Chrysalis

Chapter 4 - Bloodstream

Chapter 4 - Bloodstream

To my surprise, Tobias showed up to the pit. Hannah greeted him casually and gave him what looked like half a gram, which he loaded into his vaporizer.

"This is unexpected. Church boy vapes?" I said.

The people around me laughed. "Only a church boy to make my mom happy. Tell me, what kind of boy would make you happy?" he leaned towards me.

"One that passes the bowl," I laughed. He passed his to me "Damn, what else do you got in there?" I clicked my tongue to pull out more of the flavour.

"Idk, some weird citrus flavoured shit. My buddy got it for me." Tobias had the laugh of a king. Not the kind that demanded attention, but there was something old about, like a trumpet that had been used too often but still ordered itself to play. It was genuine and inviting. He seemed like the kind of person who laughs just to laugh, and I liked that. I needed to laugh.

"Where'd you come from again?" he asked with a bright smirk.

"I cam from St. Aug's." I got a roar of 'oh shits' and 'damns' as a reaction. "Yeah, I know. The Ten Million Dollar Club."

"St. Aug's calls us the Ten Million Dollar Bail club. Always getting in trouble we literally can't afford to get into."

"I'm sure it might be a bit deeper than that." Darker than they realized.

"St. Aug's kids don't have the patience or the intelligence to be deep. They just pay someone to do the thinking for them."

I laughed at how true the statement was. St. Aug's wasn't exactly the spot for free thinkers. "I don't know how I survived so long."

"Barely. Listen to your voice! Sounds like you drive a Range Rover and love mint green nail polish."

"Hey! That came long before St. Aug's. White parents will do this to you."

"White parents? Damn I don't wanna be the first to tell you, but your dad is not your dad..." he joked.

"Don't be dumb, I'm adopted. No, not from Africa or some shit. And I didn't grow up jumping home to home, luckily. I ended up pretty privileged, actually."

"Look around you, Princess," the asshole interrupted. "You're not privileged. You're a statistic. A weed smoking visual minority at an inner-city school who doesn't know her dad. It'll get you a couple college scholarships, but then what? You're where you belong now. Don't pretend you're any better than the rest of us."

I held back screaming. I held back crying. I wanted to slap him across the face. And for what? He was right. I am where I belong. "Must get pretty lonely," I began. "Having to suffer alone. Is it so painful that you have to make sure everyone around you suffers too?"

"I'm no starving artist, Goldy," he scoffed. "I don't suffer. I deal."

I walked over to him with my joint between my lips, took a short breath in, and said, "Puff." Smoke gathered infant of his face and he squinted. Fearlessly, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down to my height. He gulped as he hunched over. "Don't make assumptions about me, or what I suffer for. You stay out of my way, and my conversations, and I'll stay far away from you. Deal?" I mocked.

He surprised me by placing two hands on my shoulders. "Oh, but that would be far too easy. I like this game. I piss you off, you try to bite back. I'm just trying to help you out. The real world isn't so nice," he spit.

"It is when you sound like a white girl on the phone," I stated. Turning around to return to people I liked, I smiled at the sound of his friends laughing.

When I returned to Tobias' side, he nudged me and nodded in approval. "What did you say to him?" he asked.

"Nothing that'll stick." Adrenaline rushed through my bloodstream like ink in water. It felt good to fight for myself. These were the skills I wish I had when St. Aug's tested me over and over again.

"First party of the year this weekend. You gonna go?" Tobias asked.

"Probably not. Parties aren't really my thing anymore," I sighed.

"Oh, well I heard a lot of guys talking about hoping you'd be there. I know I was," he shrugged.

I considered going to get to know him better. If I ended up taking up his offer for his church picnic, it'd be too formal of a setting and I may not get to see the real him. "I'll think about." I threw the idea to the back of my mind. Finishing the year first, and parties later. Boys should have been very, very last, but I felt as if letting this one in would be safe and stable.

He continued on the conversation with a new topic. "What other classes do you have besides music comp?" It remained small talk, but small talk was easy so I didn't mind.

"Uhm, English first period... I got a spare after lunch and Culture Studies last."

"Oh, you got spare with the sketches! Clark and all that," he stated matter of factly.

"Oh, and you're not sketchy?" I laughed.

He nudged me again. "Hey! See these shoes? See these rims? Nothing sketchy bout class."

"You probably got them at a designer warehouse. Don't try to flex."

He put both his arms out with fists to the sky and showed off his muscles. He was scrawny but sculpted. I puffed and shook my head.

"You love it, though," he said, putting an arm around me.

"Flirty," I chuckled, moving myself from under him. "I'm gonna head back. Gotta spray away the smell. Coming Hannah?" she nodded with a wide smile and followed me inside. I heard Tobias call after me but I ignored him with purpose to play 'hard to get'.

"He is way into you!" she said.

'Ugh, I know. Can't blame him though," I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Confidence level goals."

We heard the door open behind us, and Asshole shuffled in with his friends, moving past us with haste and intimidation. I knew there was a war brewing, and so I promised myself not to let his beautiful eyes distract me. I would not play offence, or make any moved. Everything must be defensive; I don't fight anymore.