# Revenge Is A Dish Best Served In A Way That Makes Everyone Around You Incredibly Uncomfortable Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Judgement
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“Fang! You there?” The purple triceratop’s call pulls me out of my troubled thoughts and back into reality.
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“Huh? Oh, hey Trish,” I reply, glancing at my surroundings. The hallway of Volcano High bustles with students walking, chatting, and slamming lockers shut as the inter-period time passes.
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“Come on, Anon’s not worth thinking about. He’s just an asshole like everyone else here.” Half of me wants to agree, and the other half wants to snap at her for saying that. I settle for a noncommittal sigh, lamenting the recent turn of events. The one boy in this damned school I actually like, and he suddenly breaks up with me with no explanation. My tears are spent, but I’m still lost in confusion and heartbreak.
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“Maybe… but I just want to know why, you know?”
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“What does it matter? You shouldn’t try to change yourself to suit him, or anyone else here. If he can’t handle you then he doesn’t deserve you.” I guess...
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My eyes wander across the hallway, falling on my crippled brother, Naser, and the pink parasite he calls a girlfriend, Naomi. Just another thing he has over me, isn’t it? Miss Goody Two Shoes and Mister Perfect, in their happy little relationship. They make me sick. Bastards.
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Naomi says something, then looks at the floor. It’s hard to make out details from here, but whatever it is, it causes Naser to become exasperated. The din of the student body obscures their conversation, but Naomi turns around and walks away, eyes not raising from the ground. Naser looks distraught, then turns towards the lockers and braces himself against them.
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“Fang!” Trish yells again, breaking my focus. I shush her, then gesture towards the now-lone pteradon.
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“You see that?” I ask.
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“It’s your brother. What about him?”
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“Naomi was just there. Conversation didn’t look too happy.”
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“So? Why do you care about them all of a sudden?” Well… that’s a good question.
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“I… don’t know. Something seems off. I’ll be right back.” I push myself off the wall and walk to Naser’s side, putting my back to the lockers and hitting one of them loud enough to get his attention.
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“Wha- oh, uh, hey Fang…” He doesn’t bother trying to hide his pain, resting his head against the lockers again.
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“Did Naomi just… break up with you?” He silently nods. “Any explanation?” He shakes his head. “Hmm. Anon broke up with me yesterday. No explanation either. Pretty weird.”
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“Y-yeah, I guess…”
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“I, uh…” Shit, I really don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing here. “I’ll leave you to it, then…” I walk back over to Trish, and she looks at me, bewildered.
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“The hell was that about?” she demands. I don’t acknowledge her bitchy tone as I try to sort through this new information.
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“They just broke up,” I mutter.
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“Again, so? What does it matter to you?”
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“Don’t you think that’s weird? That we were both broken up with, with no explanation, within a day of each other?”
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“Fang, listen to yourself! Anon’s at the bottom of the social totem pole. Naomi is at the top. Girls like her probably don’t even know guys like Anon exist, much less want to date them.”
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“Yeah, but…” But what? I chuckle halfheartedly. “No, you’re right. Anon and Naomi? What am I thinking?” We go our separate ways to our classes. Anon will probably try to avoid me in science and music, and while I’d love to yell at him, it wouldn’t make things any better. Besides, there’s still a chance he comes back to me. Would I take him back? Probably.
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Another day, more long hours of a disquiet mind, desperately searching for answers it has no chance of finding. The more I try to forget, the harder I try to justify it all. Nothing is accomplished, and I have little more to do besides return to the single social pariah I started the year as.
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I turn the corner on the scenic route to my next class, and my heart flutters as I see Anon, followed by a mixture of disgust, hatred and betrayal when I see who he’s talking with. I grab the corner and pull myself back, peeking around the edge with one eye. Naomi and Anon are having what looks like a fairly casual conversation, probably about nothing in particular. Naomi is clearly in control, occasionally leaning in towards Anon and causing him to bashfully rub the back of his neck. Are they flirting or something?
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Naomi leans in further than before, planting a quick kiss on Anon’s lips. He takes it in stride, but I don’t. My wings violently flare behind me, and my claws dig into the brickwork as I struggle to control myself. He broke up with me, he’s not mine, he can do whatever he wants. So what if it doesn’t make any sense? So what if it’s with the bitch you hate most out of this entire school? It’s his funeral. Besides, now that she’s not dating Naser, you don’t have to deal with her ever again.
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I peel my eyes off of the couple and the rest of me off the hallway corner, and almost slam straight into some green dinosaur girl staring directly at me. I barely stifle a scream, clamping my snout shut.
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“How long were you staring at me, creep?” I quietly snap, and her smile falters slightly. Wait, she looks familiar. “Stella?” She beams at my recognition.
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“Yep!” she chirps. “Who you lookin’ at?” Before I can respond, she peeks around the corner. “Ohh, those two, isn’t it?”
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“I-uh- what’s it to you?”
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“Just wondering. I’m not the gossiping type, but that kind of stuff tends to fly fast and far. That was your boyfriend, right? The human?”
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“Yeah, was. Not anymore, so it doesn’t matter.” She looks at me again, the smallest hint of concern on her face.
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“When did he break up with you?” This chick has never been interested in my personal life before, and I have no reason to get her involved now, but it’s such a strange question. Maybe I’ll get one of my questions answered in return.
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“Monday, why?” Her eyes widen and her smile falls.
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“Oh…” Oh?
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“What do you mean, ‘Oh’? Is there something I should know?”
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She drops to a whisper. “Um… I saw the two of them... together… on Friday…” I can barely hear her response over the clamor of everyone else.
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“Tell me. Everything,” I demand, fists clenching.
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“Oh, I… really shouldn’t say such things in public, you know-”
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“Then take us somewhere private. Now!” Stella cranes her head around, nods, then takes off down the direction I came from earlier. I follow closely, and we enter one of the school’s lesser-travelled bathrooms. She does a quick scan of the area, then turns to me.
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“Okay, so it was Friday afternoon, after school got out. I was going to do some gardening club stuff when I heard some weird noises from one of the tutoring rooms. I didn’t think anyone would’ve still been tutoring at that time, so I went to go see what was going on.” My chest tightens harder with every word she says. I feel like I’ll die if she continues, but I need to hear every word of this.
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“So, I push the door open, and I see… Naomi, and Anon…” She trails off and blushes heavily.
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“Naomi and Anon, what?!”
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“She was, um…” She leans in and whispers into my ear. “Pleasuring… him.” I freeze in place, shock blasting up my spine and throughout my body. That… fucking bastard…
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“Like, with her mouth. He was really big, and it was all messy, and I think she liked it a lot, and-”
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“Stella! That’s enough!” I blurt.
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“Oh! S-sorry…” I lean backwards onto the wall, pressing my palms into my head. Who? Who the fuck does he think he is? Cheating on me? With Naomi, of all people? What do they have in common? What do they have at all?
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“Um, would you… like a tarot reading? It might help make your future more certain.”
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“Yeah, whatever…” A fan of cards appears in my vision.
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“Take a card,” the stegosaur offers. Reluctantly, I reach out and grab a card, turning it over.
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“I grabbed two,” I sigh. “Which one counts?”
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“Read both of them. It can’t hurt.” The first one has a picture of Raptor Jesus blowing a trumpet of bone at a group of nude dinosaurs, who are praising him. The second has a pair of nude dinosaurs, one male and one female, being watched by an angel with the sun shining on all of them. They read ‘Judgement’ and ‘The Lovers’.
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“What do they mean?” I groan, turning the cards back to her.
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“Well, Judgement usually means karma, rebirth, or a second chance. And The Lovers, is, well… love, and relationships.”
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“What, you think I should give Anon a second chance?”
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“Well, that’s your decision to make. Or maybe it means something else, for someone else. Maybe someone you know, maybe someone you don’t.”
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Before I can retort, the bell rings, signalling students that their next class is starting. Stella says her goodbye and rushes off to class. No way I’m getting through the rest of the day without murdering Anon now.
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I spend the rest of the day on the roof, only coming down to grab lunch, and quickly returning to my spot when I do. The number of discarded feathers around me grows with every passing ring of the bell, and part of me hopes that the door will open, Anon will climb up, apologize, and clear everything up. Maybe what Stella said wasn’t even true, and that she just made it all up, or what she thought she saw wasn’t what actually happened. Maybe, maybe, maybe. And yet, I remain undisturbed until the final ring of the bell, when I painfully push myself up and make my way to Naser’s car.
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I stumble into the passenger seat and Naser gasps at my appearance. Scratches on my arms, streaks of crimson down my wings, eyes bloodshot with a tumult of emotion. It’s not the first time he’s seen me like this, but he never gets used to it.
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I interrupt him before he goes into a panicked spiel. “They cheated on us.” I glance over at him and he remains quiet, listening intently, eyes wide. “Stella told me everything. Naomi was with Anon Friday afternoon, sucking him down like she owed him money.”
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“B-but, I…” Naser stammers. “I saw her Saturday. We…” He gags and violently shudders. “What the fuck…” Shit, she really did him dirty…
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“Well, I don’t know about you, but I want to get back at them. Will you stay out of my way?”
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“I… I don’t know…”
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“You got the taste of another male’s spunk because of her, and you don’t want anything done about it?” He shudders again at the thought of Anon’s undesirables.
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“What… exactly do you have in mind?”
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“Well… I dunno.” I cross my arms and lean back into the seat. “I’ll figure something out. I’m a professional, after all.”
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“Don’t do anything illegal. Please?”
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“No promises.” He sighs and starts the car. The ride home is devoid of conversation, today's revelations hanging over our minds like a dark cloud. I spend the rest of the night racking my mind for ideas; something to really hit the two of them where it hurt. My mind wanders to my conversation with Stella. Second chances, rebirth, love? It sounded like nonsense, but was that reading really just a coincidence?
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Eventually, I fall asleep, starved of answers and solutions.
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"So, you got any ideas?" Naser asks as I climb into his car the following morning.
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"Not yet," I groan. The Hellcat rumbles to life and takes off towards Volcano High. I've never been one to hold back on vengeance before, so what's different now? Maybe I should ask Trish; she doesn't mind being my partner in crime when I ask her. She'd probably enjoy fucking with the two of them as well. Whatever, it's not like I need to come up with something right now. I've got the rest of the year to plot. Maybe I'll ruin prom for Naomi. I bet she's looking forward to that.
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Naser and I walk side-by-side down the halls of Volcano High, no one scheme breaching the surface of my mind for long enough to be considered. This one's too small, that one's too unnoticeable, this one needs too much luck, that one gets too bloody…
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We turn a corner and nearly run face-first into Naomi and Anon, their arms interlinked.
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"Oh, hello you two," Naomi says. That plastic front she always has is on full display, but there's a glint of malice in her eyes. She's enjoying this far too much. Anon freezes in place, completely silent. It makes me wonder just how much of this was his idea. I'd probably pity him if I hadn't bumped into Stella the previous day, but he knows what he did. While I hope the guilt eats him alive, I know Naomi can't feel guilt, so I'll need something a bit more proactive.
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"Naomi…" I respond.
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But what? I've still got nothing. No rehearsed speech, and no quick, witty remarks. Would anyone believe me if I aired their dirty laundry? Would it even matter or just make things worse? A jilted lover and social outcast lashing out at the popular girl. Pointless.
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"What is it, Fang?" I grit my teeth, her bubbly, high-pitched voice like nails on a chalkboard. My eyes dart around, desperate for any semblance of inspiration. The hallway had quieted down noticeably, the focus of the students scattered around the hallway falling on the four of us. Some were whispering among themselves while glancing sideways, others were pointing and grinning with mischievous anticipation.
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A catfight, huh? Well, if that's what they want… no, this is a terrible idea. It's also my only idea. Maybe I can just threaten one, and that'd get me somewhere.
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I splay my hands outwards, flexing my fingertips and subtly showing off my sharp, black claws. Naomi looks down for a moment, her veneer cracking almost imperceptibly. She leans backwards a touch, steeped in battle with her herbivore instincts. I bare my teeth, but can't help grinning through it. The noise around me rises as more students are dragged into the spectacle. A couple of them have their phones at the ready. That's right, fuckwads, come get your entertainment, courtesy of the class president.
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I take a small step forward. Naomi's eyes narrow, and she holds her ground. Come on, you stupid whore, fold…
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"Fang," Naser calls. I ignore him, fully intent on breaking Naomi's will with my glare. He places a hand on my shoulder, and I snap towards him. Before I can tell him off, he grabs the sides of my head. He leans forward and pulls me towards him, then plants his lips on mine.
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A shock, terrifying yet exciting. A fog, dense yet comforting. A warmth, unfamiliar yet pleasant. The world is quiet, and I'm not sure why...
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My eyes explode open. An experience I hadn't shared with anyone before. One that I was planning on sharing with Anon just a few days ago. And now, with my own brother, in front of dozens of students. He pulls away and opens his eyes.
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"Let's go," he whispers. He takes my hand and leads me away from the crowd. The hallway behind us erupts into gossip, all swirling and interfering so that no specific phrase is understandable. We round a corner into a much quieter hallway, and he leans against a row of lockers.
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I finally regain control of my inner processes and stare at Naser. He lets out a sharp breath, but a smile creeps onto his face.
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"Naser!" I shout in pure shock, causing him to jolt out of his mood.
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"What?! What’s wrong?" he whispers in a panic.
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"I- I- wha-" Shock makes way for anger and embarrassment. "What the actual FUCK was that?"
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"Calm down! I thought you wanted to get back at Naomi."
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"Wha- I… Naser, how on Earth does that get back at Naomi?!"
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"Okay, okay, hear me out." He takes a second to regain his composure and take a breath. "Naomi loves being the center of attention, right? Part of that is, like… her relationships. People talk about that because she's popular, and stuff. So, I tried thinking of a way to take that away from her. And… well, now, people aren't going to be talking about Naomi for a good while, don't you think?" He grins fearfully as he finishes his explanation, not encouraged by my gawking.
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"I… but… you…" What the fuck! "Ugh, I… a little fucking warning would have been nice? You know, before blasting that kind of shit to the entire school?"
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He chuckles nervously. "Sorry, I, uh… it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, you know? But, imagine how many people are going to be talking about us instead of her now."
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"Don't you think this is crossing a fucking line? What if this gets outside of the school?"
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"Come on, it's just schoolyard rumors."
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"Some of them were recording!" Words fail him, and no response comes. "You fucking-"
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The bell rings, drowning out the rest of my verbal lashing.
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"Seeyagottagobye!" He turns around and jogs off down the hallway.
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"NASER!" He waves but doesn't look back, and I have no chance of catching the track team captain in a foot race. Fucking retard. How long will that take to circulate across the entire damn student body? Hours? Minutes? Holy shit, I am going to throttle him the next chance I get.
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The rest of the day is trapped in a tenuous balance between me and the rest of the school. They know, I know they know, they know I know they know, and it creates an exclusion zone around me. Unpopular or not, very few are brave enough to gossip with something so incendiary within earshot. The tense, yet quiet atmosphere is enough to calm me down and let me sort my thoughts properly.
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Normally, I would've been happy with everyone talking about me outside of the context of me fucking up a show, but this? And Naser… he commands a certain amount of clout. Athletic captain, top of the class, son of a police commissioner, and idiotic as he may be, he helps people where he can. Still a lot of weight to throw around, even with Naomi out of the picture. Anyone talking shit about me will be talking shit about him by proxy. Silver lining, thin as it is. How far will that go, though? How long until that length of rope runs out, and what happened is laid bare to everyone? Would it last until the end of the year?
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And what the hell will happen if it gets out? Will mom and dad have to bear witness to a video of their two children smashing their lips together in the middle of a school hallway? How would they even react? Sweet fuck, it's one stupid fucking problem after another.
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After skipping fourth period, I grab my lunch and head to the auditorium where Trish and Reed usually are. I wouldn't mind their company right around now, and it'd let me see if they've caught wind of what happened yet.
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"Hey, Fang!" Trish shouts from the far end of the stage as I push myself through the door. I take my place next to them and attempt to get some food down my throat. "So, uh, everything good? You weren't here yesterday."
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"Oh, yeah, I just… needed some time. Anon cheated on me." Trish gasps and slides closer to me.
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"That skinnie piece of shit, I knew he was no good. I'm so sorry, Fang. Who was it with? Do you know?"
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"The queen bee herself. They're a thing now, and decided to be one without letting Naser or I know."
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"What the fuck, how? That makes no sense."
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"It's what Stella told me after I saw the two of them being all cute with each other. She's probably using him for some retarded bullshit too."
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"Oh my God, that's…" She trails off, then slides even closer and whispers to me. "If you want to do something about it, I might have some things on Anon." I consider her offer for a moment.
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"Got anything on Naomi?" She sighs in disgust.
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"No. She's squeaky clean, like always. I don't suppose Stella has anything? Nobody likes a cheater." I shake my head. "Damn it. You have something in mind for them? I'll help you. I'll enjoy it, too." Besides making out with Naser? I internally cringe and shake the thought out of my head.
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"I… I've got nothing. What do you have?" Trish grins devilishly.
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"Pictures. Embarrassing ones, from his last school. Were pretty easy to get a hold of, too."
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"Hmm. I dunno, how does that get back at Naomi?"
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"I… well… still, it'd get to Anon. That's something, right?"
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"I guess I'll keep it in mind. If you think of something for both of them, let me know. What about you, Reed? Got anything good?"
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"Sorry, bro. I only deal in physical goods." Damn it. Well, at the very least, they seem to still be out of the loop. Probably for the best that it stays that way. Being at the bottom of the totem pole has its benefits.
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The final bell of the day rings, and I make my way to Naser's car. We have unfinished business, and it may or may not involve my claws and his throat. When I get there, the engine is already rumbling. I clamber into the side seat, slam the door behind me, and get ready to scream Naser’s head off.
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“Naser...”
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I deflate in my seat, my will to shout leaving me entirely. I should be mad, livid, fucking pissed off to all hell. He’s put what’s left of my social status in jeopardy, and for what? To weird Naomi out for a few minutes?
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“This is a mess. What are we going to do?” He pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road.
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“We’ll… figure it out, right?”
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“That really doesn’t help.”
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“I… yeah, I know. But after tomorrow we’ll have the entire weekend to think it over.”
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“You think we’ll make it that far?”
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"Yeah. We've got time. Trust me." I groan and lean back into my seat. We pull up to our house immediately afterwards, and I groan again as I push myself upright.
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Friday passes about as well as Thursday did, and the weekend comes, bringing with it the threat of gossip hitting the ignition point to start a wildfire across the remnants of my social life. The afternoon is embroiled in internal conflict. Emotion and reason fight each other and themselves time and again, struggling for mere inches on an infinite battlefield. The same questions get the same answers repeatedly; a perfect balance of mental stagnation.
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I need a disruption. Something to upset this status quo. Or someone to yell at, at least. I knock on Naser's door.
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"Come in," he responds. I enter, shutting the door behind me. He swivels in his desk chair to face me. "Hey, Fang."
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"Hey," I sneer. "So. It's the weekend. Thought up a way to unfuck this shit yet?"
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"Well… no."
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"The fuck do you mean, 'no'?"
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"I mean… I don't think we need to 'unfuck' it. Just keep them talking."
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"I- wh-... Are you suggesting I pretend to date you for three months? I can barely stand being in the same room as you for three minutes." He hunches over, looking away for a moment, his face slowly turning to a scowl.
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"Why?" he asks, turning back to me.
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"Because there's three months left in the school year, retard."
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"Not that. Why can't you stand being in the same room as me?" I can think of a hundred different reasons, each one better than the last.
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"Look…" He continues before I can start listing them off. "I know I fuck up a lot. When I try to help, you yell at me, and when I don't, dad yells at me. I try my best, even if it never seems to be enough, and I do it because I care about you. I do it because I'd rather let you down than have you think I won't be there for you if you ever needed me.
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"Now that Naomi isn't breathing down my neck, I've had a lot more time to think. About everything. Every mistake I've made. Every time I've let you down. Every time you've told me to stay out of your business. Yet, no matter how much I think, I never understand what made us like this in the first place."
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My hands want to clench and unclench. My legs want to retreat and stand my ground. My mouth wants to scream and keep quiet. My eyes want to cry and rage. Naser patiently waits for my response.
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"Because…"
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Kissing me? Further back. January's show? Further back. Being with Naomi? Further back…
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"B- because…"
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Why do I sit somewhere all alone once a year? Why do I always come home with shredded wings on those days? Why do I lie about it every time?
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"Because I…"
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Why?
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“I broke your wing..."
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Silence. My words hang in the air, alone. A single fact that carries a thousand implications. Irredeemable actions, irreconcilable thoughts, irrevocable statuses.
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That’s why. I turn to leave.
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A pair of arms wrap around and stop me in place. Naser pulls me in painfully tight, his face twisted in anguish.
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“Let go,” I struggle to say. His grip loosens slightly, but I’m still rooted in place.
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“Fang… never, once have-”
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“I said, let go!” I thrash as much as I can against him, although it isn’t much.
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“Never!” The outburst catches me off guard. Naser never raises his voice at me like that. “I have never blamed you for that!”
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“...why?” I whisper.
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“Why? Why would I? We were just kids…”
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“But, I-”
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“No. Not one time in my life have I ever thought less of you because of what happened.”
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“After everything I’ve done to you? All the insults, and shouting, and saying I never want to see you again, and… and…”
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“I forgive you, Fang. For everything. And I do mean everything.”
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All at once, it feels like I’m blasted to pieces, only to be put back together again. I have no more excuses to voice, or barriers to erect. Seven years of… whatever the hell I’ve been doing to Naser, all thrown to the side in an instant. It doesn’t sound real, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that Naser means every word of what he said.
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“Can we go back?” he asks. “Back to what we were like before the bluff? When we were more than just two people living in the same house?”
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Is that even possible? It was so long ago, I barely remember what we were like back then. No, I remember enough. Enough to make me almost collapse on the spot.
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“Yes...” I cry. “Yes, yes yes yes…” I wrap my arms around him and openly weep into his shoulder for the first time in years.
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“I love you, Fang.”
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“I love you too, Naser.”
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We weep together atop the bridge I thought was long since burned, for the years lost and the years to gain.
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The moment passes soon after. I wipe away one last tear and look my brother in the eyes. The pang of guilt I usually feel is feeble and muted.
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"So… are we really just going to do nothing about this… 'thing'?" I ask.
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"Well, I just think we should wait it out. See what happens. Maybe play along with whatever crap starts floating around, just a bit. Nothing crazy, of course," he responds.
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"Rrrright…"
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"I promise it'll work out. Naomi might not have been the best person for me, but she did teach me a few things about these kinds of situations. Trying to keep people from talking about it only makes them want to talk more, and fighting fire with fire tends to escalate things."
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"Alright, alright, mister popular. But if you're going to do something stupid, at least warn me next time?"
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"Yeah, of course." We exchange one last hug, and I leave the room, collapsing onto my bed. Was it really that simple? Could a couple minutes of talking really wash away almost a decade of abhorrent behavior? We… we’re siblings. A family. Had I forgot what that was? What that was supposed to be like?
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To Naser’s credit, he was right. A couple of weeks pass, and while I never felt we were directly in the spotlight, we were still on the stage. Sideways glancing, hesitant pointing and awkward staring were directed at Naser and I whenever we ate lunch together. I could almost hear their thoughts, wondering if it was all a joke or if we were really doing this. Every now and again, we’d hold hands down the hallway for a minute, or lean a little closer to each other when talking. The more we teased their minds, the more it kept them thinking, and the more it pissed off Naomi. Once or twice, I saw her glaring at us like she wanted us dead. Knowing her, she probably did.
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Midterms went better than I could have ever expected. Several study sessions with Naser smoothed out my rougher subjects, and even though I knew the tests didn’t matter, I still found myself looking forward to them. The tension that was in the air when he tried helping me in the past wasn’t there. He wasn’t scared of messing up or letting me down, and he was able to finally relax. We’d spend some time on the hard stuff like math and science, then I’d swap over to my guitar and play for a while. Playing for an audience was nice, even if it was just him. At least I knew he was there just to enjoy it, unlike Trish, who only seemed to want to go bigger, and Reed, who… honestly, who knows what he wants.
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Minutes ago, Principal Spears declared an assembly for the senior class. It’s probably going to be some garbage about the future, and I’m absolutely going to clock out before it even starts. I enter the auditorium and spot Trish heading down towards the front row. Before I can follow, a hand lands on my shoulder.
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“Hey.” I turn around to see Naser, immediately making this assembly that much more enjoyable.
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“Hey there. I saw Trish down in the front row, come on,” I say, motioning him down.
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“Ah… do we have to?”
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“Yes, you two are going to make nice eventually. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be doing a whole lot of anything, anyway.” He shrugs and follows my lead to a pair of empty seats next to Trish and Reed, and we seat ourselves. “Trish, why the hell are we so far up?”
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“Reed’s got the clicker,” Trish replies. “Does he have to be here?”
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“Yes. Don’t act like Naser’s going to ruin the experience of whatever the fuck this is.” She grunts dismissively and turns back towards the stage. She still wasn’t pleased about my shenanigans with Naser, despite trying to explain it to her multiple times. I’ll get through to her some day, just like Naser did with me.
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“You two start making out, and I’m leaving.”
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“And watch you get chewed out by Spears in front of everyone? Tempting.” I hold a wicked grin for long enough to make her sweat. Eventually, the last of the seniors trickle in and Principal Spears takes the stage. After everyone covers their ears, he starts.
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“AS YOU ALL KNOW, GRADUATION’S COMING UP SOON. WE’RE GOING TO GO OVER THAT WHOLE PROCESS, BUT FIRST THE STUDENT COUNCIL HAS A BRIEF PRESENTATION TO GIVE ON THE SUBJECT. FLOOR’S ALL YOURS, STUCO." The burly caveman gestures towards the curtains, and Naomi appears alongside some other dino.
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"Why, thank you, Principal Spears!" she says in a voice she’s certainly rehearsed a dozen times. Before the projector comes on, I lean back in my seat and swing my eyes towards the ceiling. Naomi starts her speech and I attempt to clock out, but something pulls my attention back towards the presentation. I look around at the others in my row. Naser’s stuck between trying to pay attention and being pissed at Naomi, Trish is bored out of her skull, and Reed is clicking away.
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I look back towards the stage. The slideshow holds nothing of interest, but I can’t look away. There’s some scientists and engineers holding hands. There’s a triceratops holding onto a branch with the text ‘hang in there, baby!’ There’s a picture of a bald human with his arm wrapped around a cartoon girl.
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Why on earth is this in a presentation about graduation? Naomi’s caught off guard, and the room is silent. Not for long. Laughter erupts from damn near every student with functioning eyes. Reed panics, mashing the clicker a few times and causing more ridiculous pictures to flash along. Pictures of Anon. Embarrassing pictures of Anon.
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I look at Naser, and he has the same confused expression I do. I bang my armrest next to Trish and get her attention. I don’t say anything, staring at her intently. She vigorously shakes her head. ‘Not me’ she mouths. ‘I swear.’ I look back towards the stage, and something is yanked, killing the power to the projector. Too late. The laughter intensifies to the point where not even Spears might be able to contain it.
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"ALL OF YOU GET YOUR ASSES BACK TO CLASS," Spears shouts, nowhere to be seen but heard from every direction at once. Naomi runs off stage and pulls Anon out of one of the other front-row seats, leading him away. Everyone else files out of the auditorium in varying levels of laughter, some still brave enough to continue guffawing and wheezing.
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“The fuck just happened?” I ask nobody in particular. “Trish, are you sure-”
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“Yes! I didn’t do shit!” she pleas. “Was it you?”
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“What? No, I don’t do… character assassination. If I wanted to do something like that to Anon, I’d just beat the shit out of him.” I look at Reed, and he just shrugs, shaken even through the carfe. We split off, and I hope that whatever this is, it blows over soon. I don’t know if Anon deserved that, but maybe someone thought he did.
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As I pull my seat out after returning to my classroom, the PA system chimes and Spear’s voice booms out.
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“LUCY ARON, TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE.”
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My full name being blasted into my ear-holes electrocutes me, fight-or-flight instincts threatening to take over. You’ve got to be fucking kidding…
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I shakily push myself out of my chair and make my way to Spear’s office. It wasn’t a place I was a stranger to, but considering recent events and the deafening shout, I could be in for a very, very bad time. As I trudge down the hallway, worst-case scenarios buzz around my mind. I try my best to shout them down, as this could just as easily be a misunderstanding as it could be a framing. Or maybe I’m worrying for nothing, and Spears wants to talk about something else. Fat chance…
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I settle into one of the massive chairs on the other side of Spear’s desk. His gaze bolts me to the seat, and he speaks.
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“I’m going to get straight to the point. Did you have anything to do with those pictures getting into that presentation?” His voice is calm and professional, and it terrifies me more than his shouting does.
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“No, sir,” I reply.
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“Do you know anyone who might have had anything to do with those pictures getting into that presentation?” Trish. She said she didn’t do it, but she also said she had pictures, and was willing to use them. “Let me also say that the longer this goes on, the more trouble the perpetrators will get into. That goes double for anyone that lies to faculty about it.”
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Damnit. I really don’t want to throw Trish under the bus like this, but if she’s innocent, it shouldn’t matter. And if she isn’t, then she lied to me and put my ass on the line for it. Right?
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“I… Trish told me she had embarrassing photos of Anon a few weeks ago, but I never saw them. She also swears to me that she didn’t do it.”
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“You asked her?”
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“Yes sir, after we exited the auditorium.”
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“I see. Anything else?”
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“No, sir.”
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“Very well. One moment, please.” He pulls a binder out of a drawer and rifles through it, drags his finger down a page, pokes a spot, then presses a couple buttons on the PA microphone. He opens his mouth and I cover my ear-holes in the nick of time. “TRISH FREEMAN TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE.”
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Really putting my feet to the fucking fire today, aren’t we? Spears picks up a pen and scribbles some notes down, and a few minutes later, Trish enters the office and sits down.
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“Miss Freeman, did you have anything to do with those pictures getting into that presentation?” Same question, in the same tone of voice, should be the same answer. And if it’s not, she’s in deep fucking shit.
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“No, sir,” she says shakily.
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“Do you know anyone who might have access to those pictures?”
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“I, um…” Spears leans forward and tilts his head, peering over his glasses and straight at Trish. “I-I do, b-but I didn’t- I didn’t do it!” Relief washes over me. At least we’re all on the same page now.
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“Do you know who might have?”
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“N-no… I never showed them to anyone.”
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“How did you get them?” Trish stammers out her explanation. Searched up Anon’s old school, did some poking around, found out something happened to make him leave, asked a couple people, got sent the pictures.
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"And- and that's everything, sir…" she finishes. Spears writes some more notes down, then eyes both of us.
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"Very well. You two can return to class." Wasting no time, we shift out of our chairs and dash out of the office and into the hallway.
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"Fucking hell." I mutter, glad to see a school hallway for the first time. That was certainly an experience.
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"Fang, did you rat me out?" Trish asks. Shit.
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"Well, you didn't do it, right?"
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"No, but that doesn't answer my question."
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"I… yeah, I did." Please tell me you understand. Spears is not an easy caveman to lie to.
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"If I had done it, would you have still ratted me out?" Concerning as that question is, I don't have an answer to it. Whoever did it will probably get expelled or something damn close to it. "Unbelievable." She shakes her head and walks off, and I'm alone again.
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I walk back to class, unsure if I made the right call.