Dirt

16

Knox

"I fucking hate Worrying-Man-War," Raine just laughs at Cedar as he scoops up the cards from everyone as Basil pulls half the pot to his portion of the table.

"'Cause you aren't winning. Luck be on your side and you'll be kissing this game's ass," Cedar crosses his arms with a tight scowl. Basil flashes a smug smile at Cedar who flips him off.

"Better start devising your plan to win soon, Cedar, it looks like winning just isn't in your kismet," Princeton is all serious to his best friend. His hand is absently fiddling with some of his pile of change. 

He's been getting better. I think. Prince didn't show up to school Monday, the day after breakfast. After that though he and his yellowing eye showed up to at least one of the classes I had with him. He didn't want to be around people still, didn't do any of the homework even with the teachers breathing down his ass. Princeton ate lunch, he talked to the boys in class sometimes. He was even gaining some of his tauntings back. 

Today he came busting in complaining how his dad is dating the woman in the trailer park. It's nice hearing him have some emotion in his voice. The group had some empty space when Princeton wasn't making jokes and arguing the same way as everyone else. He looked happier too. 

It looks better on him.

"What the fuck does 'kismet' mean?" Cedar looks thoroughly confused by Princeton's ever-expansive vocabulary. Not that I know what it means. It's just fun watching Cedar trying to keep up with Princeton.

Raine lights his cigarette before he blows in the direction of Princeton, "Word of the day?"

Princeton nods, his fingers still spinning and straightening his coins, "Destiny; Fate."

Raine cocks an eyebrow, his cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, "That's it? Fate?"

I try to stifle my laugh. Basil does too, covering it with his cup but it is still so obvious. Princeton shakes his head with that look that seems dumbfounded that this conversation was even continuing.

"Uh...yes? You don't always have to explain a word with a plethora of more words? Did you graduate?" I openly laugh at that. Cedar's slapping Basil's arm next to him while his mouth is agape with wheezing laughter.

"I did actually," Raine pauses his shuffle, giving Princeton a bored look with his cigarette sending smoke signals into the air, "You might not have seen me. You know, since you didn't get your growth spurt till you hit puberty last year."

"Ooh!" Cedar's laughing twice as hard, coming out in raspy booms. Roger's laughing at this point, Basil's bursting at his seems. And Princeton has his arms folded and a glare so deadly he could cook an egg from raw.

"Laugh all you want, assholes. But there's a popular saying that the loss of your virginity means the beginning of manhood, right? Get back to me when any of you reach that."

Princeton still has his arms folded, his glare gliding over all of them, even me. He looks ridiculous the way he's pouting, like a little kid who isn't getting their way. It's cute, no lie, but it makes me wonder what he looked like when he was shorter. 

He's near my height now, maybe a few inches shorter but still on the cusp of six feet. I know the rest of the boys are laughing purely at the expense of Princeton because he's taller than both Cedar and Basil. Raine's biased, he's inching six-five I bet. And here he is poking fun at Princeton all because he's a walking giant.

"Oh shut up, you slut," Roger rolls his eyes. Princeton doesn't pay attention, just tilts his chin in the air with a smug look that reads just how much he knows it. "I think Knox has you on it so maybe watch your whore back?"