It's what a Big Brother Does.

Plan Thirteen: Prelude

“Hey there, Jer! I heard you were late to school with Rose this morning!” Bryann teased as he wrapped an arm around my neck.

“Get offa me, asshole!” I hissed, forcefully unwrapping his arm from me. It came off surprisingly easily from around my neck and his playful smile automatically churned into a painful wince. I raised a brow at him as he cradled his wrist, his expression still an extremely pained one. “Quit pulling my leg, Bryann. I know it didn’t hurt.” I muttered at him. I couldn’t have been that rough.

“Yeah, whatever.” He growled through his teeth as his brows furrowed together in irritation. He turned and walked out of the cafeteria without another glance at me, his arm still cradled.  

“Wow, someone is on their time of the month.” I mumbled before getting back in line for lunch.

“Jeraud.” I heard a familiar gruff voice call me out.

“Hey Romeo.” I turned towards him.

“Where’s Rosalind? We didn’t finish our conversation yesterday and you two were late today. Why?” he interrogated me, his tone slightly curious.

I turned away, biting the inside of my lip. I couldn’t tell him about my hideout in the woods or that I took the beast there. He’d think I actually didn’t mind her when I honestly hated her guts. “We just were, okay? One of the twins got a stomachache and she wanted to stay and nurse him back to health.” That sounded believable enough.

Romeo didn’t answer right away. I almost thought he caught my bluff. “Do you know where she is now? We still have to talk.”

“I don’t know where she is. Do you think I keep tabs on the freak?!” I snapped at him.

Romeo kept his usual straight face, his auburn hair sticking out over his face. Then I noticed the rest of his image. His usually neat hair was sloppy, he had wrinkly clothes, and tired eyes with huge, purple bags. It looked as if he hadn’t had a wink of sleep or a meal in weeks. He looked terrible, something quite unusual for Romeo.

I think I actually felt kind of worried for him. “Hey, are you-”

“Jer! Jer, Jer, Jer!!” a sing-song voice called out to me. I cringed in fiery loathing of that perfect song. “Jer! They’re serving pizza today!” Rosalind skipped over to me, obvious happiness in her ear-to-ear smile. “I was never allowed to have-” she stopped coming towards me, the smile gone. I looked at her questioningly, wondering why she stopped.

Her eyes were locked on Romeo, a gasp on her face. I turned towards Romeo. He was giving her a death glare. I stared between the two, feeling left out of the silent conversation they seemed to be having. Romeo never changed his facial expression, but you could see the monster’s face change from surprised, to pleading, to angry, to defeat before she turned around and dumped the whole mini pizza in a nearby trashcan.

‘What the hell just happened?!’ I thought to myself, watching as the freak stalked off to a table in the corner, practically foodless.

“Oh, hi Jeraud. Romeo,” another voice called us out. I turned around to watch as Tim cut in line in front of us. “I didn’t think you two would be buying lunch.”

“I’m not buying lunch.” Romeo grunted, eyeing the troll. “I’m not much into pizza. Excuse me.” He exempt himself, making his way towards the ogre.

“Well then,” Tim stated, apparently taking offence to Romeo’s bluntness. “Pizza isn’t much into you, either, bud.” He chuckled as I rolled my eyes at how stupid the comeback was. We both turned back forwards, walking with the line for cafeteria food.

I looked around the cafeteria, trying to seem as unsuspicious as I could. I never eat cafeteria food though, so being here in itself is suspicious.

“Looking for Myrtle?” Tim nudged my shoulder with his own, his tone light and teasing.

“Shut up.” I growled at him through my teeth. “I’m not here for her…” I muttered, turning to look at the floor as if it had something important on it.

“RiiiIIIiiight.” Tim nodded his head at me, a smile still on his face. “She’s at the front of the line, lover-boy.”

Quickly, too quickly, I darted my eyes to the front of the line and I heard Tim burst up in laughter at the speedy unsheathing of my true intentions. But, if there was one thing Tim wasn’t it was a liar.

I could almost hear her laughter, a sound that was the most heavenly thing to fall human ears. The girl was always surrounded by friends and always seemingly perfect. Her long, blond, curly hair bounces with every step she takes making it seem almost weightless, her crystal light blue eyes always promises happiness, gentleness, and joy, her soft facial features were a gift for any sight to fall upon. She was a gentle, kind, and caring girl. A person you can picture being the same forever and knowing that you wouldn’t mind that a bit.

The simple sight of her left a light smile on my face. We’ve only known each other for about a year, but she still calls me her friend. I was instantly taken by her kind, friendly personality and I knew she was the one I want. And it was times like these that I wish I were as outgoing as Bryann, as confident as Tim, or even as straightforward as Romeo. Not smart and smug like I am… I turned my head away from her in self disappointment.

“Hey, bud,” Tim put a hand on my shoulder. I turned up to his sympathetic smiling face. “All’s you got to do is talk to her.” He shrugged at me, pointing in Myrtle’s direction with a flick of his chin.

I took in a breath to answer Tim until I watched a slop of mashed potatoes slather all over the face of the girl in front of him. It was thrown from who-knows-where.  

She and her friends stood there, frozen in an eternal gasp, as silence fell upon the cafeteria.

Suddenly, a single voice rose above the silence with a horrifying message.

“FOOD FIGHT!!!!!”