Dysphoria

Chapter Four

I spent the next few days unpacking boxes, putting away clothes and trying to hide the outrageous fucking hickey on my neck. I did some school shopping for clothes, shoes and stationary and called into the convenience store a couple of times. I ended up spending more and more time there with Ash and Fez.

Thankfully my makeup skills came in handy disguising it, but I was praying that by the time school started it would be faded. That fucking asshole just had to be obvious.

With my mother largely absent or either passed out drunk I had the house to myself to decorate as I liked. By now I was used to this shit, she had been absent since everything went down hill with Dad. She never loved me before, but hated me since he died.

I made it look pretty nice inside, it still needed some more furniture to fill in some gaps here and there but it looked pretty good. The outside was a different story, it hadn't been taken care of all summer and compared to all the other lawns on the street it looked rough. People around here took care of their houses, they all had nice cars and big shady trees lined the street.

After a quick shower I pulled on some tight black jean shorts, vans and a band tee.

I decided to go back to Fezco's since I didn't really know anyone else and the two boys always seemed to make my day better. Ashtray was always making me laugh, that kid was a smart little shit. He knew more about Science and tech than everyone I knew put together.

The sun was shining as I walked in to grab a cool pop. I brought it up to pay Ashtray who was sitting behind the register. "Hey Ash. How are you?"

He didn't make eye contact instead, nodded his head outside. "You don't gotta waste time butterin me up, he's out there."

A guy from the party came up beside me. Didn't he have a twin brother? Or maybe I was just too fucked up to remember two guys that looked alike by the keg.

"Hey. You're the European chick right?" He grinned, obviously checking out my ass. When I sighed and ignored him to pay Ash, he continued talking. "Yeah you are. I heard about you."

This ignorant asshole took reached our and touched a piece of my hair that was down near the bottom of my back. "Heard you's a slut."

"I don't care what you heard. Get your hand off me." I say firmly, making eye contact with Ash who was staring intently at the creep behind my shoulder.

"My boy Nate had a lot to say about you. And shit girl, he was right too!"

"Roy get yo dusty ass up outta here and stop sexually objectifying my girl." Ash snapped, standing up and knocking the stool over making a bang. He was so cute even when he was angry.

"Look man I'm just tryin to hit-

"No you're not finna hit nothin. You fuckin heard her. Get outta here, we got no service for you today." Fez had silently walked into the store and was standing with his arms folded across his chest chewing on a tooth pick. He was wearing a baggy polo shirt buttoned up with jeans and fresh sneakers.

"Can I at least get some chips?" The loser behind me whines.

"Nope." Fez says stoically.

Roy huffs,  throwing down the bag of chips on the floor like a child and storming out.

I bend over immediately to pick up the chips and put them back on the shelf.

"I'm so sorry guys." My cheeks go pink, I immediately feel embarrassed.

"Don't be. You didn't do nothing shortie. You were jus standin there being...you." Fez turned to walk back outside now that the situation was handled.