Castling: A Novel (NaNoWriMo21)

35. You're an Idiot, You Know That?

The Next Couple Hours

Aspirin. Me time. Compartmentalize.

The three ingredients in making Chase a sane kid.

Through the wall, I hear my parents talking about the "fun" I had. They're happy that I interacted with "friends." I'm happy to be home. Going cross-town exhausted my batteries, so I need to recharge.

"To Paw Days!"

Let's talk about the polar bear in the room. They say you should never forget the past or you're doomed to repeat it. I haven't forgotten it, but it repeated anyway. Kieran and I got into it. I'm not sure if you could call it an argument. Kieran doesn't argue, he needles you until you trip over your own feet, then flaunts like he won. We accidentally ran into each other, bumping heads, and his contempt was off to the races.

"Why did you do that?"

"I...you got in my way."

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

Sometimes I don't think Kieran likes it when we coil into a twister out of an old cartoon and fight. You could see a sour taste in his sneer, eyes dropping in sad disbelief like...we don't have to be/act this way. So, why does he? Our heads colliding made mine spin for a minute, so he was probably sore, but...

"I should've known better than to have gone today. That's the lesson. Maybe I shouldn't have..."

It wasn't the end of the world, or maybe it was. Somebody call Ripley because, believe it or not, Max and I got along. I opened up...and...

The web browser decides it's done, freezing, closing out on me.

"Come on, aspirin, kick in."

I reboot it and go back to feeding Gumball. It might sound crazy, but I think Max kind of understood me, and he loved me playing off of him. That's last semester Chase for you, kid.

"Max..."

This browser is having a crisis. I'm left staring at my old class again. I finally caved to feels and made the photo my desktop background. Hello, Leo. He's the dark-haired kid with the short, rectangular face. Say hi to Beth. She's the tall girl in the back. And who can forget about dear Abbi? She's the fine-haired brunette who looks like a dormouse on the hunt for a snack, or in her case, her next boyfriend.

"I wonder what they would think of Kieran."

Most of them knew Kieran, but I don't know if they'd remember him if I brought him up. Back in the middle of transferring schools, I never told them the real reason. I never mentioned Kieran, and I never said Kieran's parents coerced my parents into the move. All I said was that I was switching schools because of better classes.

"I don't know if I would ever tell them if I saw them."

What would telling them about Kieran do?

"Who?"

Or...

"Ooh! I remember! How's he doing?

Would they really want to know?

"Oh, you know, the same. I went to his house this past weekend and bumped his head. He got mad at me. We argued. Then, when I left, he acted like I was his best friend forever and hugged me!"

My head throbs. It's allergic to Kieran. I'm tired of talking about him. The real question is...what would they think of Max?

I imitate Leo. "Max can suck it!"

I immediately slap my hand over my mouth like it's a strip of tape and laugh to myself. They'd be class enemies like Max and Steven, except Leo wouldn't cry out for Mrs. Tudor's help, he'd hold his own. My plant and I could share popcorn. It would be a snarky stalemate.

"Heh. I wonder what Beth and Abbi would say about Max."

Beth would roll her eyes. Abbi?

"Ooh! Chase has a cru-ush!" I imitate Abbi, then I ruffle my brows. "You're an idiot. You know that?" I say, mimicking Max.

Chase...

Chase doesn't doesn't...

Chase doesn't do crushes! All he does is stare into space and talks to himself when he's alone. Don't get him started on Paw Days either. He's got an unhealthy obsession with a fake unicorn and his old school. He never shuts up about old school this, old school that, Pay Day...

"Another mistake? I thought you were supposed to be bright!"

Brighter than the sun!

I channel Abbi. "Well, it's because Chase is distracted by his crush!" Then, Max. "You're an idiot. You know that?"

I give myself a spin in my chair, giggling at nothing, my heart racing like I just sprinted between the two electrical towers by Kieran's house. My foot brakes against the wheels, and I'm facing the photo.

I ball up, bite my lips, and hum. "I like Max..."

Wait. What? No! Stupid browser and headache, throwing me off!

"Gumball, have a banana!"

I'm getting hungry. To the kitchen, away!