adjectives | reddie

eleven - exhilarated

pharmacy boy

when i was eight, the third grade class pinned that name onto me. greta bowie had started to help her dad at the pharmacy, so she was there almost everyday. she was a grade ahead of me; going into fourth grade. coincidentally, i had walked into that pharmacy everyday, hearing the same bell chime as i opened and closed it. the name originally stuck when she would see me everyday.

"pharmacy whore in the pharmacy store" she originally said, but she then narrowed it down to 'pharmacy boy' by the end of the summer. maybe i would've found it hilarious if i wasn't the one being called that, but i wasn't blessed with the fortune. the nickname seemed to echo down the halls in third grade, but i never stopped going to the store, i couldn't.

the name died down in the school, but greta never stopped.

"hey, pharmacy boy!" she called out as soon as i opened the door. she didn't look up, but she knew. her bubblegum popped loudly, echoing throughout the old store. her blonde hair flipped back and forth with every step she took towards the counter. my shoulders hunched at the sound of her loud chewing. her bright green eyes stared at me unenthusiastically, "you here for your dick pills?"

tired

my eyes seemed to spin to the back of my head. i slammed the prescription slip on the counter and waited for greta to find my pills. she slapped the paper and dragged it away. her eyes scanned the paper as she walked towards the various shelves with many kinds of pills and syringes.

"just saying," she hollered out from behind a shelf, "maybe you could get a boyfriend if you had a functioning dick!"

"a boyfriend?"

"well that's why you take those gay pills, right, pharmacy boy?" she smirked. a bubble started to grow from her mouth until it popped loudly. i felt all of the blood rush from my face in a quick, sudden fashion. my eyes almost fell out of their sockets as i stared at greta. her green eyes burned into my brown ones with a knowing smirk.

"relax, girly-boy," she laughed, "i'm just fucking with you." she placed the bag with the newest order of pills on the counter carelessly. the bag crinkled as i snatched it away swiftly. my heart slowed down as i headed towards the door without another word. the air was thick as i got closer and closer to the glass door.

"oh," i heard her pout sarcastically, "unless you wanted to date that trashmouth tozier."

i stayed quiet, not daring to turn around and look at greta. if i looked in her eyes, i knew i would tear up. the door slid open as my foot laid on the mat.

"pharmacy boy and trashmouth sitting in a tree-" she laughed obnoxiously as the door slid closed once again. the cold air hit my face the second i stepped out onto the sidewalk. the skies were grey, and the streets were empty, as a new horror movie had just been released. teenagers had been lined up outside for hours waiting for the theatre to open, but now, the air was quiet. the only sound was the sound of one woman's heels clicking down the sidewalk.

"k-i-s-s-i-n-g," i murmured silently, finishing the statement.

"move!" someone pushed past me, running quickly. my body fell to the ground quickly as i watched the figure sprint down the street. my head snapped as i heard a group of footsteps from my other side. henry was running at the head of the group, his group following behind. i pushed away my body against the brick to let them pass without a problem. my eyes watched them all come to a corner, belch at the very back.

"pharmacy boy!" i heard one of them holler; victor. i locked my terrified eyes with his as my breath hitched. i would've choked if i tried to speak at that moment. "which way did he go."

i lied, pointing to the opposite direction of which the guy went. i silently prayed as my body was frozen on the ground that they wouldn't come back and hurt me. henry looked back with insane eyes. they seemed to glow red like a werewolf howling at the moon, and as if that werewolf could swear that it heard the moon give an answer.

scattered

henry was, like greta, a year older than us and a bully. ever since bill and i had played in the sandbox, we would watch henry throw sand into other people's eyes. he never touched us, but that was because bill could run, and my mom would have contacted the fbi. "never touch the kaspbrak boy," i would hear parents say, "unless you want your toys to be taken away."

that was just an invitation for no friends.

i had been friends with bill since i was younger. he was the only person that was willing to be my friend, so i would follow him around. i had the smallest memory of before he had a stutter; the reason his stutter started was some kind of "car accident", but it seemed hard to believe. sooner or later, we added stanley to our small group of friends. he was more quiet and reserved than bill and i, but he was the missing puzzle piece in our small trio.

henry had collected his 'friends' over time somehow. no one was sure how that group became friends, but they did, and it was dynamite, in a bad way.

tik, tik, boom.

they ran off in the direction i pointed, a knife in henry's hand. the blade was retractable, but he kept the blade visible, as if he was ready to stab the light post next to him. time slowed down as henry looked back at me one last time. his eyes burned into mine loudly, but no noise was made. i closed my eyes to break the cold stare.

as soon as henry and his minions were out of sight, i stood back up on my feet. my head seemed to spin like a run down carousel at a state fare. i held out my arms and tilted my head up to the sky. when my balance came back, my feet picked up speed as i headed down the long sidewalk. a piece of my hair jumped up and down with every stride i took. my hand clutched the bag of medicine tighter than before.

my body nearly fell on the rocky pavement when i turned the corner and heard panting behind a chain link fence. various branches and leaves stuck out of it as if it were reaching for me. i slowly made it to the source of the noise. my eyes connected with his deep brown ones. they were clear and alert. i quickly recognized him as farm boy. his real name was unknown to me, but everyone knows him as the boy that lives with his grandfather on a farm and comes into town to sell meat to the butcher.

"you a'ight?" my hand extended towards him, offering help. he nodded and squeezed my hand firmly. he jumped up quickly.

exhilarated

"how often does that happen?" i inquired in a low whisper.

he shrugged, "every other week, but they haven't caught me yet."

my eyes stayed glued on him as he brushed his hands against each other to wipe off the dust. he continued to his jeans, brushing off the dirt.

"i'm eddie," i stuck out my hand again; this time, for a shake.

he reluctantly grabbed it with a nod, "pharmacy boy, i'm mike."

"farm boy."