The Original Bad Boy

14| Bloody Cannibal

"The original bad boy . . . can be the attacker and the victim."

14| Bloody Cannibal

Dad dropped by the diner during school time one day and fixed the electricity problem. He even hired an exterminator for any animal problems.

Tomorrow is Mom's birthday.

Mom leaves for the restaurant half an hour earlier than dad, so we receive an opportunity to chat freely.

"You know, Val, I'm thankful to you and your friends for all the hard work. The diner looks amazing," dad tells me.

"I know." I boast.

He sips his cup of coffee before pulling out four rectangular pieces of paper. "Tickets to Nightmare," he clarifies. At first, the mention of the haunted house exiliharates me. However, then I remember that Ben has a broken leg and he probably won't be allowed to go. Isa and Danie, if they drop their inconvenient anger, may accompany me.

What a waste of tickets, though.

"Thank you," I manage to say.

He nods. "Now, we're celebrating your Mom's birthday at our restaurant. There, I'll announce the news of our gift to her. Sound good?"

"Yes, chef." I salute.

He chuckles and finishes his breakfast quickly.

I leave mine unfinished and hurry to school with the tickets.

As it turns out, my friends and Arsen remain persistent on torturing me.

Isa and Danie neglect to hear anything to say, creating excuses such as busy schedules, and leaving me stranded. Even after multiple assurances they don't have to help with the diner, they aren't forgiving me. Exhausted by my futile attempts, I decide to go to Nightmare by myself.

Moving the spotlight on Arsen, after the little spooky Halloween prank I pulled on him, all he's willing to exchange with me is his make up work. Having no choice, I fulfill my end of the deal with him. I know I made a grave mistake by playing with his scars. It's not my right nor my place to hurt anyone.

Rather than waiting for him at the diner, I locate my ex-friend coming down the stairs for lunch. I grab Arsen's jacket and tug him out in the school courtyard, which is open for lunch. Only for seniors.

He's wearing a pair of ripped jeans paired with a white t-shirt and open black jacket. He allows the chilly October wind to ruffle his silky hair. My eyes flicker to Arsen's face which reveals a cut on his bottom lip and a long scratch on top of his right eyebrow extending down the side of his face.

"Whoa, easy there," he says, pushing my hand away. Furthermore, he chooses to put some distance between us. It's not like I plan on punching or . . . kissing him. Never again! "Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to go and grab people like you own them? People might think we have something going on."

"You care what people think?"

"No. But I thought you might."

I rolled my eyes. "Forget it. What happened to your face? Did you get into some fight?"

Shooting me a flat look, he explains, "Kissing more than one girl a day is hazardous."

It took me a few seconds to understand his meaning and burst out laughing. He sighs, rubbing his temple, clearly unamused. Although his words are nasty, I can't help but enjoy his suffering. Karma didn't forget people that easily.

"You got beat up by your girlfriends?" I ask.

"Hook ups," he corrects. I wrinkle my nose at his choice of words. "It's not like they don't know about me and my habits before they hook up with me." Seeing my disgust, he adds, "Oh please, you kissed me--"