did. Anyway, it’s not easy to change habits, but I promise you if you stick with me, you won’t recognize yourselves at the end of the school year.”
 
Each of them started smiling at me, images of a new person flooding their heads. I asked, “So, do we have a deal?” They nodded and I said, “What’s that?”
 
They responded, “Yes” and I yelled, “I can’t hear you!” to which they responded with a loud and joyful, “Yes Sir!”
 
I pulled out a few sheets of paper and set them in front of the young boys. Starting with the top one, I began to explain their purpose. “Ok, we can’t do anything if your parents don’t agree, so these first papers explain the whole plan. They have a sheet at the end for them to sign so you guys can work out here and eventually join in the football practices. This will also let me know if you have any medical conditions that I need to be worried about.”
Flipping to the next packet, I continued, “This here is a meal plan for you. Each of you have a different one, judging from what I can tell about your body types. Later on, this will change, but the eating is the most important thing. You will be eating around six times a day. I know it sounds like a lot, but eating small meals over the course of the day makes your metabolism jump up, which in turn will make your fat burning and muscle building easier.”
 
The all-too familiar look of information overload started to appear on their faces and forced me to laugh quietly. “Don’t worry too much about memorizing this just yet. The more you do it, the more it’ll become second nature. The key is, for each meal, you take one item from page A, page B and page C. It has how much of each item you should eat per meal. At first, you’ll be completely full and think that you can’t eat anymore, but eventually, your body will expect to have food at the times you should be eating.”
 
They simply nodded their heads in agreement as their minds processed the information. I got up and walked to the locker I had in the office. Pulling out three jackets, I turned to them and said, “Ok guys, from now on, you three are Bulls. You might not look like the rest of the Bulls that you’ll meet later, but you are one. As long as you keep trying, nothing will change that. “
 
With that, I tossed each of them a jacket. Shawn and Mike grinned like madmen while Clay simply stroked the jacket reverently, his eyes almost tearing. I could tell that this was probably the first thing he’s ever been a part of, and my heart went out to him. Thankfully, all that would soon change. He gently rubbed the embroidery name on the jacket that said “Little Calf – Bull in Training”. Mike looked up to me and I said, “Don’t worry, soon enough you’ll be a full grown Bull. Maybe even as huge as me.” With that, I picked up my much larger jacket from the chair I was sitting in and showed it to them. The gold thread embroidered on the left chest pocket labeled me “Head Ox”
 
I told them to follow me and together we headed towards the supply room in the weight room. As we walked through the metal jungle that would become their new home, I remarked on how quiet it was to the trio. They, of course, didn’t know what I was talking about, but I explained how they would understand soon enough. 
 
Once we arrived at the supply room, I got their sizes and retrieved some clothes for them: three pairs of mesh shorts, all with the Bull’s logo, a pair of plain athletic grey shirts with “Little Calf” on the front and “Bull In Training” on the back, and one sleeveless shirt a few sizes bigger that said, “Young Bull” on the front. I told them, “When you can fit in this shirt, that’s when you can turn in the other two.” 
 
They continued to smile in pride. I then told them to go change into the shorts and sleeveless for pictures. They looked at me in horror, but I calmed their fears by saying, “Don’t worry, every Bull was a Calf and had to go through the same thing.”
 
For the next hour, I taught them the basics of posing. After they learned the mandatories, quarter turn, front double bicep, front lat spread, abs and thigh, side chest, side triceps, rear double bicep, rear lat spread, and most muscular, I had them practice a little before I took three pictures, their front double bi, their front lat spread, and their most muscular. After they were done, I showed them the book of the other bulls before them. Each page chronologized the transformation from a calf like they were now to the Bull that they would become.
 
The smell of freshly cut flooded my nose and brought back memories of the same ritual that my coach did with me and that I did for dozens of kids over the last few years. I took the silver whistle from around my neck and raised it to my lips. With a quick blow, the shrill sound pierced the air and gathered the attention of all the guys on the field below.
 
In my authoritarian bass, I yelled, “Bulls! Round up!” Immediately, fifteen guys of varying sizes ran towards the sidelines. A few ran from the receivers area, a couple from the running backs, but most of them came from the linemen where I would be headed after I finished with these three. After dropping their helmets near the water cooler, they ran up to me, greeting their head ox as they came.
 
“Bulls,” I said, bringing the men around me to a hush, “Today, we have three more young calves to join the herd.” Everyone around me started clapping and whooping in joy. The three blushed as they stood next to me. “This here’s Clay, Mike and Shawn. Let’s make ‘em feel at home.” With that, they all squeezed into a tight group hug, with the three of them in the middle. “Ok, guys, before you guys introduce yourselves, let’s tell ‘em the motto of the bulls.”
 
Their voices as one, the group of guys around me started to say, “Bulls never let anything stop them. No pain, no tiredness, nothing can stop us. Anything in the way gets charged through. Never stop, never give up, never surrender until we’re the biggest and the best. “
 
The three kids next to me looked up in awe at the guys that surrounded them. Each of them were obviously intimidated, yet hopeful for acceptance. I knew that they would find everything they were looking for here with these guys. I knew each and every one of them intimately. I knew their parents, their brothers and sisters, where they lived and grew up at. I’ve eaten dinner with most of them and I knew they all were good kids, loving and accepting because they knew what is was like to be outcasts.
 
After everyone had introduced themselves to each other, coupled with some light-hearted punches, I ordered everyone back to practice. With a loud, “Sir, yes Sir!” my bulls headed back to the field to finish up the day. I smiled to myself at the pride and dedication that they performed every action and was hopeful that the three young people at my side would be a great addition to my herd.
 
I took Clay, Mike and Shawn back into the weight room and handed them their packets. “Ok calves, put on those jackets and be proud. Today is the start of a life changing journey. With a silent reverence that I knew all too well, each of my young students took off their old coats and replaced it with the mantle of the Bulls. They stood there in their new, slightly oversized jackets and looked at each other and then me. I saw the cautious pride in their eyes and gave them a reassuring smile. “This is just the start. Soon, you’ll fill out those jackets, and after that, you will be able to call yourselves true Bulls. But until now, be proud that you chose to start. Not everyone is as brave as you were today.”
 
Again, their beaming smiles reinforced my belief in what I was doing and I returned it with the same smile. After handing them their packets to take home, I lead them outside, saying “Ok, I expect to see you three here right after school tomorrow.”
 
Mike and Shawn said, “Yes sir” before running off down the hall. Clay stayed behind for a moment before he looked at me. I could see how he obviously wanted to say something. I placed my massive hand on his shoulder and asked, “Yes son?”
 
As he looked at me, I could see his gaze soften. He said, “Um…thank you sir.”
 
I smiled and said, “But I haven’t done much of anything ‘cept give ya a chance.”
 
“But still sir, I…” he paused, as if he was about to say too much, “thank you so much for the opportunity. I hope I don’t disappoint you sir.”
 
I turned him around and faced him squarely. Looking directly into his eyes, I said, “Son, the only way you’ll disappoint me is if you don’t give it your all. Can I count on you to do that?” He nodded his head and I continued, “Well then, go home and get some rest, look forward to tomorrow.”
 
He stared at me a little longer before heading down the hall. Something told me that there was more he wanted to say, but I wasn’t going to press him. I smiled to myself before I headed to the field, ready to make sure my other Bulls weren’t slacking.
 
The next day I saw my new calves in the hall. I was always surprised how a thing as simple as a new wardrobe could inspire bouts of confidence in people. As I watched the kids pass by my door on the way to their classes, I saw Mike pass by. His stride was a lot smoother, his posture better and his head held up high. Shawn and Clay were the same way, albeit Clay didn’t seem quite as comfortable yet, but there was some difference in him. They each waved to me as they passed by, smiles plastered on their faces.
 
Unfortunately, lunch posed a slight problem. The lunchroom had a section of it that led outside where the students and teachers could enjoy their meals. I had saw Mike walk outside, his sense of pride still lingering when a few students I didn’t know came up behind him. With a quick shove, they knocked him to the ground, his protein and chicken flying to the ground. I was about to go break it up, but I noticed a pack of familiar jackets saw the same thing I did, so I abstained from interfering. 
 
I couldn’t hear all that was said, but I did catch the lead bully say, “Why did you get one of those jackets? A fat ass like you could never play ball! I didn’t even see you on the field. You’re such a pathetic loser. You’ll never be one of the bulls. They don’t take weaklings like you.”
 
My fist balled up, but then a smile crept across my face. I watched as Tom, or Big T as everyone called him, walked up behind the bully with the rest of the Bulls in tow. T was by far the biggest of the Bulls, along with being the senior member of the group. He was a few inches shorter than me, but had almost as much muscle mass as I did. Like me, he enjoyed wearing shorts and t-shirts, no matter what the weather. I guess I rubbed off on him a little more than others. He was as hairy as I was, but no one could deny the amount of mass that he possessed. Even through the hair, you could see the large muscles that he spent four years of hard work building. He was wearing his workout shirt and the label of “Big Bull” was stretch well across his massive chest and the shorts he wore seemed to be struggling to contain the massive thighs of this walking tank. As he lumbered methodically across the lunch room, followed by ten other Bulls, a hush fell across the area as everyone turn to watch the upcoming show.
 
He grabbed the bully and spun him around as the rest of the Bulls surrounded the other thugs. T’s low voice cut through the crisp air, “I hope you aren’t messing with our little calf here. You see, we Bulls are protective of our brothers.” I could see the kid wincing in pain as T spoke. I could only assume that the grip that he had on the lead bully was tightening as he spoke. “You see, people like you would never understand what it’s like to be a real Bull. Guys like you think you’re such hot shit, but you’re nothing. Now, I suggest you go before we Bulls start charging. If we do, nothing’s going to stop us till we mow you down.”
 
The bullies shook their heads and ran off quickly to the laughter of the Bulls. T leaned down and said, “Hey Mike, hope they didn’t bother ya too much.” 
Mike, still slightly shaken, said, “No, I’m ok.” 
 
T brushed him off as he stood and said, “Why are you out here anyway, you guys should be eating at the Bull’s table.” T pointed at a table where the rest of the Bulls were waving back at them. “C’mon man, you calves can sit next to me,” T chuckled. A couple of the Bulls went off to get Clay and Shawn before they all returned to their table. I smiled to myself and unballed my fists. I was sure that this was going to be another interesting year.


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  • 2 months later...

Gods, but this is the kind of story that I love.

I almost hesitate to bring it up, but . . .

Our protagonist has the nickname "Head Ox". Oxen are, of course, neutered bulls . . . which is curious imagery for this sort of a story.

It reminds me of the famous Benjamin Franklin quotation: "Calling an American an Englishman is like calling an Ox a Bull: He's thankful for the honor, but would rather have restored what's rightfully his."

I remain, as always, in awe of your creative juices.

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