Freshman Friday

Chapter 8 - "Recall"

I awoke with my back to a soft surface. My mind had endured a barrage of headaches from the previous night and the gray rings around my eyes were proof of so. I sat up and took notice of Mason's empty bed. Knowing him, he probably left for baseball practice. He had encouraged me to attend the afternoon meetings rather than tag along with him so early in the morning for whatever reason. It didn't bother me much. Mason always had good reasons for doing what he did, even when they lacked sense.

The Lavista Academy bell rang at 8 AM, officially starting the day. I chose to wear a simple white t-shirt and cargo shorts, considering how we didn't have to adhere to the uniform policy.

"Who knew something as simple as an outfit could bring me just a bit closer to home?" I asked, patting my hair down in the bathroom mirror's reflection.

The school hallways were empty which seemed ironic considering the brutalities that occurred last night. It was impossible to forget how nightmarish it was; creeping within walls, ducking behind cars, hearing heavy metal tear through blood-splattered flesh. And here I thought this was just some boarding school.

I was seated at the top of the bleachers, munching on my sack lunch beneath the golden sun. Today was unusually warm, peaceful, quiet.

"Hello there!"

I looked over my shoulder.

"S-Santory?"

The quirky cheerleader was hunched over me, her hands on her knees, a crooked pink smile from cheek to cheek. Her blonde bangs were practically dangling over my face.

"Why are you eating here all alone?"

I swallowed the sandwich floating in my mouth.

"Doesn't seem to be anybody else around to eat with," I confessed between bites, "Plus, it's not like I've made any friends yet."

Santory giggled and stole a seat beside me. She had the largest hazel eyes I had ever seen.

"One of those statements isn't true." She gripped my hand and pulled it away from my sandwich. Her eyes sparkled.

"I'm your friend," she said with a cheerful smile.

"Y-You are?"

She twirled one of her fingers around the pink ribbon in her hair.

"Of course, Justin. And as for the lack of bodies around, everybody is in 'hiding'."

"Santory!"

She and I glanced down. Julie stood on the track at the very bottom of the bleachers. She glared upwards at the two of us. Santory let out a harsh sigh, yanked me by my shirt collar, and whispered in my ear.

"Nobody dares to show their faces the day after Freshman Friday. There's still too much bad blood in the air. Club members don't want to risk getting 'jumped' or worse, which is why you were stupid to come out here all alone."

She paused to gaze down at Julie.

"You see that girl down there? Keep a very close eye on her. Blink at the wrong moment and she'll snap your neck like the snake she is."

I turned towards her. I had so many questions I wanted to ask but Santory leaned in before I could, pressing her glossy lips against mine. So many emotions whirled in my head within that sweet moment. I felt shock, fear, numbness, then the smallest ounce of pleasure. She backed away, her tender hands holding my face.

"Don't get killed too soon. That wouldn't be any fun. I want to be the one to take your life, Justin."

"Wait, w-what?"

Santory hopped out of her seat and skipped down the bleachers two rows at a time until she reached Julie. That girl gave me goosebumps. No longer wishing to stay, I scooped my lunch into my backpack and made a break for it. I knew there was no getting past Julie. The two cheerleaders waited for me to reach the bottom. I attempted to pass them, but Julie stuck her arm out in front of me, blocking my path.

"Hey."

"Hey," I returned.

"Nice win last night, Sieber." She squeezed my shoulder. "I didn't think you had a violent side. You were pretty good with that bat."

I didn't answer her. I merely kept a neutral gaze down at her sneakers. Mason had advised me to avoid making eye contact with other students as much as possible, but it would take more than that to silence Julie. She wouldn't stop.

"It must have been so hard to splatter Donavan's brains out. You nearly killed the guy. He's not even on campus anymore. Had to be taken to the ER last night. Poor guy told his parents that he'd been robbed on the street while walking home from a party."

Julie awaited my response. I didn't think she cared how I felt. She just wanted me to feel, period. She wanted me to admit that I cared, or was at least mildly concerned about Donavan and his injuries. I was concerned about him but that didn't mean Julie had to know. As far as she knew, I couldn't care less about beating the stupid football player.

"I gotta go."

I collected myself and walked coolly across the field, towards the dorms. Julie watched me flee, then turned towards her partner in crime.

"So, any luck?"

Santory shook her head. "No."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Why is it that every time you go rogue, everything falls perfectly in place for you? But whenever you're asked to do something for the team, things just never seem to work out?"

Santory shrugged. "I dunno, maybe it's just poor leadership?"

Julie looked away, smiling, her tongue bulging against her cheek.

"Why did you kill that boy last night? I still can't rap my head around it. We only have so many spots left, Tory. No more than two students can die within a year, remember?! Those are the rules! And now the entire school has only one goddamn opportunity left to kill!"

"So?"

Julie made a wicked face, then stepped toe to toe with her rival. "You and I have never liked each other. I hated you since day one. But if there's one thing we can agree on, it's that we need Justin on our side."

Santory folded her arms in thought.

"Justin Sieber will never join football. He's been spending too much time with Mason. It's likely that he already knows about this school, about its secrets." She paused for dramatic effect. "About us."

"We don't need him join football. I'm pretty sure tryouts are over anyways. No, we need him on our team."

Santory was confused. "The cheer squad? You really think he's gonna want to be a male cheerleader?"

Julie laughed. "The guy already plays volleyball, what difference would cheerleading make?"

Santory smirked, infatuated with the idea of seeing Justin every second of the day. In a tight tank-top and shorts, she might add.

"Convince him to join us. If he says no, threaten him. If he still refuses, stab the punk. I don't give a shit. He has to be on our team no matter what. Understand?"

Santory grumbled. "Don't speak to me like I'm beneath you, Julie."

Julie walked backwards.

"Well, seeing as how I'm president of the cheer squad and everything... you technically are beneath me, Tory. And plus, a little birdie told me that somebody's gotta hit on you for killing that kid. So you'll probably need my protection."

Julie left her acquaintance at a loss for words. She would have what she wanted no matter how much blood had to be shed. She wanted blood more than anything.

And Julie Rosado always got what she wanted.