Weapon Twenty

Chapter VIII

When I walk outside I feel a thick cold air surge into my lungs.
The metal of the motorcycle.
The cold steel of the keys in between my hands. The icy plates of the bike under my skin.

All of it reminding me of this new life. I inhale the icy air and exhale, reaching for the handles of my motorcycle.

Every single thought running around in my mind vanishes from the rustling start of my engine.

"Did you do any of the homework that was assigned." Mr. Peters says putting a hand on my shoulder, I feel his presence behind me, and I recoil.

I kick the stand up with the edge of my black boot and balance the weight of the bike. "I do it during those breaks in between each period."

Before he can give a response, I distanced myself a good thirty feet between both of us. The bike steers me towards the building assigned to my new life.

I am always a passenger in the car while Mr. Peters drives taking me to this school, but not this morning. This morning I am no one's passenger only my own.

***
The parking lot is filled with adolescents roaming around with colorful sacks hanging from their backs: just as it was the first time. Space after space is taken by vehicles.

I search for any available spaces around me and I spot one behind two compact cars. I accelerate to the spot,  but I am cut off by a vehicle that looks very similar to the vehicles we used in training.

The night tinted driver side window recedes slowly down to reaveal a face that has been pushed to a far corner of my mind.

The window is all the way down when I see he's not making direct eye contact with me. There is a clear distraction by the girl draped on his side, "Sorry bro, didn't see you," he says to me without care. He hasn't turned his attention to me yet as he runs his hand in the direction of in between the girls thighs.

Mine reach up to completely remove my helmet from my head; my vision no longer obstructed by the pitch black lining. I grab all of my hair from under the nape of my jacket and throw it over my shoulders to release the pressure from under my collar.

I'm half bothered by his crude manners but ultimately bothered by the similarities of the left side of his face.

My mind searches for a response that emulates a response a teenager who just got their parking spot stolen from would say. "It's cool...dude," is what I come up with.

The two heads inside of the minuscule cherry red vehicle turn their attention to me; I back my bike away in search for another parking spot. The larger of the two vehicles parked next to them starts up and goes in reverse, making a spot available next to his car.

I move to back up my bike pretending I didn't see the available spot, keeping my helmet in one hand and not focusing on the attention of his stare.

Before I readily slide my helmet back on I hear the driver's side door open. Shortly after the passenger's door does as well.

"Hey, someone just pulled out right next to me." My shoulders tense and I stop myself considering whether I should acknowledge him or pretend that this interaction didn't happen at all.

I take a deep breath and turn around.

Seeing his whole face from a frontal view makes me lose my balance and I toggle to one side a half a centimeter. His face being thirty-six inches away from mine reminds me of what is inevitably forgettable.

"I'll take this parking space then." I motion for him to move but he hesitates before doing so.

"How long have you been riding this monster exactly?" He asks as soon as I turn the engine off. I have a clearer description of his voice without the amount of bodies that surrounded us in the classroom. His voice has an edge to it-soft at the end of his words-but sounding nothing like his.

Not since mission seventy-six. "Almost two years." I decided to answer to satisfy his need for conversation. I direct my gaze down settling it on my feet unable to look anywhere in his direction.

"My brother kinda had one like this but-"

"Seth, are you going to walk me to class?" The girl that was in the passanger seat moments ago interrupts him and wraps her arms around his midsection. He responds by pulling her into him.

"Yeah-in a sec." He kisses her on the forehead while keeping his eyes on the bike.

Her blonde hair is a pale blonde almost ice in contrast to her dark red shirt. The stress of her perfectly slicked ponytail peeking through as she speaks.

"I just heard the bell ring." She tightens her grip and directs her weight away from me, motioning for him to follow.

I place my helmet on the handlebars and reach for the keys to take out of the ignition. Once they're securely in my hand I draw a step backwards in hope for an end to this conversation.

"See you in second...I guess."

After I take a couple of steps away towards the cafeteria I hear the girl say, "Why is she dressed like that?"

I don't hear a response from him.