A Vicious Lullaby

Hiking and Public Bathrooms

I pull up to school in my beat-up Toyota, bass thumping out of the speakers. I crack the back windows so everybody hears me pull up. Am I an attention whore? Maybe, but at least I own it. I mean 'hot pink hair' own it. Speaking of, I look up into my mirror to check my fly-aways. I have these stubborn baby hairs at my temples that stick up straight in the air when I pull my hair back and it looks like weird little devil horns. They're good for now. I look back to the road in front of me just in time to see a Van pull out right in front of me. I slam on the breaks and yank on the steering wheel. My car screeches to a jolting stop. I do a quick check that I'm okay before looking to see what the hell just happened. I don't know the car. I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody's car. New car = New person. Maybe even a whole new family. Well, whoever they are I'm about to introduce myself.  Clearly they haven't seen Prairie View's fourth stall scripture.

Rule 5- The LeCrone family is dangerous

There are nine rules in total and most people basically treat them as law. Except of coarse this fool. I open my door and duck out of my car. The driver's door to the other car is already open. The driver gets out just in time for me to slam my hands against their shoulders and push them back into the side of their dumb-ass hippie van. They make a thud against the old metal. I look up. huh. I place my hands on his chest and hold him back against the van. He's... my age? Tall, buzz cut, dark eyes, maroon t-shirt, and dark jeans. I reach up and slap him across the face. Not hard but firmly. Smack! Then I take one step back. I wait for Mr.Hippie Van to finish touching his face and make eye contact. He does. He's actually not bad to look at. I think he was in shock when I hit him because his eyes are narrower now as opposed to the scared baby look he had going on a minute ago. I stick out my hand to shake. He doesn't take it.

"Fine. Nice to meet you too." I tell him before getting back in my car and driving off. I look in my rearview but he's already back in his van.

I'm late. Mostly because some dipshit almost killed me but Mr.Bustamonte doesn't care. I walk into class and as soon as I do he stops his lesson and makes a cross with his fingers at me saying "T for tardy!"

"I know, I know," I tell him and hand over my tardy slip. I walk to the back of the class and throw down my backpack before plopping into my chair.

"Yoooo!" says Ricky under his breath. "Wassaaap!" I roll my eyes at him and kick him across the aisle. Then the door opens again. Mr. Bustamonte does his whole cross thing like he's an exorcist. And then Hippie Van walks in. 

I angrily blow hair out of my face and stare holes into the new kid's back. He turns and sees me. He doesn't react.

"Class," says Mr.Bustamonte, clapping to get our attention, "This is Adrian. He's just moved here from Oklahoma. Adrian why don't you tell us your full name, your favorite animal, and a fun fact about yourself. Then we'll all go around the room okay?" Everyone, even Adrian cringes. This is what hell is like. I'm sure of it.

"Hi, uh, my name is Adrian Wayne. Like Bruce Wayne? Batman? Um... my favorite animal is a bear and... a fun fact about me is that I like hiking." The whole class stifles laughter.  Rebecca whispers 

"Can you even call it hiking in Oklahoma?"

 Welcome to the Rocky Mountains, Hippie Van. Then It starts to go around the room. Nobody really cares what's being said so most of us are zoned out. When it's almost my turn and I try to wake myself back up. Missy sits to my right and is a huge motor-mouth so I know I have some time. Missy talks about pandas for a while and I look at Hippie Van. He's the newest, most interesting thing that's happened at this school since Jeremy Kimmel's parents got divorced and he moved with his mom to Wisconsin. There's a pause in Missy's monologue and I jump in while I can.

"My name is Olympia LeCrone, my favorite animal is a cuttlefish and a fun fact about me is that Adrian almost killed me with his hippie van this morning which is why I was late." 

Everyone's eyes shift between me and Hippie Van. At first, his expression is blank, total poker face, and then he smirks, his eyes sparkling. 

"An honor." He says simply. Ricky, oblivious to the tension in the room, pipes up.

"I'm Ricky Barns my favorite animal is a party animal and a fun fact about me is that I got to meet Bruce Willis once." The class resumes but Adrian and I keep... I don't even know what to call it but it feels like there's a piece of yarn stringing from me to him and it's getting tighter and tighter, pulled taut between us. I decide I don't like it.