pte

e

he second I landed in town, but I hadn't q

friends of the Forester family jumped out from behind th

ut a fixed smile. So what? I'm a

ost rolled my eyes at myself. "I

politely hugged her back, not bothering to inform her that she had invited her friends to celebrate my success –- t

re just to show these people tha

yb

eely, I noted, for a party thrown by my mother. I encountered several people I went to high school with. And, a few people

party was downright raging. I h

aft, no doubt. Inside the house, alternate rock and general hip-hop drifted through the air, mingling with the chattering voices of

ecognize me. Well, m

hipped around to see Amalia's skinny figure pulling

claimed, grabbing Felix in a tig

a day, and you're already cracking," he joked.

nd we had been for the past 6 years. We swung back and forth i

ou came?" I

d, smiling. His father had recently gotten t

se a

nd the same place as before. They che

t have

ughtfully. "He di

muster. He was the guy who had stood by me through all the terrible teens – the years of bullying, ridi

e a couple," Amalia sa

eally my type," Feli

tonight," I told him, grabbing another glas

malia said, pointing her ch

elt the anger bubble before I even registered the man

ed correctly. His neatly-pressed suit was a giant departure from the

stranger to the menace Drake Dunst was, although I had usually taken the brunt of his bullying. Drake was actuall

ree days, I had learnt that I was far, far below on the rungs of social status than I had ever expected to be. Eighth grade was crueler and colder than even sixt

my attention. Her sky blue eyes seemed to glow against her tanned skin, trapping m

d hey, right? Maybe I shouldn't have just yelled like a psycho? Too late to worry about that now,

small smile tilti

ot teaching me tips on how to talk to girls before he ditched us. All I got in the form of girl advice was from m

orcing my face into what I felt w

ing concerned. I promptly relaxed my muscles – wha

shuffling away from

I let her pull me closer like it was the most nat

ou don't have any plans...we could go somewhere... Not that you can't be alone or that

my eyes, cursing the gods above and below. I would know that ob

if she was connected to Drake In any way, I was out. Drake had never really grown past the kindergarten ph

t I was pretty," I heard her re

just got

ake already chased me and grabbed me by my hood before I could take as much as two more steps. He hung

s girlfriend," he mocked me, his d

ow she was wit

ed down to the level of my face, making me squirm uncomfortably. "Nobody wants you here.

Freda, Drake had called her

e inward in pain, clutching my stomach as tears threatened to leak out of my eyes. He laughed aloud, pulling the hood off the locker before he left so I crashed to the ground in a

me – my glasses had fallen off, an

the familiar heavy plastic of

ey had been stepped on almost four times last year – an expens

my helper. A bug-eyed teen with

but my head was reeling. Was someone in Jefferson High trying to be ni

casually, as though we were talking about the

ace scrunching up as his name l

to dim a little. He glanced around us

"He'd whoop you

s not her

d I was still sitting on the floor. I look

is Englis

S

ed a specif

derstanding. "

you do?" h

le. "I told his girl

apping me on the bac

him, "I didn't know

nt up to a girl and said wo

ten my ass kicked and suffered crippling embarrassment, before Dr

aid, extending his han

s hand. He pulled me up with s

ardly. "Thanks for h

no pro

ere still 26 minutes to go before the next class began. I glanc

you wanna do?

ther to tell me something. Then, he leaned in

the music rose, thundering tremendously. The party was in full f

him, shoving h

aid through gritted teeth

ho

ing two drinks into my hands. Before I could protest, he grabbed my shoulde

were about to tap me on the shoulder. She looked like a walking, tal

" she

e you've had a human conversation before. "Drink?" I ask

ost unnecessary urgency. She took two very long

he party?"

seemingly elsewhere. "Congratulati

I had to laugh at t

n and grabbed my sleev

sing myself for stu

ap my gaze under the throbbing lights. "I'm very sorry for what h

force in her gaze that always surprised me. I did not know her very well. I had been so ridiculously infatuated w

s came," I said,

ture I recognized from the lessons Felix gave me on how to read our investors' body language. Freda

ink?" I half-shou

him here. He insist

rry about it. He'll find me

laugh, "Yeah, you're

ot seven tree. Of course, I look tin

e. Feeling distinctively proud

said. "To impr

fic. "To impro

le who wanted to exchange the same stories over and over again. Where have you been? How did you do this? Are you dati

u a question?

d in me to not roll my

er one

o

Why did you change

r question. "I did that in 10th

the blond better. I always wanted to ask you why

frowned, shaking my head, "There w

arm wrap around my shoulders, careless with its weigh

" he said, g

ckname for him? Perhaps. Was I supposed to at least exchange a few pleasantries with him since he was a guest

him a warning. I slapped him on the back, "Have

ay. I felt Tyler's hand grab

your petty childhood traumas over and over again. I am a grown man now. There was no way I was going to let Drake Dunst han

asked me jovially, smiling from

this the "billio

twisting and worming my way into the crowd so he wouldn't try to stop me again. My temper was close to the surface t

my mother's voi

ked by five extremely drunk people engaged in sort o

rabbed me and dragged me toward the kitchen. There

e me a piercing glare, her lips pursed into a frown. My eyes met Felix on

witch places with

ldn't even wait for me to adjust to the bright fluorescent lighting. "Absolutely un

ly. "Nobody's lived in

t?" she

shoulder. "Ma, you gotta calm down. We talked a

" she began, bitterne

ave a party. You went ah

o celebrate

s! Our living room looks like a 1980s

are talk to

doing this for me. You d

like your fathe

e we

ur friends are trampling and screwing on top of our furniture! All of my frie

ad no part in this. I landed here two hours ago!" She op

ou gave them the music. I suggest you consider yourself a generous part

wer lip trembling. "You

d as tight as I coul

en

mply marched out of the backdoor of t

arette and took a big puff. It was a toxic remedy I had come to depend on after fights with my mother, which were always plentiful. I didn't think it had

left, obsessively pruning and maintaining each shrub, flower, and tree with care. The garden had flourish

ead whipping to the source of the noise. Freda Steely charged along

bit. I glanced worriedly at them, feeling intrusi

e not. I

totally ignored me... It was you-""It was you... You bitched behind m

I was

ith that b-brat!" he accused

fucking control y

rm and in a powerful swing, slapped Freda across her right cheek. I saw

e tell me what to do,"

it in my mouth. Unthinking, I raced up to Drake, my cigarette's butt crushing under my iron grip. He whi

whipped my right arm around and clocked him directly in his chin. The c