Fragile Things

04 | Monster

four • Monster

Here's the thing about me - I am a primary dyslexic. I have never been able to read a physical book in my life. It was either audiobooks or books with a dyslexic font ability on my Kindle. Not that I have ever experienced prejudice due to my inability but for some reason, Mrs. Jamison thinks of me as the most incapable student in her class.

Proof lies in the fact that she just gave me a D- on theory paper.

I didn't even give the exam. I took an oral one instead which she should have known about but something tells me that she will pretend she didn't because she wants me to take double trouble by speaking to her personally.

There's no way I am greeting that old hag with a smile after having a particularly decent day.

As I fist the paper into a ball in my palm, I feel a slap on my arm and see Simon swinging his arm around my neck.

"Bad day?" He ruffles my hair as he asks.

"More like horrendous."

"My bad. Wanna jog tonight?"

I look at him with a small smile on my lips. He knows I would never say no to that.

"You bet I do." I hit his arm playfully with my book before stopping in front of my locker.

I type in the code as Simon leans against the locker beside me.

"Tina says you were fraternizing with the enemy last night," he comments, referring to Dax.

"Isn't enemy a little bit dramatic? I dare he even thinks about us twice a day," I say as I shut the locker back, holding the strap of my bag firmly over my shoulder. "Your girlfriend's being dramatic, Somani."

Simon looks sleepy today. His eyes are hooded and even his lazy smile can't get rid of the tiredness in them. He and Tina must have had a late night.

Doing what I don't want to know.

"My girlfriend cares about you." My bestie shrugs. "Sometimes I feel even more than you care about yourself."

That makes me chuckle a little. I do know that Tina meant well last night. She isn't a bad person and I know Simon better than he knows himself. If he even got vibes from her that she would mean any harm to me, he wouldn't have dated her at all.

Simon and I have been friends for years now. He and I met while playing a video game online and later found out that we were batchmates. Our parents liked us as much as we liked each other. My mother once even went to the extent of planning my wedding with him for the future. But we know that no matter how much we like each other, there can be no romantic relationship between us. He and I are a lot different when it comes to our outlook on life. We would probably end up divorcing after two weeks even if we get married.

"What's about Dax Spencer? He's a douche." Simon crosses his arms over his chest, shaking his head to get rid of the strand of overgrown hair which falls on his eyes. "The Monster's worse though. I'll give him that."

"The Monster?"

"Damien Spencer. It's his nickname in the Ghetto."

"What's the Ghetto?" I ask as Simon and I begin walking towards the parking lot.

"It's the part of town under the RG's jurisdiction. Even the law fails there. There have been many deaths in that place and Damien Spencer has been responsible for like...all of them?"

I bite my lip hearing that. After meeting Dax and listening to his sweet talks, it is almost impossible for me to imagine a Spencer could be responsible for literal murders.