Thirty

PSHYCO

The morning is now tinted with the yellow of the sun as the girls head toward the door of the classroom. When they walk into the hallway their classmate walks past them and speeds down the corridor keeping his head down. 

"Gosh, he's so weird." Maria whispers. 

"More like terrifying," Rylee suggests, "don't you guys get like a super creepy vibe?"

"Oh," Maria laughs, "I'm definitely more afraid of him than weirded out."

"I think he's kinda hot." Bella jumps in. "Like, his vibe." she adds when neither of her friends respond. 

"You have serious issues." Rylee says disgusted. 

"Yeah, what the hell Belle?" Maria adds. 

"Oh, you're not one to talk missy." Belle stops walking as she replies. 

"What? Are you kidding?" Rylee stops walking too and Maria follows, "I rather go on a double date with M's sugar daddy than your zombie ass, Jack Skellington boyfriend."  

"Hey!" Maria says. 

"That was definitely a compliment." Rylee says. 

Belle looks down to the ground. "I never said I wanted to date him." Rylee rolls her eyes and continues walking, Maria follows. 

"Plus," Belle whispers. "Jack Skellington is hot." 

"Oh my fucking God." Rylee starts walking faster and leaves the other two behind. Belle laughs and speeds up to get to Maria.

At the library students look down at their computers. The sound of multiple keyboards fill the room, some gentle and others hard, the tuning and the rough balling up paper, and Belle filling up Sol with what just happened. 

"You said what?!" Sol says.  

Rylee shushes them from the other side of the long desk. Belle rolls her eyes, "I just mean his vibe, you know?" 

"No, B." Sol says, "To be super honest, I have absolutely no idea of what you could possibly mean." 

"Thank you." Rylee says, "now please let me study." 

Sol gets up from the desk and leaves Rylee and Belle to go finish with her scholarship service at the library. Belle sighs,"I'm getting coffee, want something?" she asks Rylee who just nods 'no' while looking down at her notes, "alrighty then." 

On her way out she spots their Psychology teacher going in. She waits for Miss Gonzales to look up and when she does Belle smiles and waves at her. She makes her way up to her and greets her. 

"Hey miss, long time no see. Right?" Belle smiles her biggest most polite smile. 

The teacher doesn't budge. "Hey," she replies sounding bored, "uhh"

"Belle, miss." she reminds her. 

"Belle." the teacher repeats, "did you need something?" 

"Actually yeah," Belle tells her ignoring Miss Gonzales' bothered tone. "I wanted to know if you know the name of that kid who was late to class today. The one wearing all black." 

Miss Gonzales gives her a quizzical look now. "Guzman? Yes." her expression changes, but Belle can't quite read it. "Why? Did he do something?" 

"Uh- no," Belle replies confused, "he just seems weird." Miss Gonzales stares at her. "Ill, I mean! I just- not ill. He seemed off and I wanted to know if he was O.K. But not odd as in creepy, odd as in wrong. I mean-" 

"No, no. I- yeah." Miss Gonzales hops in, "I get it. I do notice some strange behavior. He looks like he's got some issues... I don't know." she looks down at the floor, thinking. 

"Like he's depressed or something?" Belle suggests without thinking. This seems to startle Miss Gonzales a little. 

"No, I was thinking about something more on conduct." she pauses, "It isn't any of our business anyway." Miss Gonzales offers a small smile. 

"Of course." Belle says.

The campus is now filled with students walking around in all directions. The sun shines tall and bright through the leaves of the trees. On her way to the coffee shop Belle reflects on her strange interaction with her phycology teacher. Guzman sits on a bench backrest, smoking a cigarette. Students ride bicycles around him and walk in groups. Two girls walk in front of him and he eyes them up and down.

"Hey!" he calls at one of them, "Did you get any sleep last night?" Both girls continue walking he hops off the bench. 

"Did you hear me?" he's following close behind, tightly close. He stands in front of them now. But the girls just look at him annoyed and simply walk around him. 

It isn't until he grabs one of their arms aggressively, "Hey!" one of them says. "What the fuck?!"  

"I asked you a question." he demands. 

"Let her go!" one of the girl yells. He lets go of her arm and the girl's friend grabs her shoulder to get her away. "Fuckin' psycho." she says. 

He looks around and notices the people that stoped to look at him, "fuck" he says under his breath. Belle stares from the other side of the grounds "holly shit."