Bitter

fifty-four - cal

The sharp point of metal missed my face when I dodged to the side, but not by much. I heard the swoosh of air in my right ear, the stab of what I realized was a thin knife meant for Ms. Hunter's anatomy dissections. A scalpel. I should've known Haley would find a replacement for his precious switchblade.

"Just you, huh?" Haley's growl filled the classroom. I had my flashlight shining right at him and he held up an arm to block the light, walking slowly towards me. He looked like he'd already been punched in the nose or something because a bruise was visibly forming there. "Did the brat finally decide to ditch you? She ran home to cry to mommy again? Get my dad to watch me like a prison guard?" he spat, twirling the scalpel around at his side with his fingers. With each step he took, I took a step back. "Cheater cheater..." he whispered, shaking his head. A grin broke out on his face then and he stabbed at me again. I ducked just in time.

Haley's eyes widened a bit and he started laughing. "Wow, you've improved. I really thought you'd be dead by this point," he mocked with that familiar craziness to his stare. "Maybe you're not as weak as I thought." He paused, cocked his head to the side. I was backed into a corner now and it was right where he wanted me, I knew it.

Without warning, he darted forwards and shoved me into Ms. Hunter's cabinets, knocking several anatomy models off the shelves. They crashed to the floor while Haley glared at me, holding the scalpel to my neck. "Never mind, I take that back," he said, pressing the cold knife to my skin. That was when I slowly reached in my pocket, keeping my eyes on Haley the whole time as I flicked out the blade. I didn't hesitate. With the blade, I swiftly drove it right into his arm that held the scalpel. He cried out and the metal clanged on the floor, so I kicked it across the room as he was temporarily distracted.

Haley was inspecting his arm and he cursed loudly, stumbling back a bit. "You..." he breathed, turning his attention on me and glaring. "I'm gonna kill you."

I got out of the corner, setting my phone down on a desk so that its flashlight lit up the room. Then I gripped the switchblade firmly, keeping Haley in view. "Weren't you already gonna do that?" I jabbed.

Haley smiled then and chuckled humorlessly, still holding his now bleeding arm. "Talk again," he began, smile disappearing, "and I'll make sure you go out slowly and painfully." He started for the scalpel across the room and that was when I completely fell for it. I ran after him with the blade, trying to reach him before he had a weapon again, but he spun around and caught my wrist, fingers digging into me. With my arm trapped, his free fist swung and collided with my face and stars sprinkled down from the ceiling, filling my vision. I felt him snatch the switchblade from my hand and when I blinked and could see again, he was stalking forwards, brandishing the blade. "Don't take what belongs to me," he threatened, murder in his gaze.

Now I was the weaponless one and to make things worse, Haley was blocking the way to the scalpel so I couldn't get to it. He narrowed his eyes, pointing the blade right at my face, forcing me to back up. "Y'know...at first I thought Lydia had it in her, to kill. I thought she was like me," he explained, "but no...no, I think I was wrong. You," he poked me with the end of the blade, "on the other hand. You're like me."

"No, I'm not," I retorted, blood suddenly boiling in my veins. I was nothing like West Haley.

"No no, just listen," Haley said, holding up a finger. He took a step closer.

What was this guy's problem? Well, I knew he didn't have just one. I stared him down. "I'm not listening to your bull—"

Haley quickly stabbed me right in the leg without warning, in and out so fast I didn't even react right away. My leg buckled underneath me a second after and that ultimately sent me to the floor, the feeling of electricity rippling out from the wound. I gritted my teeth as I sank against the classroom wall, leg now burning with a fiery heat. Wincing, I looked up at Haley looming over me, blade back in his possession. I knew now it was impossible to separate him from it.