luckless

- x -

I don't know what Jared thought of my explosion. I had turned my back to him and walked into the woods. I ignored his words, his pleading. He was nothing to me now. He didn't matter. He was no longer my brother. 

I couldn't keep skipping school. I had missed the entire week following all of the incidents. At first, I had stayed with Tatum. Then Paul had called me, and let me know Jared had moved in with Sam for the time being. So now I was able to freely live with Mother, traipsing through the house without any fear of seeing him. As before, Paul drove me to and from school.  I didn't like how much I relied on Paul, but he was the only 'friend' to push around. Surprisingly, he had disowned Jared to almost the same level I had. A strange camaraderie was born from this. I don't know why Paul had turned so against his former best friend, but I was grateful for his support.

Lunches were war zones. The unspoken dispute between my brother and I had somehow traveled. Probably through Kim. Any bit of drama and students snapped it up immediately. Especially when it concerned likable Jared Cameron and his failure of a sister. I knew I wasn't liked by everyone in the small tribal school. That was to be expected. I wasn't the most friendly or kind person. During the days we had lunch together, the cafeteria turned into invisible sides. Those who favored Jared and those who favored me, not that anyone knew what had actually happened or why I had turned on my twin. My side was dwindled in comparison to Jared's. Mostly scattered students who didn't know what was happening, and the majority of the frequent party-goers I had become acquainted with over the years. And Paul, of course. It was like having a big body guard protecting my six. Not that I needed it. I had managed fine without him before. But now there were two of us to throw deathly glares at anyone who looked at us wrong. Paul's attitude had changed so drastically. He reminded me of old Paul, the one who got in fights and was dark and brooding. I definitely liked this side of him more. 

I'm not sure anyone, even Jared and Paul, knew how pissed I was at all times. They, and the rest of the school, figured it out soon enough.

God, it was such a stupid little action that set me off. One moment, I was peacefully ordering my lunch, the next, I was on the ground. Two idiotic boys, both seniors, had been messing around and shoving each other. One had pushed the other so hard he sent me sprawling. I didn't think about what I was doing or if it was right. I just followed my instinct.

I went for the one closest to me, who was also on the ground. The first punch I threw was hard. It connected with the side of his face. When I struggled to my feet, the second boy was already coming for me. He landed one shot on my face before I lunged. The hit he had landed dragged across my face, a metal bracelet catching on my cheek. I felt the thin grooves scraping my skin and drawing blood. The sting pissed me off even more. I didn't hesitate. I threw myself at him, tackling him to the ground. My hands scrabbled to find a hold on the front of his shirt before I started punching. Every hit hurt my knuckles, coating them in my own and his blood. Before I could throw in another shot, strong arms wrapped around my middle. I twisted frantically, trying to land a hit on the interrupter. But my balled fists met rock hard muscle. I continued to beat on the figure until had carried me outside. When he dropped me back to my feet, I charged. He held me back with ease. I finally relented, beginning to cool off.

"What the hell Paul?! Why didn't you let me finish him?" My nostrils were flared, my eyes wild. I could feel the intense rate at which my heart was thrumming. Paul only looked at me, bemused. The stupid smirk on his face made my blood boil all over again.

"Finish what? Kill him? That's unacceptable. And illegal. Just with that pretty little number, I wouldn't be surprised if you got into some legal trouble." I rolled my eyes. With a huff, I crossed my arms. He eyes rose to a spot behind me. His eyes flashed. "We'd better go. Get in."