Abnormalities

(Lena's POV) Chapter Ten

Ever since Mason got beat up, I started seeing less and less of him at school. I always thought he was taking sick days to heal up, but as rumors started going around about him, I started looking for him while on campus. Among the crowds during passing periods, I hardly ever could catch sight of him. Even when I did see him and I shouted his name, his head would always hang low while wearing earbuds, supposedly to drown out the noise. It seemed he stopped acknowledging I existed. Back to square one, I guess.
At lunch, too, I didn't see him. Even today, our table's atmosphere felt empty without his quiet personality sitting with us.
"Hey, Lena," Abi asks me, "is everything okay?" She grabs my hand and holds it firmly.
"I don't, well, I don't think so. I want to know what's going on with Mason and why he's been so distant lately, y'know?" I say, resting my head against the table. "Pile that on top of the usual teasing and school work and I'm ready to melt down, honestly."
Abi places her hand on my back and rubs me gently, calming me down. "I guess we just wait until everything blows over."
"That's the thing, what if it doesn't? He hasn't gotten a good chance to adjust to the environment here fully yet, it's only going to get worse as it goes on. What if he's going through his own melt down right now in the boy's bathroom, eating lunch alone and carving into his skin with a paper towel roll??" I say, overwhelming my mind with this false scenario. I sit back up, running my hands harshly through my knotted hair.
"Lena, calm down. He's not harming himself with cardboard."
"But what if he is?"
"Lena, that isn't possible."
"But what if it is?"
Cam approaches our table with a tray of food from the cafeteria. "What's going on?" He asks, sitting down across from me.
Abi sighs and turns to him; "Lena thinks Mason is alone in the boy's bathroom, doing self harm with a paper towel roll."
"He could be!" I exclaim.
"Lena, you're gonna start another rumor," Cam says, smirking. "Besides, I just saw him a minute ago, he was over by the Criminology classroom and probably went to eat with the teacher."
"Ah."
Abi scoots closer to Cam and leans towards him, her elbows on the table. "Sweetie, you're still driving him to school and home, right?"
"Yeah, Mason doesn't have his own car yet. Why?"
"Has he told you why he's been distant with us?" She asks, curiously tilting her head.
Cam shrugs, picking at his fruit. "He just said he needs some space. Nothing more."
"That's disappointing. I'd think it was something bigger than that, honestly.." Abi admits.
The two of them continue to talk about Mason as I space out, thinking about those last few words of Abi's.
Something bigger than that... whatever's going on can't just be because of him "needing some space." Something bigger...
The bell rings for lunch to end. Everyone, including Cam and Abi, get up and start heading for their next class. I sit tight for one more moment, and it clicks.
"I have no choice but to go and confront him after school," I whisper.

It's been a couple hours and school's already been let out. I headed home first to grab some supplies before leaving again.
In the kitchen, I raid the pantry for a clove of garlic, pull out the juicer, and shove that bad boy down the pipe to make a garlic concentrate. Diluting it with a bit of water, I pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
Papa walks in on me preparing for my confrontation and asks me, "what are you doing, sweetheart?"
"Going to confront Todd." I pull over my thick winter jacket over my shoulders and shove the spray bottle in one of the giant pockets.
"Oh, no you're not. You know how dangerous he is! He might hurt you again, or worse, try to-"
"That's why I'm not leaving without Au de Garlic, Papa!" I exclaim, pulling the little bottle out again and shaking it. "And don't worry, I'll bring some silver too. Although, I may have lost my mood ring from seven years ago..."
Papa shakes his head in disagreement, but sighs and continues on; "be careful with him, please. I can't lose my beautiful daughter to a stud like him."
"I will, Papa." I rush to hug him tight around the shoulders and quickly run to Mama's room, raiding her jewelry box for as many silver pieces I could get my hands on.
I end up leaving the house with two silver necklaces, four rings, and a thick little bracelet. I put them all on and pull my hair back in a ponytail before backing out of the driveway.
"I'll teach that stinking vampire a lesson or two when I get there," I mutter to myself.

Once I park in front of the McDonald's glass doors, I hesitate to get out of the car.
"Deep breaths, Lena. Deep breaths." I inhale heavily a couple times, gripping tight to the wheel. "You're here to yell at him, you're here to avenge your friend. He deserves this. It'll all be over soon."
I let go of the wheel and get out, locking the car. I storm through the entrance of the building, power walking up to the register.
"Yo, Boss, you should get out here," the five-eyed angel at the register whispers into his mic as I approach.
"Seems I don't need to ask to see your manager," I say, crossing my arms. The register man whistles and avoids looking at me in the eyes. Within moments, Todd comes around the corner, first looking at his employee with a dirty look.
"What is it, Pico- oh, hello..." Todd says as his face full of disappointment turns into a sinful smirk. "Didn't think I'd see someone like ya around these parts."
A heavy feeling fills my chest, overwhelming me with anger. "Your office, now."
"First she walks into my restaurant, and now she wants to come into my office. I really thought you left me forever, babe, but it seems-"
"I don't even want to think of what the end of that sentence was going to be." I walk past him and wait for him by the door, tapping my foot aggressively against the tile. He waltzes over with a filthy smile stretched from cheek to cheek.
Disgusting.
Unlocking the door, he lets me in first before closing the door behind us. He flicks on the light and sits at his super messy desk. As I sit across from him, I notice him glancing up and down at my body; I pull my sweater over my chest in response. He frowns and leans back.
"What is it that made you so desperate to come back, sweetheart?" Todd says, crossing his arms.
I take a deep breath and say, "I know what you did last week, on the 20th."
"Do explain, ya know how horrible my memory is..." he stupidly remarks.
"My friend came to school last week from lunch all bloodied up! I want to know what you did to Mason!" I shout, pointing at him sharply.
"Oh, that pasty beanpole? He was picking a fight to begin with, sweetheart."
I stand up and slam my palms against his desk, causing a few of his things to fall over. "HE WOULDN'T PROVOKE ANYONE IF HE WANTED TO!!"
"Relax honey, there's kids outside," Todd says. "He was on my territory and his presence was... eh, too much, I'll say. A man's gotta do what he's gotta do."
"Mason is more of a man than you'll ever be!!" I shout, less loud this time. "He's a heck of a lot more understanding and humble than you were to me!!"
"Lena, sweetheart, baby, ya know I love ya. I was just going through a rough patch and-"
"I'm so sick of your excuses, Todd. It's always 'it wasn't me' and 'I wasn't my best self' with you. I left you because of how selfish you were and because I didn't want to see myself becoming someone like you."
Todd pauses for a moment as he fails to retaliate.
"Seeing him walk back on campus with blood dripping from his mouth made me finally realize how horrible you were; I couldn't see it because you tried to hide it from me, but you hurt others too. You almost killed people. And that's something I can't stand for."
"Babe, it's all a big misunderstanding, I-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!! MASON COULD'VE DIED!!" I scream as my voice cracks, pointing at the wall. "HE'S AT HOME IN PAIN BECAUSE YOU HURT HIM!!"
"You really like that kid, don't you..?" He whispers deeply.
"He is my friend," I state, my heart pounding, "I would do anything for him."
Todd stands from his seat and walks back to the door. "If you wanted to come in and scream at me, you got it. I've got customers to deal with."
I calmly walk to the door and grab the knob, turning it gently and leaving as quickly as I could. Todd follows me from behind, but stays near the register and talks with Pico. I shove my way through the glass doors and get back in the car, leaving McDonald's in a fit of wet anger.
"I really wish I didn't date him..." I mutter, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Stupid vampire, thinks he's so entitled to do whatever he wants."
As I left my car and locked the doors, I looked up and a familiar scene played. A little tuft of ombré hair sticking out from the curtains of Mason's bedroom window. I waved and smiled faintly, but instead of of waving back, he shrunk behind the curtains and walked away.