THE private EDGE

“Does that hurt?”

“Yes.”

Kane poked my arm again, a little harder.

“What about that?”

“Yes!”

Again, a little harder.

“And that?”

“Yes, now fuck off before I deck you.”

“Ooh, stay away from her, Andy.” He leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “It’s her time of the month.”

I scowled. As soon as he straightened up, I jumped and attached myself to his back, ignoring my muscles screaming at me to stop moving. He wasn’t expecting the sudden extra weight, so he went down...

I rolled him over on the carpet, and pinned him beneath me.

“I’m not p.m.sing. Don’t piss me off when I’m pissed off or I’ll make you incapable of conceiving children.” My voice was plastered venom.

Kane held what little of his arms up, which were out of my grasp. “Ok, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

I laughed. “You loon, did you really think I’d hurt you?”

He nodded tensely. I huffed and stood up.

I walked back to my vanilla thick shake, which was waiting at the bench, and proceeded to scull it until a brain freeze built in my head. Andy eyed me cautiously; I grabbed a biscuit and hobbled my way over to Kayla. She was bent over one of the portable pantries in the dining hall kitchen.

“Found them! Mine, all mine! Get back!” She lurched away from me with a box of already made Betty Crocker cookies. I munched on my plain biscuit innocently.

I observed as Kane crashed into her side and started clawing at the box. Kayla begun shouting unrepeatable phrases and taking any open shot she could get. The Battle of the Cookies continued, both were had their arms flying at one another. I finished my biscuit and picked up another already made box of Betty Crocker cookies; ambling past Andy, who was watching the fight with intense interest, I offered him a cookie before leaving the kitchen.

Kayla’s and Kane’s voice faded out behind me. I slurped at my thick shake, not, in any way, phased.

I found my way to the girl’s dorm and stopped off at the second floor. When number 298 crossed my vision I banged on the door best I could with a thick shake, cookies and extremely sore muscles.

“Amber Peterson!” I bellowed. I heard an exaggerated, disapproving sigh from behind the closed door. Then heavy footsteps.

“Go away.”

“I have nowhere else to go.”

She reefed the door open and stared at me painfully. As I laid eyes upon her attire I
suddenly didn’t want to enter the room.

“Actually...”

“Jesus, Riley.”

“Sorry, sweets, err...bye Jonny!” I called past her at the, presumably, naked body in her bed. I spun on my heels and dashed down the hall, straight to the lift. I smacked the down button, dancing on my toes.

“Oh no, mental images... no, no, no, go away! Ah, I can’t stop it,” I face palmed. “Think butterflies, puppies, horses, Jindabyne, Karman... what if they’d seen that? Ah! Stop!-”
The lift opened and inside was a far more cringe-worthy situation.

Anna Williams was lip locking with Jared. I heaved. Scrunching my nose up, I slipped in and pushed myself against the back corner.

Regardless if I thought he was a complete babe or not, seeing him kiss Cake Face was grotesque. Anna, having finally noticed my presence in the ascending lift, turned to get a good look at me.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” I could still faintly see a small pink line under her nose as she spoke.

“Going down...” Way, way down.

She snorted in response as the lift doors opened on levels three. She gave Jared a peck on the lips then wattled away; her tight skirt rode up her ass and looked extremely uncomfortable. I jumped forward and press the close doors button. Jared swayed away from my sudden advance.

“Uh, can‘t stand her,” I whispered to myself.

“Are you ok?”

“Mmhmm. Just fine.” I poked the level one button randomly.

“She’s not that bad.” I threw at look at him, trying impossibly to ignore how effortlessly gorgeous he always appeared to be.

“Famous last words.” He laughed at my statement.

“I hope not.” The lift stopped.

“What? Is she your ‘forever’?” I laughed, exiting first.

I headed out of the building. I absently walked to the quad, remembering the homework I had yet to finish. It was hovering on sunset; the clouds were mixing with blue, pink and orange.

I laid down on my back on a clean patch of grass, fingering the loose roots under my fingers. I was dreaming of being at home, with my family, sitting down and having dinner together. Yea, that’s where I wanted to be.