Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Phillip. Be sure to check out About Dan here.
Phillip is a computer nerd who suddenly discovers a liking for track. Everything would be fine except for his father.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Phillip Home) (Last) (Next)
Intolerance will not be Tolerated
Tuesday afternoon found Phillip and Melanie standing outside room 410 at Park High School. The corridors were jammed wall-to-wall as students hurried between classes; the noise echoed like a rock concert. Room 410 was still emptying; Phillip and Melanie were there for sixth-period English, the one class they shared. While waiting, they read a newly-posted notice from the school administration, printed on lurid pink paper.
INTOLERANCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
Your school administration has received numerous complaints of intolerance from many students. We remind students of everyone’s First Amendment rights to express themselves in their own way, and this may be in ways you don’t approve of.
School district officials have made tolerance a priority and here at Park we totally support them. We will soon be forming a Tolerance Council and invite representatives from our various Park communities to participate. We especially seek volunteers from the gay, lesbian, and feminist student communities to ensure all points of view are expressed.
Yours sincerely, Patsy Spinellas, Principal
"What a joke!" said Phillip. "Are they the only people who get tolerance?"
Melanie was about to reply when Matthew Christiansen bumped into Phillip so hard that Phillip bounced off the wall and dropped his backpack.
"Matthew! What are you doing?" exclaimed Phillip. Instinctively, he cowered before the much bigger sophomore. He picked up his backpack to use it as a shield.
"Didja see the notice there, Mormon?" sneered Matthew. "Ya oughta see if ya can join the council. Mormons are as weird as all the other people on it!"
"What gives you the right to pester Mormons?" quavered Phillip.
Matthew was nose to nose, or rather chin to forehead, with Phillip; he had Phillip pinned against the wall. "Look, Phillip, you need to give up on your pagan religion and find the real Christ. Someday you’ll see sense. I’ll make sure you do."
"How many times do I have to tell you we’re already Christian?"
"Matthew! Stop bullying Phillip!" cried Melanie.
"Oh, pagan, you need a woman to save you?" Matthew smirked. "Ha!"
Matthew reached under Phillip’s backpack-shield and poked him hard in the stomach, then turned heel and went into class. Phillip looked at Melanie with a baleful mixture of embarrassment and gratitude as he rubbed his abdomen.
"Phillip! You need to report this!" she whispered as they went into class.
"I’ve already reported him. They don’t care. Just drop it. Maybe he’ll give up."
"But this is the first time he’s hit you. I saw him! He’s getting worse."
"It’s not worth it. Just drop it."