Finger on the Trigger to My Dear Juliet

The blue car was parked outside of their house, and I watched from my grimy window as best I could.

It seemed as though my good friend Mr. Radke was getting company.

I grabbed my backpack before rushing down the stairs, determined to leave before the snores from my father's dilapidated room fell silent.

I went out the door and began walking down the street slowly, trying to pull a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket. I was interrupted by a voice yelling to me from across the street.

"Charlie, wait up!"

I looked to see Ronnie waving his arm, another boy next to him.

The boy caught my attention, and as Ronnie crossed the street I couldn't help staring at his new-found companion.

He had bright eyes, blue or green, I couldn't tell. They seemed a mixture. He had piercings on the left side of his nose, the right side of his lip, and it seemed as though his ears were gauged slightly. His black hair curtained his head, single strands falling in his face.

"Hey there," I greeted, finally pulling the pack out of my pocket only to discover it was empty. I groaned.

"Morning," Ronnie replied. "This is Max, he's staying with me for a while because of some, uh, complications..."

I stared up at Max, who nodded politely at me.

"Charlie Fallon. Ronnie's neighbor and personal savior," I said, causing my friend to elbow me in the ribs.

"Max Green. Ronnie's band-mate and also his best friend," Max replied, smirking.

I plucked the cigarette from Ronnie's mouth and placed it between my own lips, smiling as his face contorted into one of outrage.

"So you say, but I think I'm Ronnie's bestest friend," I replied as we began walking. "And by the way, welcome to Hell. As soon as we get inside that school you better pray you have some classes with either of us."

"Good to know," Max replied, and Ronnie gaped between the two of us.

"Did no one else notice the cigarette thievery happening here?" He demanded, staring hard at me.

"I did, but it seemed good happening to you Ronnie," Max teased, and I laughed.

Ronnie slung his arm over my shoulders, causing me to wince slightly. I tried to hide it from the other two, but I failed miserably.

"You alright?" Max asked, and I nodded, forcing a smile.

"Just a bit sore from Gym yesterday," I replied, causing Ronnie to shoot me a weird look.

"We didn't have gym yesterday."

"Oh, right," I said, panicking. "I meant from the day before. Sorry."

"What are you being sorry for?" Max chuckled. I couldn't help but notice the tinge of concern in his eyes.

"I don't know," I said, laughing.

Thankfully, Ronnie engaged Max in conversation again, and I was spared from talking too much.

[>>>]

"Maxwell, over here!"

I called Max over to the table that Ronnie and I were sitting at, and he grimaced at the mention of his whole name.

"Don't call me Maxwell, Charlie, or you're going to regret it."

I laughed. "Ooh, I'm so scared."

"You should be," Max said darkly.

"I'll protect you Charlie," Ronnie said, and I grinned.

"No offense Ronnie, but you wouldn't make much protection."

"Yeah," Max agreed. "You're like a jellyfish."

"Not nice!" Ronnie said in indignation as I laughed.

"Alright class, get to your seats and settle down," Mr. DuFresne called to everyone, his drooped eyes glaring out at any students not paying attention. His eyes lingered on the three of us for a second longer before he wrote on the white-board.

Dry Ice

"Ooh, fun," Ronnie said under his breath. I flicked him in the back of his head.

"Dry ice," Mr. DuFresne started seriously. "Is not normal ice. It is a form of Carbon Dioxide. It is colorless, odorless,
non-flammable, and slightly acidic."

He paused to see the effect his words had on the class before continuing.

"Dry ice does not melt, it sublimes. It bypasses the liquid stage. Instead of melting, it literally evaporates into the air from being a solid. Now," He boomed. "I strongly advise you not to touch it, as dry ice is so cold that it will burn you with one touch."

He continued his lecture before passing around beakers full of Styrofoam-looking ice.

"Here you go," I said, throwing gloves to my table-buddies and donning my own. "Don't take 'em off."

"Thank you kindly," Max replied, holding his now shielded hands up before him. Ronnie grabbed the entire chunk of ice, grinning evilly.

"It's really cold," He said, causing me to roll my eyes.

"No shit Sherlock," I replied sarcastically, causing Max to chuckle.

"Dude, I bet you could get really high off of this stuff," Ronnie continued, placing the dry ice under his nose and inhaling.

"Radke put that down!" I hissed. "That stuff will fucking kill you!"

Max took the dry ice from him and placed it back in the beaker, leaving Ronnie with a pouting look on his face.

"We're supposed to be taking notes," I said, beginning to scrawl my observations down on my notebook in pen. Max mirrored me, but Ronnie just sat there, staring at the subliming dry ice with a hungry look in his eyes.

"You have gym today?" Max asked, causing me to look up at him.

"Yeah," I replied. "Fourth hour."

"Same as me."

"Great," I smiled.

"What have you been doing in gym?"

I felt nervous, as if he was prying because of what happened this morning. It didn't seem as though he was genuinely interested in what we were doing.

"Basketball," I replied, staring down at my notebook determinedly.

"How do you get sore from that?" He asked, smiling softly.

Before I could come up with a sufficient lie, Ronnie howled in pain beside us, clutching his red hand. The dry ice was on the table next to him, and one of the gloves on his right hand was off.

"Ronnie, you aren't supposed to touch dry ice," I said exasperatedly.

"I know that now!" He hissed at me, rocking back and forth on his chair.

"Mr. DuFresne," I called, raising my hand. "Can I take Ronnie to the Nurse's room?"

The teacher sighed, shaking his head back and forth.

"I knew this would happen. If you would be so kind, Miss Fallon, as to escort Mr. Radke to the Nurse's station, thank you."

I grabbed Ronnie by the wrist, pulling him out of the classroom and away from the stares of the other students.

"Idiot," I said to him, but when I looked back he was smirking. "What is it?"

"You and Max are going to get along just fine," He said. I rolled my eyes.

"If he helps me clean up your damn messes Radke, then yes, we will."