Building Bridges

Chapter 4

As she dressed the next morning, she could count each finger of the darkening bruise on her shoulder with a grimace. Choosing for a black turtleneck to cover the bit that ran to the front of her collar, Mary pursed her lips. Gym required a change of clothes as part of the points for class and she only had one turtleneck. Deciding to suck it up and endure anyone noticing; the girl packed in sweatpants and a black tee-shirt. If she moved her hair over her chest, no one could see the marks. Thankful for her long and thick brown hair; Mary made her way to school. Kurtz rolled his eyes at her as she sat down in English, "You forgot to text." He stated, almost pouting. Forcing a grin, the girl pulled out her phone and texted him: Didn't make it home safe, had to fight off a pack of dogs, and sleep outside. He glanced at his phone and gave a sarcastic laugh, "You're oh so funny." The playful banter paused as Fangs made his way to sit on the girl's other side. "W-when do you w-want to m-meet?" She asked, turning to the bigger boy. He shrugged; "Maybe tomorrow after school? My place, since I have to watch my little brother." He planned with her. She gave a nod, thinking over how she was going to ask Dawson. He was in a foul mood from her being late once, he'd surely do worse if she was late again. Pulling out her journal, she leaned over it to write as Mr. Phillips began to start a lesson. She didn't have time to fill out an entry after her shower, choosing to go to sleep before Dawson tried to come around again. The day seemed to be going well until gym class. The locker room was unusually crowded as she stood near the door.
"Coach is subbing for music, so everyone is trying to hide out in here." A girl stated at her confused look. She was familiar, "T-Toni, right?" Mary asked with an apologetic smile. At her nod, the pale girl let out a relieved sigh, "I-I don't know w-where I'm g-going to change at n-now." She frowned, shuffling to see if there was anywhere else with privacy. Even the shower stalls were filled with giggling girls. Toni raised an eyebrow, "Just strip here, like everyone else." Looking around at the other half-naked girls, Mary tugged her hair uncomfortably. "Or be late?" The dark-skinned girl shrugged as she stripped off her own shirt. Moving to the corner, trying to go unnoticed, she changed her shirt as fast as she could. Making sure no one had seen anything, she slipped on her pants just as quickly. While the worst bruise was on her shoulder, her pale legs had yellowing marks that had begun fading.
Making her way from the lockers; Toni walked next to her; "What's up with you?" She asked directly, making Mary pause in the small hall just before the gym doors. Her heart felt like it was going to break a rib as she tugged her hair over her collar bone, "W-w-what d-do you m-mean?" The girl pulled her farther down the halls, away from the other students trickling from the locker rooms, "I mean, you're friends with Fangs and Kurtz. How did you manage that?" It'd been a few days since school had started and Mary thought she was invisible to almost everyone. The boys sat with her in almost every class and lunch; Fangs went out of his way on numerous occasions to include her in his circle of friends. Kurtz, in his own quiet way, keeping her company during lunch to let the rest of the Ghoulies know that she was off-limits. Mary thought it wasn't a big deal. She thought that they just liked her because she was nice and funny. "I-I j-just like them. They're g-g-good people." She stuttered out with a smile at the idea that people thought they were friends. Toni watched her, looking for something before giving a nod and her own little grin; "Just be careful. Ghoulies and Serpents don't mix."
Class had begun with five laps after a series of stretches, something that was almost therapeutic for Mary. Loosening her muscles and burning her lungs just a little bit. Fangs jogged in place next to her as she bent over to catch her breath with Kurtz, "Come on, guys; it's not that bad." He laughed at them, receiving a pair of similar glares and middle fingers. As the pair stood, she groaned, "How do y-you have so much energy?" While the exercise felt good, it tired her down quickly. Kurtz scoffed, "He's like a dog, Mary. Dumb and fast." The grin seemed contagious as she bit her lip to hold it in. As Fangs gave a small glare, she couldn't stop the giggle; "If he w-was a dog, I think he'd b-be a Doberman." This time, the smaller boy let out a laugh and nodded his head, "I could totally see that." Fangs crossed his arms and huffed; "At least I'm not a shit-zu." He directed to Kurtz with a sarcastic grin. Before the two could get into an argument, Mary spoke, "W-what kind am I?" The boys looked at her and thought for a moment. Making eye contact over her head, Kurtz decided, "Pomeranian." The taller boy nodded, "Definitely." Her jaw dropped; "Excuse m-me? I am not-" But Kurtz cut her off, "Really yappy." His eyes squinted in consideration. Fangs nodded in agreement again; "Super small too." Baffled; the girl glared at the two of them, "You're m-mean when you team up." Her pout was answered with their mutual laughter. Even though they were making fun of her, Mary couldn't stop the smile as they began to casually talk together. 'Serpents and Ghoulies be damned; we can be friends.'