Rouge Child

Reckless

Lily’s mouth was dry; and, she couldn’t move, or breathe.

Jake Wright had his death stare on Guy Lowell and grumbled. “What the fuck do you mean it’s gone?”

Poor Guy almost whimpered. “It’s gone. Come on, man. If you want, we can go to my place and then-”

“Oh, shut up, you shit! When I say it’s mine, it’s mine.” He grabbed Guy by his shirt. “Who took it?” And, push him away.

Guy, afraid and hopeless, looked around the room, looking for a face to blame.

The room was quiet and Dougray’s house suddenly seemed too small for Jake and his anger. He was a dark figure in the middle of the room, and Lily thought that there were dark clouds surrounding him. He was staring at everyone like a rabid dog, ready to bite. When his gaze fell on Lily, she shivered, went cold, and shrunk to a size of a pea. She wanted to run away from the bad, mad dog that was Jake Wright. In some weird feeling, she had this sudden urge to hold Carter’s hand. Shocked by the silly thought, she denied herself before she ever got to hold his hand. She mentally shook her silly head but her subconscious pouted who had pompoms in her hands. Lily didn’t know that her subconscious was a cheerleader wannabe.

“Carter… Carter, man.” Guy was shaking his head. He was somehow waiting for Ray Carter to save him.

Like the bad, mad dog he was, Jake was too alert to recognize Carter’s name escaped Guy’s mouth, and he was ready to gnaw his favorite bone, very hungry. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. He tried to calm himself, but failed. Then, he growled, “You….”

Lily peeked at Ray and waited for a reaction. What now? She mentally asked him. She felt him stiffened for the second time that night and was perplexed again with the same impulse to hold his hand. Her subconscious was jumping up and down with her pompoms in hand, encouraging her to. No. She couldn’t. She was scared with how Ray was standing there beside her and was staring at Jake who was also staring back at him. She shrunk a little more that second, now tinier than a pea. Carter, what now? She but whispered to air.

Gone was the stiffness replaced by arrogance, Ray moved away from Lily and smiled at the bad, mad dog. “Yo, Jake buddy. What is this? I see this party doesn’t amuse you so much as expected.” He reached for Guy and patted his shoulder. “You ok?”

Guy swallowed and could only nod a small okay. “Carter bought the last one, Jake. I thought you wouldn’t come tonight so I…ah…. I thought you were at the Shacks.”

Guy moved away from Ray so that only Jake and Ray were standing face to face. They were like that for a few moments, just staring at each other, holding their own breaths, and waiting for the other one to give up first. For Lily, it looked like a pissing contest or “whose ego is bigger?” contest. Boys. Boys. Boys. She was mentally repeating the mantra. Boys. Boys. Boys. Are. Stupid.

After only-no-one-knows-how-long, both Ray and Jake gave up the pissing contest. Lily noticed that for only-no-one-knows-how-long she was also holding her breath.

Ray Carter patted Jake’s right shoulder and smirked. “Come on, man. It’s just weed.” He made it seemed so easy. So fly.

Jake Wright, on the other hand, was tense and still being the bad, mad dog. He didn’t say anything but swatted Ray’s hand away. He seemed disgusted with Ray. He almost spat but he didn’t. He turned away and left, as if he left skid marks on Dougray’s floor. Lily was grateful that there were no blood or body parts.

Everybody recovered from the Jake Wright-Ray Carter pissing contest and soon began to party again. At the corner of her eye, Lily saw Jean talking to Alas who had his arm around the red head curvy girl. She guessed they were really dating but she had no idea how they came to be. Jean didn’t tell her anything; all she knew was that the last time she checked Frankie Bosworth was still Jean’s ultimate crush.