Another Quick Word.

So I hope this story is really not something either of you readers are able to second-guess, hmm?  If you are, then I guess I ain't trying hard enough.

Massive Edit incoming grrrrrrr. Nah, I'm just kidding. Or maybe not.

That reminds me, feel free to post reviews and comments. They are extremely sought after and welcome. Come now don't be shy! You haven't got a vengeful cheerleader out to ruin your life now,eh?

By the way, you can also get updates by following me through e-mail as well. It's a button somewhere on the upper right side of the screen... I guess?

But you people probably have much busier lives than mine, don't you?

Until next time then.

That Friend From Childhood - 7.

7. Revelations, Admirers, Grudges and Friends.

" So..." I drawled, trying to break the uneasy silence surrounding the three of us.
" Shouldn't we like... open that?"

I indicated the envelope in Bree's tightly clutched fingers, and Dana nodded in agreement.

" I kinda did already..." she replied, somewhat uneasily.

" Then care to clue us in as well?" I asked. " Where did you find it by the way?"

" It was stuck to the outside of my locker."

" Well what does it say?"' Dana asked curiously.

" Well... the thing is..." Bree said in a confused voice. " It's actually addressed to you."

Dana blinked. I almost snorted. This was like a television soap in real life.

" Me?" she asked in surprise. " Why would anyone post a letter to me in your locker?"

" I have no clue?" Bree replied, then handed her the envelope. " Take a look yourself. It's freaking confusing as it is."


Dana wasted no time in opening the letter, and it went like this -


Dear Dana,

I think you've really blossomed this year and I'd like to get to know you more. I'm slightly afraid that you won't return my feelings, so I won't tell you who I am. But I ought to tell you, I know your friend's secret. And I won't hesitate to spill the beans if you don't do exactly as I say. By the way, you have a beautiful smile.

Signed,
Your Secret Admirer.


 Dana blinked several times after reading the letter, her body frozen and her expression aghast.  
Couldn't blame her though. She had a crazed psychopathic girl out to ruin her life from grade school, a bitchy step-sister with sadist tendencies, and now a secret admirer from out of the blue. Tough life.
And that reminded me...

" Say Bree. What's the story between you and Charlotte?" I asked.

" Why do you want to know?"  Again the suspicious glance and the arched eyebrows. Human beings certainly didn't trust each other these days.

" Well I kinda already know you and my childhood friend here are getting screwed on a day-to-day basis, thanks to psycho Noel. But I wanted to know more about the step-sister angle as well. Plus, I have a feeling this little prank might entirely be our evil little step-ditz's idea."

" Wait. You are her childhood friend ? The childhood friend?" she gaped at me then at Dana, who was still too preoccupied with the love letter currently held in her hand. She did however nod in affirmation, and Bree looked at me with a new light in her eyes.

" She talks a lot about you. I kinda figured you both were in love or something." she grinned with the usual cheekiness. " But I gotta say, I kinda had you figured out for the macho type of guy..."

I mentally face-palmed myself. Typical ditz-head Bree. Multiple crises were threatening to ruin each of our lives, and all this girl could think of was a possible love angle and my physique.

Girls.

" I can't figure this out." Dana said suddenly. " Charlotte is a problem child, that much I can tell you. But why would she do something like that? And what secret is she talking about?"

" She is probably getting back at me for the past.. our past." Bree replied, shivering involuntarily.
" I'm sorry Dana. I just don't know what to do."

" What is in your and Charlotte's past?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. "Were you two like...?"

" Of course not!!" Bree almost shouted indignantly. "It was... a horrible, horrible prank. And we both were unwilling and unknowing victims of it."

Silence ensued again, and I swear I hated these moments of utter... nothingness.

" Let's just say, we were deceived into acting like something... and Charlotte got a bit too into character. So naturally she got hurt, and she blames me for it since that time."

" So you both were like what? Lovers of sorts?" I said in an incredulous voice.
" Who the hell would even think of something like that?"

" Well, you probably don't know this... but Charlotte is actually a lesbian." Dana told me in a surprisingly calm voice. " Bree obviously didn't know. Misunderstandings happened, and finally,"

Truth be told, I didn't really gawk at this new information. Charlotte had always seemed to me like an uptight bitch, especially around me and Bree. Now it all made sense, I guess?

Damn, this world was suddenly so twisted.

" So basically.... we have our own little reality soap opera now." I grumbled. " On one side, we have a crazed rich brat with a grudge out to ruin your lives, and on the other, we have a vengeful lesbian step-sister, again with a grudge, out to do the same. That about it?"

Both the girls stared at me forlornly, their faces looking extremely worn-out all of a sudden.

Okay, maybe I was being too oblivious to their plight here. They didn't deserve any of this. And yet they had no choice but to silently undergo this torture, every single day.

This wouldn't do now, would it?

" Ladies, look lively. I know it's been tough, but I assure you, starting tomorrow, we're gonna start setting things right. And all our wannabe antagonists, Noel, Charlotte and whoever else with them, are in for a real rough time. So, are you with me, or are you with me?"

Both of them blinked.

" Jeez Dana, you never told me he was..." Bree began, looking at me strangely.

" Weird?" I grinned. Finally, a worthy compliment.

" Well, something different altogether. You're like a whole new kind of weird."

" I concur." Dana joined in, but her voice was more pleasant and light.
" So, what do we do?"

" First of all... we get the fuck home." I said in an extremely serious voice. I was feeling very worn-out and hungry at the moment myself.
" Later, we'll plan things out in more detail. Adios, friends."

" Fine by me, I guess?" Bree replied, then set off on her way. " Later then Dana. And my dear Boyfriend."

I swear the cheekiness in this girl... it was gonna get her hurt one day. Very hurt.

" So... my knight-in-shining-armour," Dana now turned to me after her friend had left.
" Care to escort me home?"

 She grinned that long-lost childhood smile that I remembered so well, and I felt my mind flutter.
I had really missed that smile. Her as well. She reminded me of the best phase in my life after all.

" After you, my lady." I replied, offering her my arm, which she took in with a laugh.

I guess every cloud actually had a silver lining. Or maybe it was just an interlude to the storm about to come.

But right now, I wanted to enjoy this particular moment, kinda like I used to in the old days, the two of us walking home after school, hand-in-hand. Nothing amorous, just simple friendship.

This feeling was good. Now to make it last.

 

That Friend From Childhood - 6.

6. Mind-Fucked.

" So how bad was it?" Johnson asked, feet dangling off the side of the couch.

" Almost as bad as your breath," I considered this for a moment, catching a whiff of his beer-tinged stench. "but not quite."

I finished my sentence with an exaggerated wince. Johnson rolled his eyes, almost resembling Bree.

" Now that I think about it, I could have taken that bimbo if I wasn't so wasted. She wasn't even being that forceful. Damn it, now everyone's gonna think I'm one of those 'damsel in distress' types. I am never drinking again." He dropped his face in his hands and massaged his forehead.

" And I'm so hung over it's not even funny."

Then he looked down and started snorting with laughter. "I've got a DARE shirt on." he said, snickering.

I shifted. There were many things I knew about Johnson. Many things that were always constant, never changing, or at least I thought so. The first thing was: Johnson never giggled. The second was, Johnson never cried. But in one night, I'd seen him go through so many emotions I never thought he was capable of and I didn't even know what caused the breakdown.

" Hey man, I mean... if it's something you want to share..," I began, trying to casually skirt the situation without causing any discomfort.

" Juniper dumped me." Johnson cut in, never one for sensitivity. "She said I was too young, too immature, not cultured enough."

He ran a hand through his clumped up hair. "Although I doubt the jock in her bed now is anymore 'cultured'. More developed in the nether area maybe, but not more cultured."

" I'm sorry dude." I said, somewhat uncomfortably.

His eyes flashed furiously. "Oh cut it, I don't want your sympathy."

That was the Johnson I knew. "Besides, she was a waste of my time."

" You're right. You could do better. I mean, what were you thinking?"

" I know! What was I thinking? God Sunny, next time I fall for another Juniper, remind me to conk myself on the head with something insanely heavy, like a shovel."

" Will do." I said. "So, I don't mean to dash salt in the wounds or anything, but what happened, exactly? You were pretty zoned out when you tried to explain it to me."

" It was stupid really. I mean, it was no big deal." he stopped, looking hopeful at the prospect of finishing there. But I nodded for him to continue, and he sighed.

" Well, basically, she wanted to have sex, but I thought she was being too hurried about it, and then she outright dumped me on the spot. So, I was pretty pissed about it, and at the party, I decided the best course of action would be to get dead drunk and forget all about it." he exhaled. "There, happy?"

He now got up from the couch and waved casually at me before moving to his room, signaling that he
was done talking and wanted to sleep. I now went into a sitting position on the couch, staring blankly at the wall behind the television set.

In reality, I was trying not to feel guilty about getting Johnson into almost-trouble.
Friends were not supposed to do that to each other.
This project was quickly taking a turn for the worst now, and we hadn't even submitted our idea yet.

Monday morning came quickly, as they typically do. Johnson showed up to school with a 'ask me anything and risk losing your nose' look. Needless to say, no one asked him anything about the party. I stuck with my own crowd, dodging Bree in the hallways and at lunch.

Fifth period was Social Studies, and I turned in the request for approval of our project. The teacher scanned the page and smiled.

" This is what I'm talking about." He whispered and gave Bree a thumbs-up. The latter grinned and blew me an exaggerated kiss. I slouched further in my seat and watched the clock tick.

The bell rang after forty painful minutes and I gathered my things quickly trying to escape the inevitable.

" You dropped this." Someone said from behind me.

I turned to face Bree who literally slapped a quick peck on my face. I grimaced.

" Look, kissing is not part of the deal." I whispered irritably. She threw her hands up in mock surrender.

" No kissing huh?" she asked. "Well, what about carrying books? Is that allowed?" I considered this for a moment, feeling the heavy load in my arms.

" I guess that's okay." I said.

" Good." she said, dumping her books on top of mine. "You can walk me to
my locker."

With a cocky swagger she took off down the hallway. I closed my mouth and smirked.

Almost too easy to bait this one.

Dropping her books on the floor, I turned and walked the other way, mimicking her confident walk.

I felt the footfalls behind me before I heard the angry whisper in my ear.

" Pick those up." Bree said. I shrugged and looked up at her.

" Why should I? I might break a nail or something. You don't want me to look like a commoner now do you?" I fluttered my eyelashes. She closed her eyes and growled silently at my face.

" You are something else." she said after a moment. I got the feeling she was using all her restraint not to slap me in the face. I didn't appreciate the self control. In fact, this experiment would be much more interesting if she did hit me.

It'd prove my "girls-are-moody-idiots" theory anyway.

" Trouble in paradise?" A silky voice asked and Bree suddenly grew even tense, which a moment before I would have thought to be impossible. I turned and looked into the sharp eyes of Charlotte.

" Why would you say that?" Bree asked, sliding and arm around my waist
and yanking me close. "It's all sunshine here, right Sunny?"

I opened my mouth to disagree but Charlotte cut me off.

" Well that's good, you deserve the best, Taylor." She brushed past her. "Too bad I left you."

" You-" Bree started.

"Oh, listen, Dana said to tell you that you left your sunglasses at our house, you can come get them this afternoon." With that, she disappeared into the crowd. I yanked myself away from Bree and started walking towards my next class, ignoring her calls for me to come back.

It wasn't until my anger wore off after an hour that I realized something had been funny about Charlotte and Bree's conversation.

'You left your sunglasses at our house.'

Oh dear. That couldn't be right.

After school I waited to catch a hold of Bree so we could talk, alone. I wanted some answers. So I loitered around the school garage till I could get a hold of her.

Almost an hour and a half passed, and I debated whether to leave my questions for the next day, when a completely unexpected person bumped into me now.

" There you are. I was looking for you."

I turned at the sound of that all too familiar voice. And sure enough, there she was.

" Dana."

"You look pretty tense." Dana whispered, looking concerned. "Something wrong?"

I was about to say it was nothing and leave for home, but my weird-ass brain suddenly decided it would probably be best to get my answers from her directly.

" Are you a lesbian?"

She frowned. I stared. Silence ensued.

" What is that about?" she asked finally.

"Nothing serious. Curiosity."

" The answer is... complicated."

" Humor me. I'm game" I grinned at her.

" You're the same as ever. I kinda had a feeling that you were one of those people who wouldn't change over the years."

" So you do remember me." I felt a wave of emotion sweeping through my mind, but I pushed it aside. Now was not the time for sentiment.

" Then why the play-acting? Why let go of it now?"

Dana sighed uncomfortably. For the first time since I had seen her in high school, she looked extremely fragile and vulnerable, like she would have been back in grade school.

" As I said, it's pretty complicated. And I didn't want you to get involved."

" Nothing's too complicated for the two of us, is there now?" I chuckled at her, and she smiled back, despite her serious expression.

" Oh, and before we start, what's the relation between you and Charlotte?"

Now it was her turn to chuckle. I frowned, trying to guess the joke.

" She's my step-sister."

Step-sister. Figures. Could've fooled Einstein with that remarkable likeness.

" Didn't see that one coming." I admitted. "So then. You and Noel. What's the deal?"

" Actually, we are a farce."

Never before have I gawked at someone like I did at that moment at Dana.

" Okay.... but why?"

" Because I don't have a choice. Neither of us do." she said simply.

" Neither?" I frowned again. What in the name of the holy Mongols was that supposed to mean?

" Actually, Bree's stuck with me too. I think you ought to know that."

" How the hell is she embroiled in all this mess?"

" It's Noel, Sunny. And Charlotte as well, in part."

This was turning out to be a real mind-fuck. But I had to sit this one out.

" Noel's family owns more than half of this city. This school as well." Dana began in a soft voice.
" She pretty much acts like she owns everybody living here as well. Anyone who crosses her, meets utter ruin. Here, she is like the uncrowned Queen."

"I thought you were supposed to be the Queen here." I made a surprisingly poor attempt at humor, then shut up at the pained look on her face.

" It's all a damned act. She makes me, the entire school act on her whims and fancies."

" A true megalomaniac hmm... and you actually let her do all this to you?"

"I don't have a choice! If I don't do as she wants, both mine and Bree's futures are doomed forever."

" You're not making any sense, Dana."

" You really think Bree's one of them, don't you? That she's one of those pompous bitches who wouldn't think twice about humiliating someone in public or ruining their reputation ?"

"I don't like to judge. You of all people should know that. But having said that, I would certainly mark her out to be one of the high profile group, yes."

" You are wrong. Bree is nowhere near too those idiots. Not in a million years. She's actually from a very modest family. "

Holy Mongols. Bree Taylor was an act ??!

" So you mean, she might actually be smarter than she pretends to be?"

" She is actually one of the smartest people you or I would ever meet. Or I should say, was, until Noel focused her wrath upon her."

Intriguing. Mind-Fucking intriguing.

A sudden cheeky notion came to my mind.

" But didn't she fail that Social Studies grade..." I snickered, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

" No. It was actually -Wait. How do you know that?" It was Dana's turn to gawk at me.

I shrugged. Guess it was time to spill the beans now.

So I told her about the project, the hypothesis and my little "experiment of fun". When I finished, Dana's face was a mask of utter bewilderment, confusion and wonder.

" You're amazing." she said finally. " All this.... just for.... fun?"

" Life is mundane, my friend. Gotta add some spice to it, you know? A bit of zest and excitement."

" After all those years in grade school we spent together, you still don't fail to amaze me." She chuckled, half in amusement, half wistfully. " You were always looking out for me as well."

" But this time, I'm afraid we are stuck in something far bigger than I think either of us could handle alone."

She used we. I felt bliss fill the insides of my stomach.

" So I'm guessing this Noel character is responsible for Bree's abysmal grades?"

" Yup. Ever since Bree befriended me, her life became a living hell. And she needs these grades, Sunny. She can't risk failure this time. Otherwise, her ambitions will be ruined for life. And as for me, I have to act like her personal toy. She treats me like a.. a plaything. "

" And you can't put a stop to it because...?"

" It's not for my sake. It's for Bree's. She shouldn't be involved in this at all. It's all my fault. She got dragged in just because she became friends with me..."

I stared at the pale blue sky above me, taking in everything that was being said. It was pretty over-whelming, but nothing I couldn't handle. But it explained everything.

" But why? I don't get it." I said finally. " What the hell is that bitch getting from all this ?"

" It's payback, Sunny." Dana sighed heavily.

" Payback? For what? Did you confront her with the undeniable truth that she is a ditz head or something ?"

She grinned without any humor, and I had the feeling she was holding back something.

" I wish it was that simple. But no. This thing goes way back. Back to grade-school itself."

My ears perked up. The moment of revelation was near. I could feel it. Taste it. Smell it.

Okay, enough with the literal jargon.

" So it's a grudge? But who? You, of all people, had no enemies back in grade school. Especially not one who'd turn out to be as crazy as this Noel girl."

" Actually, there was one such incident. One in which you were involved in as well." Dana replied.
" It's why I acted like I didn't know you at first. I didn't want her to know you were here too, or you'd become a part of this mess as well."

The suspense was literally killing me. And I still had no idea who it was Dana was talking about, when realization hit me smack in the face.

" You're talking about Noel." I whispered in a confused voice. " But why? What did I or you ever do to her ? I can barely even remember her name as it is."

Dana chuckled again, and her expression looked like someone who has been a victim of one of Life's strange twists of irony.

" Noel is the girl whose nose you broke in that dodge-ball game back in grade school, Sunny."

" What the fuck... And she's doing this just to get back for that stupid nose?"

" Apparently, the loss of face in childhood was something she apparently never recovered from."

I whistled in utter disbelief and annoyance.

Talk about holding a grudge. This girl was a pure psychopath. Shit had just hit the fan. And then, things got even more interesting.

" Dana!"

I turned my dazed expression to notice Bree running towards us like a marathon racer, her face looking extremely annoyed.

This couldn't be good. Wait, was Life ever even good ?

" Bree? What is it?" Dana asked, shocked at her friend's sudden appearance. " What happened? You look awful !"

She opened her mouth to speak, then noticed me standing beside her.

" What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously, regaining her composure somewhat.

" Relax Bree. It's gonna be alright." I tried to be soothing in my words, but hell, I only succeeded in making her more suspicious.

" Bree, it's okay. He knows." Dana said in a calm voice.

It took Bree about three whole seconds to understand the gravity of Dana's words, and she impressed me with her coolness. Now I too , began to see the girl who had managed to fool a hawk-eyed analyst such as me.

Never before had I been so wrong in seeing a person for what they truly were. It served me right though, as I had broken my own code and actually judged her to be a ditz head. But I was pretty sure my ego would live through this one.

" We have a problem." Bree said finally, then rummaged in her knapsack for a moment.

She then drew out a white envelope with hearts embossed on it.

I wondered what possible extent of misfortune a little piece of paper like that was going to bring.

I had no fucking clue.

That Friend From Childhood - 5.

5. When It Raineth, It Poureth.

The doorbell rang at half past six and I pulled on a long raincoat over my attire. Ignoring the strange look I was getting from my dad, I yanked open the door.

"So you're here. Finally." I said, feeling a newfound excitement pulse through my veins. Johnson smiled tightly and lifted his hand in greeting.

I frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he snapped, grabbing my elbow and pulling me out to the porch. "Let's just go, hmm?"

I rubbed my sore arm and walked with him through the front lawn, heading for the city bus.

I knew better than to press anything with Johnson. If something was bothering him, it would be better to let it rest until he didn't get over it himself. Then, he'd probably have a breakdown and I or someone else could fix him.

Until that time, it seemed better not to tempt fate, for I valued my ears.

Once we got to the bus, a slight drizzle had started up and the spikes in Johnson's hair were beginning to wilt. The overhang of the stop provided little comfort when the rain started angry slashes across the sky. It was cold and I could feel Johnson shaking with fury.

"Trouble with Juniper?" I ventured a guess. He clenched his jaw, warning me with his eyes not to say anything. The bus pulled to a stop in front of us and we got stuck behind a lady with a walker.

Twenty years later, or so it seemed, we were suctioned to the odorous, plastic seats of the bus.
Johnson was now staring at the window looking like he wished he had laser vision so he could explode something by just glaring at it.

The bus screeched to a halt two blocks away from our destination. Had the rain not been pelting down in a panicked frenzy this would have been fine. Had I been able to run two blocks, this also would have been fine.
But Johnson refused to make any effort and continued to stomp along, ignoring my various attempts to get him to hurry.

We arrived at the door of a cozy two-story apartment twenty minutes later looking
like wet dogs and probably smelling the same.

Johnson viciously punched the doorbell.

"Answer the damn door." He hissed on the second ring.

I was going to tell him to calm down when the door flew open and Bree's livid face came into view. Johnson ignored her and pushed past, leaving me to fend for myself.

"Where's the keg?" I heard him call as I watched his spiked hair bob up and down through the crowds of people.

"What. Is. That?" Bree asked, pronouncing every syllable clearly and precisely.

"Who, him? That's Johnson." I replied.

"Come here." she said, pulling my arm with her up the stairs and to a room down the hall.

I yanked my arm away casually, wondering why she'd brought me up here.

She glared at me fixedly, noticing my apparent lack of concern.

"Who said you could bring that..that.. nerd to this party?"

"Deal with it." I told her pointedly, then left her with a livid expression.

I wandered down the stairs, trying to blend into the wall. However, the powers that be had decided that there was to be no such thing as luck in my life, and Bree's arm slid around my waist in less than five seconds, trapping me beside her.

I looked around helplessly for Johnson, but I couldn't find him anywhere.

"Look," she whispered fiercely into my ear, "I don't know where you get off trying to embarrass me like that, but you will not be pulling stunts like that regularly, got it?"

I pushed her away, suddenly feeling very irritated.

"Can you leave me alone for a while, ditz brain?" I said with growing irritation, even as she pulled me back to herself.

"I can't deal with this!" she said shrilly. "Just, behave yourself  alright? Please?"

That did it.

"You can't deal with this?" I thundered, becoming very aware of the silence spreading around us. Bree's eyes flashed and she attempted to open her mouth to retaliate, but it was already too late.

Hell hath no fury like me irritated.

"You can't deal with this!" I shouted again, pacing back and forth in front of her.

"You're not the one changing here! I have to do all the work! You're not doing a thing here except
telling me to 'behave myself'. Where do you get off, huh? Who told you that you could treat people like that?"

Looking around, I saw I had probably over-reacted a bit. Alright, maybe a lot.

Whispers now began circulated through the room behind me.

"Lee," Bree started in a cautious tone, looking nervously around the room. She then lowered her voice. "They're uh, not really supposed to know about the project, right?"

"My name. Is. Not. Lee." I replied fiercely, but she'd gotten her point across.

And the truth was that I did care. This was a huge grade and if I didn't keep up appearances long enough to even turn in a hypothesis, we were both dead.

"Blistering barnacles." I whispered, wondering how I was going to fix this slip-up.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, Johnson now stumbled in, and began singing a very off tune rendition of the star spangled banner. His plastic cup of beer was filled to the brim and occasionally some would slosh over the edge, making him slide across the floor.

Once he'd stumbled back out, everyone had forgotten about me and were now whispering about Johnson.

Bree smirked and opened her mouth but I pushed past her before she could start.
I couldn't find Johnson anywhere and I got pulled out to the dance floor more than once in my attempts to catch a hold of him.

One very feisty gal trapped me between the table and her ass, thrusting and swaying no matter how much I pushed her away. Bree caught my eye and I could tell she was ready to explode. It was my turn to smirk.

I played along, pretending to enjoy myself. Bree finally stomped over and yanked me away from her, putting her hand behind my back, clinging to me so close we kinda looked like conjoined twins of sorts.

She then moved her head so her mouth was pressed against my ear. "I hate you." she said.

I laughed. "Ditto." I said, draping my arms on her shoulders and moving with her.

Boys and girls were watching me. Me. The boys looked like they wanted to be me and the girls wanted to be Bree. Life truly was a series of quirks.

No one would have ever wanted to be me before this day. And although I'd deny it if ever asked in person, being in the spotlight for something other than being the quietest guy in class was not half bad.

A chair clattered behind me and someone pushed me closer to Bree. She stayed there for a second, face pressed against my shoulder, arms locked around my neck. My arms tightened around her for a second before we both realized who we were and stepped back, turning towards the commotion.

My breath caught in my throat. Dana was standing over the same chick I had been dancing with before. Johnson was beside Dana, looking utterly confused.

"What the fuck-?" the girl squealed, wiping the blood from her cut lip. I rushed forward to Johnson.

"What happened?" I asked, taking in Dana's tense form. Johnson literally crumpled into me and I almost doubled over from shock. He'd never showed weakness like this. I looked at Bree who'd now appeared at Dana's side.

The other girls were talking in hushed tones and I kept asking what had happened, but no one would tell me.

"God damn it! What the hell happened?" I shouted eventually, hearing a choking cry from Johnson. Bree looked over at me and blinked, as if suddenly remembering I was still there. She took my hand and guided Johnson and me out of the room and out onto the porch. Dana was close behind.

"Lee, take him home." Bree said to me nervously and Dana nodded impassively.

Johnson was still looking lost and clueless as I dumped him on to a nearby chair.

"Johnson, what happened?" I asked, trying to be soothing.

"I-she-she wouldn't let go! And- she- she wanted to- and I got scared- 'Come
on stud' she said. I tried to push her off but I got dizzy and then she grabbed me and I-"
He suddenly broke down completely. I breathed out deeply.

Nothing had happened then. That was a relief. This probably wouldn't have scared him that much, he was simply too wasted right now. I now regretted the decision to bring him along to this melodramatic farce of a party. I'd forgotten that he was still one of the solitary jigsaw pieces, never before brought to be a part of the broader puzzle of life.

Bree now took a step towards us, and Dana looked at me silently.

"Is he okay?" she asked, looking genuinely concerned. I nodded, ignoring Dana's glance.
It now occurred to me then that it was this girl from grade school who had protected Johnson.

I chuckled suddenly, remembering the stark contrast between the girl from my past and this girl in my present. The timid girl was now a tiger of sorts, hmm?

"How you've changed..." I commented drily, to no one in particular.

"Umm...you alright?" Bree asked, giving me a concerned look as well.

"Never been better." I replied, giving her an extra happy grin. She gawked at me with wide eyes.
"We'll be leaving now. Sorry about earlier. I over-reacted badly."

"Umm..it's..okay?" she now looked at me suspiciously, her expression a mixture of confusion, smugness and mild bewilderment, as if she suspected a retort or witty parting shot of some sort.

When I failed her expectations, she grinned at me with her trademark cheekiness.
"Well, if you feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me by being my personal valet-"

"Don't push it ditz." I said, still smiling. Better not to let her hopes up in such matters.
"Later then." I dragged Johnson, who was now half-asleep, to his feet and on our way home.

As I passed Dana on the way, she opened her mouth to say something. Our faces aligned, and I saw the familiarity with which she was looking at me, and felt that unmistakable feeling that could only exist between two people who have known each other for a long, long time.

I almost froze. Almost. Then I simply passed her, unable to meet her gaze.
It couldn't be. Did she really remember me just now? Or was this another of Life's great farces?

It had inevitably opened up a whole new can of worms though. Intriguing.

That Friend From Childhood - 4.

4. Quirky Classroom.

Bree and me were walking down the corridor to our next class.  Normally, I'd never dream of walking with someone like her to class and I was sure neither would she, but we sort of had to keep up the pretense of being "boyfriend/girlfriend", so I guess neither of us had much choice in the matter.

"So how's life on the other side?" she asked suddenly, glancing at my impassive expression as we walked down the hallway.

"Funny. I didn't think you of all people would be interested in my life."

She waved her hands in the air theatrically as I spoke, and all her books spilled out onto the floor.
Sighing, I stopped and squatted down to retrieve them, while she leaned coolly against a locker, tossing back a strip of blonde hair.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I asked, noticing the smug expression on her face.

"Knowing that, it's still sweet of you to get them for me." she replied, grinning cheekily.

"You're taking this thing way too seriously, you do know that?" I said as I stood up, scowling at her. "Ditz."

"You're so cute when you scowl." she chirped, enjoying herself thoroughly. I think she did feel bad though, because she let the ''Ditz" comment go for once. Then, she grabbed my elbow and yanked me into the classroom just as the bell was ringing.

"Boy. Girl." Mr. Mason, the English Lit. teacher, acknowledged us in his usual hostile manner. He nodded to the only seats left, front and center.

This was definitely not my day. I slid into my chair nonchalantly while Bree concentrated on forcing down her stage blush. Might have got an Oscar for that as well.

My mind began to wander as Mr. Mason's lecture settled in above our heads. As it bounced from thought to thought, I inexorably began thinking about Dana and Noel.

Could it really be true ? But from what I had seen till now, even if she was supposedly in a same-sex relationship by her consent, she sure wasn't acting too thrilled about it. Maybe it was a rumor, or just some bitch-talk that had somehow transcended the realm of secrecy.

Well, who could really know about that, hmm?

My mind began to wander as Mr. Mason's lecture settled in above our heads.

"Oi Sunny !" Johnson whispered fiercely from behind. He had been trying and failing to look away from Mr. Mason's hairy nostrils.  To be honest, it was kinda like an impenetrable force, binding one's eyes to those hairs. "Help! I can't look away from the hairy nostrils!"

Beside me, Lillian Taylor, one of our jigsaw buddies, burst into snorting giggles at his exclamation, and Mr. Mason's eyes bore down on her. 

"Miss Taylor, care to explain to the class what on earth is so funny?" 

And then things got...interesting.

Lillian suddenly began to feign choking, locking her hands around her throat and gesturing madly to the door.

"Someone help! she's having an asthma attack!" Some kid yelled from the

back. As if on cue, Lillian took a shuddering gasp and hacked a few good coughs. 

Mr. Mason turned purple and rushed to the phone on his short little legs.

"We need help. Miss Taylor is having an attack, someone run down her inhaler immediately!" He looked frantically around the room. "I don't know if she's got it with her. No, I can't very well ask, she can't breathe. Yes, it's Lillian Taylor. What? Well it's got to be a mistake, are you sure? Oh, I see. Thank you. No no, I'll handle it."

He hung up the phone and Lillian dramatically fell on the floor, pounding the tile and gasping. 

"Get up." He said icily. 

The commotion in the room fell still and everyone stared in wonder at the insane balloon of a man in front of us. 

Even Lillian forgot she couldn't breathe for a moment and looked up at him in fear. 

"I've just been informed that Miss Taylor does not have asthma, so let us all applaud her for her performance."

Lillian laughed weakly and stood up, curtsying to the class. 

"Out of my classroom Miss Taylor, now." 

With one last bow, Lillian glided out of the room and we all shrunk back to our seats. 

"Now, back to the metrical system…"

The bell cut him off and I ducked out of the room, moving towards the office to find Lillian. Someone stepped in my path and I tried to move to the side, but they moved with me. 

"Excuse me." I said testily, feeling my temper rise.

"You're excused." a voice whispered cheekily in my ear.

"Bree." I squeaked, meeting her eyes.

"Happy to see me?" she grinned, dumping her books on me and turning me

towards my next class.

"No." I said after a moment of thought. "Why would I be happy to see a ditz like you?"

"Right. So, partner, there's a party Friday night and you will be

accompanying me. Attire is casual, but make sure you look hot. Not too

hot, get something that says 'I'm sexy but you can't have me because I'm

dating the most gorgeous girl in the universe and I'm lucky to have her.'"

I scoffed and walked away from her without answering. 

"Right," she called, "Pick you up at 7:00." 

The nerve of some people. The point of this experiment was to be me, not one of them.

 But I had to turn off my mind's dastardly laugh to sweet talk Lillian out of detention.

Unfortunately, my talk was not so sweet, and I ended up in detention right alongside Lillian and Johnson as well, who'd had the same idea as me apparently.

"So, she comes up and gives you this big speech about how you are supposed be hot, but not too hot. Basically drool all over her and keep your mouth shut." Johnson said after I told him about what Bree had said.

"And are you going to do that?" Johnson asked, cleaning out his fingernail with a paperclip.

"No. I was hoping we could go visit your aunt." I said and he looked up at me with a grin.

"I believe I'm rubbing off on you." he said with a laugh. I shrugged innocently and pretended to be apologetic when the detention lady shot me a death glare.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

We stopped in front of Johnson's aunt's house after walking there from our

jail sentence. It was a Spanish bungalow painted hot pink and had

imported palm trees planted at evenly spaced intervals around the back.

The yard was decorated with hideous plastic flamingos and it stuck out

like a sore thumb among all the beige and grey houses surrounding the

property.

I'd first met Johnson's aunt Joan at a Christmas party. She was slightly tipsy and was dancing on the table. I didn't realize that it was a she until Joan (also known as J) ripped off her wig and twirled it over "his" head. It came as quite a shock to my mother, who was a cradle Catholic. She nearly fainted and my father had a laughing fit.

Since then, Johnson and I had gone to Aunt Joan's every once and a while to have heart to hearts. It was a pretty fun experience every time.

We rang the doorbell and Aunt J opened the door, dressed in a blue silk robe.

"Hello lovelies! So good to see you! Come in." We followed her back into

her house and perched on the plastic covered furniture. 

"So how's life, darlings?"

"Sunny needs an outfit." Johnson said, skipping past the boring

introductory conversation and getting straight to the point.

"What for?" J asked, looking interested.

"A party." Johnson said. His aunt nodded, and grabbed my hand, pulling us to her bedroom and into the huge walk-in closet.  An hour later, Johnson and I left Aunt Joan's house with grins on our faces and a bundle of clothes in our arms. I'd convinced him to come with me to the party as well. I didn't think Bree would mind too much, plus she ought to know no fucks would be given even if she did.

I was actually beginning to get excited about this upcoming party.

Just a Quick Word.

How's it going ? Even though I know it's only 3 people who are actually reading my posts, I will still nevertheless thank all you readers for...well.. reading this.
It seems this story is going on well, so I might actually finish something for once.
Lot of things to do, no time to waste.
Stay tuned for more soon.
And remember, it can never be too weird.

Peace out.

P.S. - His name's not Lee though.

That Friend From Childhood - 3.

3. Meeting The  ????  Squad.

"Your what?" stuttered the boy closest to us.

"Your what!" shrieked the girl under said boy's draped arm.

"What...?" The fat football player in the back of the crowd mumbled.

Like minds think alike, they say. I realized that this funny idea might end up being seriously detrimental to my sanity.

"My boyfriend."Bree grinned, and pulled me closer to her body.
It felt like a snake was coiling up around me.
And just like that, I was now under the microscope of the supposedly most powerful people in this high school world. There would be no running back to the jigsaw table in the cafeteria now.

Suddenly, I got elbowed in the ribs and I hissed.
"Introduce yourself." Bree said through clenched teeth.
I'd never realized how creepy a blonde cheerleader could be until she was glaring at you and her manicured nails were poised and ready to swipe.

I licked my lips.  This was going to get really interesting.
"I'm Sunny, I'm Bree's boyfriend.'

Another girl with black curly hair laughed.
"Oh Bree, you must be joking. You're dating this?" she said, looking me from face to legs like I was a broken toy on the shelf.  I felt irritation welling up in my chest. I never could stomach those haughty idiot types, after all.
I would have shut her up right there, but Bree grabbed my hand and squeezed it hard, so I backed down. It would've have felt quite nice to give Curly a nice helping of sarcasm though.

"Better than dating you." she said and the rest of the group shared a laugh.
The humbled girl crossed her arms and tapped her foot, on the verge of tears. Or at least stage tears.
"You, you don't mean that." she blubbered, pouting lip and all.

"Every word." Bree said quietly, dangerously.
The air crackled with ferocity and I tried not to wonder what had happened between them because frankly, it was none of my business, but the tension between these two was way too palpable to be ignored. I saved my queries for later though.

Then the crowds parted, and I found myself face-to-face with her.

The girl from grade school. Queen Dana.
That was creepy.

"Who's the new guy?" she asked Bree, looking straight through me at her. To anyone else, it might have felt uncomfortable, but not to me. It did feel a little weird to be honest.
Deep down, I felt that I wanted to be acknowledged by her. Our past demanded that.
It was also our past that held me back from giving her a sharp retort as well.

"My boyfriend, Lee." Bree said with considerably little less confidence, and I wondered for a moment if this was indeed that same timid girl from my childhood who now held a peculiar control over everyone here.
I could feel that Bree was extremely tense behind me. Well, she was holding her breath and her muscles were tensed, so obviously.

Finally, Dana nodded and Bree relaxed, resuming her slouching relaxation.
Dana still ignored me completely though. It made me feel more weird, the way she looked right past me. I wanted to give her a slap and then ask how it felt. It was pretty much the same treatment I was getting from her.

The silence pressed down around us and the only noise I could hear was the blood pumping in my ears and the steady smacking sound of the blonde girl who was chewing gum. I wondered if these people ever talked to each other or if they just sat around like this, in silence.

Whenever my group of puzzle pieces came together, no one could get them to shut up, and most of the time they were having about three conversations going on at once.

All of a sudden, another girl came skipping in, and shattered the whole 'silence is a killer' thing going on in the area.

"Dana!" she said in one of those sing song voices that one just has to shut up with a gag.
"Baby!"

She turned her head slightly and I noticed she looked straight past her, too. She just looked in the general direction but she never looked her straight in the
eye. "Sweetie!"

If this girl spoke again, her life was in extreme danger of being snuffed out by my hand.

She finally closed the gap between the two of them, and by close the gap, I do mean close all gaps.

I wondered if they'd have to be peeled apart. Her hands gripped tightly to Dana's shoulders, bunching up the fabric of her sleeves.

Even I was slightly unnerved with the fact that Dana kept her eyes open through all this. Her hands remained at her sides and she didn't move.

Eventually, the other girl backed off, looking uncomfortable. She glanced up at Dana with a pout and Dana gave her a tight-lipped smile.

"Doesn't anyone know it's rude to stare?" she said smoothly with a small shrug. She snuggled into him and smiled. The tension in the air dissolved for a moment, until Dana's girlfriend? noticed me.

"Who's this?" her nose scrunched up like she'd smelled something rotten.
I ignored her existence though. The newfound knowledge coursing through my head threatened to tear it apart. It was a total mind-fuck.

Was Dana a lesbian.......?

"Bree's boyfriend." Piped up the football player. "Lee."

"I'm not Lee-"

"Oh, well, hi Lee. I'm Noel." the new girl said, clearly uninterested.
I smiled in response, because that's what polite people apparently like to do.

"I'm Irving." Said the football player. He reached out a grubby hand and I shook it.

"Perry." said the slender boy donned in Victorian-era garb.
The bubble gum chewing girl hanging off his arm blinked at me and then introduced
herself as Allison.

I flashed my worn-out smile at the two of them and looked up at Bree. She smirked and brushed her thumb on the bare skin below the hem of her skirt.
I gave her my best deadpan expression, snatching my hand away, and she grinned wider and pulled me back towards her.

Noel now slipped her hands off of Dana and sat down gingerly beside me.
Dana took a deep breath and mumbled something about getting to class early.
She walked off, and to me it felt like she was relieved to be out of this place.

"Don't mind her." Noel said conversationally, after Dana was out of hearing range. "She gets like that sometimes. She'll be better tomorrow."

I nodded slowly, staring at the space where she'd blended in with the crowd in the hallway.
Bree shifted her weight and plunked down beside me as well.

"I'm going to go make sure she's alright. Later." she stood up, then froze in thought for a moment.

Then all of a sudden, she leaned down and pecked me on the cheek. Then she stood and eyed me warily, as if afraid I was going to yell.
When I didn't, she waved to the group and jogged off in the direction Dana had gone.

So, there I was, in the middle of this high-profile group with nothing to keep my sanity safe.
Soon enough, Perry and Allison started making out. and Irving walked to the cafeteria to get some more food.

Noel and the curly-haired girl now started a conversation.
"You going to the party on Friday?" Noel asked her.

"Probably, what about you?"

"Yeah. What about you, Lee?"

"What party?" I asked. "And my name's not Lee. It's Sunny."

Curly smirked.

"Leslie's party? Aren't you going? Surely Bree mentioned it. By the way, how long have you two known each other, seeing that she hasn't ever mentioned you ?"

Under different circumstances, I might have applauded Curly's way to twist the conversation around so easily. But right now, I was in an irritated mood, and wanted release.

"We met this summer." I said calmly. The bait was set.

"Where?" she asks, smiling politely like she really wanted to know. She really needed practice though. I could smell bullshit on her from a mile away.

"Somewhere," I replied, deciding to screw with her more.

"It must have been at the tennis courts." she said, a bit thrown off.

"Yeah, that was it. We met at the court." My heart pounded when her grin widened. Her mouth opened and I already knew that she thought she had me now.
Poor girl was in for a rude welcome.

"Too bad Bree's never been to a tennis court in her life. You are such a liar! I knew it when I first saw you!"

"How do you know she's never been to a tennis court?" I cut in innocently and she blinked, then smirked at me.

"You just said so?"

"Did I say tennis court?"

"What..."

"Well, can't say I am surprised though. An ant has a bigger brain than you, ditz head."

She gawked at me, her eyes wide open like saucers, as if she had just lost her virginity.

"H-How dare-you-!!"

"Jeez Charlotte, lighten up." Noel broke in now. It was probably an illusion, but I thought she actually winked at me. "You guys broke up, so she's allowed to see other people."

Hmm, now this was interesting indeed. I realized I was soon going to become a part of some sort of I-DUNNO-WHAT club. No wonder they didn't let anyone join their group. Actually, who would want to join this group ?
Besides pompous chicks and ditz-heads of course. And the random football player.

Charlotte scowled and opened her mouth to retaliate, but the bell cut her off. I'd always loved those moments, when timing was in perfect sync with you. Charlotte walked off with an exaggerated
heave of breath and flick of her hair.

Noel turned to me and grinned. Something about her set my mind ticking.

"Forgive my friends, they can be rather anti-social. Give them a few days, they'll warm up to you. But
until then, care to tell me how you really met Bree? Charlotte was actually right, as Bree would never step foot on a tennis court."

"I never say she would."
In my mind, I debated whether or not to tell her.
First of all, she had an annoying voice. Plus she was supposedly dating my childhood friend, who was also a girl. That being said, she was also the most genuine of the lot.

Finally I decided to tell her nonetheless. Who gave a shit about such things anyways ?
I explained to her about the project, and when I finished, she giggled and clapped her hands.

"You are brilliant! Too bad you're not my partner." she said with a pout.

She linked arms with mine and we walked out of the courtyard together like best friends forever.
After she waved and headed for her next class, I scanned the hallway for anything familiar. I sighed gratefully when Johnson fell into step beside me and quietly walked with me to our next class.

It was then that I realized how tired I was. And this was after just fifteen minutes.
But the things I had come to know today were not going to let me rest.
The girl from grade school, my friend from childhood, was, in extremely positive probability, a lesbian. Not that I had anything against lesbians, but something still didn't quite fall into place here.

But hey, on the brighter side, it also meant that more fun days lay ahead.