Starry Eyed

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

The plot James and I had so urgently set out was turning out to be a bit of a disaster now that we were actually talking to the man himself. Months after Finn had tipped his beer on my head and cackled like the Joker, I'd been thinking we were making some progress into the 'friend zone'. (Which sounded better in my head.) After all, I'd become friends with James. I'd thought the same could be said for Finn. But he refused to help.

"You told me I was scum," he said gleefully, puffing out a cloud of smoke into the room. I tried not to cough. "I don't need to help you now you've fallen from grace."

"Just this once," begged James. "I'll never bug you again."

"That's just the problem. You only talk to me if I'm needed, don't you? That's the problem with you dolls. You run the whole damn school and think everybody else isn't anything but a servant to your majesty. So, your highness, you can kindly piss off now!" Finn was really enjoying himself with this. The idea still bewildered me that James had, somehow, been friends with Finn. I knew Star had once been in that crowd- before I showed up, at least- but I couldn't see Star, Finn and Harlem being in that crew. They had been popular, and Star still was pretty much queen bee alongside Bridgit, but Harlem and Finn... there was no possible way of imagining them hanging out with the plastic people. I couldn't picture it.

Well, it was pretty difficult for me to picture Harlem at all, really.

"So you want him to ask for your help, but if he does, you'll tell him he's a jerk?" I asked in bewilderment. "Make your mind up, Finn. You're acting like some bigshot bad guy."

"What I'm saying is he can't expect my help one time and never give anything back. I forget you're resident new kid on the block," Finn said sarcastically. "You won't know anything about the popular crew and me, will you?"

James had stopped speaking and was cowering away with his eyes studying the carpet like a textbook. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched, patiently waiting for him to melt into a puddle of tears. It was hard to admit that he had become kind of a pussy today.

"Stop talking yourself up. If it's such a big deal, you'll just tell me." Finn was starting to get on my nerves. "What's with all the riddles, anyway?"

He shrugged. "It adds to the aura. And I guess I should explain."

He sat down at his desk, a cigarette in his hand, still playing up to the role he'd been given. "It started when Star and I first met," he announced. "She was the literal star of the school thanks to her father. But I don't really think it would have mattered whether her dad ran the place or not. Honestly, she'd be the darling of this place even if she was just your regular freshman kid. Anyway, she and I both have that same sort of sick humour. We became friends. This extended with Harlem." I winced when he said the name out loud, but Finn apparently had no troubles mentioning the deceased.

"We were the golden trio. Though I guess anyone involved with Star is golden. Even you," he mused. "She kind of brought the popular kids she was friends with in with us. We rose to the same level of cool as them. We ran the whole school. But then I was... suspended," he whispered dramatically. The whole rigmarole made me want to slap him, but I restrained myself.

"Cigarettes?" I said, one eyebrow raised. James flinched for no apparent reason, and I glanced over, puzzled. Finn was laughing in his desk chair. He blew out another billowing fog of smoke.

"Of course not. That's beginner's shit. The truth is, I was getting kind of pissed at the cool kids and their stoney exterior. Inpenetratable, they were. They are. I pulled a prank on them."

"Shut up," James suddenly said, his hands shaking. "It doesn't matter."

"I think Luca deserves to know," smiled Finn. "On the first day, I started simple. I covered his bedroom floor with paper cups filled with water.