Killing In The Name

five

AUGUST 12TH, 2024

"Hey, did I see you at the lake yesterday?" Andrew manifests next to me during gym. I don't know why I wasn't expecting this question. I didn't think he'd confront me in person about it, maybe over text. He's in a basketball uniform, the colors of our school. He also had a fresh bruise on the right side of his chin.

"Uhm yeah, you did. My dad wanted me to get out...so." I shrug, sitting on the bench.

"Oh okay, well, you could've come by and said hello. We don't bite." Andrew smiles, Evelyn walks by, bumping into him. He doesn't move much just looks over at her, "You got a problem?" He questions.

"You were in my way, my bad." She shrugs, sounding as if she didn't really care. Andrew focuses his attention back on me, rolling his eyes at her, "Dumb bitch." He mutters, "Anyways, I'm going to go play some ball." He walks off, as the coach announces that everybody was participating today. Which meant I'd have to play something, so I chose corn hole. Probably the least physically demanding activity I could choose.

"Can we join?" Evelyn asked. She seemed to have changed her appearance since the last time I saw her. Her thin blonde hair now had purple ends to it. She wore smokey, gothic makeup today with a thick red lip. Another girl beside her was a burnette in braids, and the other was a bigger girl with thick black curls.

"Yeah, sure." I handed her the bean bags.

"You like Andrew?" She giggles, throwing a bean bag, "I can tell you do."

"Uh no. Not like that..."

"Mmm trust me, he's not as nice as he seems. He used to make fun of me all of the time which is funny because he was trying to fuck just the other day. Not my type though." She shrugs as her braided burnette friend throws one. I keep finding out different things about my friends. God, I keep calling them that, don't I? Do they consider me a friend, "Hey, you wanna skip and go to Waffle House?"

"I can't. I'm trying not to get in trouble." I tell her.

"C'mon, don't be lame. I know how to not get caught. Trust me. You're quiet enough for them not to notice." She smiles, "I'll even write you a fake hall pass to be in another room."

"I can't, Evelyn." I try saying sternly. She shrugs at me.

"Suite yourself." Gym is over in a matter of minutes, and everyone goes in the locker rooms to change. Evelyn and her friend group are in the corner. They didn't seem like the best of people, but they were about the only people who would talk to me. I was always so uptight with everything. I never took risks, I would never step outside of my comfort zone. I tried at the party, failing socially. Maybe taking this risk was worth it? Sure, I would be nervous, but it was my Senior year, I needed to breathe a little more.

"Can I still come with you?" I asked Evelyn while she smirked.

"Of course you can. Meet me behind the school parking lot." She wrote me a pass. Showing my next teacher was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. She sent me on my way, but I took a detour around to the parking lot. Student cars and trucks were all parked here. I hadn't tried to get my licenses, though my dad had briefly mentioned it during the summer.

She was waiting out there for me in an '83 Chevy pickup truck. The engine was modified to sound loud, and this meant only one thing. It wasn't hers. I should've turned around when I got the chance, but no. I opened the door, and in the middle, she sat.

"Hey girl, get in. Gwen this is Jeremy. Jeremy this is Gwen." I slide in and was already regretting this. He had a cigarette, blowing it out of the car like no tomorrow, "Let me hit that." He handed it to her and drove off. Jeremy- Nikkis ex. I remembered him from the party. He was more attractive than I when I saw him that night. He wasn't plastered drunk. Maybe that was his difference. His blonde ruffles were more in order.