The Middleman | ongoing

8 | my lungs benedict arnold'ed me

8 | my lungs benedict arnold'ed me

Song: Hypnotic by Zella Day

Depicted Above: Ki Hong Lee as Kevin Lee

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"I don't get it..." I picked at my finger nails, focusing specifically on a very annoying hang nail. "Why the hell would you tell someone that you hate them so much you would personally murder them if you could? That's more than a little fucked up."

"Bro, same. But I was there. That's exactly what she said." Jules paused momentarily from playing her cello.

We were in the practice room before class could begin. We had about half an hour to kill and spending time in the practice room was way more worthwhile than wasting away precious time in the cafeteria.

While we used to enjoy conversing and socializing with friends in the morning at the cafe tables, things had changed. The group started growing larger and larger. The noise level started skyrocketing through the roof, and it was just much too annoying. People who I didn't particularly like joined the table as if they owned the damn place, and the immaturity and amount of plain fucking annoyingness was dangerously high.

I was a very social person. I loved talking and getting to know people, but as a social person I could also identify hazardous situations. And the morning table was becoming toxic.

It wasn't that I totally shut off and avoided going there in the mornings, but I definitely limited my exposure.

It was like radiation. Like getting an X-ray done at the dentist's, orthodontist's, doctor's—what have you. Just a little was okay. Small doses once in a while were tolerable.

Having everyday exposure to that fuckery...? Nope.

That's the type of shit that got Marie Curie killed.

"So you're saying you were at the table in the morning yesterday. And then bam Brianna starts shit talking Lindsey like usual except Lindsey is literally two seats away from her?" I clarify.

"Yeah, dude. So then Lindsey obvi hears Briana talking smack, and so she straight up says, 'If you're gonna talk shit about me say it straight to my face.' She literally challenged her. But you know Brianna... she has no chill, and she always says it like she means it to people's face. So she said, 'Fine. I hate you, and I think you're a fucking bitch.'"

"Damnnn. That's... whoo. That's rough. Definitely brutal. Probably a big blow to Lindsey's ego, though." We were all well aware of Brianna's brash and judgmental opinions. She was almost always ranting—and that too—about Lindsey most of the time.

"Yeah, you could see her expression falter. And then later, I hear Brianna shit talking with everyone else who hates Lindsey, which is just about everyone else y'know? And I hear, 'Lindsey's such a bitch. She's so fake, and she has no friends. She wears so much makeup. There's more makeup than actual skin on her face. I want to kill her, honestly.'"

"Homie, that's a death threat! Why would you even? That's not cool. Does she not get she could be held accountable for what she says? Like obviously, so many people have had rough histories with Lindsey, myself included, it was one of the worst, but that never warrants talk like that. And who cares how much makeup she wears?"

"I'm saying. God, our grade is so messed up. Nothing is safe. No one is safe. People always want to drag you into drama."

Jules was right.