"There was blood everywhere, and somebody was screaming... It was such a tortured scream, one that seemed to echo for miles, yet never leaves your head."
"Save My Baby, Somebody Please Save My Baby!"
An entire eraser came hurdling at Aliya Hartman's face, and it wasn't the kind attached to the end of a pencil. No! That wouldn't be dramatic enough. Nope. It was one of those long, thick rectangular ones, and it hit her square in the forehead. She ducked on instinct, afraid more might come, and put a hand on the sore spot. Tears began stinging her eyes against her will, but she wouldn't give these losers the satisfaction of watching her cry.
The entire classroom was laughing as if this was the greatest thing any of them had ever witnessed.
"Who Did That!" The creative writing teacher, Mr. Sowell roared over the laughter.
"Nice ending Hartman." Josh Banner and his group of lap dogs sneered.
"Was That You Banner!? Principal's Office Now!"
"It wasn't me teach. It was Devon." He said, shrugging.
"What the fuck dude, you said you wouldn't tell."
"Devon Principal's Office Now!"
Devon smacked his tongue, grabbed his bag and pushed out his seat, almost knocking it and his desk over. "This is such bull." He said, storming out the door in the back of the class.
"Are you ok, Hartman? Your presentation was great, as always." Mr. Sowell said, the edge in his voice lifting just a bit.
She shook her head slightly, stood up, and sped walked back to her seat, all without lifting her head.
******
"He's My Child As Well Beth! No, Beth.. Beth... No, I understand that, but... You Can't Do That... Listen Here You Bitch! You Will Not Take My Son... Beth... Hello, Beth!? Fuck!!"
Angelo Marino threw his phone at the hotel bed and put a pillow over his face before screaming bloody murder. He pulled it from his face and tossed it at the wall, but his aim was off, and it knocked over the lamp near the bed.
"Shit, Fuck, Shit!"
It landed with a soft bang, on the carpeted floor, and the light went out but the glass stayed in place.
He took the two steps over to the lamp and examined it. It seemed to be fine, but when he flicked it off, then on... nothing. He tried again and again, and...
"Fuck!"
He dropped the lamp back onto the floor, walked over to his bed, grabbed his phone and turned it on. The flight he had booked for tomorrow was still on screen.
No way would he leave his son with that deranged bitch.
******
"I love. How your beard. Tickles me. When we make. Out." Mckenzie Russo chuckled in between kisses.
The boy whose leg she was currently humping. The one boy she wasn't supposed to be doing this with. This meaning cheating on her boyfriend, so really she shouldn't be doing this with anyone, but if in some weird situation where she were supposed to be doing this with anyone, Anthony Kirk would be the absolute last person she should be attracted to.
"I love how your parents are never home, and they're dumb enough not to lock their medicine cabinet."
He was absolutely using her, but she understood him and why he was how he was. All his life, he had been ignored by his parents and would stay over at Mckenzie's, in the basement at night, whenever Mckenzie's dad and mom weren't home. They were twin souls; the only difference was that her parents had money, and his didn't.
"Yeah, hey, um, you know Lyle is going on this class trip, and so we won't be able to do anything while we're there?"
He shrugged, said "Okay" and tried to kiss her, but she pulled back.
"That doesn't make you jealous, right? Because I can't have you acting jealous like I'm yours or something."
"I don't even like you, so why would I be jealous. Yeah, you're hot or whatever, but you're not my type."
There goes that shield again. He always did that anytime it came to feelings, deny, and insult.
She rolled her eyes. "So you're not jealous, got it."
"Good, now will you shut up so we can get back to making out?"
She smiled. "That sounds nice."
He leaned in and started kissing her again.
******
"People are going to start talking if we keep meeting like this, mister Devon." Said the principal of Barton High School Mrs. Lauren Castle.
"In that case, we should give them something to talk about." Devon said with a sly smile, as he sprawled out in the uncomfortable chair he had grown accustomed to over his time in this dump of a school.
"What will I do when you finally graduate and I have nobody to entertain me with such tasteless jokes."
He smiled. "Come on Lauren, you know that you love these chats of ours."
"Look, Devon, tomorrow is the creative writing class trip; and I don't want to see your face for the next week, so go to detention for the rest of the day, stay quiet and don't let me see you again today or I'll bury your corpse in the football field ok?"
He leaped up. "Sounds like a fair and just punishment to me, thank you very much."
******
Aliya banged her hands in rhythm against the steering wheel of the shitty jeep her mom had given her for her 18th birthday. "Angelica" always did the trick to uplift her spirits after a shit day, and today, she needed them more than ever. She had discovered the band two years ago, and they had quickly become the lifeline she didn't know she needed.
"It's not me it's you, da da da, because your love is a rope, around my throat, and you pull it, da da da, and you pull it, da da da, and you pull it..."
The door of the house she was waiting outside finally opened, and her best friend, Mckenzie Russo, stepped out, the door shutting behind her, the asshole. Not even a kiss goodbye.
Mckenzie was smiling and skipping like some kind of school girl.
"He didn't even say goodbye." Aliya said.
Mckenzie situated herself in the passenger seat and immediately started checking herself out in the mirror. "I know... it's kind of a turn-on."
"Eww, Red, that's so disgusting."
"Okay virgin. Save the judgment for when you learn what a turn-on is."
Aliya rolled her eyes. "I know what a turn-on is, and I'm only a virgin because our school is full of boys. I want a man, and speaking of boys. What did you tell Lyle about you missing school."
"I told him that I took to many of my moms vicodin, and he didn't even question it."
"I know he's not the brightest, but he doesn't deserve to be cheated on."
"Okay enough.
Aliya thew up her hands in surrender. "I'm just saying..."
"Don't. If I want your opinion on it I'll ask."
An awkward silence blanketed the car.
"So where do you wanna go?" Aliya asked forcing herself to sound happier than she was.
"Lyle's at that bar up on Miles street. He's with Tyler." Mckenzie said playfully pushing her. "We should go, you know he likes you."
"Yeah but he's just so... Tyler."
Mckenzie rolled her eyes. "You'll never get laid thinking like that."
"What if I don't want Tyler to be my first?"
Mckenzie shrugged. "Then don't sleep with him, but I wanna go see Lyle."
"Fine, you got your fake ID with you, or do we need to go grab it?"
"It's in my purse."
******
"You're so beautiful," Barne Sowell said, staring in his fiancé's eyes in the candlelight, "and I can't believe I'm going to be able to call you Tyla Sowell in just one more week. I must be the luckiest man alive."
She smiled that amazing smile of hers. That one that never failed to brighten up a room.
"Mrs. Sowell. It just sounds right." She said dreamily.
He kissed her nose, and she giggled as she closed her eyes.
He grinned. Her ability to fall asleep no matter what was happening around her was both impressive and beyond adorable.
The electricity was out ergo the lit candle by the bed.
He just had to make it through the senior class trip, and he'd be married to the best thing that ever happened to him.
He blew out the candle, pulled Tyla close, and closed his eyes; breathing in his soon to be wife's scent.
******
"Hey Doddie, can you take out the trash, please?"
Doddie Teal dropped her paint brush, stepped back, and admired her work.
"What the heck!?" Her younger brother Leon exclaimed from the attic stairs.
She turned and glared at him. "Why are you in my room!?"
"Calm down, freak. Mom just asked you to take out the trash." He climbed the rest of the way up the stairs. "Did you draw a bunch of dead people? What is wrong with you?"
"Get out!" She said, stomping towards him.
"Yeah, whatever weirdo." He said, going back downstairs.
She followed his retreat and screamed, "And Stay Out!" Before slamming the door.
******
"Babe, do you have any vicodin, I'm trying to be high as fuck for this flight." Lyle Cancer said into Mckenzie's ear, moving her blonde hair out the way, and kissing her neck.
Anthony Kirk watched the interaction with annoyed curiosity.
"I'm down to my final two, and I want them."
"Please, Kenzie?" Lyle said, kissing her neck again.
Anthony whipped out his phone and hit dial on her number.
She picked up after the 4th ring.
"Hey Aliya, where are you."
It was hot how easily she lied.
"Meet me in the girls bathroom now."
"I'm here with Lyle."
"Now." He hung up before she could respond and walked to the bathroom.
It took her two minutes before she joined him.
"What!?" She scream whispered.
"Give me your last two vicodin."
She took a step back. "How do you know about that?"
"Doesn't matter. Give me them."
"What, why? I was going to take them."
"Give me them now, or I'll show Lyle that video of you with my dick in your mouth."
She flinched. "No, you can't. You said you wouldn't."
"Give me the vicodin."
"Uck, I hate you." She said, pulling out the small medicine bottle and threw it at him. "Is that all?"
"Yeah, you're dismissed now."
"Fuck you."
******
Angelo repeatedly tapped his foot against the airport floor. He could not get into the air fast enough, and every second that passed, was another second his bitch of an ex would fill his sons head with lies.
He looked around the packed airport. There was a bunch of school kids packed inside the boarding area, and his eyes lingered on the blonde girl exiting the bathroom. She was a good height, and those low, low, low, cut jean shorts squeezed her petite butt.
High school girls these days were sluts he thought, still admiring how her clothes fit.
He got a text that pulled his attention away.
Good, everything was in place.
******
"You don't have to help him, Care." Doddie said, touching the arm of her one friend in the world, Carrie Lightmen.
"He's um, sick, and without mom around, he'll need somebody." Carrie said, avoiding her look.
"Care, he molested you and hit your mom. He doesn't deserve your help."
"Stop talking like you know anything about it because you don't."
"Care, I'm not..."
"It's whatever."
They sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the airport around them and the conversation of their classmates.
"You remember that art contest you pestered me into signing up for. They called me yesterday and said I've made it into the final three, and next month, they want to fly me and a friend out for a live judging thing, and I was wondering if you..."
"Of course." Carrie said, throwing her arms around Doddie, giggling. "I'm so happy for you!"
******
"Flight 7D is now boarding." A woman announced through the loud speakers.
"Okay, everyone, listen up." Barne Sowell clasped his hands together to get the attention of his class. "You are all representing Barton High School, so act like it. When we get there, we'll head straight for the hotel then...
"Then we go see babes in bikinis." Devon said.
A few of the kids giggled.
"No, Devon, we'll go visit the sights."
"Is that not what I said?"