Building Bridges

Chapter 2

Sitting in English class, the three sat next to one another again, "M-my dad said I-I can go over t-tomorrow." Mary said, looking directly at Kurtz. The dark-haired boy gave a nod as the teacher walked in. "So, today, I just want you guys to take this time to get to know your partners a little bit more. I understand that not all of you can meet up after school and with it being the second day; this is probably the best time for some of you to work on this project." Mr. Phillips began, folding his hands together and leaning back on his desk. Mary pursed her lips as if knowing that neither boy was going to be willing to talk about anything personal. Pulling out her notebook, she thought to go an easier route; "W-why don't I g-go first with the interview? You guys c-can take t-turns with the questions." The girl figured it would get her session out of the way and help the boys relax a bit more since they won't need to talk about anything personal to them. At the mutual nod, Fangs read over the first question; "How long have you lived in Riverdale?" And suddenly, it didn't feel like a good idea anymore. She tugged at her long hair a bit, "I-I just moved here this s-summer. Before, I-I lived in Georgia. W-w-with m-m-my biological f-father." It felt like she was choking on her words, trying to give them enough details for their assignment, but not enough to open old wounds. As they wrote, Fangs gave her a confused look, "Why did you move here?" It wasn't a question from the paper, but simple curiosity. Pursing her lips; she thought for a moment what to tell them. Kurtz leaned forward a bit, unwilling to admit that he was interested as well. Yet, his blue eyes said otherwise as they watched her. "H-he got sent t-to prison; f-for life." Mary wished she could lie, say that her mother won a custody battle or that he didn't want her. Both answers would have been better. But the girl had never told a lie before. She never could and she never wanted to. Skimming around the truth or withholding bits; she could do that. Just never outright lie. Fangs let out a breath, "That's rough, Mary. I'm sorry." She wished he hadn't said that. There wasn't anything to be sorry for. Her dad had done terrible things that landed him in prison and left her going from one trauma to the next. The girl gave a small smile though and shrugged; like it wasn't a big deal. "What's your family like?" Kurtz read aloud the next question once they were done writing. Her fingers curled in her hair and she worried her lip, mulling over how to answer in a way that she wasn't lying. But also, not giving away how messed up everything was. "My m-mom is a f-flight a-attendant, s-so she's not around o-often. A-and my s-stepdad i-is n-n-n-nice." Her throat felt like it was closing again. Dawson could be nice, which made everything so much harder and confusing. "H-h-he l-l-loves me a l-lot." The words held so much meaning, but neither boy seemed to catch onto it.
Kurtz nodded; "So, you still have two parents who love you?" His tone held a bitter note, one that she knew she would explore more the next day after school. He'd been mostly quiet, but she could see he was tense. Maybe even feeling out of place as he sat with her and the Serpent. Everything about the boy screamed loner and teen angst. Mary supposed she would be learning more about why he was this way. She felt her eyebrow twitch; "Y-you could say that I guess." A part of her believed that she might have had it easier than most. A roof over her head; food on the table; and her own bedroom even. Between enduring her father and Dawson, the girl sometimes felt ungrateful. 'It could be worse.' She would think. 'I could be dead.'
"Do you have any talents or skills?" Fangs began on the third question. Luckily, they were already halfway through with the paper. Shrugging, "I-I'm not h-h-horrible at drawing." Mary said with a small smile. Drawing had been a huge thing for her growing up. It was expressive without using words.
As someone who had a lot to say, yet can barely stumble through a sentence, Mary found comfort in the things she could do with paper and pencils. Baring her soul without admitting aloud how messed up her mind was. Her journal was for when she couldn't express herself right. When her words formed what a picture could not. "I-I journal t-too, but it's k-kind of lame." The girl confessed with an embarrassed frown. Fangs bumped his shoulder into hers, "I bet you do poems too?" His smile wasn't teasing, but she blushed none the less with a nod. Kurtz scoffed, "Stereotype." He muttered. Rolling her eyes, she passed the bump over to him, "Rude." Her retort brought a small grin to each of them. The Ghoulie leaned back in his chair and read over the fourth question; "List three pet peeves. This ought to be good." He smirked and looked over at the girl to watch her think. It was a tough one for Mary because she tolerated so much. "I-I don't like l-lying." She'd been lied to a lot in her life. Especially by those who were supposed to love her. "I-I h-hate changes." Which was all that was happening to her lately. "A-and sock with f-flip-flops make me c-cringe." The last one earned a loud laughing fit from Fangs and a chuckle from Kurtz. As they wrote down her answer, she refrained from repeating the question to them. Knowing that even though it was simple, they weren't at that comfort level yet. Serpents and Ghoulies had a long and bad history that carried over to the newer generations. Fangs snapped her out of her thoughts; "What's your biggest fear?" She paused. It wasn't hard to think of a reply but, like most questions so far, it was painfully personal. As if sensing the change in her for once, both boys straightened up and watched her. Her brow creased, "S-small and d-dark p-p-places." Even with her father and Dawson haunting her mind; nothing was scarier than the times she had been trapped in a closet or deep freezer. It was the idea punishment that her parents would use on her. They didn't question it, seeing her pale complexion and how her fingers seemed to have frozen from the insistent tugging on her brown locks.
Kurtz cleared his throat when they finished writing, "What do you want to do with your life?" The last question didn't seem to hold as much of a punch as the rest, but they were all horribly good questions. Mr. Phillips seemed to know what he was trying to achieve. "I want to b-be a veterinarian. S-somewhere far from civilization." It was wishful thinking on her part, but the dream was always in the back of her mind. Being far away from her family or anyone who knew her, the girl would find solace in animals because they can't hurt her the way people do. The way people have. Looking at the boys as they wrote, she wondered how long it would take before they hurt her as well. No doubt that it would happen sooner or later. As they finished their work, they conversed on lighter subjects. Mainly other classes and Fangs small obsession with wanting to read one of her poems. "Fangs, they're n-not really s-something I-I share." She tried to wane him off the subject, packing her things for when the bell rang. "I bet they're girly and shallow." Kurtz mocked with a grin, trying to push her buttons. She realized that was a habit of his; irritating people to get a reaction. Now it was her turn to scowl; "N-no. They're j-just personal." She defended just as the bell rang. As everyone moved for the door quickly, Mary could hear Kurtz mumbling a 'Whatever' before they parted ways. Rolling her eyes and pushing the other boy, "Y-you started this." He just laughed some more as they made their way to Chemistry. Mary felt like she was getting into the swing of school. The second day wasn't so hard, and she felt like the Serpent and the Ghoulie might end up as decent school companions. Maybe even friends. The thought was odd. Fangs was obviously 'friend' material. He made her comfortable with his own friends and kept a light vibe. The boy was funny and nice to her. Kurtz was the complete opposite though. He was reserved. Mary wondered if that would change when she did his interview. The point of the project was to get to know them and vice versa. She pondered if they could be friends too.
There was something familiar about the way the boys acted though. Like something she'd seen before. They were obvious rivals but didn't go out of their way to make life miserable for one another. Kurtz didn't draw attention as most Ghoulies did and Fangs didn't instigate fights like most Serpents. Smiling as she wrote in her diary that night, Mary dared to believe that high school could be bearable with a pair of decent friends. She wouldn't feel so lonely.