The Devil Child

Chapter Thirty-Eight

 Minny felt like throwing his fist into his locker. He felt frustrated and angry, as if his life was some sort of joke.

Of course, to him, it was. Born to a family that only cared about appearances. A twin to a missing boy. A half-brother to an abusive freak. And now, he was locked up in a school with students that were unapologetically wealthy.

He tried to straighten his suit but found he couldn't breathe with the tie around his neck. He felt suffocated. He felt trapped. He felt just like his father wanted him too, and not for the first time, he cursed Lennard for running off without him.

"Hey, hot stuff." A girl pressed her hand to his locker door, closing it.

He couldn't remember her name. "'Sup," was his genius response. It was as close as he got to normal.

Minny was new, and therefore knew no one. Including the girl that stood before him, despite the fact that she acted as if she knew him, which he was certain she didn't. He couldn't picture her in any of his classes, nor could he picture her at all. He was certain this was the first time he was meeting her.

"Wanna skip trig?" She was chewing gum, and she was doing it with an open mouth. It grossed him out, but Minny didn't know how to ask her to chew with her mouth closed. He felt it rude to even impose his own opinions on her, for perhaps she enjoyed snapping her gum the way she did.

And who was he to tell her to stop?

"Nah, he doesn't. We have stuff to talk about, right Ben?"

Minny couldn't see who was behind him, and so he didn't know what to say. He didn't have to, as the girl beat him to any sort of response. "Fuck off, Gryphon."

The boy beside Minny grinned. "I'd normally rather fuck you, but I already have. And it was a let down, honey."

The girl crossed her arms, a sneer on her lips. "Piss off and go bother someone else."

Gryphon threw his arm around Minny's shoulders. "Well, you see, Ben and I were about to go to trig, weren't we?"

Minny had no idea who the boy beside him was. He didn't think he'd ever seen the boy before either, but it was clear to him what the kid was trying to do, and Minny had always been one to play along. "That's true. Sorry, but we gotta go."

When the two were away from the girl, Gryphon dropped his arm and stepped away. His entire attitude shifted from playful to closed off in an instant, and it threw Minny for a loop. Though, Minny recognized the gesture well, as he too played the same cards. "Sorry 'bout that. Wendy can be a total bitch, and I know how she can be with guys. Thought I'd save you."

"A bitch?" Minny wasn't used to referring to any girl as a bitch, nevermind girls he didn't know. He also didn't think Wendy had been a bitch to him, but then again, Minny was clearly below those who attended this school. He didn't understand them or their mannerisms, and now it was clear he didn't understand their lingo or attitudes.

Gryphon shrugged his shoulders stiffly, but Minny could tell he was trying to pass it off as carefree. "She wasn't so bad when she was a kid, but god is she obnoxious now. I'm Gryphon."

Minny shook his hand reluctantly. "Uh, Benjamin."

In his mind, Minny didn't want new friends, or really even need them. He longed to be with Tom again, fooling around in the hallways he considered a home away from home. School had not been pleasurable, but coming from his home life, public school had been a dream. Tom had been a dream. Even Polly and Kenzie had been a dream.