The Devil Child

Chapter Twenty-Three

 "Yo, quit walking, will you?"

Polly looked over her shoulder, rolling her eyes at the sight of Tom behind her. She tightened her grip on her backpack and continued walking.

He caught up with her, slightly out of breath. "I need to tell you something."

Polly glanced over at him, slowing her steps. She wanted to go to class and get the day over with, but Tom had other plans as he placed a hand on her shoulder. It was intimate and Polly felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. "I thought you liked Kenzie?"

At that remark, Tom removed his hand from her shoulder. "Minny has transferred."

"What? Why?"

Tom moved her closer to the wall. "I wasn't lying when I said Benjamin was back."

"Benjamin? Why are you acting like Minny has a split personality?"

Tom ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "I'm not, not really. Minny had to move back with his fucking rich parents, and they're forcing him to move schools. Benjamin is what his parents call him. And the point is, Minny isn't coming back."

Polly looked down at her shoes, transfixed. She felt her chest grow tight with sadness. "That sucks."

"That's all you have to say? You are Minny's friend, right?"

Polly pictured the boy with messy hair and pants that were rolled up to reveal strange patterned socks. "Yeah, I am. I just have a lot on my mind, right now. And I'll miss him, but I only knew him for like a few weeks. I don't think he'll miss me that much."

Tom snorted. Then, he let out a sigh. As a best friend, Tom was feeling quite upset at the whole ordeal, but that wasn't surprising to Polly. Tom and Minny had many friends, but the two of them were closer than the others. The were like brothers.

"Let me tell you something. Minny doesn't befriend girls, alright? He cared about you, and I think you should try to see him."

Polly just stared up at Tom, conflict eating away at her. Guilt, too, though she knew not to feel guilty. It wasn't her fault she was gay.

"Listen, I don't like him like that. I only see him as a friend."

Tom nodded. "Yeah, I get that. But, that doesn't mean you weren't his friend."

Polly couldn't argue there, but she had no ideas about where he lived. Or how to find him. She didn't drive, nor could she walk all around town looking for him. A part of her was numb to the fact that Minny wasn't going to come back. A part of her didn't even think they were really all that close.

"I don't know where I'd find him." Was her lame excuse.

"I can bring you to see him this afternoon. His dumb prep-school gets out an hour after ours."

Lies collected on her tongue, dozens of excuses why she couldn't. But, none of them felt right, and none of them were as exciting as the idea of seeing Minny. Friend or not, she did enjoy his presence. And she still had the whole book ordeal burning in the back of her mind. She wanted to know what he needed from her.

"Alright. Where do I meet you?"

Tom looked at her like he hadn't expected her to agree so easily. A grin lit up his features and for a moment, Polly almost felt bad that she'd first thought of him as nothing more than a popular boy.

"What are you doing here, ugly?" Kenzie swooped in, a casual arm on Polly's shoulders. She looked stunning in her cherry red dress, which matched her lips. Completely in control and utterly gorgeous, Kenzie knew how to light up a room.

Polly and Tom both fell under her spell. Then, it registered in his brain that she'd called him ugly, and had addressed him.

"Talking to Polly. Why, is that a crime? She enjoys my ugly presence."

Not really, Polly wanted to add but didn't.

"About what? Indulge me, ugly boy. Tell me what you and my dear Polly have in common?"

Polly felt giddy about the fact that Kenzie's arm was so casually around her shoulders. She still could remember what Nancy had said in the store, but Polly couldn't deny her reactions and feelings towards the purple haired girl.

"Minny." Tom said his name like it was a weapon. "You used to have that in common, too, as I remember."

Polly tilted her head to look at Kenzie. Confusion flashed across her face, but it didn't stay for long. Not after Tom turned to her and explained.

"Your friend Kenzie used to be best friends with Minny. Until she screwed him over."

Kenzie jabbed her finger in Tom's chest. "Oh no you don't. Thomas Sanders, you do not know what happened, so don't you dare try and explain it."

Tom tipped his head back and laughed, but it was cruel and full of venom. "Oh, but don't I, miss kiss and tell. Or, did you forget those ten minutes in heaven all those years ago. I bet you did, because all you care about is pretending. Pretending to be someone you aren't. Pretending to like me, then taking it all back after you got all you wanted from me."

Kenzie flinched like she'd been slapped. She took a few steps back, flabbergasted that he'd gone there. That he'd transported them years back to a younger MacKenzie, full of braces and awkward training bras. Back to a Kenzie whose hair was her natural blonde color.

"Tom, it wasn't like that-"

"Oh, but wasn't it? And I'm so stupid, because all these years later, I still want to be your fucking friend. Minny told me I was an idiot for wanting to be your friend, but I didn't listen because I remember that girl in the closet. And you obviously don't."

Tom was shaking, and Polly was confused. Kenzie was also shaking, but she wasn't going to cry. She was holding it in because after all, she was the queen of masks. She knew how to pretend better than anyone.

She remembered the closet, alright. She remembered sitting there in the dark with a young and dashing Thomas Sanders, the best friend of her best friend. She remembered crying because Minny didn't want to be her friend anymore. She remembered crying because Nancy still was.

It was very much like a pre-teen drama, but it shook her world. To her parents, it was a minor issue, and one that she was being very dramatic over. But losing Minny and Nancy was almost worst than losing her father.

It was messier than losing her father. It was painful. It was lonely.

She remembered holding onto Tom, so tight it was probably painful for him. She remembered him wiping away her tears. She remembered him kissing her on the cheek.

She didn't like boys - that was how it'd always been. But, in that moment, she understood why Tom was Minny's other best friend. And in a dream, Kenzie would have loved to be his best friend, too.

But life wasn't a dream, and Minny walked away with a glare and a smiling Nancy on his arm. None of it was his fault, but Kenzie was still bitter. And she'd taken it out on a smiling Tom.

She had hated herself. But Thomas Sanders still didn't fully understand what had happened. And now, it looked like she'd have to explain it all to Polly, who looked horrified and betrayed. Which, of course she did - Polly had no idea that Minny and Kenzie had once been friends.

Kenzie didn't need this. Not after Nancy had said all those things to Polly in the store. She was sure that the blonde girl would flee, and when Tom turned the other way, telling Polly he'd see her after school, Kenzie almost believed she'd already lost her.

Living life without a father was bearable. Living life without friends was not.

It looked like Kenzie had to live without both, for the moment. 

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