Dominant Con

Old Friends

I walked down the hall of my school. It was a small private school, with a little over sixty kids attending. It's my senior year, and I have nothing better to do than wander around. I look down at my shoes, and follow the laces with my eyes. My Vans are old, and worn out. How fitting, I thought, to wear my heart on my feet. I was worn out myself, and it made me feel less alone to know that there are other things that are as tired as I am.

It's been three years since I left my old public school. I had a best friend there, Craig. He was a senior when I was a freshman, and I had that school girl crush on him. I know he never looked at me in the same light. But every day after school, we'd sing together. He had the most beautiful voice, and I matched his with my soprano. I spent my year yearning for that bus ride, yearning for the time when we performed. Hell, he probably thought I was just an annoying kid who needed looking after.

Craig wasn't all goody two shoes. He'd been locked up on many occasions, mostly for theft. He had long blond hair that reached his shoulders, but he kept it tied back with a bandana most of the time. He had a broad build, it wasn't entirely muscular, but there wasn't a whole lot of fat on the kid either. But his eyes held brightness for his future, and his smile shone hope. Or so I thought. I always saw him as some sort of angel, even though I knew he was no where near that.

The bell rings, snapping me out of my trance. I walk to my choir class, with Craig still on my mind. I sat in silence as the boys practiced their parts. The girls sang their parts to a boring tone, up to the dismissal bell. I walked into the locker room to grab my bags. The girls around me discussed their practices and their boyfriends. As I had neither participation in sports or a boyfriend, I kept to myself on these. They unashamedly talked about the men they'd slept with. I had a pretty strict 'no sleep and tell' rule for myself, and I wasn't all that experienced. A few here and there, but nothing extraordinary.

I walked out, the heavy door thumping harshly shut. I tried making my way to the doors to go to my car, but my way was blocked with masses of students staring outside. I looked out and saw what they were all gaping at. What I saw was a big black suburban, with a man standing outside of it. He had short blond hair, and a big grin on his face. The man's large hands were tucked into his jeans, and he leaned back against the SUV. The aviator sunglasses covered his eyes, but I could tell who it was.

Craig looked different from before. His hair wasn't long and his smile was more devilish. He has tattoos now that cover his arms and snake their way under his sleeves. The shirt clung tightly to his chest, and I could see he had spent his time working out.

I pressed my face closer to the door window, trying to see if it was really him or if my mind was playing tricks on me.

Craig pushed himself off of his vehicle and sauntered over towards the door. He put his hands on both sides of the door and leaned in.

"Open." He mouthed. My heart raced faster and faster. The throbbing drowned out the murmuring that went through the crowd.

"Open." He mouthed again.

I had to answer. Something. Whether it was clever or sassy or anything, I couldn't walk away with out some sort of reply. I tried to find my voice.

"N...no. No." I shook my head and repeated the word. I turned and clutched my books closer to my chest. I walked as fast as my legs would carry me, figuring I could wait at the other end of the school until he left. I waited for close to an hour before I walked back.