Crooked Young
Can You Keep A Secret?
TONY'S POV
Slouching into one of Mike's beanbags, I continued to hammer the buttons on his controller as a swarm of zombies were approaching me. Mike was sprawled out on his bed, head hanging off the end as he watched me upside down.
"Shoot, shoot!" He called out, dangling his arm over his head and pointing at the screen.
"I'm trying!" I yelled frantically, shifting the controllers back and fourth with my thumbs whilst calling out a string of profanities. My character got cornered in an alley, and that was the end of Corporal TRTL.
"Dammit," I mumbled, tossing the controller aside.
"Rest in peace," Mike said lowly, clasping his hands. As he went to say something else, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Shutting my eyes, I took a deep breath and let my head roll back. I wasn't angry about loosing the game, I was just tired. Things at home had been getting stressful and, aside from school, being with Mike was the only time I had away from it.
"Who is it?" I inquired, lazily stretching myself out.
"This girl," Mike told me. "She's in our year. Just started buying cigarettes from me a few weeks ago. She's like super smart and shit, you wouldn't think she'd be the type."
"The type," I echoed under my breathe. "What does she look like?"
"Um, pretty short, dark hair, big eyes, a bag with a Misfits badge on it... "
"She sounds cool," I said honestly, opening my eyes. I squinted up at Mike's light, and then ran my fingers through my hair.
"Oh, is someone finally going to steal the heart of Mr Perry?" He teased. "Uhhh Karina, right there! Oh yeah, baby!"
"Shut up, you asshole," I laughed, hooking my arm around his head and pulling him off the bed. Mike let out a dramatic screech as he toppled down, quickly rolling over and pinning me against the beige carpet.
"So," I coughed, "her name is Karina?"
Mike looked at me knowingly, a smug smile on his face. I didn't let it phase me.
Drumming against the waiting area chair, I watched the office staff go about their business. Out of the corridors and classrooms, school seemed frightfully boring. I didn't dislike school - in fact, I enjoyed learning - the problem was the teachers, and my fellow pupils.
The door leading out into the halls opened slowly, cautiously, and a short ginger girl came in. She had her hand grasping her left forearm, and her eyes were darting around the dark green carpet. She looked familiar, but I couldn't remember her name.
The girl took the seat next to mine. She inhaled slowly, unevenly, and then looked up towards the nurse's office. Her eyes darted about the room before finally landing on me.
"Tony," she whispered, looking at me with urgent eyes. "Do you know the time?"
I blinked a few times, simply because I wasn't one for talking to people other than Mike, my family or Karina, and then cleared my throat. I nodded, reaching into my pocket to find my phone. That's when I realised that she was a friend of Karina's.
"It's 20 past. You're Meg, right?"
She nodded briskly, pursing her lips and tightening the grip on her arm. Her leg began to bounce, and she repeatedly turned her head in the direction of the nurse's office. Ask if she is okay. Come on, don't be an asshole. Just ask. Just use words. She's a friend of Karina's, come on.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
She gave me a limp smile, telling me that she just felt a little under the weather but that she'd appreciate it if I didn't tell anyone because she didn't want them to worry. I knew it was a lie, but I couldn't tell what she was hiding.
"Meg," interrupted a voice, which I soon realised belonged to the nurse. First name basis? "Are you ready?"
"Mhm," she said quietly, giving me a nod before heading through. I sat back in the uncomfortable chair, trying to figure out what was going on. The minute the door was shut, I got out of my seat and moved towards the nurse's office. I knew it was wrong, and I knew I shouldn't have been ease dropping, but I was worried.
Leaning against the wall, I tried to focus in on the voice I could hear. Meg sounded as though she was crying hysterically, which made me feel even more desperate to know what was wrong.
"I w-went 4 days," she choked, "I was doing s-so well, but he just keeps getting a-ahead of me!"
The nurse's voice was too soft for me to hear, but I assumed she was speaking words of comfort.
"I can't keep going! I can't, I can't, I can't," Meg cried, her voice strained and sore. "I'd only need to go a little deeper, just a little d-"
I stepped away from the door, swallowing thickly. All of a sudden, I felt shaken up. My hands became figity, and my stomach churned at the thought of Meg's skin being sawed like a piece of meat. I may not have known her well, but she was more than just a piece of meat.
The more I pictured the cuts in my head, the more sickly I felt. The blood trickling; the scabs; the bumpy scars that must be left over. I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. What good is that doing her? It must hurt like hell. God, I hope she doesn't go deeper.
"Tony," called out the principal, causing me to whip around. He folded his arms across his chest, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Sorry," I mumbled, grabbing my bag and heading into his office.
KARINA'S POV
It had been two days since I'd spoken to Tony. I wanted to make sure he was okay, that everything wasn't getting too much for him at home, but I didn't have the guts. I'd typed countless texts, and planned numerous conversations in my head, but I just couldn't follow through.
"Oh, I love this song," Elise cheered, turning up the radio in her car. I smiled, shaking my head, and glanced around the car park. As usual on a Thursday, Meg was late. She always came scrambling out of the building with her makeup smeared and her face bright red. I swore that girl was determined to be an Olympian.
The main doors of the school burst open and, just as expected, a little ginger figure came running towards us. "Sorry, sorry," she panted, "we were playing football and I got a little too caught up."
"Just get your pretty little butt in," I laughed, ducking to clamber into the car and dragging her in with me.
Elise turned up the song even more, shaking her arms around as the beat filled the car. I recongnized the song as 'Rhythm Is A Dancer'. It was Elise's favourite song: a staple for birthdays, weekend parties and sleepovers. It was catchy, but it didn't appeal to me as much as it did to her.
"It's a soul companion," she sang, a little out of key. "You can feel it everywhere!"
Feeling like I needed to let loose and, even for a split second, pretend like I didn't miss Tony, or I didn't miss his whole bad boy persona thing he had going on, or I didn't miss the way he stole my attention, or the way he- I decided to join in.
"Lift your hands and voices, free your mind and join us. You can feel it in the air!"
Elise laughed loudly, pumping her fist in the air, and winked at me through the rear view mirror. Dancing from side to side in my spot, I opened my mouth wide to scream the next line, but was stopped when a familiar face came knocking on the car window.
"I need to talk to you," Tony mouthed, his face more serious than I'd ever seen it before.
Slouching into one of Mike's beanbags, I continued to hammer the buttons on his controller as a swarm of zombies were approaching me. Mike was sprawled out on his bed, head hanging off the end as he watched me upside down.
"Shoot, shoot!" He called out, dangling his arm over his head and pointing at the screen.
"I'm trying!" I yelled frantically, shifting the controllers back and fourth with my thumbs whilst calling out a string of profanities. My character got cornered in an alley, and that was the end of Corporal TRTL.
"Dammit," I mumbled, tossing the controller aside.
"Rest in peace," Mike said lowly, clasping his hands. As he went to say something else, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Shutting my eyes, I took a deep breath and let my head roll back. I wasn't angry about loosing the game, I was just tired. Things at home had been getting stressful and, aside from school, being with Mike was the only time I had away from it.
"Who is it?" I inquired, lazily stretching myself out.
"This girl," Mike told me. "She's in our year. Just started buying cigarettes from me a few weeks ago. She's like super smart and shit, you wouldn't think she'd be the type."
"The type," I echoed under my breathe. "What does she look like?"
"Um, pretty short, dark hair, big eyes, a bag with a Misfits badge on it... "
"She sounds cool," I said honestly, opening my eyes. I squinted up at Mike's light, and then ran my fingers through my hair.
"Oh, is someone finally going to steal the heart of Mr Perry?" He teased. "Uhhh Karina, right there! Oh yeah, baby!"
"Shut up, you asshole," I laughed, hooking my arm around his head and pulling him off the bed. Mike let out a dramatic screech as he toppled down, quickly rolling over and pinning me against the beige carpet.
"So," I coughed, "her name is Karina?"
Mike looked at me knowingly, a smug smile on his face. I didn't let it phase me.
Drumming against the waiting area chair, I watched the office staff go about their business. Out of the corridors and classrooms, school seemed frightfully boring. I didn't dislike school - in fact, I enjoyed learning - the problem was the teachers, and my fellow pupils.
The door leading out into the halls opened slowly, cautiously, and a short ginger girl came in. She had her hand grasping her left forearm, and her eyes were darting around the dark green carpet. She looked familiar, but I couldn't remember her name.
The girl took the seat next to mine. She inhaled slowly, unevenly, and then looked up towards the nurse's office. Her eyes darted about the room before finally landing on me.
"Tony," she whispered, looking at me with urgent eyes. "Do you know the time?"
I blinked a few times, simply because I wasn't one for talking to people other than Mike, my family or Karina, and then cleared my throat. I nodded, reaching into my pocket to find my phone. That's when I realised that she was a friend of Karina's.
"It's 20 past. You're Meg, right?"
She nodded briskly, pursing her lips and tightening the grip on her arm. Her leg began to bounce, and she repeatedly turned her head in the direction of the nurse's office. Ask if she is okay. Come on, don't be an asshole. Just ask. Just use words. She's a friend of Karina's, come on.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
She gave me a limp smile, telling me that she just felt a little under the weather but that she'd appreciate it if I didn't tell anyone because she didn't want them to worry. I knew it was a lie, but I couldn't tell what she was hiding.
"Meg," interrupted a voice, which I soon realised belonged to the nurse. First name basis? "Are you ready?"
"Mhm," she said quietly, giving me a nod before heading through. I sat back in the uncomfortable chair, trying to figure out what was going on. The minute the door was shut, I got out of my seat and moved towards the nurse's office. I knew it was wrong, and I knew I shouldn't have been ease dropping, but I was worried.
Leaning against the wall, I tried to focus in on the voice I could hear. Meg sounded as though she was crying hysterically, which made me feel even more desperate to know what was wrong.
"I w-went 4 days," she choked, "I was doing s-so well, but he just keeps getting a-ahead of me!"
The nurse's voice was too soft for me to hear, but I assumed she was speaking words of comfort.
"I can't keep going! I can't, I can't, I can't," Meg cried, her voice strained and sore. "I'd only need to go a little deeper, just a little d-"
I stepped away from the door, swallowing thickly. All of a sudden, I felt shaken up. My hands became figity, and my stomach churned at the thought of Meg's skin being sawed like a piece of meat. I may not have known her well, but she was more than just a piece of meat.
The more I pictured the cuts in my head, the more sickly I felt. The blood trickling; the scabs; the bumpy scars that must be left over. I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. What good is that doing her? It must hurt like hell. God, I hope she doesn't go deeper.
"Tony," called out the principal, causing me to whip around. He folded his arms across his chest, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Sorry," I mumbled, grabbing my bag and heading into his office.
KARINA'S POV
It had been two days since I'd spoken to Tony. I wanted to make sure he was okay, that everything wasn't getting too much for him at home, but I didn't have the guts. I'd typed countless texts, and planned numerous conversations in my head, but I just couldn't follow through.
"Oh, I love this song," Elise cheered, turning up the radio in her car. I smiled, shaking my head, and glanced around the car park. As usual on a Thursday, Meg was late. She always came scrambling out of the building with her makeup smeared and her face bright red. I swore that girl was determined to be an Olympian.
The main doors of the school burst open and, just as expected, a little ginger figure came running towards us. "Sorry, sorry," she panted, "we were playing football and I got a little too caught up."
"Just get your pretty little butt in," I laughed, ducking to clamber into the car and dragging her in with me.
Elise turned up the song even more, shaking her arms around as the beat filled the car. I recongnized the song as 'Rhythm Is A Dancer'. It was Elise's favourite song: a staple for birthdays, weekend parties and sleepovers. It was catchy, but it didn't appeal to me as much as it did to her.
"It's a soul companion," she sang, a little out of key. "You can feel it everywhere!"
Feeling like I needed to let loose and, even for a split second, pretend like I didn't miss Tony, or I didn't miss his whole bad boy persona thing he had going on, or I didn't miss the way he stole my attention, or the way he- I decided to join in.
"Lift your hands and voices, free your mind and join us. You can feel it in the air!"
Elise laughed loudly, pumping her fist in the air, and winked at me through the rear view mirror. Dancing from side to side in my spot, I opened my mouth wide to scream the next line, but was stopped when a familiar face came knocking on the car window.
"I need to talk to you," Tony mouthed, his face more serious than I'd ever seen it before.
Notes
FIRSTLY, I AM SORRY IF THIS UPSET ANYONE.
SECondly, life is hella crazy right now. Two of my friends (both 16 yrs old) have been kicked out, and one has fallen completely off the rails (ie substance abuse.. a lot of substance abuse). She told me she'd started self harming, and I begged her to stop and gave her alternatives and reasons not to and how to cope and how to be careful when harming, and she just laughed. She just fucking laughed. She kept saying shit about cutting as jokes, and I really wanted to fricking poke her in the lady bits with a cactus.
SELF HARM IS NOT FUNNY OR CUTE AND THAT IS WHY I INCLUDED IT IN THIS CHAPTER, OKAY? OKAY. I AM SORRY IF I UPSET ANYONE, BUT THAT IS THE 2ND FRIEND OF MINE TO BE AN ASS ABOUT IT. THE FIRST FRIEND TOLD ME, AND THEN I SPENT MY GYM CLASS HAMMERING A GOAL POST WITH A HOCKEY STICK BECAUSE I WANTED TO STOP HER AND DIDNT KNOW HOW. BLEH.
i am really sorry. Thank you guys for the continuing support, I love you all. If you want to talk about anything, I am here. x
OMFG <3
7/6/15