The Deal with Dragons

September 8th

Kevin’s the fastest reader I’ve ever seen. Like no contest, fastest reader. It’s like he has a photographic memory or something. He just flips through, like he’s looking at pictures in a magazine, and is done novels in the fifteen minutes we read during lunch. I mean, I’m a fast reader but he’s finishing books in like a tenth of the time it would take me. At least he hasn’t complained about my taste in books the way most people do.

            Leah climbed the stairs to the second floor, not needing to look behind her to know that Kevin was there. Up the turning black railed stairs they went, the same gold flecked brown as the floor in the school, and through the glass doors into the second floor square.

Each floor in the school was one continuous square-shaped hall. Which made getting lost harder with the exception of the basement. That was a maze and where ninth graders were forever ending up in the parking lot, the boiler room, or the library with no idea how they got there. She was thankful that Kevin hadn’t done that yet.

Approaching her locker, a sigh escaped her lips. She could see two figures leaning in front of her locker and the two to the left of it. She knew both, which wasn’t surprising given that Jordan’s locker was only two away from hers and always had been. She’d have cursed having last names starting with the same letter but it really wouldn’t change anything.

She stopped just to the side of her locker, and stood, staring at the back of Phil’s blond head, hoping he’d take the hint. He didn’t and she sighed again. “Excuse me,” she said, still looking straight at his head.

Phil turned away from Jordan and looked down at her. “What do you want?”

Leah pointed to her locker. “That’s my locker.”

He rolled his eyes. “Good for you,” he said swinging back to Jordan and making a face.

Her shoulders slumped as another sigh left her. “I can’t get into it when you’re leaning on it. Will you move please?”

Phil looked back at her, eyebrows coming together as he frowned. “Whatever, dyke,” he said as he shoved himself off the locker.

She ignored the comment, grabbing her lock. Behind her, Kevin cocked his head and frowned, staring at the other blond boy. “I do not understand. In what way does she resemble a ditch?”

Leah jerked her body straight just as the two boys did, all three slowly turning to stare at him. Sensing impending trouble, Leah moved up beside Kevin and grabbed his arm. “Don’t say anything else,” she whispered, pulling him back.

She wasn’t fast enough. Phil shot his arm out and grabbed a fistful of Kevin’s shirt, dragging him out of Leah’s grip. Behind him, Jordan moved up, looming over his friend’s right shoulder. “What the hell is your problem?” Phil growled, eyes holding Kevin’s.

Kevin’s mouth remained firmly closed, making a dark red creep up his captor’s neck. Leah took a step closer, one foot sliding behind her as she set herself carefully, watching for any hint of violence. A shout from behind her had her head whipping around.

Another boy was striding towards them, black hair falling into his green eyes. Eyes that were narrowed as he took in the tableau in front of him. “What are you two doing?” he asked, eyes travelling between Jordan and Phil.

“None of your business,” Jordan muttered.

The boy eyed the three of them before his gaze fell on Leah. His eyes widened momentarily before his lips went even farther down as his stare snapped back to Jordan and Phil. “Were you two bothering Moore?”