"From hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee." ~ Khan (para-quoting Mellville's Moby D*ck)
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I take my T-shirt from Lee's hand and wipe the water out of my eyes. Lee's of course, has no idea what any of this is bullshit is about. Hell, he's just happy he got an A on Chad's pride. I accept a hearty knuckle bump from a clearly pleased Sporka and a wan smile from Abrams.
"I'm hitting the showers, don't forget to get the money, Sporka." I instruct him on the ancient art of loan sharking. "If they don't have the money today, tell them to bring it tomorrow, plus five percent interest. Five percent jumps to ten at the end of the week. You got all that?"
"Oh yeah, I am all over that like Lee's second sister." Sporka is all grins and double chins as he laughs his best boisterous belly laugh yet.
"Good, and don't try to find me at lunch. I'll find you if I feel like it." Primarily because I don't want some Sophomore smacking him around for passing Go without a pass. "If not, then just hold on to the money until tomorrow."
"No problemo." Sporka grins like there is no tomorrow. "All will be done as you have commanded, Satan gang leader."
"Right." I roll my eyes and start stomping towards the showers.
I am not even ten steps across the pool deck towards the locker room and already the bullshit begins. Chad is staring at me with twitchy eyes like I just killed his firstborn. I can see that he wants to say something smart or at least smartassed to me. But every time he starts to open his mouth, his eyes twitch to my ink and some part of his primal lizard brain is screaming at him to shut the hell up before I kill him.
"Darren, over here!" Brad is now yelling at me from across the pool, waving me over to where he and Buzzy are standing on the opposite bleachers. Old Buzzard is cockeyed down at his timer and staring back up at me with the most interesting expression. So I don't even bother looking back in his direction as I walk towards the showers followed by Acosta and Polanski right on my heels.
"What the hell was that Dean?" Polanski immediately starts in on me for kicking his ass in the pool.
"Was that a fish kick?" Acosta jumps in. "Holy shit man, how did you learn how to do that?"
"From the internet." I drone in passing.
"Can you show me how to do that kick?" Acosta is practically begging me.
"Not gonna happen." I wave him off. "Go ask Buzz Off or Chad'n'Brad, they're your coaches. Leave me out of it."
"Hey, there's no reason we can't be cool guy...." Polanski moves to grab my arm and I turn hard on him. I easily twist his wrist off me and back on itself, until I see the pain flash in his face.
"Don't ever touch me again, you little bitch-boy." I intone coldly stepping in on him. "Not unless you want to get your ass handed to you sideways out of the water as well. You got me, Freshmeat? Or do I need to carve that into your skin with a rusty razor, so you don't ever forget?"
"Sorry..." Both Polanski and Acosta immediately back away, shaking their sorry hands at me.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." I snort in the local custom and keep on stomping my way back to the lockers. The only thought pounding through my thick head now is,"flock, flock, flock me! Why I am so stupid!"
I grab my shower gear and hit the hot showers to scrub the scent of chlorine out of my skin before lunch with May. As the poor freshmeat begin to drift in for their first communal shower, almost every kid looks like he just woke up in an OZ like prison rape nightmare. It seems pretty clear to me that except for my new swim team, all the freshmen have decided that I am not cool at all ...but in fact"scary as shit". So they all avoid looking directly at me like the plague now, which I must say is probably better for everyone considering.
After seeing the freshmen in the pool, I can also now confirm that ol' Aces was in fact right about one thing at least. None of the other San Fall kids have any ink at all, not even tribal tattoos, or at least not any of the freshman. By the time I hit my first day of high school, I had both Setting Sun cartouche and the lightning bolt on my elbows. Even before the War on Hate, I was a Set for life with Kings X's over my heart and red Nautical Star in opposition. The Setting Sun rocker with Skull and Bones on my back and my necklaced battle motto came later. After that war ended abruptly with the meth-death of the shitheads in question. Best Christmas Ever!
Unfortunately for me, the moment I walk out of the showers I also find Buzzy, Brad'n'Chad waiting for me to have a little man-to-man talking time. Ol Buzzard narrowed eyes, making him look like a calculating greedy horse trader that just found a thoroughbred at the slaughterhouse on the cheap. Brad has adopted his standard friendly "It's all cool in the pool" chill-tastic persona. But of course, Chad looks completely pissed off at being forced to deal with me at a disadvantage, yet again.
"I didn't know that you could fish kick, that is seriously impressive Darren." Brad tries to get past the hostility with all his super chillaxe friendly.
"Not interested." I intone coldly, cutting down his chill.
"Well, we need a word with you, Darren." Buzzy immediately starts in wheeling and dealing.
"No, we don't ...Buzz off." I retort bluntly pushing past the trio of plungers towards my locker.
"Look Darren, I know we've had our differences over the summer. But I think we can push past that and..." Buzzy starts trailing me down the rows towards my locker.
"Not interested in your pushing, Buzzard." I drone.
"That's Coach Dietrich to you, Princess." Chad cuts in unhelpfully.
"No, that's some creepy old dude in speedos hanging out in the boy's locker room trying to creep on kids in the showers. You know that thing you're supposed to be here to prevent, not charge admission for you psycho?" I hard eye Chad to see what his next move is in our hate dance, and thankfully Chad is so predictable it hurts.
"I'll haul you up to the office so fast for disrespecting a..." He immediately starts to threaten.
"I dare you." I seethe right back in on him hard. "So how you gonna start that shitshow off Chod?"
"So I was just stalking through the locker room with Buzzard and Brad checking out all the fresh new meat in the showers. When suddenly I saw the guy who took my winter job at the Annex away? But then he kicked my ass for no other reason than he can? Just ask the fifty kids who witnessed me screaming like a little girl, begging for my life like a little bitch?" I eye bone him hard, baiting him to take the shot he so desperately wants to take. When it's clear his cowardice overwhelms his petulance, he takes a small step back.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." I snort in derision and pull on my jeans under the wet towel, that I ball up and throw back into the locker with my wet trunks.
"Will you just calm down for a second and listen to what we have to say? You don't know what I am trying to do for you here..." Buzzy tries to start again before this hostile interaction devolves into a fistfight. Then all his hopes and dreams of using me evaporate with my expulsion from this hellhole.
"Not interested in anything any of you have to say." I turn my cold glare on Aces war buddy Buzzy. "As far as I'm concerned we pretty much said everything there was to say after our short time together this summer. Or did you suddenly forget you basically fired me for saving that kids life?"
"That's always been your problem, Dean. You just don't know how to go along to get along." Chad repeats Buzzy less than prophetic words at my exit interview from the Plunge.
"Maybe, but then again at least I have my integrity and self-respect intact. Can any of you three say the same? By the way, how's that Little Tommy kid doing these days? You know the kid I got fired for saving?" I can see Buzzy's eye twitch slightly at the implied insult. "So you keep pushing up on me with this bullshit? I will report all of you to your mother-in-law for harassing me in the shower, like a bunch of prison pedophile rapists."
I glance back around at all the half-naked freshmen changing for their first big boy shower for psycho Chad's amusement. All of who are suddenly covering themselves up, after hearing about the "rapists". Well, except for smiling Sporka who seems oddly at home with his fat naked self, as he carefully counts the money he's collected so far from the losers.
"Or maybe I should just go drop in on your grandparents then? Tell him what a great attitude you have with their friends?" Buzzy eyes narrow trying to go for a soft spot.
"Go right head Buzz Off. And while you're doing that I'll drop in on your mother-in-law. Tell her all about little Tommy and his drunken excuse for a mother in the kiddie pool. You know, the truth ...not whatever bullshit version you told her that makes you look almost competent. The real version, where you really maned up and picked your paycheck over that poor kid's safety." I see the startle in Buzzy's eyes. "Yeah, your welcome."
I can see Brad's eyes flicking back and forth between us not being "cool", and realizing that he is lost in translation on this now. I guess Ol Buzzard must have forgotten to tell Brad that the version of the Toilet Story he told Aces did not include a lot of truth in it. Buzzy is now looking away wishing he were somewhere else, because now he knows exactly where I am going with this. Like I said, me and the Plungers have some bad history.
"Suddenly seems to me you got a lot more to lose in that game than I do, huh Buzzard? Maybe even that almighty paycheck you sacrificed your integrity for?" I twist the truth a little harder back into his heart.
"Are you high?" Chad tries to intimidate by taking a step in.
"Yeah, high on hate. Why you want some?" I edge right up into him eye boning him hard. "First shot is free ...then you're all on your own after that."
But Brad quickly steps in and pulls Chad away, before we can turn this into a dental appointment for my new Captian Midnight necklace.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Cowards then ...cowards now." I snort and pull on my Mr. Zoggs sex wax T-shirt over my ink, slipping into my tire tread huarache flip-flops and start out of the locker room.
"Hey asshole, we're not done talking to you." Chad is still trying to assert his petty tyranny, but the moment has already moved past him.
"Sux to be you then, cause I am done talking to you, Chod." I lock eyes with Buzzy. "I don't make it a habit to parlay with people I don't respect. And I think it's safe to say, that I don't respect any of you at all."
I hang them the flying Falcon over my shoulder on the way out the locker room doors. Just in case one of them is even thinking to follow me out, in order to have more talking time. Because I'm not stupid, I am acutely aware of what all they just saw me do in the pool ...potential. And I have zero interest whatsoever in having those three blazing cowards having any say in what I do on my free time. Like thousands of hours of lapper practice for their amusement.
Yeah, blaze all that noise to hell and back. I swim because I love being in the water, not for some sick coach's golden glory plastic trophy. Let the Lappers and the Plungers of the world live for that shit, I got real people things to do. Like have a second lunch date with May, if she's even here today? And more importantly, if I can find her during today's round of lunchtime hide and seek?
After my hostile interaction with the Plungers, I stomp out of the locker room still slightly smelling of chlorine and pink all-purpose soap. I hit my hall locker to stow my stuff, grab my lunch, then head to the shelter to start playing today's round of hide-n-seek with Maybe. Today it will be my turn to hide in plain sight at the grim spot next to the defaced banner of Lincoln.
While waiting in the shade for May, I can feel the roiling rage inside me slowly cooling off into a cold hate. I can barely tolerate Brad. I can't stand Capitan Midnight, at all. But of the three, Buzzard is the one that really pisses me off the most. Most likely because he is a buddy of Aces, and I can't beat his ass within an inch of his life. At least not without getting a bunch of static from the Raisins. But truth be told, the person I am really most pissed off with at the moment ...is me. For letting my ego and pride get the best of me and showing skills off in the water like a lame lapper. And I know without a doubt that this entire ego trip thing is going to come back and haunt me somehow.
"Awww you poor little Devil...what the hell were you thinking dude?" The chorus of dark voices in my head laugh at me for my stupidity.