THE REST OF MY FOREVER

7:Nominees

Nine exams. Nine victims. Preparations were underway.

I sat at my desk and observed everybody as they moved around conversing- possibly sharing stories of their last stress-free weekend for the next month. These were my classmates of four years, so you can imagine how weird it was having to choose who goes and who stays (or rather, lives). They were equally vain and annoying, yet somehow this was slowly becoming the hardest decision of my life.

The trick was to kill people who were not too close to Brenda, which automatically ruled out AJ (unfortunately), but at the same time, children whose parents were not rich enough to hire a private investigator to muck things up. It would have also been pretty good to get a neglected child, maybe someone from an improper foster home. The question was: did any of these idiots milling around me match the requirements.

AJ came to my desk unexpectedly, snatching the Victim Journal out of my hands.

"Nominees?" he mocked, "What's this for? Some award show you and your little dolls are going to have at your princess tea party?"

"Piss off, Aubrey," I dared to respond, my mind somehow aware of Brenda's absence from the room. This weekend had somewhat changed me. Ordinary Leon would never have spoken back.

"Everybody," he announced, "I just found Leo's diary! How about we have a look then? Are you with me?"
People cheered eagerly from all corners of the room (I told you they were vain!) and he got up on a desk to 'read'. I added the quotation marks to make it very clear to you that there was really nothing in that book! The sole word in that book was NOMINEES, at the top of the first page. Yet by some unknown force, AJ "found" an entire paragraph to read.

"Dear Diary," he said, adding a dramatic slur for effect.

"Give it back!" I fumed, but obviously from up on the table it was way too high for me to snatch it from him. Apart from that, I knew I generally stood no physical chance against him so I was going to avoid an actual fight at all costs.

"Come on, Aubrey. Don't be such a jerk!"

People laughed, because they had heard that high-pitched squeak come out of me. I know little girls who sound manlier that I did in that moment. Aubrey- Jay went on as if he hadn't heard me.

"Tea-party tonight with Flo and Gertrude. I'm honestly mortified! What if I spill tea on my gown? I can't write more though, I would totally die if Brenda's Ziezey found out about this diary-"
The trigger was pulled. I don't know where the acceleration came from, but I leapt approximately an inch off the ground and snatched my journal angrily. I marched out of the room while a buzz of laughter awoke behind me. There was the slightest trace of moisture in the rims of my eyes that I didn't want even Charlie to see. My trudge maintained velocity until I was safe in a toilet cubicle. It reeked of urine in there, but it was better than sitting in class, allowing myself to be mocked by imbeciles.

Someone else came into the bathroom and I heard the spray of their irrigation against the enamel surface of the urinal. I hated those things with a violent passion: peeing in the open like savages? Seriously? The trickle stopped and something slid towards me from under the door. It was a copy of Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.

"Got you a gift, Barbie," Asa's voice said from the other side of the door.

"Go to hell, Jericho!"

I kicked the book out.

Just to be clear, I was though the Princess Diaries to be a riveting read, but I would kill myself if Asa ever knew that.

"How about you come out here and face me, sissy. Or would you rather hang out in there and cry all day?"