The Devil's Gift/The Bloody Handed

1

"Oh look! Robin brought the new girl." Dustin gawks and I laugh.

Mike waves at me. "Hope you're enjoying Hawkins so far."

"Oh I am. Besides him." I chuck my head over in Jason's direction.

"Cousin rivalry" Robin whispers into the side of her hand nodding. I nod in agreement. I forgot the boys weren't there when I had told Robin.

"You're being serious." Dustin said looking at Mike. They both laugh and I laugh with.

"Dead." I sit down next to Mike and Robin takes place next to me.

"Well lookie here! Looks like we have a newbie." This Eddie guys leans over the table, his hands clasped and showcasing his ringed fingers and bat tattoo. His eyes follow down instead of into my eyes and I start to glare in retaliation. "And a fellow metal head?! That's a new one!" He slaps the table. So he must like Metallica. Sweet.

"Kind of grew up on them. I've always wanted to be a future James Hetfield but it never happened. Never even learned guitar." He cocks his head to the side and shows his white teeth.

"Is that so? I happen to have a guitar so I might just have to rub it in." I roll my eyes. His personality was infectious and I felt immediately at ease with all of these people. I clear my throat and undress my rotting banana, clearing my throat.

"So I heard you're related to Mr. King of Jocks over there." Some random guy with curly hair and a Hellfire shirt with red flannel asks across the table. "You just like him?"

"Do I look it?" I gesture to my whole demeanor. "I'm as real as it gets. I'm not Jason two point o I can promise you that much buddy. I hate sports." The kid nods and goes about talking to his friends.

"So, Eddie.." Mike starts. "The reason we came to talk was to uh.. talk. So, Lucus has to uh okay his basketball and laundry baskets game.. so I was wondering maybe we.. postpone tonight?

"Postpone?!" Eddie exclaims. "So instead of finding a sub for Lucus you want to postpone. Has Sinclair been brought to the dark side?" He asks.. He slams his hands on the table and stands up, dragging Mike and Eddie out of their seats. "I've been waiting for this day. I am army crawling my way outta here!"

"You've said this for two years now," Mike says.

"This is my year, Henderson. I can feel it." He releases them and starts to do a small dance. "I'm going to flip Principal Huggins the bird, and then I'm outta here!" he starts down the hall and turns around.

"No no boys, you will be the leader of it after I graduate." He starts to slowly do a jogging motion. "This is my year, I can feel it. 86', baby." He rushes over and lodges himself in between Mike and Dustin, grabbing their shoulders. He looks over to Dustin. "I knew it the moment I saw you." He snaps his head and points in front of us. "You sat on that table right over there, looking like.. looking like two little lost sheep." He returns back to Dustin and smirks. "You we're wearing a weird Al T-shirt.. which I thought was brave."

"Thank you.." Dustin says unsure.

He looks over to Mike. "Mike, you were wearing whatever shit your mommy bought you from goddamn Gap." We all start to bust out laughing. Eddie returns to his seat and flicks a wink at the boys.

I look over to Mike who is talking to Dustin. "So, what is this 'Hellfire' thing you guys are in?" Mike and Dustin immediately turn to me as if I was a lunatic.

Mike gestures to Eddie. "Dungeons and Dragons! Eddie here is the leader of it. We host club nights and everything. You should definitely try it out sometime."

I look at Robin who shrugs gesturing it was up to me. I then look to Mike and Dustin. "I mean, how could it hurt? Sure I'll try it out. When is the next one?"

"You aren't going to the basketball tournament?" Dustin asks.

"Hell no. Jason is not someone I want to support." I look over at the jock table and see him hang onto Chrissy.

"Alright then it's settled! Tonight. 6 p.m. sharp. Don't be late or else..." Eddie looks at me and raises an eyebrow. He starts to chuckle and throws his hair back behind his neck. I raise my eyebrows and I couldn't help but scoff a bit at this guy's cocky manner.

The bell rings and we all stand up, abandoning our seats and throwing our basically untouched food in the trash.

Robin and I start down the hall to our next and last period together, and on the way a tall figure bumps into my shoulder. I look up, almost offended, just to see Eddie laughing and looking over his shoulder at such a minuscule thing. I shake my head and grin as he starts to run down the hall with his goons.

By the time school was over I didn't bother to change my clothes. The reason I dressed comfy was to be comfy. Not to change out of the comfy.

Dustin and Mike said they would meet me at the end of Jason's street and they would walk me to Eddie's little lair of D & D. From what I understood the game was super complex. However, I was willing to give it a try instead of rotting inside of this house.

I pop the rest of a granola bar into my mouth and look at the clock. 5:45, perfect. I run to the front door and a figure comes around the corner. Jason again.

"We have to stop meeting like this." I said grumbling.

"What, so you're going to hang out with those geeks and not support your own cousin?" Jason tilts his head and crosses his arms.

"What relationship for we even have? None. You could give less of a shit about me." I cross my arms.

"And I could say the same." He tilts his head up.

I shrug. "Correct. Now let me go, I have somewhere to be." I tilt my head and give him the meanest smile I could do. He rolls his eyes and swings open the door.

"You don't know what you're getting involved with being with them. They're all trouble, Clarissa." He groans.

"What's that? Crickets?" I put a hand to my ear and see his roll his eyes. "Break a leg." I give him a straight smile and immediately start down the sidewalk to meet Dustin and Mike.

Everything was changing at light speed in such a small town. Just 24 hours ago I wouldn't have allowed myself a taste of a new atmosphere but I'm kind of glad I am. It's what my parents would have wanted.