Dead End Kids
Part Two
The day was going slow, a little too slow for her taste.
Liz was sitting in the back of math class, her fingers tapping lightly on her notebook page. The equations on the board she was supposed to copy had instead taken the form of doodles. Little things here and there, one of Frank kissing Gerard, one of George Bush hanging himself, and one of Brendon without his glasses. She scribbled that last one out though, after much consideration.
The girl next to her leaned across the aisle, trying to catch a glimpse of her drawings. Liz slammed the notebook cover shut with a way-too-loud “fuck off.”
Her teacher gave her a warning glare, which she simply shrugged her shoulders at.
“You’re such a creep.” the girl beside her said after the teacher had turned back to the chalk board.
“You wear too much makeup and your mother never loved you.” Liz said without looking away from her new doodle, Jack Skellington in human form. She smiled to herself.
The girl took in a large breath, like she might say something else, but the bell interrupted her. Liz winked in her general direction before she exited into the hallway. Brendon was already at the end of the hallway waiting for her, eyes glued to the floor.
“How do you do that?” she asked once she’d reached him.
“Do what?” He looked at her briefly, then back down to the floor.
“You’re always outside my classroom waiting for me.” She watched his face carefully, her mind vaguely returning to the drawing of him without glasses. She tried to ignore the sudden heat creeping up the back of her neck.
“Oh.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m magic?”
“Right.” She shoved him playfully, causing him to almost run into a rather intimidating looking senior. “Then why can’t you get a real girlfriend?”
He smiled down at her. “Ouch.”
* * *
Liz walked Brendon to choir, only because her orchestra class was just next door. He’d been in the same class only a few periods before. He ruffled her hair, despite her warning look, and ducked inside the bright-lit choir room.
Brendon’s eyes swept nervously across the small class. He knew what he was looking for, or . . . who he was looking for. It was almost routine for him to do this. He’d look across the room, find the boy with the too-tight clothes and the brown hair, and feel his heart leap up into his throat.
He wasn’t . . . gay or anything . . . he just. He didn’t know. He just really liked looking at that boy. Ryan. Ryan Ross. He shuddered.
Hazel eyes met his from across the room, and nearly sent the younger in a dizzy spell. He shook his head to clear the feeling of falling down and stumbled up to his seat.
The amused smile on Ryan’s face didn’t help stifle Brendon’s embarrassment.
* * *
Liz tried to get Brendon to tell her what was the matter with him, but he just kept shaking his head and looking away.
“Fine,” she said finally, giving a frustrated sigh. She went to walk away but he caught her roughly by the arm, giving her an awkward stare.
“Listen, it’s no big deal . . . really.” He attempted a smile that came out all crooked and forced looking. She silently appreciated the effort.
“Okay.” She sort of fell into him, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist. “Are you taking me home? Mom said you could sleep over,”
His eyebrows raised down at her, and she rolled her eyes. “Boys.”
“Girls,” he said back, kissing the top of her head. “Alright.”
She gave him a smile and let go of him, hurrying down the hallway to her last period class. He stood watching her for a moment, before turning the opposite way.
* * *
She was reciting song lyrics to herself under her breath as she hurried down the hallway, her next class in sight. A familiar face amongst the unfamiliar made her smile
“Dru-baby doll face!” she shouted, nearly dropping her books as she hugged the older girl.
Dru looked a bit surprised at first, but soon wrapped her arms around Liz. “What do you want?” she said with a laugh.
“Nothing!” Liz grinned at her with a chuckle. Dru simply rolled her eyes.
“What’re you doing tonight, brat?” Dru re-adjusted the messenger bag hanging from her shoulder idly.
“Brendon’s spending the night,” she said softly.
Dru smirked and said with a giggle, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,”
Liz dug her elbow into Dru’s side, but said nothing.
“Well, I was going to invite you to this party, but . . . ,” She trailed off without breaking eye contact.
“Party? Alcohol?” The younger’s blue eyes lit up like stars. Dru laughed.
“Alcoholic.”
“Shut up.”
Dru laughed again, and reached inside of her trapper for a piece of paper. She scribbled the address down and stuffed it inside Liz’s shirt pocket.
“Call me when you get there.” she said, and Liz nodded.
“Can I bring Brendon?” she asked beneath her breath, eyes on the floor, converse tapping against the tile.
“Of course,” Dru slung her arm around Liz in a goodbye hug and made her way down the hallway. “Have to go to class. I’ll see you tonight!” she shouted behind her.
Liz looked at the piece of paper in her shirt pocket before she was called inside the classroom by her teacher. She fell asleep against her desk in the back of the classroom, dreaming about the end of things.
Like her and Brendon.
The bell woke her up and scared the tears out of her eyes.
She wiped at them and hurried out of the classroom.
* * *
“We’re going to a party tonight,” she told Brendon when they pulled up to her house.
“We are?” he said, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.
“Yeah.” She leaned across the seat and kissed him, hard, on his mouth. When she pulled away he was staring at her with wide eyes.
“What was that for?”
“I had a nightmare,”
“Oh.” he said like he understood.
But he didn’t. He rarely ever did.
She knew he didn’t.
She just liked to pretend, too.
Liz was sitting in the back of math class, her fingers tapping lightly on her notebook page. The equations on the board she was supposed to copy had instead taken the form of doodles. Little things here and there, one of Frank kissing Gerard, one of George Bush hanging himself, and one of Brendon without his glasses. She scribbled that last one out though, after much consideration.
The girl next to her leaned across the aisle, trying to catch a glimpse of her drawings. Liz slammed the notebook cover shut with a way-too-loud “fuck off.”
Her teacher gave her a warning glare, which she simply shrugged her shoulders at.
“You’re such a creep.” the girl beside her said after the teacher had turned back to the chalk board.
“You wear too much makeup and your mother never loved you.” Liz said without looking away from her new doodle, Jack Skellington in human form. She smiled to herself.
The girl took in a large breath, like she might say something else, but the bell interrupted her. Liz winked in her general direction before she exited into the hallway. Brendon was already at the end of the hallway waiting for her, eyes glued to the floor.
“How do you do that?” she asked once she’d reached him.
“Do what?” He looked at her briefly, then back down to the floor.
“You’re always outside my classroom waiting for me.” She watched his face carefully, her mind vaguely returning to the drawing of him without glasses. She tried to ignore the sudden heat creeping up the back of her neck.
“Oh.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m magic?”
“Right.” She shoved him playfully, causing him to almost run into a rather intimidating looking senior. “Then why can’t you get a real girlfriend?”
He smiled down at her. “Ouch.”
* * *
Liz walked Brendon to choir, only because her orchestra class was just next door. He’d been in the same class only a few periods before. He ruffled her hair, despite her warning look, and ducked inside the bright-lit choir room.
Brendon’s eyes swept nervously across the small class. He knew what he was looking for, or . . . who he was looking for. It was almost routine for him to do this. He’d look across the room, find the boy with the too-tight clothes and the brown hair, and feel his heart leap up into his throat.
He wasn’t . . . gay or anything . . . he just. He didn’t know. He just really liked looking at that boy. Ryan. Ryan Ross. He shuddered.
Hazel eyes met his from across the room, and nearly sent the younger in a dizzy spell. He shook his head to clear the feeling of falling down and stumbled up to his seat.
The amused smile on Ryan’s face didn’t help stifle Brendon’s embarrassment.
* * *
Liz tried to get Brendon to tell her what was the matter with him, but he just kept shaking his head and looking away.
“Fine,” she said finally, giving a frustrated sigh. She went to walk away but he caught her roughly by the arm, giving her an awkward stare.
“Listen, it’s no big deal . . . really.” He attempted a smile that came out all crooked and forced looking. She silently appreciated the effort.
“Okay.” She sort of fell into him, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist. “Are you taking me home? Mom said you could sleep over,”
His eyebrows raised down at her, and she rolled her eyes. “Boys.”
“Girls,” he said back, kissing the top of her head. “Alright.”
She gave him a smile and let go of him, hurrying down the hallway to her last period class. He stood watching her for a moment, before turning the opposite way.
* * *
She was reciting song lyrics to herself under her breath as she hurried down the hallway, her next class in sight. A familiar face amongst the unfamiliar made her smile
“Dru-baby doll face!” she shouted, nearly dropping her books as she hugged the older girl.
Dru looked a bit surprised at first, but soon wrapped her arms around Liz. “What do you want?” she said with a laugh.
“Nothing!” Liz grinned at her with a chuckle. Dru simply rolled her eyes.
“What’re you doing tonight, brat?” Dru re-adjusted the messenger bag hanging from her shoulder idly.
“Brendon’s spending the night,” she said softly.
Dru smirked and said with a giggle, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,”
Liz dug her elbow into Dru’s side, but said nothing.
“Well, I was going to invite you to this party, but . . . ,” She trailed off without breaking eye contact.
“Party? Alcohol?” The younger’s blue eyes lit up like stars. Dru laughed.
“Alcoholic.”
“Shut up.”
Dru laughed again, and reached inside of her trapper for a piece of paper. She scribbled the address down and stuffed it inside Liz’s shirt pocket.
“Call me when you get there.” she said, and Liz nodded.
“Can I bring Brendon?” she asked beneath her breath, eyes on the floor, converse tapping against the tile.
“Of course,” Dru slung her arm around Liz in a goodbye hug and made her way down the hallway. “Have to go to class. I’ll see you tonight!” she shouted behind her.
Liz looked at the piece of paper in her shirt pocket before she was called inside the classroom by her teacher. She fell asleep against her desk in the back of the classroom, dreaming about the end of things.
Like her and Brendon.
The bell woke her up and scared the tears out of her eyes.
She wiped at them and hurried out of the classroom.
* * *
“We’re going to a party tonight,” she told Brendon when they pulled up to her house.
“We are?” he said, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.
“Yeah.” She leaned across the seat and kissed him, hard, on his mouth. When she pulled away he was staring at her with wide eyes.
“What was that for?”
“I had a nightmare,”
“Oh.” he said like he understood.
But he didn’t. He rarely ever did.
She knew he didn’t.
She just liked to pretend, too.