Vicky Genocidal: In Depth

Chapter Seven: Keep Your Friends Close

"Hey!" The girl called, walking over to the bench. The boy looked up; confusion written over his face. His light brown hair seemed to float with the gentle breeze, and his light blue eyes gazed at the girl he hadn't spoken to before. She smiled, leaning against the bench. Her smile faltered a bit as embarrassment flashed across her features. "Sorry, that was random."

"Oh, no, it's okay." The boy replied, waving the awkward greeting off. "You're Hannah Jackson's friend, right?"

"Yep! Actually, that's kind of why I'm here." She gestured to the empty spot on the bench beside him. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Nah, go ahead." He replied, moving himself further to the side to make more room for her.

"Thanks!" She said, plopping down next to him, letting her school bag hit the sidewalk in front of her feet. "Listen, I really wanted to apologize about Hannah's behavior. Actually, on behalf of this whole town, I wanted to apologize for the horrific first impression we gave you."

He immediately knew what she was talking about. That day had been hell. Firstly, he and his brother had been jumped by some punks, and then they had to run to school to avoid being caught by the bus driver after defending themselves. Then, when he tried to socialize with the girl sitting next to him, Hannah Jackson, she told him that he could kiss her ass. The girl was right. So far, his first impression of Mandeville wasn't fantastic.

"It's okay." He said, offering her a forced smile. "Hannah wasn't the worst person I've encountered today."

"You're talking about Randy, right?" She said boldly, stunning him for just a moment.

"Uh, yeah." He rubbed the back of his head, focusing his sights on a nearby tree. "...That."

She only watched, staring at him not with contempt or disgust, but with interest. He sighed, taking that as an invitation to continue.

"It's not that big of a deal. I was mainly doing it to protect my brother."

"Oh? That's pretty noble of you." She said, offering him a playful grin.

He smiled back, more comfortable. "Yeah. I guess it is."

"Hey!" Another voice called, making the two look up.

Speak of the devil. Liu was walking towards them.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked the boy, before turning to the girl next to him with a friendly smile.

"Well, I'm guessing that's my cue to leave!" She quickly stood up, returning Liu's friendly grin before turning to the boy on the bench. "By the way, my name's Victoria. You can call me Vicky, though."

She offered him her hand, which he accepted. "Nice meeting you, Vicky. You can call me Jeff."

"Jeff." Victoria breathed, trembling at the sight of the man on the bench in front of her. He slowly raised his head, his eyes hidden behind his stringy, charred black hair. Though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew it was him.

That bloody, carved smile was unmistakable.

"Vicky..." He purred, patting the space next to him.