[spoiler alert for those who haven't read Of Mice and Men]
The next time Conrad spoke, he sounded vaguely amused.
"You're reading that, too?"
I glanced down at the book resting in my hands. Of Mice and Men. Half of the pages sat between my right thumb and the desk, and Lennie and George's names were stamped at the top of the newest page, directly in his line of sight.
"Yeah."
He nodded, a small, cocky smile warming his features. "Do you know what happens at the end?"
"No."
"Do you want to know what happens at the end?"
The source of my hesitation lay within the prideful look on his face. For the last few days, he seemed quite content with pretending that I didn't exist, except when he needed something. Perhaps it was that he felt proud of knowing something I didn't. And if that was the case, I wasn't sure if I wanted the end spoiled for me because – judging by his smug look and eagerness – it must've been something extraordinary and worth waiting for.
Eventually, I decided to give in, "Sure, I guess."
Conrad looked around, making sure that Mrs. Jones' eyes weren't on us before he beckoned me to come closer. He placed his lips near my ear and spoke in a hushed whisper:
"Lennie kills the girl, and then George kills Lennie."
I jerked back and stared at him, mouth agape, "You're kidding."
"Nope." He replied. The cockiness remained on his face.
I was right.
Questions and thoughts lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I reluctantly swallowed them as he turned his head and went back to his work. He didn't even look at me. After all the buildup and coaxing and playing himself up, he disregarded spoiling the end as though it was nothing but a prize to be held and then tossed to the side.
The only thing I could do was shake my head.
"That...definitely wasn't what I was expecting," I said, more to myself than him. I looked back down, planning to continue my own work when he chuckled darkly.
"Such is life, right?" He said under his breath.
The cynicism in his voice surprised me. I didn't know why it did. He always spoke that way, like a seasoned veteran of the war called life. But it didn't seem to suit him.
Maybe - like the end of Of Mice and Men - I needed to learn to expect the unexpected from him.
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Flicker Pain
ChickLit* * * Maya Smith is a girl living in a sea of trouble. She feels like there's nothing for her in this life, no way that she'll ever become normal again. Conrad Wilkins is a boy who's been bred from darkness and misfortune. He sees himself as one...
