I'm A What?!

Bus Ride

     "Do you know the definitions of Dom and Sub?" Mr. Pova sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. Mr. Pova's height made him intimidating even while he was sitting.

     "Yes, Sir." Tim wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew better. This was going to be an interesting conversation if he sent Gatlin away. Why did he send him away? And with Greg... there was something he didn't like about Greg.

     "Enlighten me." Mr. Pova raised an eyebrow as he waited.

     "Dom is short for Dominant. They are the person in charge. Sub can mean many things but usually stands for Subordinate, or more commonly, Submissive. They are the one that the Dom is taking care of or in charge of." This was basic information. Why was he asking?

     "And do you know what a Caregiver is? More precisely, how it's determined that a Dom will become a Caregiver?"

     Tim opened his mouth... but paused. He wasn't sure.

     "Did you read the handbook they gave you at the classification center?" Mr. Pova was starting to get impatient with Tim. He obviously hadn't even bothered to open it.

     "No... Sir." Tim didn't want to admit that he'd been caught not doing schoolwork. It was one of the things they were required to do. He just couldn't bring himself to look it over. He had read some of the Caregiver information on the paperwork Mrs. Desini had given out. But he didn't think he'd be grilled on everything.

     "So, the straight A student couldn't open a book?" Mr. Pova gave a small laugh and stood up. He walked over to his briefcase and pulled a copy of the classification guide out of it. He handed it to Tim. "Read the first paragraph under Caregiver... out loud." The emphasis he put on the last two words left no room for argument.

     Tim flipped a few pages and cleared his throat. "Caregiver: A person with a Dominant personality that has experienced a tragedy or trauma in their life before they were classified. The fact they went through the event makes them the perfect candidate for taking care of Littles..."

     "You can stop there." Tim gulped and slightly dropped his head. He tried to hand the book back, but Mr. Pova pushed it back into his hands. "Now read the definition of Littles."

     Tim tried not to sigh as he opened the book and flipped to the back with the Submissive section. "Little: A person with a Submissive personality that has experienced a tragedy or trauma in their life before they... were... classified." Tim slowed down as he read the words. He looked up at Mr. Pova with slight confusion.

     "Caregivers and Littles are almost the same. The only difference is that a Caregiver has learned from their experiences to help others. It makes them a stronger, more put together person. Littles on the other hand, usually can't handle the stress. They regress to try and avoid the past or push their past away like it never happened. The reason they are paired together is because the Caregivers are in the best position to care for these people." Mr. Pova took the book from his hands and put it on the desk. "I don't know what tragedy you or Gatlin went through, but the goal is to not traumatize them any further. And you saying that you 'hate them' is not acceptable. You need to drop this stupid teenager act... ok... you probably aren't acting." Mr. Pova smiled at the scowl on Tim's face. "But seriously. Be nicer to him and other Littles. Now go have lunch and get ready for the field trip."

     Mr. Cake had been nice enough to stay with Gat while he went through the lunch line. He explained the situation and they let him pay for his own meal. Mr. Cake also walked him over to the table with a few other Caregivers. After he made sure he was situated, he pat Gat's head and left.