the deadfast club ~ chucky

1. happy birthday to me

My mom gave one piece of advice before she died. "No matter what happens to you. You survive because of the people who saved you." It didn't mean literally. She meant that you'll make it through whatever's thrown at you as long you care for the people who care about you.

Perry Middle School was like hell on earth. It was a hard feat just to walk down the hallway most days. My letterman jacket was littered with achievements I didn't deserve. None of it meant anything to me. I keep to myself most days. My friends talk to me, and that's why they're my friends. They talk to the girl that they know, not "Tanner Crawford, Cross Country state championship winner." That's all anyone ever cares about. Not me.

Today, a whopping fifteen years ago, I was born. People said hello to me today, and I just smiled and waved back. No one told me happy birthday. No one knew me well enough to even know. It's so obvious that these zombies in this desolate wasteland all want to eat my brains because they don't have any of their own.

I forgot my locker combination for the third time this week and had to look down at my hand to where I wrote it in sharpie yesterday. It had faded, but it was still legible enough. The lock fell to the floor and I was too slow catching it. I bent down and picked it up, and when I stood, my face was parallel with Devon Evans holding a cupcake in his hand with an unlit candle.

     He was grinning from ear to ear as he started to sing. "Happy birthday-" I cut him off, covering his mouth with my hand. I looked around making sure no one heard him. I mouthed "No." as I removed my hand.

     Devon looked at me, confused. "Why don't you want people to know it's your birthday?" He furrowed his brows. I shook my head, with a smirk. "It's just a day Dev, just like any other. Plus everyone who thinks they're my friends will be on my dick for the rest of the day." I smiled, looking down at the candle. "Do you want me to make a wish?" I laughed, but I wasn't mocking him. I was just happy someone put effort into something for me.

"If you want to. I couldn't light it, because, well, fire hazard." Devon smirked, pointing up to the sprinklers above.

Rolling my eyes, I pretending to blow out the candle. The day actually felt like it was going in the right direction. That only lasted a few seconds, because a demon walked by me.

     "Aww. Is it your birthday?" Lexy Cross asked, walking up to us. Lexy is my best friend Junior's ex girlfriend. She's like an itch you can't reach. A nuisance.

"No, we're celebrating Junior finally kicking you to the curb." I flashed a smile at her.

Lexy's fake smile dropped. "Whatever, he'll want me back before the end of the day. After he realizes hanging out with me is much more his style. You know, rather than kicking it with the loser's club." She said, looking at her nails.

    I looked at the mirror in my locker, and noticed how exhausted I looked. I grabbed a lipstick off the top shelf of my locker and smeared it on my lips and cheeks. I probably looked clownish, but at least I didn't look dead anymore. "Do we need to perform an exorcism or something so you'll go away?" I smirked, noticing Lexy still standing there.

     "Ugh. Whatever." Lexy rolled her eyes and started walking towards our class. I hugged Devon and thanked him for the cupcake.

     I make the very productive decision to make it to class before the late bell. When I got to class there were only about four people in there, so I took out a piece of paper and started drawing. I'm not good at it, it was just something to do.

     My lab partner, Jake Wheeler walked into class not very soon after. I didn't look up for a minute or so. When I did he was holding a doll.

     "Jake, what the fuck is that?" I said eyeing the ginger haired doll. I don't normally start up conversations with him. He's Junior cousin. I doubt he even knew I knew his name.

     "Oh it's a retro Good Guy doll. Pretty cool huh?" He explained, showing it to me. To be honest, it was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen, and it was freaking me out. Something about it just felt eerie. "Umm- yeah super cool." I said giving him a thumbs up.

     I starting thinking about soccer season coming up and didn't realize I was completely spaced out until I saw the dead frog on the table and didn't even know when it got there. "Are- are you gonna help with this or not?" Jake asked.

    "Yeah for sure. Sorry." I apologized.

     Jake looked at the frog in pure horror, which our teacher, Miss Fairchild noticed.

     "Jake, are you okay?"

     "Uh, yeah, I just-- I don't--
I don't think I can do this." Jake said, still staring at the frog like he was gonna throw up. I almost felt bad for the guy.

  I've never really talked to Jake unless it was about class. I knew basically nothing about him. Devon talks about him a little too much, but he's still a mystery to me. I just know he's another one of Lexy's targets.

    It's not that I hate Lexy. She's mean, sure, but I know she has a heart. It's just tucked somewhere deep down underneath barbed wire.

"Do you have a religious conflict?" Miss Fairchild asked Jake.

"No, I just..." He started to explain. "I can't stand the sight of blood."

"Pussy." Oliver Hayden, who sat behind us commented. We used to be good friends, before I decided being miss popular wasn't my thing. We dated for a little bit, until I realized boys weren't really my things either.

     "Oliver mind your fucking business." Miss Fairchild barked back at him. She focused her attention back onto Jake, as I looked across the room at Lexy, who had a smug smirk on her face. Lexy isn't hard to read. I could see her planning something.

    I turned back to Jake, looked down at our table to see our frog was completely destroyed.

     "Oh my god- What did you do, you psycho? You totally just tanked my grade!" I yelled at him.

     "No- I didn't do that." Jake started to say, when every phone in class, including mine started to ring. It was a Go Fund Me for Jake. It was obviously Lexy's work and the smile on her face was enough to confirm that.

     I didn't care about Jake, I just cared that Lexy was being a bitch. "You've got to be deranged if you think this shit is funny." I got up from my seat and walked back to her.

     Lexy didn't break. "Yeah- well it's a little funny."

     "You know what, fuck you. I'm not dealing with you today." I rolled my eyes and turned around to walk away, when Lexy called out "Oh sure, just walk away you butch bitch!" I licked the inside of my cheek and without thinking my fist collided with her face. Hard. The whole class heard the smack. Hell, the whole school probably heard it with how loud it was. I know my own strength so I know that had to hurt. Lexy was taken aback as she grabbed her nose, which was now bleeding. My knuckles were too.

     Miss Fairchild gasped. "Tanner go to office, and Lexy stay after class." Lexy looked at her in shock. "Are you fucking kidding me. She literally just punched me and you want me to stay after class?"

      "Yeah like you didn't deserve it, you entitled  bratty piece of shit." I got up in her face, just inches from her face as I screamed at her.

     "Tanner I said go to the office, now!" Miss Fairchild yelled.

    I grabbed my backpack, swung it around by the strap onto my back, and left without another word.

    I think that might've been the best birthday present ever.