Horrible mess

7

Larry and I meet up with Todd to walk to school. We stand in silence. I don't say anything because I'm uncomfortable and Larry doesn't talk because he's most likely comfortable with the silence. Todd soon walks out of the stairs.

"Hey Larry. Sal." He nods in our direction.

I wave in greeting. 

"Hey Todd!" Larry said, as chipper as ever.

We both made an agreement that what happened last night and this morning will never be told to the group unless I give the okay. I'm just glad that he's respecting that agreement.

We head off to school, Todd and Larry chatting over something. I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy thinking to myself about what had happened since yesterday morning. That's when I heard the worst sound in the world.

There was a dog barking, and it was nearby.

I freeze where I stood, frantically searching for the dog. It sounded like it was coming from behind us. I turn to see a dog running towards us, it's leash dragging behind it on the sidewalk, the owner running after the mutt. I scream as the dog jumps at me.

I turn and try to run from it, but the dog was too fast. The dog knocked me to the ground, all air leaving my lungs. I claw frantically at the ground, trying to escape the slobbering demon that was holding me to the ground, licking the back of my head.

I scream out, hoping that someone will save me. I soon feel the weight be lifted off me as Larry was trying to help me up and the dog's owner was apologizing.

"I am so sorry. Addy is just too loving." The owner said, embarrassed by his dog. 

I just claw my way up into a standing position, standing behind Larry so that he could protect me from the dog.

"GET THAT DOG AWAY FROM ME!" I scream frantically, in hysterics as flashbacks filled my head of the attack that I had suffered from eleven years ago.

"Sal, calm down. It's just a dog." Todd stated matter-of-factly.

"That's the problem!" I shouted. "It's a dog! A beast capable of killing. A monster that can tear flesh away from bones! THAT THING IS EVIL!"

Larry, Todd, and the dog's owner stared at me in bewilderment. I probably sounded crazy, but I was proof that dogs were pure evil. My mom was also proof of this.

"Come on dude. Let's get to school. The dog can't hurt you. The owner has a hold on her."

I look at the dog skeptically, not believing that I was safe, but Larry said that I was safe, and I trust Larry. I believe Larry. I nod, allowing Larry to pull me away from the dog. I kept glancing backwards, scared that the dog would come after me again. She did not.

"Sal, what was all that about back there?" Todd questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"..." came my response. I never told anyone about the dog attack that happened to me eleven years ago. The one that stole my face and my mom.

"Todd. Drop it. Sal can tell us when he's comfortable enough to." Larry intervened. 

I nod to Larry, grateful for his interference. I really don't want to talk about it. At least, not yet. I might tell Larry one of these days.

We get to school. I sigh, not wanting to deal with the people that walk around in the halls, crowding the way around them so that you have to wait. I don't want to deal with the idiots that believe they own the school, torturing anyone they saw fit. So, I basically didn't want to deal with a normal school day in another photocopy of a high school.

We walk in and I'm instantly greeted with rude, unwavering stares from my fellow peers. I just ignore them, going straight to my locker. I look at my locker, seeing multiple insulting things written on my locker in marker.

Freak.

Loser.

Weirdo.

It's not Halloween yet, Jason!

This and more covered my locker. I rolled my eyes. The least they could do is come up with something new that other schools hadn't thought of already. This, to me, is old material. 

I open my locker and multiple sheets of paper fell out. I pick them up and looked at them, frowning. Well, this is definitely different from other schools. These were notes from individual students. Some of them had messages, others had poorly drawn pictures.

One note said, "I hope you enjoy it here, freak because you will soon regret ever moving here." Another said, "I bet your parents hate you faggot."

One drawing was a picture of 'me' hanging from a noose, dangling from a tree. It was a stick figure with a white face (I'm guessing that it represents my mask) with blue pigtails and  arrow pointing to it saying 'you' in red.

I sigh, grabbing my stuff for class, shoving the notes back into my locker. I'll deal with those later. I stuff my notebooks and papers into my bag, zipping it up and putting it on my shoulders. Suddenly, I was pushed face-first into my locker.

"Hey Mister Halloween." Travis, aka Blondie, said, pushing my face harder into my locker.

Travis turned me around, looking me in the eyes. I kick at him, but it didn't do anything. He punched my in the face, causing the cut that was on my forehead to reopen, causing blood to flow down my face. But he didn't stop there. He kept punching me until I couldn't see past all the blood in my eyes.

He drops me, kicking me in the stomach before leaving me curled up on the ground, wheezing.