Glorify Bad (ON HOLD)

Chapter Eleven - Peachy

        Caleb had woken to the sound of his alarm once again, smacking it quiet as he moped out of the comfort of his bed. He had been especially dreading this day, since he had promised Elsie he would phase at full moon. Caleb began to feel the side effects Elsie had been going on about, though ignoring them much longer wasn’t going to sooth it. His body felt like glass, fragile to the few steps it took to reach the staircase, which hadn’t been any easier. At the bottom, he saw Elsie in her diner’s outfit, readying to leave for work.

“Holy shit, Caleb. You look hung over.” She spotted his dark eyes and pale skin as she slipped combat boots on from the couch.

“I’m not a ray of sunshine this morning?” Caleb joked in a mutter as he lightly hobbled to the refrigerator.

“I really hope you follow through with this.” Elsie stepped into the kitchen, folding her arms across her yellow diner polo.

Caleb reached for left over Chinese in the door of the refrigerator, eating the noodles with a fork in hand. “Don’t worry about it.” He spoke with noodles in his teeth.

“I’ll stop worrying when you give me a reason not to.” She pressed, slightly annoyed.

“Don’t you have a some place to be?” Caleb chomped.

Elsie glared over at the oven numbers. “You’re right. I’m working late tonight, so please don’t make me worry.”

Caleb nodded his head, though the gesture sent pain through his neck.

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Caleb arrived at school that evening, walking through the neighborhood where he met the school at the end of the block. It was quite obvious that homecoming had been tonight, since cheerleaders flocked the entry of the school cheering as jocks made their way, waving and profiling. Caleb walked through the obnoxious entry, having blue and yellow pom-pons shoved in his face.

At his locker, he found propaganda for tonight’s event reading:

‘Avelak Aardvarks Unite! Attend The Homecoming Game Tonight To Watch The Aardvarks Score Another Win! Tickets On Sale Now!’ 

Caleb scoffed at the annoying placement of the poster, ripping it off and tossing it into the trash beside his locker.

“No school spirit?”

Nora greeted him that moment as she had every morning since their meet. Her dirty-blonde locks were pinned at her ears with a blue headband that matched her denim jacket.

“None at all.” Caleb spoke as he tossed his backpack into his locker.

“You’re not the only one.” Nora grinned, yet eyeing the joyous cheerleaders down the hall.

“What’s the point of homecoming anyway? A night for freshman to try to get laid? It’s so damn stupid.” He spoke as he observed the wall of posters across the opposing lockers.

“We’ve never lost a game.” Nora informed. “Avelak High is notorious for it’s winning streak. We’ve never had a game where we tied or forfeited.”

Caleb huffed. “And you pedestal that?”

“I don’t.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve never even been to a dance before. Good thing I’m not the only one not going.”

“How do you figure that?” Caleb asked.

“Well, you’re not going to homecoming.” She spoke matter-of-factly.