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Thaddeus Duke · (04-04-2019)

[duke]11:31 AM | Headmaster’s Office | John Adams Academy | New Haven, Connecticut[/duke]

”Mr. Duke, it’s great to meet you,” says the Headmaster as he shakes the hands of both Sebastian and Thaddeus Duke and welcomes them into his office.

John Adams Academy has a long and rich tradition of academic excellence. It’s been around over 150 years and has a storied tradition as it pertains to its alumni. A literal who’s who of American political history. Many future presidents attended school here at various times.

Thaddeus is nervous. For a young man that has been a Prince and then a King, has traveled the world, been through three wars and come out victorious, and faces off against pro wrestlers that are typically bigger than he is, the unknown is what makes him nervous. At all of 20 years old, the young man has never once attended school. Not preschool, not elementary school, no middle school or high school. Yet, he feels he needs to do it now. He’s never been normal by everyday human being standards, but he yearns for it. He needs it more than perhaps anything else.

”I thank you for meeting with us on such short notice,” Sebastian Duke says as he and his son take a seat in a pair of chairs on the near side of the Headmaster’s desk. The father of the boy wonder is dressed in his best today with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Inside his chest, Thaddeus’s heart thumps hard, pushing blood to every nook and cranny of his body. He feels hot despite the office being cool. It’s unnatural to him, to feel this nervous. The only thing that runs through his mind right now is all the ways that the Headmaster might deny his admission and none of the reasons why he might. That, in and of itself, is unlike Thaddeus Leander Duke the Second. He’s typically a very positive person. Even despite his failures, he looks at the good that comes with them. He looks at those failures as a positive despite how they may look to others, statistically speaking. But he needs this. He wants this. This is too important to his growth as a young man in a cold cruel world, to miss out on this opportunity.

”Why us Mr. Duke?” the Headmaster asks of Thad’s father. ”Why John Adams Academy?”

”We need some place safe and secure,” he responds. ”Public school is out of the question due to the obvious. In our researching of private schools, John Adams has a rich track record of producing some very influential individuals.

“We think that John Adams and Thaddeus are a perfect match.”

”Thaddeus, what say you?”

[duke]”What?”[/duke] he says, startled somewhat as he’s shaken from his internal thoughts.

”Why John Adams Academy? Why do you want to attend our school?”

Thaddeus is thrown. He’s a nervous wreck and can’t seem to form rational thoughts as his anxiety over this whole situation intensifies greatly. [duke]”Sir,”[/duke] he begins as he sits up straighter and clears his throat, still trying to find the correct combination of words to answer the simple question. [duke]”I want to get my diploma and I want a stiff challenge. I could go online and attend Cyber school if I really just wanted a piece of paper. I want my mental toughness challenged and John Adams seems like the right place to be. It seems like the type of place that would welcome me, but challenge me to become my best self,”[/duke] he concludes, praying to a God he doesn’t believe in that anything he just pulled from his ass made any sense at all.

”I like that answer,” says the Headmaster with a smile.

Thank GOD! It worked.

”We imagine his fame might be an issue?” Sebastian asks, knowing it certainly will be an issue for John Adams Academy or any other school.

”Of course, that’s always a concern,” the Headmaster agrees. ”But John Adams is no stranger to having alumni of some notoriety.”

”Thaddeus is a head of state, he’s on television all the time. He wrestles on weekends and despite how you or anyone else may feel about professional wrestling, a lot of people in his age bracket are going to recognize him.

“We feel that its best for him and for John Adams if he adopts a pseudonym for class.”

”I suppose that would be ideal, all things considered.”

[duke]”My name by itself invokes a response, sir. If I were to enroll under my legal name, I’d become a distraction. All I want to do is fit in”[/duke]

”And how would you approach the fact that despite using a pseudonym, you can’t actually change your look? I’d assume our students will recognize you as Thaddeus Duke.”

To this, Thaddeus can only think. He has no answer for that.

”I think he can just play that off,” Sebastian chimes in.

”How so? Explain that please.”

”If he were to deny it and pretend he has no idea who Thaddeus Duke is, added to the close proximity we are to home, then I think the other kids will believe he actually is who he is,” he begins. ”I think the best course would be to acknowledge the fact that people in his previous school always thought he looked like him too.”

”And you think they’d buy that?”

”At first probably not.”

[duke]”Sir, they will probably recognize me. But for all intents and purposes, my name is Jack Fitzgerald and that’s who I will live as while I’m enrolled here. Like my father said, at first they’ll probably believe I am who I am, but I won’t engage in that. Because I think that if I were to protest it too much, then they’ll continue to believe that I am Thaddeus Duke and not Jack Fitzgerald.”[/duke]

”To be clear, John Adams Academy would be honored to enroll someone with your distinction young man,” the Headmaster states. To which a smile crosses Thaddeus’s face. ”We understand your desire for anonymity and we will support your decision to follow that course of action. Should you later choose to forego the pseudonym and acknowledge who you truly are, we will support that too.

“Judging by the smile on your face, I assume you’re thrilled with this?”

[duke]”It’s hard to put into words, sir, just how much this decision means to me. It’s difficult for me to be a normal kid, really anywhere. Partly because of who I am, and partly because I followed my fathers path into professional wrestling.

“That’s all I want sir. A chance to be a normal regular person. To attend school and meet new people. Go to school functions. Things of that nature.”[/duke]

”Please understand, Thaddeus, that the workload is rigorous,” he states, emphasizing ‘rigorous.’ ”School is in session 52 weeks per year, 4 days per week. How you plan to juggle your academic career and your professional career is up to you, but I sincerely hope that your academics take precedence over your athletics.”

[duke]”I’m no stranger to multitasking, sir,”[/duke] he answers quickly, hoping he didn’t sound too cocky, yet knowing he probably was.

”I’m happy to hear it,” he says as he stands up from his chair. ”Thaddeus, welcome to John Adams Academy.”

He extends his hand toward the young man and Thaddeus shakes vigorously. Sebastian musses his sons hair as a smile appears on his weathered face. He’s happy that he could aid his boy in achieving something he wants so badly.

After they make their exit and head toward the blacked out Lincoln, Sebastian lays his arm over Thaddeus’s shoulder as they walk. ”What you feeling for lunch?”

[duke]”Italian,”[/duke] he replies as he looks up at his father.

”Call ahead, its a busy place this time of day,” he says as Thaddeus pulls out his phone.

The young man can’t stop smiling now. All the worry and the anxiety and the fretting was all for naught as his dreams of being a normal, everyday person comes to fruition.

[duke]I’m in the mood to celebrate.

I know what you’re thinking: why would you celebrate when you literally fell short of once again becoming a champion in the XWF just a few days ago?

Simple.

It’s true. I fell short and was served up a big ole dose of humble pie by the reigning defending Television Champion Donovan Blackwater at March Madness, but still I celebrate because… I’m back. I did not win and that much is true yet I performed in the ring extremely well for a guy that hasn’t had a competitive match in over a year and a half. That’s something to celebrate. The crowd was still into me. That’s something to celebrate.

Duke Nation Remembers.

That’s something to celebrate.

It’s easy for one to get depressed and down on themselves over a loss, but… that’s not me. It never was. The fact is, in watching back the tapes and replaying the promos between Donovan and myself that I, your famously lovable and ever charming boy wonder, was a tad over confident.

I’m 20. It happens. Cut me some slack bruh.

I’m not too big on regrets because I think that everything you do, everything you decide, everything that happens to you, good or bad, plays a role in creating the person that you are, for better or for worse. I don’t have regrets but if I were to regret anything about the outcome of that match its that I failed to provide Savage with a Television title defense this Saturday night in Texas.

And I did really want to bring that to Savage and to Duke Nation, so for that, to my legion, I’m forever sorry.

Onward and upward though, right?

So Saturday. Savage. San Antonio. And your saving fucking grace, Thaddeus Duke. I find myself faced with a relative unknown entity. Alister Dante goes by the name TEMPLAR and I know y’all are expecting some lengthy spiel where I try and rip Mr. Dante a new asshole just for the sheer joy of it, but again… that’s not me.

There’s not a whole lot of information and not much footage of Templar. To me, he seems like an admirable man without a doubt. Like some real life super hero, stalking the rooftops of his city waiting for a Bat Signal, if you will. Waiting for some cry of distress so he can swoop in and save the day.

What’s not to like?

That’s what’s on the surface, but let me tell you what’s below the surface, Dante. Below the surface is you. A mortal human being that gets to come face to face with “the greatest thing since sliced bread” as Blackwater put it. You get to go one on one with a second generation talent and showcase your skills in front of the masses. You get to rub shoulders with someone that can put you on the map or render you forgettable and judging by your lack of interest in this profession we both chose, you’ve had all of 1 whole match by the looks of things, you’ve already chosen to be forgettable.

Saturday night on Savage, Alister Dante, you will be not a hero, but a martyr.[/duke]

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