Bitter Bastards

3✪ Prison Or Physics Class?

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L Y L E

I missed being outside. I missed my family. I missed not being stuck between walls and barbed wire. I've had too much time to think of what I missed, who I missed. Juvie seemed to be more like a hardcore prison than a correctional center. But now I'm free. As free as a bird chained to the sky.

Young blues morphed into grays the closer I got to school. The cold breeze flowed over my body from the back of my brother's motorcycle. I raised my hands in the air, outstretched to the heavens that won't ever take me.

"If you fall off, it won't be my problem," Lennox shouted over the wind, his curls peeking from under his helmet. I rolled my eyes and returned my arms to his waist. I'm not allowed to drive myself or go anywhere alone, or drink. Can you believe it, they confiscated my imaginary privilege to alcohol.

The building of my demise came into sight. If there was one thing I didn't miss, it was this. School. Oh how I abhor this. This feeling of suffocation. I had no power here. So I took it by being formidable and intimidating. But then I found someone who didn't care about that. Someone who stripped me of those labels. How aggravating.

"Don't cause anymore trouble. And don't draw bad attention. We don't need a shitstorm on our side, okay? We'll have to be more careful with our business from now on." Lennox took off his helmet, a spring of curls gushing from his head. I missed my hair. I don't think a buzzcut suits me.

"Don't worry. I don't fancy attention anyways. And I'll try not to cause too much trouble."

"No trouble. At. All. Why don't you make some friends. Better friends. Stop hanging out with the Doxon boy and be around good, smart, kids. I don't want you to waste you life in your room."

"Friends," I scoffed, oddly enough Ike was the smartest you'd get around here, "...We weren't...friends anyways. And there's Vance so don't worry about me."

"You need other friends than Vance. Maybe get a cute little girlfriend or something. I want you to have a good life, okay? Be good, I love you." He started saying that ever since I got out. It scares me. Those words.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever." Lennox always has to say unnecessary things. He meddles more than my sister.

Lennox watched me walk up the stairs before leaving me to open the doors to my ruin. The halls were empty. I could hear the scraping of desks from inside the classrooms. My heart was beating out of my chest and my breathing couldn't keep up. I should've chosen to transfer.

I looked at the schedule. Physics. Mr. Hayes. That odd man, I've got him again. I willed myself to the room. Here we go. To hell.

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I opened the door. Everyone looked up at me. I turned away from their stares. So much for not drawing attention to myself.

I turned to see him. My ruin. That pest of a person. Ike. I glared at him. Oh how I'd fantasized about crushing his trachea in juvie. His lion's mane grew. It was now below his ears. Even with the lack of sunlight, he still shone. A golden boy. His reading glasses slid down his nose as he peered at me. Did his eyes get more brown? Did he get more freckles? Did I know how many freckles were on his face? Yes. I hope no one asks me how I know that information. I think I've been looking at him for too long.

"Take a seat Mr. McElFresh," Mr. Hayes said, "Welcome back."

Ike snorted. I glared so hard my eyes begun to hurt. I walked to the back. Next to him sat a hairy being. I think it was a girl. Looked like Hagrid minus the beard. She held onto his jacket. Was it his girlfriend?

I sat in the aisle next to him, trying my best to calm my heart and ignore the whisperers. But was she his girlfriend? That oddity managed to get a girl? I'd never seen her before. Is she new? Why did I wear so many rings today?

They were talking. They were close to each other. So they were dating. Is that how dating works? Why do I want to know? She pulled him closer, giggling. I couldn't take my eyes off the sight. Like a car wreck. I was going to vomit.

I was looking for too long. I turned to see Mr. Hayes staring blankly into the sky and a whiteboard filled with questions that would've been taught last year. Why'd I have to get him again? I began to take the equations down. Am I smart enough to graduate this year? I spent my time in juvie keeping my head down doing schoolwork and thinking. But the more I thought, the more the questions accumulated.

What was Ike doing without me? Was he busy dating? Did he feel guilty for being a snitch? Did Vance bully him like I asked? Did any other idiot bully him? I almost broke my pen.

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The bell shrieked. Both my siblings said to get better company but- fuck it! I had to talk to him. I packed my shit into my bag and put a sharpened pencil in my pocket. What if that weirdo tried to stab me like last time? Then he visited me everyday in the hospital. Annoying bastard.

"You have such nice hair, it's so golden." Little Hagrid said. I rolled my eyes. Of course it's golden. He's a blond. She tried to touch his hair, I stopped her. This isn't a petting zoo.

"Ikea," I said, resurrecting the memory of the time we first met, "I need to speak to you."

He said something to Lenae, that was her name, LeNaE, fucking lEnAe, and walked outside with me.

My heart was beating faster than ever, when would it stop?

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[I dropped out of physics class man. Now I'll be doing the basics when I'm supposed to be doing uni level.]