THE private EDGE

“I didn’t want to say anything before. But I noticed the whole Jared thing, like with Anna and stuff.” I hesitated.

“Any way,” he continued. “He used to go to this school. Two years ago he left, he’s always liked preppy girls, don’t really know what he sees in them but that’s the way he sees it.”

“We’ve been here for three years. So he was here for my first year, and I never noticed him then.” It flipped over in my head, not the fact that he was here before, I just said that to get my mind off the fact that he’s liked Anna for a while…and that he likes preps, there’s no way in hell that I’m a prep. Or ever going to be for that matter.

“He got into some bad stuff, drugs, alcohol; we all knew it was because of his parents, he was really protective of himself, wouldn’t let anyone in.”

“That makes him easily played,” I stated.

“Played?”

“Yea, because preps like toying with guys and he likes preps, so they could’ve easily gotten inside his shell and totally ruined him.”

“Jesus Riley.”

“What?”

He laughed with shock, “All this time none of us could ever work out why he was so closed up, and no matter what we tried nothing was ever right. But you get it in seconds.”

I thought it over looking around, Kayla was nowhere in sight, probably already in the dining hall stuffing her face. We crossed the court and entered the hall.

As we made our way over to the open canteen I continued the conversation, “So why is he going after her now?”

“I really don’t know. Anna’s good at sucking guys in; she’s probably already got him on a leash.” I made a disgusted face while I picked up a plate and shovelled on chicken Caesar salad and potato salad. (I like salad, ok.)

“Poor kid,” I mumbled through a cup of vanilla coke.

Andy shook his head as he got multiple slices of corned beef and Greek salad. “You can’t feel sorry for him, he’s probably earned it.”

“How so, Sir Andy?” I shot him a glance.

“Well he does like Anna, that’s got to say something.”

That was true, how twisted could you be to like Anna Williams? I scanned the hall for Kayla’s face but couldn’t see her. Shrugging it off, I led Andy to a spare pair of seats at the back of the room. I pushed it out of my mind; I didn’t want to spend my now free afternoon thinking about her. That was just too depressing.

I sat down and picked at my salad.

“Mind if we join?”

I looked up to see Amber, Hayley and Chelsea staring at me with full trays in their hands.

“Not at all.” They all sat around Andy and I.

“So how much more of Hell do you have to go through?” Hayley asked.

“None. We’re done.”

“What?”

“Yea, she let us go on just the rec hall.”

“Is she sick?” Amber spoke up.

“Yea, did you check her temperature?” Chelsea added.

“Shut up, it’s not that weird.”

Just as I was about to take another mouthful of salad I heard a familiar high pitched scream that came from the other side of the hall doors. I dropped my fork and ran to the doors, the others followed. I shoved the double doors open, took three steps out and froze.

“Jesus Christ, Kayla! What the hell?”