Chapter 9 - The Elegance of Revenge
Every time I passed someone in the hall on the way to class, I felt rather than saw their curious stares. It became clear to me that everyone in school had been expecting a girl fight to break out.
They shouldn't have.
I was raised with the belief that the best victory is one that requires no battle. Besides, all I've ever wanted was to be left alone. Hopefully Mindee would think twice before confronting me again.
Lucky for me first hour English was right around the corner. I had already taken my usual seat in the back of the classroom when twenty or so kids, now tardy, poured in to find their desks. I pretended not to notice their gawking stares that always made me feel like the main attraction in a carnival of oddities.
I used to hate all of the attention. But after dealing with it every single day since Kindergarten, eventually I got used to it. With no true sense of belonging, my way of dealing with the pain of rejection was to put up walls and not let anyone get close enough to hurt me. That didn't mean I wasn't affected by all the haters.
Being a loner doesn't make you bulletproof.
"Good Morning, class," Mrs. Long began in a bright voice. "We have a new student with us today. Carmen, would you please come up to the front of the class?"
My head snapped up. As if newbies didn't feel out of place enough, some teachers felt the urge to make things worse. I watched as Carmen calmly took her place beside our teacher.
"Class, say hello to Carmen Montgomery." Everyone mumbled a pathetic hello. Mrs. Long smiled encouragingly. "Go ahead, tell us a little about yourself."
When she spoke, her voice was surprisingly clear and strong. "Hi, my name is Carmen. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. This is my first time living in a small town." I had to give her props for being so supremely confident, even though she obviously hated it here. Meeting my eyes across the room, she forced a smile. "Things have been...interesting so far."
A couple students turned around in their seats to look at me. I glared back until they stopped.
"Thank you Carmen," Mrs. Long said, waiting for her to take her seat. "Please turn to chapter twenty-four in your English books."
I wasn't listening as she explained the homework assignment. I was too busy thinking about Carmen. I have a secret talent for predicting which social class newbies will eventually fit into. Sure, some newbies were way more obvious than others. Take Goths for instance. Easy. But some, like Carmen, were harder.
More of a challenge.
I'd say, for her, it was going to be a choice between Preps, Scene, Stoners, Geeks, Jocks and Farmies. The last two cliques were mostly for guys. Of course, there was always the Loners. But out of an entire school, there was only room in that click for one. Yes. I was in a class all by myself.
As for Carmen, I predicted that she would fit in with the Preps because of the way she dressed. However, her personal style wasn't very straight forward. It had more of a twist. Carmen combined Preppy with Beachy. The look was snobby yet casual, which totally worked for her. And you didn't need to be psychic to predict that all the girls in school were going to go home and copy her look.
I heaved a sigh. Tomorrow there would be Carmen clones all over the freaking school.
Wasn't one bad enough?
My only relief of the day came when fifth hour finally rolled around. Personal Computing – my favorite. Not simply because it was the last class of the day, but also because I had the entire back of the huge room all to myself. It was the one time I could truly relax at school without sensing the emotional garbage of others.
Unless they got too close, that is. Lucky for me computer work was solitary.
As soon as I sat down at my work station, I felt someone hovering over me. I glanced up to find Carmen smiling down at me. Her startlingly brilliant white teeth were almost too painful to look at.
Note to self: bring sunglasses, or go blind.
"Mind if I sit here?" she asked, gesturing to the cubicle on my right. I looked around the room at all the other available computers.
"Whatever." Maybe if I ignored her, she'd go away.
Carmen sat down, a megawatt smile still plastered on her glorious face. She oozed cheerfulness all over me. Gross. Part of me wanted to get up and move to an empty cubicle on the opposite side of the classroom, but that seemed rude. I was still trying to decide if I cared when the bell rang.
Mr. Glen began class by giving us a spreadsheet assignment, explaining that we had the rest of the hour to turn it in. Once we electronically submitted our work, he allowed us to get on the internet. I had the assignment finished and scanned to him in fifteen minutes flat. Instead of surfing the web, I planned on using the rest of the hour to work on algebra homework. I loathed math with a passion, but I think my algebra teacher had made it his life's mission to make me understand it. He simply refused to let me fail his class.
Yeah, as if not knowing algebra made me uncivilized.
"Hey, whatcha doin' this weekend?" Carmen whispered.
I glanced up from my book. I never had plans for the weekend other than trying to get out of working on the farm, of course.
"Homework," I whispered back, lifting up my book. Meeting her curious stare, I was surprised by what I didn't see. Unlike everyone else at school there was no laughter behind her eyes.
"Did you forget that it's Halloween?" When I didn't respond, Carmen scooted her chair closer to mine. "Algebra, huh? I hate math."
I nodded. "That's makes two of us."
"So, what's up with you? Are you really a freak like everyone says?"
Honesty – I admire that in a newbie.
I tossed her a wry smile. "You like to get right to the point, don't you?"
She shrugged. "It saves time."
If she could be honest, so could I. "Yeah, I'm a freak. So what?"
Carmen's smile transformed into a mischievous grin. "Someone said you tried to kill the gym teacher. What's up with that?"
I'd heard a news report on the local radio station that confirmed a teeny tornado had been responsible for the path of destruction wrought at the track.
I shrugged. "It was the wind."
"Then why is everyone convinced that you're somehow responsible? You can't make it storm, can you?" When I didn't answer she moved in even even closer, taking my silence as an affirmation. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Does that you mean you have other hidden talents?"
Somehow I didn't think it would be very productive if I said, "Yeah, I just found out that I'm an angel, and my so-called "talents" are to bring death and destruction to all of mankind." Then, striking a Superman pose, it would only make matters worse to follow that statement up by saying, "But have no fear, I've sided with a Guardian and unless the Dark Ones kill me first, I'm going to live to save the day."
Carmen sensed my hesitation. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so nosy. I don't care if you're a freak. It doesn't make me like you any less."
"Thanks, I think?" I wasn't quite sure if that was a compliment or not.
Her smile disappeared. "I don't subscribe to all this narrow minded bullshit in farm country." Leaning forward, she whispered in my ear. "Normal people scare me too."
I grinned helplessly.
Easing back in her chair, she glanced around the room with a look of disgust. "I get how kids in this school are mean to you. I think it's pretty shitty, but I've seen a lot worse. I've been to schools where the students are so cruel, they act like junior terrorists." She smiled bitterly. "This is Mickey Mouse compared to what I'm used to. You wanna talk stuck up? In LA, if you made a friend that didn't like you just because your parents were famous, or because you had buckets of money, you were lucky. I didn't have either, so I didn't make friends."
I looked at her shocked. "You seem to fit in here just fine."
Her eyes flew open wide. "Are you kidding me? I just let everyone think what they want."
"Well, whatever you're doing, it's working," I admitted.
She shook her head. "So far, no one's even bothered to get to know me. This is the first real conversation I've had."
"Do your parents plan on moving back to California?" I said absently.
"God, I hope so. I tried staging a protest when I found out we were moving to Michigan, but the parentals insisted. School might suck even worse in LA, but the parties are friggin' legendary! My dad thinks I'd get in too much trouble if I grew up in a big city." Grinning from ear to ear, she added, "Between you and me, he's right."
She stretched impatiently. I watched as her grin dissolved into a look of pure annoyance. "I'm seriously gonna lose it in this hick town. What do you people do for fun?"
I shrugged. "Not much. Hastings doesn't have a mall or anyplace to hang out, except the tiny downtown. We have a roller rink though."
She pretended to gag. "Your not serious, I hope."
"Girls," Mr. Glen called out. Our heads snapped up at the same time. "If you're finished with your work, please keep your voices down."
We both started to giggle, causing everyone to look up from their computers.
So much for keeping our voices down.
Luckily the bell rang. I had precious little time to make it all the way back to my locker and still have enough time to walk clear to the other end of school to catch the bus. Saying a hasty goodbye to Carmen, I made a mad dash for the door. With my Algebra book in my left hand, I glanced down momentarily to shove it in my messenger bag and ended up smacking right into Brian Mathews. As captain of the varsity football team, Brian was also the most popular jerk in school.
Tall and beefy with spiky blonde hair, his boyish good looks were ruined by a scowl that challenged my own. Besides Mindee, Brian was my next least favorite person. I was almost positive they were dating each other just to spite me. I called them the gruesome twosome.
"Look who we have here," Brian drawled. "It's Red, Red the Cabbage Head." All of the students still in the classroom started to laugh. "Watch where you're going Red!"
"Bravo," I cheered, clapping my hands sarcastically. "Brilliant name for a red-head, Captain Obvious."
For a split second Brian flinched as if he'd been stung. Recovering quickly, he knocked my book bag to the floor.
"That's for Mindee," he warned, waggling a stubby finger in my face as he stared me down. "Don't ever threaten her again."
For a moment there I considered stabbing him in the eye with my super sharp pencil. But that seemed wrong, and just a touch violent. When I didn't respond right away, Brian assumed he'd defeated me. Turning half way around, he gave a high-five to one of his football buddies.
This time I refused to lose control. I wasn't going to allow him, or anyone else for that matter, to upset me to the point where it felt like I might self destruct. Lowering my gaze to the floor, I calmly studied my book bag with the papers and books spilling out as if it had thrown up. When I eventually raised my head, I found myself smiling.
It felt weird, even to me.
Brian had absolutely no idea how creative I could be at revenge. Maybe not right now, but he would get what he deserved.
I nodded to his buddies, waiting impatiently beside the door. "You better hurry, your playmates are getting antsy."
"Watch it, Red," he said, voice strained with anger.
I gave a snort. "Do me a favor. The next time you call me a name, try to think of something more original."
"Whatever you say, Red." Eyes mocking, he snickered and walked away.
"Brian..." I called.
He froze in the doorway. When he turned back around his face was taut and hard with one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"What do you get when you rub two red-headed kids together?"
He shrugged, trying to look bored.
"Fire."
Brian's eyes went a touch wide. "Are you threatening me?"
"No." I smiled again before I could stop myself. "I'm just saying, if you play with fire eventually you get burned."
Brian looked at me puzzled, not quite sure how to respond. The dazed look on his face was cake. The fact that he was too stunned to speak was icing on top with extra sprinkles.
Satisfied he'd been put in his place, I turned around and bent down to retrieve my books and papers as he shuffled away. I was still busy stuffing everything back in my bag when a commotion started out in the hallway. I stood up just in time to see bodies colliding so suddenly it was startling. Carmen hovered beside the heap, trying to look innocent. I walked to the door to find out what had happened, only to discover I wasn't the only one curious. Within moments it seemed as if the entire school had congregated in the hallway.
Everyone loves a show.
Elbowing my way through the door and into the hall, I saw Brian on the floor with at least seven or eight guys stacked on top of him. I couldn't help but feel all warm and cozy inside.
Carmen bent low over Brian's head – the only part of him sticking out. "Why you gotta hate on Chaos? What's she ever done to you?" she sneered. "If I were you, I'd leave her alone."
My eyes twitched in surprise. All I could do was stare at Carmen with my mouth hanging open.
Turning to me, she said, "You ready to kick it?" I didn't remember giving her an answer before she sauntered away like her hips had the hiccups.
I was all like, "Damn!" Nobody had ever stood up for me before. Picking my mouth up off the floor, I glanced down at Brian. Seeing him flattened underneath the crush of his football buddies was like a double scoop of irony with a cherry on top. Make that two cherries.
Suddenly I liked Carmen. A lot.
As I waited for Brian to untangle himself, I wondered how he liked getting his tail twisted for a change. He stood up without ever taking his eyes off mine. We continued to stare each other down – his face blazing with hatred, and mine lit up with satisfaction in neon lights. He probably didn't need me to point out the obvious, but I decided to do it anyway.
"Don't you just love how life can take unexpected turns." I paused for effect. "Poetic, ain't it?"
Brian's face turned beet red. For a split second there I thought steam was going to rise out of his collar. Instead he turned around unexpectedly and walked away without saying another word. I was willing to bet it was the first time he'd ever backed down in his life.
Who said football jocks can't learn new tricks?
By the time I found Carmen she was way down at the other end of the hall, putting her books in her locker. I had to run just to catch up.
"Hey, what happened back there?" I called out of breath.
She faced me abruptly. "I tripped him."
"Uh, thanks for the assist, but why?"
"Guurl please," she said in a loud voice. Her neck was working, hand twisting when she explained. "I did it to show him that he ain't all that. He's just tryin' to be a thug, that's all. I hate it when guys like him show their butts."
I smiled. "I think he got the point."
She nodded, agreeing with me. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll meet you outside, k?"
"K," I mumbled, pathetically. After all the excitement wore off, it took me a few moments to realize I was going to miss my ride if I didn't hurry. Rushing to my locker, I took out the books I needed for homework, then stuffing them in my messenger bag I ran to catch the bus.
Once outside I saw Carmen talking to Mindee and the McClones. Watching them as they exchanged excited whispers and giggles made me feel like a freak show fringe-dweller. I tried to wait around for Carmen to notice, but that just made me seem desperate. I gave up and casually walked past the group. A small part of me hoped Carmen would notice.
She didn't.
As soon as I made it to the curb, the bus pulled away.
Great, just great. If I hadn't been standing around feeling sorry for myself, I wouldn't have missed the stupid bus.
I hate my life.