The Stare Games (editing)

16

Do you believe in miracles?

Well, you're just about to.

Because today, a Tuesday in Spring, two happened to me.

Mornings were never a big fan of Karyn's but today's morning somehow decided to be extra and change that mind of hers. As I close my eyes now, I can still remember the alarming and scary-looking smile that crept onto her face. I watched as she climbed into the car, humming a sweet song in the process, and started the ignition before pulling down the mirror and applying lipgloss to her already glossy lips. This was also when I concluded she was abducted by aliens and replaced with a close very unlike her.

After a moment or two, the alien snapped its head towards the direction of my immobile body that was rooted to the ground. With a quick roll of the windshield, she snapped her fingers through the gap between us. "Well? Are you gonna come in or not?"

The only difference is she added a slight giggle at the end.

What in the world was happening?

Slowly, I pulled the door wide enough for my small body to crawl into the seat next to her. Without making eye contact, I grabbed the seatbelt and latched myself in, afraid of this particular alien not having a license to drive.

"You can stop with the act, Aeryn."

"I'm not acting..." I replied, refusing to look at it.

She wheeled the car out of the driveway just as the words flew out of my mouth. "You know I can be happy, right? Like, it's a possibility?"

It took me a moment to reply. You never know if aliens can get easily offended. "Mhm, so why are you happy?"

Her emotions before must have been an understatement because the shape of the smile from earlier on suddenly increased twice the size and her eyes twinkled a creepy gleam. The car came to a halt on an empty street as she grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. Now I know what its like to be mayonnaise.

"I'm happy," she breathed. "Because the Rosenfield family have moved!"

Wait, what?

"Dylan and Shane left?"

"Yes! It's the best news I've heard all semester. You know how hard it was like, trying to avoid that bitch in every class I had with him? And now, now he's finally gone!"

"You make it sound as if he's dead." I blurted out, not caring if I burst her bubble.

"Oh, shut up." The car veered back into motion. "Shouldn't you be happy, too? Shane's out of yours."

"To be fair, he never was in mine. The perks of being a loser remember?"

Her childishness caused her to mock me back once she no longer had a comeback. But that didn't stop her from humming.

She sucked at humming.

Truthfully, I was glad Dylan was gone. He was a monster who pried on girls as if they were defenseless meat. But Shane? Why did Shane have to deal with the damage caused by his older brother? It wasn't fair.

"So, why did they leave?" I found myself asking.

"Something about rehab for Dylan? Crack, or something? I don't know, but who cares? He's gone!" She chirped once more.

"At least now you're safe, K."

Now, I was walking around the halls alone, trying to be as unnoticed as possible as I slipped into my classes one by one. Feeling like Casper the friendly ghosted, I managed to be unseen until the period before lunch.

I didn't know what was up with the period before lunch, but it seemed to have a large effect on the hungry kids of Greendale High as its the time when they become cranky, obnoxious and well, mean.

It also happened to be literature, the only class I could score good grades in, with all of the popular people including the evil twins.

As soon as I walked in, I was pulled to the side by a pair of gripping strong hands and long fingernails that swiveled around my wrist, clasping it tight. If I wriggled, it would make it dug deeper into my flesh. My back hit the wall almost immediately and because I usually came early to class, no one was there to help me besides the perpetrator themselves.

I winced.

"Oh, come on. That was seriously nothing compared to the damage you did to me." Sierra said, sounding a tad bit cynical. Maybe, a whole lot cynical.

"You mean, to us." Ciara chimed in, giving her twin an eye.

Unfazed by it, Sierra started walking around me as Ciara continued to pin me against the wall. It was clear who was alpha and beta almost immediately, but I wasn't quite sure if Ciara knew it. I decided to play their game.

"No, Ciara." I grinned. "She means to her. You see, she only cares about herself. You're nothing but a toy she's pawning with. Isn't that right, S?" The 's' lingered on my tongue like a snake about to zap its prey.

Disbelief made its way upon her face as her attention fixated on her partner rather than her victim. I could be delusional from the pain that still ringed in my ears, but if I squinted my eyes, tears were evident in hers. Maybe the Clifford twins weren't as perfect as they thought.

This also gave me the perfect opportunity to escape, but I wanted to keep the upper hand.

With a clear of the throat, I stopped their bickering before slowly sliding a hand over Ciara's arm and pushing it away from me. "If you don't mind, class is just about to start."

***

"That," Nyler paused. "Must've been so awesome! God, I wish I was there."

I laughed at his enthusiasm. Right after the incident had happened, we met up for lunch when I was supposed to be tutoring a bunch of kids but called in sick. How could I teach when I was this pumped? I could climb a tower with this much energy in me.

"You should've seen their faces! Or actually, just Sierra's. Ciara looked pretty heartbroken. I kinda feel bad for her." My voice cracked in the end.

It was time for Nyler to eyeroll me. "I love you and all, but who cares? Weren't they both the ones who tormented you? Who bullied you at the party? Who-who..."

His voice suddenly grew quiet, just as his eyes grew wide and hands, frantic.

"How could I have missed that?" He said to himself.

"Missed what?"

His pupils darted straight to mine. My heartbeat quickened.

"Aeryn, what is Sierra's first name's initial?"

"A S."

"And Ciara's?"

"A C."

"Put them together?"

"SC."

Oh, my gosh.

It was them.

***