“How did he do it?” Aiden asks.
“He slit his wrists. That’s why he wears the leather wristbands—to hide the scars. My father found him.”
“How did his brother die?” Bri asks.
“He drowned in the swimming pool. Art found him.”
“That’s awful,” Anneli says.
“He’s been fucked-up ever since,” Josh adds.
“Still want to fuck him, Bri? You’ll end up like that blonde chick in that Norman Bates’ movie,” Zeke says.
“That makes him more appealing. The tortured souls fuck the best,” Bri replies.
“Speak of the devil,” Aiden says, jutting his chin towards the entrance.
I automatically seek her out the moment I walk through the cafeteria door. There she is at the “popular kids” table, with everyone from Chaos night. I walk over to the serving station to examine the fare this school has to offer. I wouldn’t feed this bullshit to a dog. I’d rather eat Missy’s chicken Marsala. I opt to grab a bottle of water before heading to an empty table. A shadow falls over me while I’m scrolling through my cell phone. The kid standing beside the table looks like he stepped right out of an eighties rock music video—heavy eyeliner, long messy hair, nail polish, platform shoes, everything black from head to toe. His face is covered in piercings. He pops his gum, wearing a stupid grin on his face.
“Can I help you?” I ask.
“I’m Bane,” he says, sitting in the chair next to me.
I take a drink of water. “And I’m ‘I don’t give a fuck.’”
“You’re hilarious.”
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Word on the street is you’re Josh’s cousin.”
“If you have a point, get to it.” I’m losing my patience fast.
“Why are you sitting here, alone?” He pops his gum. “And not over there with the rulers of Central High School?”
“I don’t need a clique to feel like I belong.”
“You can sit with me and my friends.”
“I’m not looking to make friends,” I say.
Hopefully he’ll read between the damn lines and get the hell away from me.
“Hey, man, that’s cool. If you need anything, let me know. I got the hookup on weed, ecstasy, meth, speed, cocaine… You name it.”
I’m on the verge of hyperventilating when the wordcocaineleaves his mouth.I react the only way I know how, with violence. I punch him in the face, causing him to fall from the chair and hit the floor.
“Get the fuck out of my sight before I fuck you up.”
He stumbles to his feet as blood seeps from his mouth.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” he asks.
Some are oblivious to what is going on, while others look on with avid interest. Everyone at Josh’s table watches as the drama unfolds. When a group of students, who I assume are his friends, start to approach, I stand and grab a chair.
“Tell your friends to back the fuck off or it’s going to get realWrestleMania, quick.”
He peers behind him and waves his friends off, then turns back around to face me. “We could’ve been cool, man.”
