Sage Heart
"Guys,I fucked up," wails a girl's pleading voice.
Whose voice is that? I'm trying to sleep on this branch.
"Given your daily life experiences, you're gonna have to be more specific."
Is this what I get for wishful thinking? I just want to use my thirty-minute break for a nap!
"I'm serious! I screwed up!"
"Here, Knox."
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Call someone who actually gives a damn."
"GO TO HELL, CHESS!"
That's it! I crack one eye open, followed by the second eye. I refuse to leave this tree so I stealthily scale up the dry wood, doing my best to quietly settle onto a higher but equally firm branch.
"Shit. Did you guys hear that?"
"What now,Cole?"
"I'm not kidding, I heard a faint rustling from that tree!"
"Cole, if this is another one of your sick jokes, I'll kill you."
"You're always so violent, Flair. But no. This isn't a prank!"
"Shoot! I almost tripped over a rock trying to find a signal. Can someone else try to contact Jae? He won't pick up my calls! What if he's stuck in a gutter or something?"
"You're gonna pass out from your paranoia, Arrow. He's probably still asleep."
I just want some shuteye! Is that too much to ask? I lower my gaze to see ten heads of different haircuts and colors. It isn't that difficult to recognize the same group of people from earlier this morning. They're the clique of four girls and five guys that I was staring at a few hours ago.
"Hello? I have a plight and nobody is offering their help!"
"I'm broke, Knox."
"This well has gone dry,too."
"You pricks! Who said I need your money?!"
"So this isn't a financial predicament for once?"
"Of course it is! You realize how pathetic I feel right now?"
"It's kind of written all over your face, Knox."
My next class is in fifteen minutes. I'm never going to earn a wink of slumber at this rate. I really want to grab something to eat but it might be too embarrassing to reveal my eavesdropping-self to them.
"Is anyone going to offer me cash or what?"
"How much do you need?"
"Core! You are my savior. See, Res, Cole, Penn, Chess, Cleo, and Arrow. I don't need any of you. I have good, reliable Core to rescue me. I kind of lost a lot of bread at last week's gamble, and Big Boss says if I don't fork up the dough in two days, she'll send her minions to give me a beating."
"So... how much do you have to pay?"
"Ten million dollars."
"TEN MILLION DOLLARS?!?" shouts everyone.
"Knox, you have a serious problem."
"Shut your mouth, Res! I didn't ask for a lecture from you!"
"This isn't healthy anymore,Knox."
"I don't need your opinion,Flair!"
"But you do need money. This has to stop."
"Piss off, Cleo! Don't even bother opening your mouth, Cole!"
"Why not try the lottery?"
"You've got to be kidding, Chess. My chances of winning is slim to none."
"Knox, you wouldn't even have this dilemma if you'd stopped going to casinos."
"Don't feed me that self-righteous crap, Cole. I'll quit gambling the minute you give up on your sordid kinks."
"Screw this. I have class to get to."
"I need to leave as well."
"Fine! Abandon a friend in need!"
"See you later, Knox."
"I hope you all fall on your faces!"
"You need professional help, Knox."
"So, Core. How much can you lend me? I promise to pay you back when I can."
"Knox.. I...I only have a thousand to spare."
"A thousand? Are you shitting me, Core?"
"I-I'm sorry. But here, take it."
"Keep your lousy money! I'm going to die before the week is over, anyway."
"K-Knox..."
"What? What? Fuck it, Core! Don't give me that look! I hate being pitied! Just go!"
"B-but..."
"If you don't leave now, you'll get a tardy on your record. Is that what you want?"
"N-no. I'm going."
It's only after all nine people had gone do I release the deep breath I'd been holding. I climb down the large tree before heading to my own class, my mind cluttered with unpleasant thoughts.
