Cruel Me

Chapter 28 |Part 1|: The Kids Aren't Alright

 "Alright, what's wrong?"

I turned my head to Alfie, who was sitting beside me in the middle of the football field. He had an eyebrow raised, reading my face and waiting for me to pour my heart out.

"The fuck are you talking about?" I asked, acting innocent.

No way was I going all Moaning Myrtle at nine in the fucking morning.

He hung his head. "Don't make me beg."

I looked away, shook my head, and said, "It's nothing."

"Seriously, your denial is stronger than my life goals. Spill it."

I sighed.

Rehashing it was the least of what I wanted to do right now. But I knew my best friend. He wouldn't shut up about it until I tell him something.

So I did.

I told him about my conversation with Finn McKinley, all the gory details. Of course, I couldn't left out what I overheard Halo admit to Scout. It still kinda haunted me.

"Halo's been avoiding me for a couple of days," I mentioned.

Obviously, she didn't like the fact that I missed our tutoring session because I was sent to detention for goofing around with my ex-girlfriend. Damn. Even I thought I sounded like a douche in my own mind.

I wanted to make it up to Halo, probably explain and all that shit. But she was fucking good at hiding from me. I was starting to see a pattern.

Alfie whistled. "Wow, too much drama."

"Tell me the fuck about it," I grunted.

"Isn't it weird that we seem to bear all the problems in the world," he started, staring off to a distance, "and we're only eighteen fucking years old? Where's the justice in that?"

I snorted. "I got enough of this shit to last a lifetime."

Seriously, some people had it easy. They didn't have to deal with all this chaotic mess. But to some of us who weren't lucky enough to have a pass for a boring life? Well, what else could we do but deal with it? We all had our own problems.

It just so happened that ours were a bigger shitfest.

"Why'd you stay?" asked my best friend.

I glanced at him.

"I mean, dude," he said incredulously. "Why'd you let your ass stay there and listen to whatever crap Finn McKinley had to say?"

I took a deep breath, my eyes wandering to the trees beyond the metal bleachers.

"I guess I knew I needed someone to say it to my face," I admitted quietly, frowning a bit at how lame that sounded out loud.

I caught Alfie shaking his head, making me face him.

"You excel at everything you do, except this. Guess you really can't have everything," he chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood.

The corner of my mouth turned up.

I laid my back on the grass and sprawled out. I gazed at the cloudy sky as the cold wind brushed my face. With everybody inside their classrooms, it was quiet. Peaceful.

If it's not obvious enough, we're skipping. Because that's what we do. Besides, it's too much of a nice day to spend it locked up inside the walls, you know?

Well, hell. Never thought those words would ever in a million years cross my fucked up mind. But another thing I never expected to think about?

Me. Walking away. From everything.