To say he was mean and cold would be compliment.
He was the school bully.
He loved his reputation of being everyone's worst nightmare.
He was taller than most of the kids at the school.
He kept a short flat top and he had a devilish smile that seemed to scare even the teachers.
It seemed like nothing mattered to him except creating misery for everyone around him.
No one messed with him.
He ruled by heartless disrespect toward everyone who crossed his path.
His real name was Bruce Allen, but everyone calledhim Snake.
He earned his nickname because he would hide in a tree and just as his victims would pass under, Snake would drop his 6-foot long serpent right on their shoulders!The girls could be heard screaming two blocks away.
He prided himself on having the school record of making the most kids cry.
He was convinced there was not a kid who he couldn't break down into a sniffling, sobbing marshmallow.
All he had to do was figure out their weakness and plan an attack.
He was not the kind of bully that beat up kids smaller than him.
He could easily do that, but that wasn't a challenge for Snake.
He wanted to hurt their heart.
Embarrassment, fear, frustration seemed to be Snake's greatest weapons.
"Oh, hi girls.
Did you have a nice walk home from school yesterday?"Snake would say to his latest victims.
"Don't even talk to us you creep.
You are evil just like your snake!" "Me, evil?" Now you went and hurt my feelings.
"Snake replied holding his heart (as if he had one to hold), and pretending to sniffle.
"Can't we all just get along?" Snake was able to find ugliness in the most beautiful girls.
He was able to make the smart kids feel like loser geeks.
He made the poor kids run away in shame.
He made rich kids feel worthless.
There was no question about it; Snake's bite was poisonous to everyone.
Mrs.
Franklin, Snake's English teacher, was the one person who he had hard time biting through her skin.
She was a little different.
She believed that everyone needs to be touched by someone who cares about them.
"Mrs.
Franklin," whined another upset student.
"Snake put gum in my hair.
" "Let me take a look," she said without ever glancing up at Snake.
"Yes, there sure is.
Are you sure it was Snake?" "Yes, because I saw him chewing gum and I told him he's not allowed to chew gum in class.
" "Okay.
Well, why don't you go to the office and see if they can get that out for you?" "I hate Snake!"Are you going to punish him?"The little girl said as she continued to cry.
"I will talk to him after class.
But don't hate anyone or you will become just like them.
Pray for them instead and God will take care of Snake.
" "Bruce, can I talk to you after class?" "Sure, Mrs.
Franklin," said Snake in his most pleasant schoolboy voice.
Mrs.
Franklin seemed to be more patient with these kinds of reports on Snake.
It was like she had some kind of method to her approach that impressed Snake.
"Yes, Mrs.
Franklin, did you want to see me?" "Bruce, do you have any idea how gum got into Teri's hair?" "Really?Why, no.
That's why people shouldn't be allowed to chew gum in class.
" "That's right.
But she said she saw you chewing gum earlier.
Is that true, Bruce?"Mrs.
Franklin said as she looked up from her desk and looked straight into Snake's lying eyes.
Snake took a step backward.
Huh, humm.
Well, I was earlier...
But Teri reminded me that it was against the rules..
so..
so..
I got rid of it," as he quickly thought up a story.
"Is it in the trash so I can see it?" "Huh, no...
I swallowed it.
"Snake said wondering how this teacher could knock him off-balance.
"Bruce, I know you have a lot of trouble with the kids at school.
I was wondering if it would be okay with you if my church prayed for you?" Snake was stunned.
She busted him and they both knew it, and she wants to pray for him?" "Well, I...
I guess so.
" "Good then," she said.
"God loves you and wants to bring peace to your life.
Well, that's all I want to talk to you about.
You're dismissed.
" "Okay..
Thanks.
"Snake said in a slow, quiet voice.
"Oh, and one more thing.
Don't swallow gum it's not good for your stomach," she said with a slight smile like she won some kind of word game against him.
"Yeah, right," Snake said as he was leaving the class.
As he was going to his next class, Snake was thinking about what just happened.
"That's it.
She thinks she is so spiritual, but she's not.
She wouldn't be if she lived in my house.
" Snake had an alcoholic mother, who stayed out night after night.
He had no respect for her or her loser boyfriends she tried to introduce to him.
Before long the boyfriends would leave in bitter frustration.
His mother hated him for how he kept messing up her life.
But Snake didn't care about her or anyone else.
The only thing that seemed to interest Snake was his 6-foot Python snake.
In a strange way Snake could relate to his pet snake.
He named the Snake Coils.
Snake felt like Coils because he was also scary and mean looking.
"People are afraid of you just like they are afraid of me," Snake said as he fed Coils his dinner.
"They think you will hurt them and so they want to get rid of you.
You are a snake and you will die a snake.
Just like me.
I'm a snake and I will die a snake.
I could never have a kind heart just like you can't change into a cute little kitten.
" There were still a few differences between Snake and his scaly friend.
Coils liked the warmth of Snake's hand as he rubbed the smooth surface of his body.
"What does that feel like, Coils?"Snake would wonder.
"No one would ever touch me like that.
"A thought traveled through the dusty dirt road of Snake's heart.
"Every creature no matter how ugly and mean needs to be touched.
"It was as if the snake was talking to him.
"You wouldn't touch me if I bit you would you?I bet you wouldn't feed me or clean my cage if I was mean to you.
You wouldn't make sure I had a blanket when I was cold.
You wouldn't care about me at all.
But isn't that what you do to everyone else around you?You bite people to hurt them.
So they don't care about you at all.
But don't you need to be touched by someone who cares, just like me?" Snake felt strange all of a sudden.
"I don't need to be touched.
I don't need anyone.
I don't care if anyone is ever nice to me.
I will prove it and you are going to help me.
This is what we're going to do.
I am going to sneak you into Franklin's classroom and put you into her desk drawer.
When she opens it up your evil face will scare her to death.
I can't wait.
This will be my best prank.
" The next day Snake hid Coils in his backpack.
During class Snake unlocked the emergency door in the back of the class so he could get in later.
After school he took Coils and put him into Mrs.
Franklin's desk drawer.
"Wait until she opens her drawer.
I would like to see what her phony Christian love is made of.
Everyone will know it was me; but I don't care.
I don't even care if they kick me out of school.
Franklin seems so nice on the outside, but I know she hates me just like everyone else.
After she yells and screams at me, everyone else will know she is a fake also.
" The next morning at school Snake had no idea that his prank would change his life.
Snake took his seat and had a hard time hiding his devilish smile.
As Mrs.
Franklin sat down, she seemed sad and distracted by something.
"Class can I have your attention please?"She said slowly.
"There was an accident in the class last night.
The school janitor heard a noise and came in to see what it was.
Apparently a snake got into the classroom.
The janitor was so scared, he got a shovel and destroyed the snake.
" Instantly everyone turned around to look at Snake sitting in the back of the class.
They could see his face turn bright red.
His devilish smile faded and began shaking and quivering.
His eyes suddenly filled up with tears and spilled over his nose and splattered on his desk.
He tried to wipe off his overflowing emotion with his shirtsleeve.
His nose began running and he tried to clear it.
This time he was not pretending to sniffle.
"Coils is dead?"Snake said with a cracked and shaky voice.
The news jolted the inside of Snake like a hundred arrows were shot into his chest.
Even Snake had no idea how much his pet snake was wrapped around his heart.
Snake could feel the warmth of Coils fall away.
Snake sat down on the floor and began to uncontrollably cry and shake with a pain he had no idea existed.
Mrs.
Franklin got up from her desk and moved toward Snake.
She put her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Bruce.
" Snake could feel her sincerity like she really cared about him.
A minute later Snake could feel the hands of the other kids in the class touching his back and his arms.
"I'm sorry too," said the voice of the poor kid Snake made fun of.
It seemed like the whole class got up and tried to comfort Snake.
The smart kid, the ugly, and beautiful all came to wrap their love around Snake where Coils had dropped off.
Even Teri gave him a piece of gum.
"How could these people care about me?"I've been so mean to them.
"Then a familiar memory came into Snake's mind.
"Every creature no matter how ugly needs to be touched.
" Snake was never the same after that.
He stopped his hurtful pranks, and began to be a big-hearted friend to everyone.
Instead of bringing tears to everyone he made them laugh and smile.
Snake felt good about himself when he made others happy.
In fact, he became so popular he broke the school record in votes to be elected school president.