The Purity Project

Chapter 11

Tyler slipped on his new leather jacket. He had chosen a simple outfit. A leather jacket, a gray t-shirt, and black sweatpants. The bland colors would prevent him from standing out, but it was customary for students to wear their school uniforms in public. As long as people don't notice we're teens, we'll be okay. He stepped out of the dressing room and saw Lorenzo waiting there. He turned and realized the other two dressing rooms were still locked.

"I learned this from having three sisters. Girls take a long time to get dressed," Lorenzo said, and he patted the bench next to him.

Tyler sat down. Lorenzo had chosen a navy blue athletic jacket and gray sweatpants. "You really like showing off that you're an athlete, don't you?"

"Hey, as long as I'm comfortable and stylish, I'm good." Lorenzo smirked and crossed his arms behind his head.

A few moments later, Halona emerged from the dressing room. She wore a black hoodie with light blue stripes on the sleeves, and black leggings. She had also adjusted her braid to make it look neater. She smiled at them and sat down on the bench next to Lorenzo.

"You took a long time," Lorenzo teased her.

"You don't get to say anything, pretty boy. We all know how long you take on your skin care routine," Halona retorted.

"Hey! A guy needs to keep his pores clean." Lorenzo crossed his arms and looked away.

"Oh will you two stop arguing for one second?" Tyler snapped.

As if on cue, Jada emerged from the dressing room. She had chosen a dark green hoodie with with a white t-shirt underneath. She wore basic black leggings. She had taken out her bun and replaced it with a high ponytail, her curly hair bouncing around her head. She smiled proudly.

"I hate wearing my hair in a bun. My mother always made me, but now she doesn't get to tell me what to do." Jada smiled, but in her eyes, Tyler could see her pain.

"Well, I think you look great!" Lorenzo smiled. He hopped out of his seat. "Back to Mitch's house?"

"Well, we've got nothing better to do," Tyler said as he stood up. The four of them walked out of the store and toward Tyler's car. As Tyler opened the car door, he noticed two men standing near by talking.

"You heard what's going on in the small towns?" the younger of the two men asked.

"Yeah, it's terrible down there. People just need to accept that the government is doing what's best for them," the older man scoffed.

Tyler looked over at the others and saw that they were also listening discreetly. He was bubbling with curiosity, and soon, it got the best of him. "Excuse me sir, but exactly what is happening in the small towns?"

"Hmm? They aren't teaching you young folk anything these days! Poor people have been refusing to cooperate with the government, so they've been cut off from supplies," the old man said casually.

"That's terrible!" Jada cried out.

"Well girly, didn't your mother teach you that if you don't eat your vegetables, you don't get dessert? It's the same thing," the young man replied, his voice full of pride.

"That doesn't mean-" Lorenzo grabbed Jada's arm to silence her.

Tyler entered the car and closed the door, the others doing the same. He was about to drive away when the older man approached the window. He leaned down, his eyes scanning the inside of the car.

"What are you kids doing out of school anyway?"

"We're home-schooled," Tyler replied quickly. Home-schooling wasn't very common, and it was usually reserved for students that struggled with their education.

The older man scowled. "Alright then. You kids listen here, whatever crap you hear about the government is just people being selfish. Got that?"

"Yes sir," they all replied quietly. The man walked away, and Tyler drove out of the parking lot.

"Well that was interesting," Halona said, breaking the silence.

"I can't believe that the government is starving the poor!" Jada exclaimed.

"I can. They're the same people who took Malcolm and other innocent people to use them as test subjects," Tyler replied coolly.

He suddenly started to think about Ron. How would he have to pay for Tyler's actions? He had left his little brother alone with his despicable parents, and knowing Ron, he probably thought that Tyler was dead. Why didn't he take Ron with him? He would have been better off not knowing what was going on in this corrupt county.

"Tyler?" Jada's voice broke into his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Tyler looked down and realized how hard he had been gripping the steering wheel. He loosened his grip and allowed blood to return to his hands. "I'm fine." Nobody spoke after that. They returned to Mitch's apartment in silence. Tyler walked up the stairs and entered his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on his bed and stared out the window. For the first time in forever, Tyler felt scared. He didn't want to see anyone get hurt, especially Jada and Ron. After all, he was only sixteen. This led him to wonder what it was like outside of Marolo. He had been told in school that the rest of the world was a war-zone, and that the wall was built to protect them from all the violence. Tyler knew that the country was built off lies, but what if they were telling the truth? What if there wasn't any hope outside of the wall?

"Are you going to sit there all day sulking?" Tyler hadn't even noticed Lorenzo enter the room.

"I'm not sulking. I'm just thinking about how messed up this country is," Tyler responded.

"Dude, that's what sulking is." Lorenzo laughed and plopped down onto his sleeping bag. "Wanna talk about it?"

"What are you, a therapist?" Tyler looked over at the boy.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I'm Dr.Castro. Tell me about your feelings. What's bugging you?" Lorenzo looked deep into Tyler's eyes, then started laughing.

Tyler started to smile. "Keep doing that, and you're going to end up with a fist in your face."

"And why does your fist feel like hitting my face? Is this a result of my natural beauty?" Lorenzo batted his eyelashes.

Tyler couldn't help but laugh. Lorenzo started to pose like a model, which only made Tyler laugh harder. His doubled over, clutching his stomach and gasping for air. As he wiped away his tears, he tried to remember the last time he had laughed like that.

"I am pleased with the results of this session. I hope to see you again," Lorenzo said. "Our next session will be on why you insist to have your hair stick out like that."

"Shut up dude" Tyler grinned as he threw a pillow at Lorenzo's face. The two of them continued to talk, laughing here and there. Tyler realized that despite how annoying he could be, Lorenzo was his friend. That thought finally put Tyler's mind at ease.