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Feb. 1st, 2014 10:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fry_sandhu"And that's why I shouldn't be a talking clock." Fry concludes to Max, who is sitting patiently next to him in the playground.
"Uh huh." Max, his psychologist, who is visiting for the day, nods. "So, Fry, can you tell me about your class? Do you have any friends now?"
"That's Teddy, he's my friend, he tells me how to do things." Fry says, pointing. "And that's Kasha, she's my friend because she says I'm like a super hero." he grins. "And that's Tommy... he eats worms. And that's Bethany and Lucy... I don't like them because they say I'm weird."
"Well that's not very nice." Max says, frowning.
"And that's Martha, her brother thinks I'm bullying her but I'm not." Fry says. "And that's Patrick the Parrot."
"Patrick the Parrot? You shouldn't call people names, Fry."
"He called me a Paki and said I should go back to my own country and when I grow up I'll steal benefits." Fry says.
Max frowns much deeper. "Wait, he said that?! Well that's not okay at all, did you tell a teacher? Or your mum and dad?"
Fry shakes his head. "He says things like that to lots of people, that's why he's Patrick the Parrot." he says.
Max is looking at him very seriously.
"Fry, I need to tell Mrs Patel. You did the right thing to tell me, okay?"
***
Fry trusts Max. He also trusts Dad, of course, who told him last night that it wasn't his fault, or really Patrick's, because he'd have heard it from his parents. But when Patrick isn't at school the next day, Fry starts to get worried.
"I heard he got eaten by a tiger." Tommy says, debating eating a worm.
"That's not true, he got expelled." Kasha says. "Because when Mrs Patel called him to the office he called her a Paki too."
"I heard Fry snitched on him and he got sent to Pakistan." Lucy says.
"I was there." Kasha says. "It's not because of Fry, Patrick was mean to lots of us. He's not coming back."
Fry realises suddenly that this means Patrick won't be at chess club today. Or next week. Or the week after. And suddenly, he's bawling his eyes out, and he runs off and wedges himself in the hedge.
"I don't get it, why's he upset?"
"Patrick was horrible to him."
"Fry?" Kasha crawls under the hedge next to him. "I'll learn to play chess with you. You can play chess with me on Tuesdays."
Fry wipes his nose on his sleeve. Maybe Dad was right; he does have better friends.
***
"Well really, it's so inconsiderate of parents to withdraw their child in the middle of a term." the drama teacher, Mrs Donkey, complains.
"So he wasn't eaten by a tiger?" Tommy asks.
"How am I supposed to teach anyone else such a large part?" Mrs Donkey moans. "And with only a few weeks to go!"
Teddy puts up his hand.
"Mrs Donkey, Fry knows the lines for the whole play and he really wanted to be a police officer."
Mrs Donkey winces, then nods.
"Fry, you can try and be the police officer."
She watches, expecting to have to talk him through every single move and gesture. But to her pleasant surprise, he copies precisely what Patrick had been doing, and gets every line correct.
"That's very good Fry." she says, after the rehearsal. "But why are you doing the part in a Manchester accent?"
"Uh huh." Max, his psychologist, who is visiting for the day, nods. "So, Fry, can you tell me about your class? Do you have any friends now?"
"That's Teddy, he's my friend, he tells me how to do things." Fry says, pointing. "And that's Kasha, she's my friend because she says I'm like a super hero." he grins. "And that's Tommy... he eats worms. And that's Bethany and Lucy... I don't like them because they say I'm weird."
"Well that's not very nice." Max says, frowning.
"And that's Martha, her brother thinks I'm bullying her but I'm not." Fry says. "And that's Patrick the Parrot."
"Patrick the Parrot? You shouldn't call people names, Fry."
"He called me a Paki and said I should go back to my own country and when I grow up I'll steal benefits." Fry says.
Max frowns much deeper. "Wait, he said that?! Well that's not okay at all, did you tell a teacher? Or your mum and dad?"
Fry shakes his head. "He says things like that to lots of people, that's why he's Patrick the Parrot." he says.
Max is looking at him very seriously.
"Fry, I need to tell Mrs Patel. You did the right thing to tell me, okay?"
***
Fry trusts Max. He also trusts Dad, of course, who told him last night that it wasn't his fault, or really Patrick's, because he'd have heard it from his parents. But when Patrick isn't at school the next day, Fry starts to get worried.
"I heard he got eaten by a tiger." Tommy says, debating eating a worm.
"That's not true, he got expelled." Kasha says. "Because when Mrs Patel called him to the office he called her a Paki too."
"I heard Fry snitched on him and he got sent to Pakistan." Lucy says.
"I was there." Kasha says. "It's not because of Fry, Patrick was mean to lots of us. He's not coming back."
Fry realises suddenly that this means Patrick won't be at chess club today. Or next week. Or the week after. And suddenly, he's bawling his eyes out, and he runs off and wedges himself in the hedge.
"I don't get it, why's he upset?"
"Patrick was horrible to him."
"Fry?" Kasha crawls under the hedge next to him. "I'll learn to play chess with you. You can play chess with me on Tuesdays."
Fry wipes his nose on his sleeve. Maybe Dad was right; he does have better friends.
***
"Well really, it's so inconsiderate of parents to withdraw their child in the middle of a term." the drama teacher, Mrs Donkey, complains.
"So he wasn't eaten by a tiger?" Tommy asks.
"How am I supposed to teach anyone else such a large part?" Mrs Donkey moans. "And with only a few weeks to go!"
Teddy puts up his hand.
"Mrs Donkey, Fry knows the lines for the whole play and he really wanted to be a police officer."
Mrs Donkey winces, then nods.
"Fry, you can try and be the police officer."
She watches, expecting to have to talk him through every single move and gesture. But to her pleasant surprise, he copies precisely what Patrick had been doing, and gets every line correct.
"That's very good Fry." she says, after the rehearsal. "But why are you doing the part in a Manchester accent?"
