Queen Boys

Chapter 10: Even a King Must Fall

The following week on Monday, Freddie turned up in a Puma tracksuit. When Brian and Roger saw his outfit while approaching the lunch table, they reacted immediately.

"Freddie, we have to talk to you," Brian declared, he and Roger setting their lunch trays down.

Attempting to divert the attention away, Freddie turned to me and asked:

"Is butter a carb?"

"Yes," I answered half-heartedly as I looked up from my soda that I was sipping. I knew it was definitely a fat, but I just wanted him out of my hair in that very moment.

"Freddie, you're wearing sweatpants, it's Monday," Brian mused. Freddie shot him a look.

"So?" he asked in an uncertain tone.

"So that's against the rules, and you can't sit with us." Roger sassed.

"Whatever... those rules aren't real!"

Roger looked furious and exclaimed: "They were real the day I wore my second lot of STRIPES!"

"Because those stripes were disgusting!" Freddie clapped back.

To Brian, having Freddie snipe and nitpick at him constantly was one thing, but him coming after Roger was not something he was willing to stand for. Unable to contain his anger any longer, the poodle erupted: "You can't sit with us!" Freddie shot him an incredulous look, and a few kids noticed his outburst.

He put his butter knife down and sighed.

"These sweatpants are all that fits me right now," he confessed in a whisper. Brian and Roger just glowered in indifference to his plight, and I had to avert eye contact when I felt him stare at me. Fed up of being ignored, Freddie got up from the table.

"Fine, you can all walk home, you mofos!" As he walked away, he bumped into a large girl.

"Watch where you're going, fat arse!"

Freddie looked mortified as the entire canteen laughed at his expense. He stormed away, leaving me and the others to eat our lunch in silence.

~~~~

After school, Brian and Roger were following me everywhere.

"So, what're we doing this weekend?" Brian asked me, and Roger chimed in. "Yeah are we doing anything?"

I turned to them in confusion. Was I the new teen king?

"I'm going to Ireland with my folks," I answered flippantly.

"What?"

"It's for this show,"

"What?"

"I could try to get out of it?" I asked, and they nodded in agreement.

At home, I was begging my parents to let me stay behind to go to Joni's art show. But really, I was planning something completely different.

"Because I told Joni I would go to her art show!" I pleaded and my dad chimed in. "I think our Johnny's old enough to be home for one night." When my mum looked at me, I gave her a look I knew she couldn't refuse.

~~~~

I had learned to control everyone around me. At math the next day, I tapped Veronica on her shoulder.

"Hey, we're having this small get-together at my house tonight, you wanna come?"

"Is Freddie going?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, you think I don't know what I'm doing? It'll just a few cool people, and you better be one of them my lovie," I responded, winking at her.