Freaksville (7 page)

“How do we know you’re not the one who did it?” Nicks scowls at him, and, for that, I grab his thigh, zapping him. “
Hey
!”

“Be. Nice,” I growl through my teeth.

“I’m only saying I don’t trust this guy. It’s better than me pretending to be buds with him and then talking shit behind his back.” His voice comes from low in his throat. “I’m an ass, but at least I’m not two-faced.”

“
I
trust him. Doesn’t my judgment count for anything?” I rub my aching temples and soon move to my shoulder. I need to carry some aspirin.

“No offense, Nessy,” Nicks snaps, keeping his angry gaze on Devin, “But since he flashed his pearly whites your way, you’ve been following him around like a lost puppy.”

“Excuse me?” My face heats.

Kyle shares a worried glance with Jake, “Nessa, I think you need to calm down.”

“Why do you keep rubbing your shoulder?” Nicks asks me then goes back to glaring at Devin. “What’d he do? Beat you up, and now you’re too weak and scared to say something about it?”

My blood boils.

“There’s no way in hell I’d hurt Nessa.” Devin’s fangs shoot down and then back up in a matter of seconds. At least he’s trying to control himself.

“You’re not here two days, and you’ve already stole her away from us.” Nicks looks around at his friends. “Doesn’t it scream something’s not right with this guy to
anyone
else?”

They keep arguing. People stare at the snarling Vamps. Kyle bows his head in shame when the tears stream down my face. Jake holds Nicks in his seat. Devin appears like he’s about to explode at any given moment. And Antonio sits there with a bland expression throughout.

It’s all too much for me. My heart feels like it’s being ripped out with the people I care about at each other’s throats. Feeling like I’m about to explode, I gasp when every drink in the room explodes, liquid shooting up toward the ceiling and all over everyone.

Except me. It showers around me like there’s an invisible umbrella over my head.

The room goes quiet, except for some girls squealing at their wet hair.
I guess Mom was right about my talents coming to me in time. Yay.
I grab my salad, throw my tray into the trash, and walk out.

~ Just Give Me A Reason ~

Instead of waiting for Devin to take me home, I avoid him and walk home the back way, which in a small town in the mountains means through the woods.

Walking through the trees and down the trail doesn’t bother me too much. I’ve grown up here, after all. Adding in the fact that in a small town—when it’s not raining—the woods is our playground? I think this is where I’m most comfortable.

I remember playing hide-and-seek out here at night, easier for those with night vision, but I held my own. I might’ve cheated a little bit with glow sticks but, then again, weren’t the other players cheating as well? That was my argument back then, too.

They really cheated by flying from tree to tree like monkeys, leaving me to try and catch them. At one point, I got so mad, I burst into tears because I couldn’t do those things. Kyle jumped down and put tiny me on his back and jumped back up into the trees.

That was the best night ever.

Our parents always yelled at us, when they caught us, but Antonio’s only pretended to be mad like the others. When we were over at their house, they came out, too. Practicing their old skills. They used to be—way back in the day—spies. It’s sounds farfetched but, one time, Antonio, Nicks, and I snuck into their room while they were gone and went through their stuff.

We found all kinds of crazy things, like guns that aren’t even sold in stores. Files of solved cases. You name it. But thinking back on it, it seems we got into their cache of secrets a little too easily. The pass code to the safe in their closet was Antonio’s birthday.

They probably just set it up as a decoy, either for us or for someone else. I don’t know. Either way, it still started our game of cops and ninjas on rainy days.

I don’t know what hurt me the most at lunch. Seeing Kyle upset that I was upset or watching Devin and Nicks fighting. Nicks made very little attempt to be nice, and Devin wasn’t even doing anything besides sitting there.

You would think the woods out in the middle of nowhere would be the best place to release anger and frustration by screaming at the top of my lungs…but not here. If I were to do that, it wouldn’t just cause the dogs to howl. Every vamp in town would be sticking their heads out their windows wondering what the hell’s up now.

Instead, I find a cozy spot under a tree and sit Indian style. Placing my book bag in my lap, I rest back against the solid oak and let my mind reach out. As my mom taught me to do when overwhelmed and stressed.

I haven’t done it since I was a kid in third grade. I had a crush on this guy who’d just moved here. I thought he was cute. Christie-Ann—my arch nemesis since preschool—snatched the poor bastard up before I could even say hi to him. Instead of making her run face first into the metal playground structure, I did this. Why yes, I was a violent beast then, not a lot has changed.

Later on, Nicks and Antonio put gum in her hair. Bye-bye long, curly red locks, hello practically shaved head. Damn, I’m mean. Then again, she made fun of me for being a slightly chunky kid with a front chipped tooth and crazy multicolored eyes.

I realize it was a dick move—even if I didn’t do it personally—and I apologized once when I saw her at the grocery store. She just stared at me like I was nuts and asked if she knew me. Lovely times, lovely memories. Now, focus.

First, I send my mind down into the earth. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it fills me with peace. Something welcome in my hectic life. After staying there for a little while—imagining the inside of the earth, the core, where it’s all lava—I move to something else.

I mentally go through the woods, and then make it to the “city” part. Where there are people everywhere, some eating outside at a restaurant, others drinking coffee while their friends bawl about being dumped by their boyfriend for another girl or vice versa. When, in reality, their friends were the other women or men.

That girl’s gonna get a surprise when she realizes she was dumped because she didn’t have the parts he really wanted.

Then I get a sense of the guys having a talk with Nicks about the way he acted at lunch. Jake glares at him when he tells him how I was crying over their scene then Nicks stares down at the table, realizing he was a douche. Then Antonio and Kyle taking the wooden chair and breaking it over his head while the other people in the restaurant don’t pay them any attention.

Ha, so very unrealistic.

What really happens is.… Jake glares at him while Kyle tells him he wasn’t being very nice. And Nessa was really hurt. Nicks snorts and says he doesn’t give a shit about what I think. Which hurts me, but, oh well. Then Jake leans across the table, eyes blazing, and fangs extended. “You’re jealous. Not picking up some feeling off the new guy. He hasn’t done a damn thing to any of us—”

“That’s bullshit—” Nicks explodes, earning odd stares from a few people.

“Except,” Jake holds up a shaking hand, “become friends with Nessa. Who was trying to spend time with us
and
with him. You know how she is. She finds a hurt animal somewhere, and she has to help it. He’s not really different. He was alone and scared when he first started coming here, and she helped him. Get the hell over yourself and stop being such a damn dick. Or, before you know it, you’re going to lose her as a friend.”

That’s the longest speech he’s ever uttered
…I withdraw.
Why doesn’t he talk with me any?

After sitting there, pondering this for a little while, I get back to my feet and make my way out of the woods. How dark it’s gotten, and cold. I guess I really lost track of time. Mom’s probably worried sick, unless she’s out with her friends.

As I’m marching through all the overgrown grass, the hairs on the back of my neck and the feathers on my wings stand on end. I’m being watched.

Instead of giving away the fact that I know I’m being watched, I wrap my arms around myself against the chill and move at an agonizingly slow pace.

Eventually I make it out to the road in front of the Miller’s farm, and it’s only about a ten-minute walk to my house.

Finally home, I don’t smell microwaved leftovers like I usually do. So Mom is out with her friends. I find Billy intently staring at the takeout menus spread on our coffee table along with a bag of popcorn and an open beer. “Hey, squirt,” he greets without looking up. “I’m thinking Chinese. What about you?”

“All right with me.” I flop down in the chair and let my bag land beside me.

He places our order and disconnects. I only had to remind him of what I wanted five times. Old age is getting to him. “Should I even bother asking what took you so long?”

“I walked home.” It’s not a lie, but I’m not going into detail.

“Fight with your boyfriend?” He faces the TV.

“Not my boyfriend.”

“Uh….” He clears his throat. “Is this some kind of friends-with-benefits kind of thing? Do-does your mom need to have
the talk
with you?”

“I’ve always been in public school, dude,” I remind him in a bored tone. “We were taught about sex in fourth grade, not by the teacher, but by other students. Oh yeah, and Nicks is pregnant with my baby. Don’t tell Mom.”

His beer flies everywhere as he spits it out and then starts coughing. “Not.” Cough. “Funny.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Shut up.” He wipes at his nose. Ow, beer up the nose.

I start to reach for some popcorn, but he snatches the bag away.

“What?” I bat my lashes innocently.

“You’ll ruin your dinner.” Since when does he try to parent? “If you’re going to ruin your dinner, you need to do it right.” He goes from disapproving to smug. Then I catch on to where he’s going with this.

“Throw It All In, on a Tuesday? Dare we be that adventurous?”

He nods once then we fist pound. “Whoop, whoop!” We race each other to the kitchen, with him elbowing me, trying to slow me down. But I still make it there first and slide to a stop at the fridge. Then throw everything out of the freezer, all of the sweet stuff anyway. Popsicles, ice cream, frozen yogurt…and then we get everything out of the fridge. All of the sweet stuff, again.

Throw It All In Thursday was created when my appendix burst when I was thirteen. After the surgery, due to infection, I had to stay out of school and rest for nearly two weeks. One day—on a Thursday—Billy volunteered to stay at home with me so my mom could get a little break. I wasn’t the easiest kid to take care of when I was sick. I wasn’t a brat, I don’t like being still. For a kid who’s got ADHD, staying in bed and out of school is pretty close to hell.

Seeing how unhappy I was, Billy came up with Throw It All In Thursday, an ice cream mush party for two. We haven’t done this in years.

After our ice cream mush party for two, the Chinese finally arrives at our front door. We’re both too full to even eat an egg roll. We silently agree not to tell my mom.

<<<->>>

The next morning I try for a smile when my mom walks out of the door but I don’t think I pull it off too well. She doesn’t stop to ask questions. It’s just that I feel the falsity of it. I probably look like one of those clowns that are supposed to appear happy and friendly.

She’s a teacher at the local elementary school. Yep, she was a teacher when I went there, too. That might’ve been the beginning of my being a freak, not fitting in anywhere, but, whatever. I’d rather have no friends than fake ones, and fake friends are what I’d have if I was Miss Popularity. The guys are my only real friends, and I’m fine with that.
If only I could convince my mom that a girl can live without other female friends.

Knowing he’s here before he blows the horn, I’m already out the door and on the sidewalk. Getting in without saying anything is weird for me, but I buckle up and wait for him to take off. He doesn’t say anything either, doesn’t even start his truck.

“Is it wrong of me to
want
y’all to get along? Why in the hell is it so hard? I get along fine with you and I hate everybody!” I throw my hands up in exasperation. “Why can’t my friends just
try
? You’ve been trying, which I’m grateful for. But Nicks picks a freakin’ fight for the hell of it. I don’t understand why. And I’m sick of getting my hopes up and then having them crushed. I just want there to be some peace here, ya know?” I pause, waiting for him to say something. Probably something sarcastic and annoying. “Say something!”

Then I see it. He’s holding up a huge stuffed panda bear dressed like a vampire. Well, actually he sits it on his leg because it’s so big. “I’m beary, beary sorry for being a douche.” He squeaks.

“Douche on a stick.” I struggle to hold back a smile.

“That, too.” He peeks over the bear and I can’t hold it back anymore. Wrapping my arms around both him and the bear, I feel close to tears. This time from happiness, because I’ve always wanted a panda bear—a real one, but same difference—and the vamp attire just makes it cuter because I love irony.

Chuckling, he tries to hug me back, but, like I said, it’s a big bear. “You’re awesome.” I settle the bear in between us.

“Just happy to be forgiven….”

I let him get the full view of my angry face. Then my façade breaks, and I wrap my arms around him again.

As we walk into the school, the whole student body is being escorted to the gym. There’s an assembly this early in the morning? Something’s not right. “Do you know what’s going on?”

He shakes his head.

Without a chance to even stop by our lockers, we’re pushed into the gym. He leads me to the top row of risers, where no one’s sitting. It’s usually the first spot to go.

I wonder what he’s making people see on this seat…a few start to come climb up, but then, suddenly, disgust washes over their faces, and they find somewhere else to sit, even if it’s on the floor. “I know you don’t want to be bothered by anyone right now,” he explains, “Neither do I.”