*peeks out from beneath barricade*
"I think the coast is clear Jerry..."
*Jerry muuurs*
"What? Jerry I can't differentiate between your sounds for duck or chicken--"
*Gets laid out by soaring car tire*
"YOW! Fuck!"
*hops up, dodging cellphones and pillows and lamps*
"RETREAT, JERRY! BACK IN THE BUNKER--"
*launches inside*
*trailer house crashes overhead*
*Jerry pokes out after a moment*
"Muur, muuurr!"
"I think that means, calm down and enjoy the chapter!"
*gets drilled by folding chair*
"Oof!"
{Thanks for reading!! I love you allll... I don't care if you hate me, go ahead haha. I'm sorry it took so long, I'm back in school, my sister got married, I have a boyfriend, had to survive through another semester of college...yea, not much for excuses, but I'll be honest with you! So sorry for being a complete and terrible asshole of an author! Hope you enjoy! :)}
Chapter 44 -
Not possessive not possessive-- Is all my terror - stricken brain can manage as I gawk wide-eyed at the She-Monster scarcely twenty feet away.
If there was a part of me that had the capacity to at the moment, I could easily bet that some fucking stupid part of me would be upset over the fact that what Sebastian had just said wasn't about him being possessive over me, or jealous that I was speaking to another male. Some part of me would. If I wasn't scared to the point of nearly shitting myself. But I'll be honest, right now I could go for a diaper.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck... Is all my brain can come up with right now, and that really isn't much for a fucking escape plan brain. Where the fuck are my survival instincts!?
The hall has gone eerily quiet, some kids whispering, but mostly everyone's just standing as stock still as me like the wee lambs that just spotted the starving lion. I can feel their eyes flitting back and forth between us, know that their brains are executing escape plans (like cram against the wall, dive into a classroom) for when she barrels down the hall at me. But nope, my brain has decided to stall on me with the thoughts 'fuck fuck fuck' on fucking repeat.
She looks ten times bigger than usual, maybe because it looks like a bunch of freshman are closest to her, looking maybe half as terrified as I feel. Her hair is pulled back from her squished wrinkled face in a tight ponytail. A determined, pee - inducing glower of pure execution is set like to the bones, even her piggy pug nose somehow looking scary. Was she always that big? Has she bulked up in the last while? Exercising by ripping fucking watermelons in half with her bare hands, imagining that it was my melon in her hands---
Noo! I yell at myself, trying to reign in my panic. Keep it together, you've gotta survive!
Beside PugFace stands her cronies, Em and Tamara. Em ('Emily Christenson' my brain supplies from when Abel told me in the library) didn't look as frightening. I mean, the girl is still built like a Ford F150, but her expression isn't bloodthirsty. Tamara on the other hand looks ready to pounce forward like a mad-eyed rottweiler with a snap of Flora's fingers.
Dear Lord Jeezus... Is all I can think, which is damn pathetic. I should manage some kind of escape route, or at least some snarky insult, because bitch, if I'm going out I'm gonna have some fucking famous last words!!
There's a sudden change in the atmosphere, an unspoken command, or something my Spidey-Sense picks up on. Maybe it was the way Tamara's body shifted, or the dart of Em's eye, or hell, maybe the fucking nostril-flaring BITCH-YOU'RE-MINE look on PugFace Flora Harkin ' s face, but I knew my time ran the fuck out.
All sense flew the coop as the hall collectively sucked in a petrified breath. I'm frozen where I stand, ready to shit my fucking pants and cry and scream 'THIS IS BULLSHIT' all at once. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT SHIT THIS IS IT THE END FUUUCK---
Flora took a step forward, wrinkled little eyes flashing with anger and insanity and god damned fucking murder when there's a sudden, ear-splitting shriek.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!" The scream is so loud half the hall ducks down in involuntary terror, and I swear to god I think I just fucking leaked Christ--- "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!" It goes again, so loud and high everyone is cringing and gasping. "Une araignee!" The voice shrieks again, and then I see the screamer, Mathilde Dupont, black hair flying, long limbs flailing as she scrambles amongst the masses, causing people to cram together to get out of her way, or ask her what was wrong.
"Mathilde, what--" A girl asks her, but Mathilde's high pitched screech cuts her out.
"Une araignee! Araignee GEANTE!!" She's squealing away in french and still thrashing about, jumping around and causing a giant mash-up of people. There's so much movement going on in just this last few seconds that I can't exactly see PugFace anymore and that freaks me out.
"What do you--" The girl tries again, and then Mathilde regains her mastery of the English language.
"Spidair! SPIDAIRS!! GIANT SPIDAIRS!!" She shouts, and that garners an automatic tumultuous reaction.
Panic. Widespread fucking panic. Kids are screaming at the top of their lungs, cramming backwards and colliding as they lose their complete and fucking shit. It's a roiling mess that reaches me in the form of Mariah's elbow nearly breaking my fucking nose - if i still wasn't in a panicked muddle myself I'd have reacted by breaking her fucking neck! - and a press of backpacks on almost every side. Through the clusterfuck of shouting and jostling and avoiding of elbows, I feel a tug and look over to see Simon, his skinny arm latching onto the sleeve of my polo.
He's saying something, but I can't fucking hear him because there's a girl howling right into my damned ear. "What?!" I shout at him.
His wide puppy-dog blue eyes dart to the right and back to me, and I turn my head. Through the smash of thrashing kids I can see PugFace, her furious squidgy eyes scanning for me as she tries to bully her way through. Christ shit Jeezus lord--
Oh god oh god oh GOD she's coming for me and I'm trapped in this mass of squalling children she'll shred through them and pounce on me she's gonna fucking SMEAR MY BABY BITCH BLOOD ON THE FLOOR SHIIITTT---
Suddenly I feel a hitching motion, my backpack tugging backwards and taking me with. The hell--Simon's grip on my sleeve is gone, and then with a nearly painful jerk I'm freed of the press of kids. Hard hands grasp me underneath the armpits and I'm lifted up (what the FUCK!?) and back and away and fully out of the crowd. For the few seconds I'm in the air, I get a clear look at PugFace Flora Harkin, viciously shouting down at the cowering freshman who are in her way, and terror bites down deep into my brain. Ahhhh Goooddd---
I'm swung around and towards a door, dropped unceremoniously (I nearly fall face first), kept upright by a strong grip on my backpack, and then an arm shoots past my face to push the door open. I'm shoved inside and glance back over my shoulder.
"Fucking run Psycho," Sebastian says, and then shuts the door.
I stare, frozen for half a second.
What in God's fucking name has just fucking happened?! I think, as I turn and dash across the classroom, dodging through desks. The startled teacher demands to know what's going on but I ignore her (somewhat a first for me?) and bolt through the other door. I sprint down the hall and then attempt to zip down the stairs, but after nearly slipping I tone it down a bit.
I guess that'd be one way to have the final say wouldn't it? I think. Instead of PugFace getting to crack my skull open I'd do it myself. Hahahaha... Christ, near death experiences turn you into a morbid person eh?
I don't even really know where I'm going until I realize I'm way the fuck away from where I need to be. Are these freshman lockers?? Squinting, I read the name 'Jordan Wool' printed neatly on a little paper football taped to one of said lockers. Yep. Freshman lockers. Sebastian was just telling me about Ashleigh - Quenby the She-Vikings mute little friends' - brother the other day. Jeez, how did I end up here?
I wander a little farther and then find a bathroom. Debate hiding in the boys' bathroom - that'd be a sneaky-ass way to throw PugFace off the trail! - but decide against it. I don't need to see anything I'd rather not see. I dart into the last stall and sit down. Its only in the quiet that I realize I'm mouth breathing like a Saint Bernard in labor.
Christ, that was too close. Way way wayyyy too close. If Mathilde hadn't had a panic attack over whatever it was... That thought brings me up short. Did she do that on purpose? Mathilde isn't usually thaaaat dramatic...and she did say she wanted to 'halp' me, since we seem to have a mutual dislike to PugFace Flora Harkin.....
My heart is still hammering, from the run I just did most likely, and because I'm still imagining how close I was to literal death. If Mathilde hadn't screamed...
If Sebastian hadn't moved you! A voice in the back of my head whispers, and I'm jolted to remember that. Sebastian. Sebastian MacFuckingCrain had moved me. He'd pulled me out of the squash of morons and tossed me into another room. Shut the door behind me. Told me to run.
Christ I'm more confused than a Dad in the baby food aisle.
Sebastian helped me. He HELPED ME. Like what in the actual fuck is THAT?! He hates me!! Why the hell would he remove me from that situation like he did?
Because he liiikees y--
I slap down the teeny tiny voice with a mental sledgehammer. No no no no noooope-ity nope NO. He DOES NOT like me!!! He is an asshole! A completely cocky, gorgeous, fucking baffoon of an asshole who can be incredibly stupid and annoyingly smart all at once, but he is seriously one of the worst jerk-offs in the history of jerk-offs.
So why did he help me? The question isn't the little voice, its my own confused as fuck voice. And it pisses me off. What pisses me off more is that butterflies start tickling in my belly at the thought of Sebastian liking me and that quite literally wants to make me vomit them all the fuck up.
Vmp vmp!
"Jeezus!" I yelp and about jump out of the stall. Then want to slap myself for being so jumpy. Just my stupid phone, stupid Clarisse! I dig through my bag and pull it out. It's Scarlett.
Scarlett: Hey are you ok??
Scarlett: Where are you???
Scarlett: CLARISSE
Damn, she's worried. Does she know that I just about got mangled??
Me: Im ok. do u kno about pugface?
Takes me three tries just to type Pugface because my fingers shake thinking about it. Scarlett's response is instantaneous.
Scarlett: Yes, heard she was coming for you. Where are you?
She heard already? Did the gossip already spread across the school that quickly? Damn brats...
Me: in bathroom by frshman lockers. how did you hear??
Scarlett: Ok, well Flora just walked into another class so you should be ok. Simon texted me, said you got away from her and hoped you'd find me or something.
Simon? Scarlett knows Simon?? He texted Scarlett? Crap, I didn't know they even knew one another. Oh well, I suppose I've talked about him, and frankly I don't know all of Simon's friends either, so they're bound to know each other somehow. And like seriously, awww, freaking Simon, acting like the cutiest little Beagle Buddy and looking out for me!! Just wanna pinch his face to pieces!
Me: Ok well i should get to class n stuff
Scarlett: Alright! Well don't get too comfy because at like one I think we're all going to be heading over to Trolley's.
Trolley's?
My mind blanks out for a moment as I try to make sense of Scarlett's text. 'We're all going' and 'Trolley's'?? Why the hell does Trolley's sounds so familiar? And who is we anyways?? Then there's a terrifying moment when it all connects in my mind.
Oh fuck.
Trolley's. The place where the stupid as fuck coronation takes place!!
Son of a bitch.
****
"Alright, alright! Hush up hooligans! I need to do roll-call..." Mrs.Hartford calls out to us, her little grandma-y shoes scuffing over the pavement as she paces.
I'll give you hooligan, I think darkly at the nuggety smidge of a woman. Her tone reminds of my neighbor Mrs.O'Heimer, and that isn't a great likeness. Particularly for the mood I'm in. Which is shitty, if you haven't noticed.
I'm standing stiffly next to Scarlett and Sadie Cross - she's exchanged words with Scarlett but hasn't looked up from her phone since I came over - amongst the throng of Homecoming Candidates and non-Candidates as we wait to all go and practice the Coronation. (The thought of which makes me want to just bury myself into a hole! A fifty foot hole straight fucking down!).
From the looks of it, everybody is here, but Mrs.Hartford has to do roll call anyways (I personally think its an excuse for her to get to yell at us all). There are, of course, a few people I wish weren't present (one of which is myself, but, the fuck can I do about it exactly?), and their identities might be a little obvious *cough* Nyssa, *cough* Sebastian...
When she called my name, I grunted 'here' and she had to squint around stupidly buff Dean Sichmiller to find me. When she called out Sebastian he of course did the stupid little prank where you tap the shoulder opposite of which you are standing so the person looks the wrong way. The stupid little joke got a good laugh out of everybody and I swear Mrs.Hartford was blushing again.
Once Mrs.Hartford gets everybody calmed down from their laughing fit she jabs her pencil to the large, white traveling van behind her. "Now, as you are all seniors and hopefully," - her eyes skewer Graham - "capable adults, we are allowing you to drive up to Trolley's with your own vehicle. We would suggest car-pooling because then you would stay together. If some of you would not, I can take the van, which has a capacity of 6 people. Anyone willing to ride in the van?"
Graham instantly flew to Mrs.Hartford's side, throwing an arm around her. "Oh my sweet sweet lady, you're so kind to offer to drive me, but as a gentleman, I'd rather be chauffeur. Would you honor me by taking the position of shotgun in my noble steed?" With a dramatic swoop fit for fucking Broadway he points to a silver-blue hyundai sonata. It looked like a fairly new (like 2010 or beyond at least), and shimmered like a magical fucking unicorn.
Not exactly the nice car I was expecting - because don't all football players drive stupid fancy cars? Where's the neon lambhorghini? - but still damn nice. Jesus lord...
For half a second I swear Mrs.Hartford went pink in the face, but she pushed his arm off instantly after, snorting. "Ah right, yes yes Mr. Beltzer. Thank you but no." She turned on the rest of us, scowling like it was our fault that Graham is complete utter moron. "Well? Anyone? Otherwise hop to it! We've got a lot to do today!"
I turn to Scarlett, a nervous lump growing fast as hell in my throat. "Can I leave now?" I mutter under my breath.
"What?" She says back to me, blinking.
"Can I just leave? I'll take my van and go home. Call in and say I'm sick. Or that I died. Or I'll just disappear! I'm moving to Europe. Like Germany or something. Maybe Yugoslavia..." Hell, I'll just move into my basement!! Anything to escape this torture...
Scarlett grabbed my wrist as I was just going to sneak off. "Ohhh no no noooooo no. Don't leave me! I don't want to be here either, trust me! But we have to!" Have to? God damn you, why must you have the morals of a god damned girl scout? "C'mon, it won't be so bad! Today's just practice anyways." Practice is literally just the pre-curser to the real fucking thing.
"Scarlett!" Someone says, and she turns away from me - time to escape! *attempts to pull out of her grasp and is thwarted by her iron grip* FUCK! - to whoever just spoke. I'm surprised to see Soo Jin walking up, looking adorable in a pink beanie. I didn't know she knew Scarlett! Hell, I never know that Scarlett knows a lot of people...Lord, she's more of a social butterfly than I knew!
"Did you want to ride Desiree and I?" I hear her ask, and I'm instantly hit with a spear of mild panic. Crap. I am gonna have to drive up by myself. Like Desiree and Soo Jin want me in their car? They probably think I'll have a psycho moment and run us off the road! I focus on trying to extricate myself from Scarlett's grip.
"Sure!" Scarlett says, and I fight the urge to glower. Why am I mad? Scarlett has every right to be with her friends, and frankly they'd be nicer to her than I'd ever be. "You got room for two?" Scarlett asks, and I'm stopped dead. Oh crap. Did Scarlett just invite me? Into someone else's car?! Oh good God! I peek up from my purpling hand to catch Desiree throwing a questioning look to Soo Jin, who is now looking at me. She's tiny. Like barely five feet. But she meets my gaze without questions and automatically says, "Sure! We'll squish because Brent's and Mathilde are riding with us, but we'll manage. Clarisse isn't very big." She throws me a smile and I can only stare back like a startled fish.
She's letting me ride in her car. Oh jeez.
"O-Oh. Thanks." I stutter like an anxious 12-year-old. She gives me a small smiles and starts walking away, Desiree trailing behind, and Scarlett starts dragging me. I jerk my arm free and she gives me a small smile over her shoulder. I'm about to tell her how crazy this is (someone I don't know that well is letting me get in their car!! What times!) but someone slams into my side with enough force to nearly send me fucking sprawling!
"S-" I start, and then realize that the person is hugging me, and they smell distinctly girly.
"'Ello! 'Ello 'ello 'ellooo!" Mathilde is singing. Mathilde. Mathilde. Spider-fucking-legs Mathilde is singing to me.
"Ahh, err hello hello," I mutter back, feeling really squished and very very very veryyyyy fucking confused. Mathilde is hugging me. What. The. Fuck.
She's smiling widely down at me, her spindly little arms tight around my shoulders, talking so fast I'm struggling to track what she's fucking saying. "I am soooo haappeee to see zat you aurr alright!! So happpeee! I was sooo worried zat eet woood not work! But eet deed! Eet worked!"
As she speaks she keeps squeezing me harder and harder, and its painful because I can feel her fucking bones through her thin little arms, and I think her clavicle is going to leave a mark on my fucking temple!! "What worked? What?? Please let go, Jesus, ouch ouch..."
"Ooh! Pardon! Pardon. I deed not meeeen to hurrt youu, I am jahst sooo happeee to know zat I halped you today!" She squeals as she lets go, smiling broadly like two and a half feet above me (an exaggeration, but whatever).
She 'halped' me today?? What the hell...Oh. I freeze in time, staring up at her as realization slams into my brain like a sledge hammer to the cranium. She did fucking help me today. In the hallway. When PugFace was going to rip through the wall of children and shred me to pieces and smear my baby bitch blood on the floor, Mathilde started up a screaming riot.
I feel embarrassed heat warming my cheeks (not the way you weirdos are gonna think!) and I can barely speak through shock. "Today...you...you ah...screamed...the spiders...oh..."
She's nodding vigorously, beaming like a little kid at the dentist after being told they have perfect teeth (which she fucking does). She looks one of her spindly arms through mine and starts walking, probably towards the car we're riding in but I'm still too fucking shocked. "Oui! I deed! I halped you! I saw herr in zee hahhllwayy, and I zought, 'Oh noo! Zat chienee weel get herr! She weel get Cla-Reeese! I mahst do zomezing!' So I did zee fairst zing zat came to mind! Ahnd eet worked!"
At times like these it feels like a million things should be running through my mind, and it almost feels that way, except my mind isn't fucking moving. I'm just too shocked. I mean, I had wildly debated the idea that Mathilde had helped me, but that had been wild thinking, because I was so panicked...but shit. I was fucking right. And as I stare up as this ridiculously attractive French girl, I can't fucking fathom why the hell she would even help me. Because honestly, I've never been anything but rude or mean to this girl. I mean, I guess not really to her face, but I've never been real polite or friendly either, but here she is, going out of her way to help me. Because she doesn't want me to get hurt, and she doesn't like PugFace. I'd assumed that when she'd been determined to 'halp' me before with Abel, it had been because she wanted to impress him, but no, this proves that she isn't. He wasn't in that hallway. She just started screaming bloody fucking murder about spiders to distract PugFace...
Holy fuck.
"Um..." My eyes are down on the pavement as we walk, latching onto my dirty shoes and her cute floral sneakers. Christ christ christ. C'mon Clarisse, look up, be a man, look her in the eye, don't be a bitch about it... I raise my gaze and utter the words. "Thank you. S-Seriously. You didn't have to do that..."
She busts into my awkward thanks happy as ever, probably not even noting how weird it is for me to thank someone for doing something for me. "Eet ees no proobelem! I am jahst glahd eet worked!"
By now we've stopped at Soo Jin (or Desiree's) car, a beat up tan Chevy Equinox, and I'm saved from having to try and be grateful (though I seriously am...I'm just a completely weird and awkward ass person ok?!) as we attempt to fit...
Eventually it ended up being Soo Jin driving (as it is her car), Desiree Hall and Brent Tubandt sitting together in the front seat (I assumed that that meant they were a couple, but then Brent started sending snapchats of Desiree on his lap to his boyfriend saying 'She's trying to straighten me out!'), and then me, Scarlett and Mathilde sitting in the back. Mathilde would not shut up to me. She told me all about the 'fantastique' light blue dress covered in sequins that she got (from some brand called Faviana or whatever). Then she questioned me on what she should do with her hair, and proceeded to show me pictures on her phone, and I had no idea what the hell to tell her because they all just liked like celebrity hair with big curls and bouffants.
By the time we reached Trolley's I was nearly read to bail from the car, but once I got a look at the somewhat familiar looking old building I just about crawled under the seat.
"Oooh!" Mathilde gasped as she looked out the window, her nails biting into my arm. "So pretty! Looks veddy...veenteeje? ventijjy?" She looked at me for help.
"Vintage?" I supplied, my voice cracking as I stare up at the old building with a growing sense of terror.
Trolley's was once the old old school in our town. By the 50s it was getting to small, so the school was moved elsewhere, but the large building was bought by a rich entrepreneur who turned into a fancy dance hall (the gym became the main dance hall). It was popular up until the mid seventies, when it kind of got down-graded to just a restaurant (in a different part of the building), but the old gym/dance hall has always been kept in good condition for being rented out for things like fundraisers or weddings or the traditional Homecoming Coronation and dance. *cue me flinging myself off the top of a high building*
As everyone else was jumping out of the car in excitement, Scarlett had to about drag me out, and I about got away if it wasn't for Abel.
He'd just hopped out of Graham's sonata, and managed to block the section of sidewalk that I'd been planning on sprinting down. His eyes lit on me and he grinned ruefully. I felt Scarlett's presense disappear behind me and I cursed her from leaving me alone with the smexy piece of ass (Lord forgive me). "You look so excited to be here," He says.
"As excited as a cat to take a bath," I mutter under my breath.
Abel laughs and starts walking up the steps to the old wooden doors than everybody else was going through. "I'm with ya there. But..." His eyes travel around the nice wood paneling lining the walls and the decorative ceiling. "Its still a pretty cool place."
"Hnn." Is all I can manage.
As we get farther in, I can feel the panic really begin to settle in my stomach. Christ christ christ christ motherflipping chriiistt!! As we get farther in, down the hallway, we start to meet red and white and black balloons, and cool streamer designs, and everyone around us is 'oooh'ing and 'ah'ing and I'm about ready to keel over and vomit on the shiny wood floor.
The main entrance into the gym/dance hall is what really gets the sweat running down my back. It's encircled in black and white balloons with glittery red streamers wreathing the doors, shiny as the terrified blood pumping way-too-fucking fast in my veins. Oh shit shit shit SHIIIT...I feel clammy. Like a clam. Like a clam in the ocean. I literally feel like a clammed up fucking clam in the fucking ocean because I can barely walk and clams can't walk, clams down have feet, where are my feet, and clams are in the ocean and there's water in the ocean and I can't breathe in the ocean I'm gonna drown, I'm gonna drown in panic, ohhh fuucckk...
Stepping through the main door took all the strength I had, and just looking around the massive room was enough to sap everything I had left.
Balloons. Streamers. Lights. Strobe lights. Christmas lights. Glittery streamers and glittery balloons and red glittery streamers trailing from the giant chandelier like blood, like my bloood OHHHHH GOOOODD THIS IS IT. I'M DEAD THE CLAM IS FUCKING DEAD. THE CLAM IS DEAD, THE CLAM IS GONNA JUST FUCKING DIE. THE CLAM IS D-
"Well damn," A voice says beside me, and that voice is the only thing that stops me from screaming and fainting to floor. It stops me just because it's Abel's voice, and not because it grounds me or calms me or anything, but because it reminds me that Abel is right beside me and I really really really REALLY don't want to scream and then faint and end up muttering about clams with him beside me. Save that melt down for another day. Like tonight or something.
"They went all out, huh?" Abel says, and in the bright golden glow of some white christmas lights behind him he looks seriously like the Greek god I've always claimed him to be, and I start sweating for another reason entirely.
"Uh huh," I gulp, trying to swallow back the complete spazz attack that is quite literally two and a half centimeters from happening.
From somewhere in the mess of streamers and balloons and sparkly shit I can hear Mrs.Hartford calling for everybody to line up, and be quick about it. Abel looks around at everyone else gathering together, then holds his arm out to me, like I've seen people do in prom pictures.
"Let's do some Homecoming shit," He says, grinning so blindingly that my heart starts fluttering.
_____________
Hope you liked it! Sorry sorry sorry again for being an asshole and taking forever to update...
Thanks for reading and enjoy!