Teenage Dirtbag

Shut it Down

Lux was furious—no, she was livid. Not only that, but she was down right shocked that she even had the balls to continue her shitty behavior, even after threatening to expel her groupies. She knew Jinx was smart enough to not underestimate her. Lux had the strings to pull if she wanted something, no matter what it was. It's been a few days since her threat, and ever since, her expected peace and quiet had been replaced by teeth-grinding anger and trembling fists as Jinx continued her reign of terror. Every day, without missing a beat, the stupid blue haired punk pulled some idiotic, unnecessary 'harmless' prank on her.

On Monday, her locker door was missing, only to be found lodged in a vending machine a floor below. She had to admit, the dedication required to fit a rectangular door inside a snack machine was crazy, but also a stroke of twisted genius.

Tuesday's gag was the most infuriating. Jinx stole all her expensive textbooks and hid them around the school, leaving behind her barely legible chicken scratch riddles as clues. It took Lux roughly two hours to find all six books, each retrieval stoking the fire of her rage.

Wednesday was downright disgusting—a brown paper bag of dog shit left in her locker. The smell hit her like a punch to the gut, and she spent the rest of the day trying to scrub the stench out of her nose and her belongings.

Jinx was hitting her left and right with something new every day, and Lux felt like she was about to crack.

By Thursday afternoon, Lux was walking down the hallway with her group of friends, heading towards the cafeteria. They were happily discussing their possible meal choices, the noise and bustle of the school day swirling around them. Lux was having a pretty good day, despite the undertone of paranoia gnawing at her. She had received an A-minus on her English paper, clocked the fastest time during the mile run, and her stomach was calm, even after downing her usual iced coffee that often left her feeling queasy.

It was a decent day, but she still had prickles on the back of her neck, her eyes constantly scanning the halls for any sign of Jinx, silently bracing for the next impact. The fluorescent lights above cast a harsh glow on the linoleum floors, and the faint smell of cafeteria food wafted through the air. Lux's heart pounded a little faster with each step, her senses heightened as she tried to enjoy the fleeting moments of normalcy.

"I'm kind of craving a salad," Terra said, scrolling mindlessly on her phone.

"Salad sounds good and all, but I kind of want a burger today," Chelsea whined. "But I know I'm gonna feel like crap after. This new diet I'm on has me so..."

Lux subconsciously tuned her friend's chatter out the moment she spotted the infamous blue braids leaning against a row of lockers, her gang surrounding her. Lux raised an eyebrow at the strange formation they had going on. She squinted with suspicion, unable to make out their expressions.

As Lux and her friends approached Jinx, the blue-braided girl's group suddenly turned in unison, their eyes locking onto her. Lux held their gaze, a flicker of confusion crossing her face as she wondered why they were staring. Then, without warning, Jinx's trio parted like a curtain, allowing her to step forward with an almost theatrical flair.

Jinx stopped just a few steps away from Lux, tilting her head back in a dramatic motion that suggested an imminent sneeze. Lux, sensing she was the target, froze in place. The world seemed to slow down as she tried to process the rapid turn of events, her mind racing but her body paralyzed.

In one swift, fluid motion, Jinx lurched forward, and a grotesque, exaggerated "sneeze" erupted from her. A spray of vivid red spewed from Jinx's mouth, splattering across Lux's face and shirt. The warm, sticky liquid clung to her skin and clothes, and Lux's heart skipped a beat as she instinctively assumed it was blood.