Call Me A Freak

The Martyr

Jay forced me down into one of the park benches outside the school.

"How could you?" Jay snapped at me.

I didn't react. In all honesty, I was a bit numb from the whole experience.

"Jay!" Evie hissed. "Not now."

"You lost your cool back there," Jay continued. "You went full out Maleficent on Chad, when you promised you were going to try and be civil until the Coronation."

I snapped, shoving Jay away from me. "I lost my cool? The only reason I intervened was because you practically had him by the throat, Jay!"

"You instigated a fight with an old woman-"

"I didn't say a word to her!"

"-you caught the attention of the whole school-"

"She's the one who yelled!"

"-and you threatened the life of a student!"

"Shut up, Jay!" I screamed.

"Guys!" Carlos tried to interrupt, but it was no use.

"No!" Jay screamed. "All you've done this whole week is push away everything that could convince you to go against your mother and I'm sick of it. She's not all powerful, Mal!"

"She's my mother-"

"And I'm your best friend!"

It all came tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Best friend? Ha!" I looked between all three of them. "You three think that we're friends? You guys are just the deadweight kids of the people my mother is using as her stairs to power! She plans to kill you and your families the MINUTE SHE TAKES OVER!"

Jay faltered. "Excuse me?!"

Carlos stepped between us, breaking our eye contact. Suddenly, I was staring into another's angry face. "Mal, what are you talking about?" he insisted.

"You're all fools if you think my mother cares about a single one of you," I laughed. I looked insane. I felt insane. "She killed all my siblings! I'm the only one left!"

"Oh my-" Evie gasped, but I wasn't going to let her finish.

"My mother lives for the thought of slowly and painfully killing all of your parents. They drive her crazy!"

"And what about us?" Carlos tried again. "What reason does she have for wanting to kill us?"

"Reason?! She doesn't need a reason! She's insane. We're both insane," I snarled.

"Mal," Evie said, softly. "You're not like your mother. You don't need to go along with her plans-"

"NOT LIKE MY MOTHER?!" I screeched. "You think I don't have blood on my hands?! Believe me, I do."

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked, stepping out from behind Carlos.

"Do you guys remember Gothel's kid? Michael? He was 2 years younger than us. He went missing in July."

"Mal-"

"He's not missing," I spat. "He's dead. And I know this, because I was the one who smashed in his brains. I was the one who watched my mother's goons carry him out, like they have with others, and dump him into the water."

"Mal." Evie tried to step forward.

"I KILLED HIM!"

My voice echoed outside the empty school. No one responded for a minute. Then, I heard a soft, "What?"