Leon Isn't Human

"Cold Sweat"

Wade:

Technically, I still have a car.

Technically, I still have a family.

My car, what's left of it, is totalled beyond repair. It's now more a piece of scrap than it is a car. Guess I got my dollar's worth.

I have to take the bus to school now. It's no big deal, I'm just the one kid who crashed his car and killed two men. Sure, that's what happened. Does anybody wanna know who crashed into who? Does anybody wanna know who those two men were? Of course not. Even the people who knew what the men had done started rumors that I was in kahoots with them. Why? If I were their partner in crime, why would I block their escape and kill them?

But the "why"s don't matter. That's not their concern. My reputation is none of their business unless they can gossip at my expense. I am a shadow without a body until my body is worth paying attention to. This is Hell, and unfortunately, I'm not sitting comfortably.

"Why are they even letting him on the bus?" some girl mutters, probably thinking I can't hear. I can tell she doesn't mean to insult me. She genuinely believes she's in danger.

This song kinda sucks too.

I don't change the song. It'll end eventually.

Where I live, you're required by law to have 40 hours of driving under your belt before you can test for your license. I completed my 40 hours in 12 days. Over the second half of the month of June, every single day, I would drive with my dad for over seven hours. It was a desk job, in a sense. Woke up at 7:00 a.m., left at 7:30, did not return until at least 2:30 p.m. Kaylin would have to stay at a friend's house while Mom worked, and we'd pick her up on our way home.

The music over the radio always changed. We'd drive so far the radio stations would lose connection, so we'd have to find a new station every couple hours. One time, we were surfing the different radio stations, and coincidentally, every single station was playing some sort of advertisement. We both laughed at the hilarity of the situation. His laugh was music to my ears. I think that was the last time I ever saw him smile at me. Of course, the only reason he was even in the car was that my parents both wanted me to get my license as fast as possible so they didn't have to worry about me at all, but still.

Still.

I get off the bus and start trudging through the halls. Whispers and rumors wrap around me like snakes, enveloping me in a cold sweat.

It was lonely before. But somehow, it's more lonely to be the center of attention like this. When I walk through an empty part of the hallway, I lean on the wall, exhausted.

I need a minute.

My vision starts to blur. I'm hearing this strange ringing sound in my ears. I can feel my bones under my skin, the blood coursing through my veins. My breathing gets faster. I know because I can hear it. I'm just a little dizzy, is all. Very traumatizing, car crashes.

It's not even my fault.

I promise, it's not my fault.

What do you even do when no one will listen to you?

They want blood. I can feel it.

Do you just lie down and take it?

I'm just... just a little dizzy, is all.

I'm in the middle of a million thoughts when the first bell rings. It all suddenly ends. I pick up my backpack off the floor and make my way to English.

I guess that happened.