Snakes and China

Goddamnit, I look stupid. Why the hell did I agree to this? I shoved my hands in the shallow pockets of the dress pants I had on. Tonight was the dance, the dance that I had to take Lydia Sunderland to. I really didn't want to go with her, since I really would've wanted to go by myself and hang around Paul and Wally all night. That's what would've happened if Wally's dumbass hadn't dared me to go with Lydia. To top it all off, Brotch warned us that everyone had to pair up for the event. And anyone who wasn't paired up would be paired up with another person against their will.

I guessed it wasn't all horrible, since Wally had to go with Old Lady Palmer's granddaughter, who, according to him, was a "real home run—if the batter was a limp-wristed bitch." The thought of him dancing around with her was funny. The guy would probably trip over his own feet trying to dance with her, and as I imagined him falling during a slow song, I laughed. I looked at the ground and scoffed. If Lydia didn't come out within the next few minutes, we'd be late—not that it would take long to get there. But I didn't dare stand her up. That was a mistake, and a big one. Lydia's old man would be on me faster than a swarm of flies. It wasn't like I feared him... He just intimidated me. Well, I guess that's sort of the same thing as being scared, but I didn't know why Lydia's dad scared me. He was only a doctor, and doctors were supposed to help you, patch you up and whatnot.I chalked it up to being afraid of what he would say to me and how he would treat me after knowing how badly I had treated his child all these years.

Getting impatient, I stared at the ground, and then up at a clock on the metal wall. Seven minutes until the dance started. I rolled my eyes, shifted my stance to lean on the wall behind me, and started thinking about the dance again, and how much I really didn't want to go with Lydia.

She was a pushover and a crybaby. Really, anyone could pick on her if they wanted. She was the type to take everything seriously, even if you were joking. Once, when Brotch gave us some free time while he got caught up on grading, she and Amata were talking, and had been nonstop for over an hour. I got the smart idea to get the attention of the guys and snap at her about her voice and how high-pitched it sounded. A wide, shit-eating grin spread out over my features. I had also propped my feet up on the desk in front of me, trying to hide from her, messing around with my switchblade. But I could still see her face. She had cried after the wisecrack about her voice. The smile faltered, and I did my best to hide it from the others. Couldn't she understand I was only joking with her like I did with everyone else? Truly, I didn't mean half of what I said daily. It was just a part of my personality. I didn't mean for her to take it personally.

My heart sank as she looked at me with her teary eyes, and the stare she gave me as she watched me with a disappointed, yet not surprised kind of look hurt even more. Wally and the rest of the gang were there, and I couldn't apologize to her in front of them, not unless I wanted to get pummeled by my own gang. Lydia had eventually turned around to the front, after shedding a few tears and being comforted by Amata. Freddie jeered at her behind me, and soon enough the rest of the gang started in too before Brotch shut it down, and Amata turned around to glare at us—specifically me. With narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw, her eyes focused in on me before turning around to comfort her friend again. That was when I seriously regretted what I was doing and had done to her. Lydia got so much shit from everyone else, so how was it fair for me to pile more on top of her?

To be fair, she had a little spite in her, but not nearly enough to go against mine or anyone else's. There was only one time I could recall where she got fresh with somebody, and that somebody was me. Me, Paul, and Wally all ganged up on Amata right before the G.O.A.T exam, (which was only two months ago), and Lydia came up to us and tried to see why we were circled around Amata. I was the one to confront her, say that she needed to back off, but she didn't listen. She cursed me, but only halfway. A lot of stupid insults like "jerkwad" and "dimwit" came out of her mouth, and the only reason I stopped bothering Amata was because Paul and I were getting choked up and were trying not to laugh. But it seemed like Lydia was genuinely angry, both for us making fun of Amata, and for not taking her seriously. Wally was just tired of it, and he was actually the one who walked away first, with Paul following him. Even though I didn't like Wally getting pissed and deciding that he was the leader of the Tunnel Snakes, I stuck around for a little longer, trying to see what new insults I could get to come out of Lydia's mouth, and just to see how much brighter her face could burn red.