You Never Learned A God Damned Thing

“Glad to see you in one piece.” Mike nodded his head towards me. I glared at him, taking a sip from my water. It was a long, long way back home. “What did you do to the guy that he keeps on terrorizing you?”

“I wish I knew.” I groaned. “First, the paintball---I know it was him. It can’t be anyone else.” I frowned glancing at my friends. “And now this today.”

“He’s probably a mass murder.” Mike snickered. “First they chase the victim and make sure she feels the danger and then—“

“Michael Pritchard!” I exclaimed unimpressed. “Stop the murder theory right now!”

“Oh, but I think that’s the most accurate theory.” Billie suddenly spoke up. Mike and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows, before glancing at Billie. He had a bored look on his face and he didn’t seem to be in a playful mood. Not at all. “Look,” he continued without giving us much attention. “You’re Chris’ cousin and in this case it’s a motive.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with Chris.” I stated bluntly.

“What if it does?” he directed his gaze at me. He looked so serious and convincing that I slowly started to believe in his theory and Chris being the reason.

“No…” Mike shook his head disagreeing. “It can’t be that.”

“Then what else?” Billie rolled his eyes. “I mean, he wouldn’t fall for Al. It’s not like guys like him would” Mike’s eyes widened fearfully and he was pointing at me as I was murdering Billie with my eyes. “or actually any of the guys.” I slowly got up to my feet, feeling hurt and angry at what he was saying. I would prefer not to hear such things, though they say that your friends should tell you the truth. This kind of words were like knives cutting through the skin and I couldn’t bare it. “So, I don’t see any other option as him wanting revenge for Chris getting killed his sister.” Billie went on, not oblivious to what he was doing to me.

“Of all people, you, Billie Joe are the worst out there and I can’t believe I actually believed that there could be something better I could hear from you about myself.” He looked at me dumbfounded slowly realizing what he just said and what I’ve heard. “I hate you.” I gave him the most hateful glare and stormed out of the kitchen where we were sitting.

Before I knew it I was out of his house and heading to my house with tears threatening to spill on my face. I didn’t cry in a long time, especially not because of something like this. In one moment all my confidence and everything I thought was crushed by what my best friend said. If only he wasn’t serious and maybe if he were joking it wouldn’t hit me just like that. Was it all they were thinking about me? A girl who doesn’t have a chance to have a boyfriend? A girl that’s always alone hanging out with her boy friends and only thinking how nice it would be to taste that happiness just once? Maybe I was living some kind of illusion way too long and had to wake up?

“Al!” A voice called after me, but I didn’t stop and went faster. “Scarlet, wait up!” Mike caught up with me, panting as he was running all the way from Billie’s house.

“Go away, Mike.” I said with a quivering voice.

“Please, just stop for a second.” I stopped and glared at him.

“Why? You have anything to tell me too? That’s all the two of you think of me?!”

“No!” he exclaimed, taking a hold of my arms. His blue eyes were full of concern and when I looked into them I knew that he was not the one I was mad at. I had no right to blame him for what Armstrong said, even if it was true. “I’m so sorry what he said. It’s so untrue. Believe me.” He sounded so sincere that gave up all the fight and just stood there staring at him. I felt so hopeless.

“Mike, what he said…is it really true?” I asked unsure. He hesitated for a moment before he decided to answer.

“He didn’t mean it like that.”

“Stop explaining him and just tell me.” I said in a quiet voice, trying to hold back the tears. “I know he meant it. I just know…”

“Scarley…” Mike sighed, pulling me into a hug. “You know, he says things without thinking.”

“It doesn’t mean he can do what he does to people.” I said and instantly thought how he wasn’t honest with his girlfriend. What a jerk.

“Well, I guess that one day he’ll pay for it in some way.”

“I bet.” I muttered loud enough for Mike to hear. He pulled away with a raised eyebrow.

“Plotting something bad?” I smiled innocently. “If you dress up in a skirt and put some make up on you’ll look exactly like a girl seeking revenge…”

“Don’t give me any ideas, Pritchard.” I raised my eyebrows. “I might actually use them.” He chuckled and ruffled my hair.

“Just don’t think about what he said. He’s a jerk.”

The next day I've managed to avoid Mike or Billie to the point that I was not even sure if they were at school. To be honest, I was glad about that. I didn’t wish to see any of them and a band practice was out of question. Once I was back home I didn’t have much to do beside some laundry that was waiting to be cleaned for a while now. Dad was at work. He worked longer the past week and every time he came back home he looked so tired and irritated. It made things look quite bad especially after yesterday.

Luckily, the weather didn’t match my gloomy thoughts about all of that. I was happily putting some of my t-shirts on the dryer, outside in the backyard, oblivious to the pair of eyes following my every movement until the moment when I felt this feeling of somebody's gaze lingering on the back of my neck. I turned around hoping to find one of my friends or even that jerk, Billie, but to my disappointment, surprise and some kind of fear...I had to admit that I didn't expect to meet someone I used to call the school's psychopathic, popular, rich boy. And he was simply standing in my poor backyard.

I nervously held the fabric in my hands and bit my lip as I tried to come up with the reason, and a good one, why would this guy come up here. His eyes lingered on me like he was waiting for me to strike the conversation. That left me with a really bothering question...

"Jason ..." I said in a nearly surprised voice in an attempt to hide how much really his prescience bothered me. Here in my backyard. "What do you think you're doing in my backyard."

"Admiring your underwear collection would be enough to get Armstrong and Pritchard here?"

"Underwear..." I raised my eyebrow and glanced at the pile of clothes that was lying still in the basket. "If you’re looking for them then I must tell that they’re not hiding in my laundry." His famous sly smile appeared on his face making the dimple to appear on one of his checks. He licked his lips and with hands buried in his pockets he awkwardly walked up to me. I watched his every move as he stopped next to me and the smile transformed into the look of confusion as he opened his mouth to say something. "Not much of a people person without your friends, huh?"

"Why do you think I need anyone to be myself?"

"So you really are like this all the time?” I frowned. "I thought that back at home you’re playing Barbie dolls and dress up in skirts and-“

"Confident, are we?"

"Maybe a little bit. I would expect a shotgun in a minute if I were you." He snickered as he walked up closer, leaning on the rusty drier. His eyes drifted to my wrist and than to my face with that annoying smirk.

“Your dad won’t be back until…later tonight.” My eyebrow went up as he spoke. “So, unless you know how to use that shotgun you mentioned I’ve got nothing to fear.”

Seeing I had nothing to say back he walked up closer, but there was no smile on his face. He suddenly looked really serious.

“Tell me about that bracelet.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “It’s all about a stupid bracelet?” He shrugged, looking down at the ground.

“Ever thought where it came from?”

“Not really.” I said truthfully. “But you seem to know something about it. In the end you wanted to kill me back at school because of it.”

“It was my sisters..” he replied, shifting uncomfortably. “I gave it to her as a birthday gift. And the next thing I knew you had it.”

“So it’s really about Chris.” I blurted out getting slightly concerned. We stood in silence before he snickered with the shake of his head and decided to walk away. I watched him go, but before he got too far away he turned around and looked at me seriously.

“If you ever want to hear what I’ve found out about what happened to them—“

“They’re dead.” I cut him off angrily. He smirked once again.

“There’s more than you know. Your dad didn’t tell you much, did he?”

“You don’t know anything. I think you should get out of here.” He shrugged his shoulders and walked away slowly.

I stood there a little while longer, before walking inside, forgetting about laundry I was supposed to take care of. I needed to get out of the house. Fast I took the car keys from the kitchen and went straight to the garage, knowing dad didn’t take it to work this time. I walked into the dim garage and sighed annoyed, seeing the paintball stains still covering it.

“Awesome…” I groaned, going to the drivers side.

“…isn’t it?” A voice spoke proudly, making me jump. I turned around to look at the doorway. “I just need a little more time.”

“Billie.” I huffed. “Go away.”

“What?” he exclaimed. “But---I was supposed to take care of the car!”

“Go.” I said annoyed, crossing my arms.

“Fine.” He mimicked me and his eyebrows furrowed. “What was he doing here?”

“Who?”

“You know.”

“None of your business.” I shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t wanna talk to you.”

He rolled his eyes and a small smile briefly appeared on his face before he spoke.

“So he was stalking you because he wanted to go out with you?”

“Your stupid jokes are not really amusing me. Besides you said yourself that no one would date me.”

“So it’s really about that.” He groaned. “Look, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Of course you didn’t.” I rolled my eyes and decided I no longer wanted to go anywhere. I was about to walk past Billie, when he decided he didn’t want to let me pass. I pushed him aside and walked back into the house, kicking my shoes along the way.

“Al!” Billie called after me. “Don’t act like that!”

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, come on!” he whined. “You don’t have to forgive me or whatever, but at least pretend you did.”

“Maybe I’ll just tell your girlfriend what kind of a jerk you are?” I turned around to see him following me to my room. Once I mentioned his girlfriend he stopped and for a moment a shadow of fear run through his face, but the confidence didn’t leave him.

“How about… I have no idea what you talk about?” he smirked. “You think that who’s she going to believe?” I rolled my eyes.

“Are you leaving or should I kick you out?”

“I’d like to see that happening.” He grinned, looking at me challengingly. I kept my glare on him and let my little threat become just another empty words. I wasn’t even able to punch that idiot since he was still my friend and kicking him out of the house could be a slight challenge. “I’m waiting….” He said in a sing song voice.

“Bill, just go, okay?” He chuckled and shook his head. “I mean it.” He walked up to me and gave me a hug. I tensed as he kept me in the embrace too long for my liking. His arms were wrapped around me firmly when I wanted to pull away.

“I hope that classifies as a good apology?” he asked with a smile evident in his voice. A little stunned, I nodded my head and a moment later he let go of me and with a wave left. Just like that. I stared after him, frozen in time like a statue. Couldn’t he just say I’m sorry?