A Loaded God Complex

"Mason," Raya tossed down her shoes on the bleachers and sat next to me.

"Hey." I welcomed absently mindedly, while I watched the thin read hand travel around the caged clock.

"What classes do you have left?" A small grunt came from her as she shoved on her shoes. I stared glancing around the gym, eyes were beginning to watch me. They seemed curious this time…

"History, art, study hall, and biology." Turning stiffly and trying to ignore the eyes, all of my focus was on Raya, "Why? You don't have any of them with me."

"Good, we can skip." My eyes grew wide.

"But- I can't." I'd never skipped a day of school in my life, in fact I didn't even know how you skipped school.

"Art and study hall don't matter. I can give you my history notes, and there's a sub in biology." She stood up and motioned with her head, as the bell rang, "We have to catch the lunch crowd."

Never in my life would I think of Raya to skip… then again I didn't have afternoon classes with her. It'd explain why I didn't see her after school some days.

"Ok." I answered, a warmth filling my body at the thought of being with her alone. She talked to me in school and she never acted like she didn't know me, it's just that she had a lot of friends. I hadn't been able to see her lately.

"Cool, let's go." Her cheeks rose as a smile covered her creamy face.

My feet were moving on their own it seemed as we went to the cafeteria. Raya led me down a hall that many students were exiting from, only they were all going to the pizzeria for lunch. Casually, we walked past the restaurant and veered into the woods, ignoring the yellow no trespassing sign. She led us to her house.

"We can grab some food and go to the grave yard. Just be quiet, my dad's sleeping." She advised and then held the unlocked screen door open for me. It clicked as she latched it behind her, "It isn't much, but it's home." Raya whispered after noticing I was taking in the surroundings.

I thought it was a sweet home, the kitchen had flowered wallpaper, blue tile countertops with painted white cabinets, and a small kitchen table. My eyes were drawn to the stairwell for the basement and past that I saw the living room. It made me uncomfortable, from what I could see the wood paneled walls were covered with taxidermy. Moose, fish, and antlers on plaques covered the area. In between what room there was around the heads and other various body parts, were ribbons and medals.

"We're ready to go." Two sandwiches were made and wrapped in cheap sandwich baggies, "I hope you like peanut butter and jelly."

"Wha-" I unglued my eyes from the bizarre sight and then sensed the need to leave, "That's fine."

Raya shifted her load uncomfortably and stared at me with a corner of her mouth trembling, trying to muster a smile. Sadness covered her face otherwise. She must have been opening her mouth to explain, but then started heading out. In minutes we were in the cemetery. We staked out a spot on the stairs on the mausoleum and then began eating our lunch. Neither of us talked, which was fine and most of the time faced forward concentrating on our feet or ground.

"This is good." I said after finishing a massive bite.

"Thanks… oh, here," She placed his thumb on the corner of my mouth and dabbed. Only halfway through her meal she set it down and brushed off her hands. Patiently she waited for me to finish my last bite, "So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, you're the one who wanted to skip."

Raya snorted and nodded, "Fair enough, Mr. Kirche." Scratching her chin and wiggling in her seat she tilted her head towards the light autumn sky, "I say we cloud watch."

"Cloud what?"

"You've never heard of the Beatles and you've never cloud watched!?" Raya exclaimed tugging at her hair with much animation.

Laughing loudly at the sight I shook my head. "No."

"What do you do for fun?"

"I used to like to sleep in the church's bell tower." This received a cocked eyebrow and a petite giggle.

"Come on."

Dragging me by the hand she picked a spot next to the edge of the river. We were laying on the grass next to the mausoleum. Positioned on her back she squirmed until she was comfortable, doing the same I laid on her right side, "See, that one looks like a tea pot." Raya traced over a mound with her finger, I squinted and quite couldn't see it. "There's the handle and there's the spout."

"I see it." I recognized in amazement once she clarified more. Finally understanding what we were doing I found a different cloud do depict, "That one, over there, looks like an elephant."

Nodding, the drying grass crunched under her head. We went back and fourth for about half an hour before Raya placed her hands on her stomach and her eyes drooped. Placing my hands under my head, I let Raya be in what appeared to be, a peaceful slumber.

"Mason," She mused aloud suddenly, without opening her eyelids "how did you get horns?" With no shame I told Raya the story, the day I thought I was going to dread. Afterwards she glanced over at me, "How is it anyways?"

"Healing." I answered simply, it didn't hurt, or bleed anymore. All that was going to be left from that day was a scar that resembled a bubbly ring; Otherwise there was no other harm done to it.

"That's good. So, I think I want to ask someone to the homecoming dance." Her tone was optimistic and then filled with shyness.

"You're going," my voice cracked and I shielded my face from the sun that wasn't actually all that bright, "sounds fun." It was unbelievable, insincere and flat.

"Aren't you?" Raya propped herself up on her shoulder causing her body to loom over me.

"I might, only if Nicole and Pete are going. Nicole is always out voted though," One snort came out her nose. Staring at the clouds again and ignoring Raya I was afraid, but asked in spite of it, "Is it- is it Pete?"

Since Pete had started to realize Raya was pretty cool, he stopped being such a prick. On days when Pete was in a good mood the two bantered during lunch. I couldn't tell if Raya was dealing with him or actually enjoyed his company. For all I knew Pete was looking like he had a chance.

"No," I swallowed hard and dropped my hands to my sides, "I didn't think I showed any inkling of liking him like that. Why? Do you think he'll ask me?" Shaking my head she sighed, "Good. I don't have the heart to tell him."

Chuckling nervously, both of us let it die away into a serene silence. Smelling the air, I saw flaming orange leaves, bare spots on trees, and geese flying over head. My limbs felt lighter now. Raya ripped up some grass and then promptly laid back down, discarding the faded green pile. This time she placed one hand behind her head.

"Mason," She hesitated and I didn't respond, rather I held on to let her finish, "Never mind… If I had one super power I'd wish I could read people's mind." Raya started again, although I found it odd on such an out of the blue note.

"I wish I could be invisible."

"Who'd want that?"

"Everybody." My chilly hands were growing rapidly hotter.

"If you think that they will. If you embrace your flaws they can't get you." I've heard it before, I just never could believe anyone when they said it. When she said it there was a meaning to it.

"It sounds easy when you say it, Raya." I chortled, yet it was short and I took a moment more to take it in.

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh," Raya mumbled and shut her eyes again.

"I haven't seen any," It came out louder than I intended and she smiled, apparently she didn't think it was strange.

The air filled my nostrils and I too shut my eyes, the red soon turned to black as I fell asleep. It must have been an hour or two, because when I woke up it was to Pete yelling.

"If I would have known you liked to sleep in graves, Kirche, I would have helped you sooner!"

Raya was just sitting up and bending her knees. I glanced down and saw our hands were intertwined, it baffled me a little. Nicole and I didn't hold hands, Pete and I surely didn't hold hands. But-- Raya let go and rested it on the ground. Pete made his way on the terrain holding the straps of his back pack. Sore from sleeping on the ground, I sat up.

"Hello Pete." Raya said politely. She fidgeted nervously with her sweater and stood up, "I'll go." I didn't protest.

Pete stood with his weight on one leg waiting for Raya to be gone, "Raya skips? That's so fraggin' awesome." He stated impressed, "But- but! I can't believe you skipped! You never do it with me!"

"I just thought that we were going to eat lunch and leave, Pete."

He cocked his head suspiciously, "It didn't look like just that."

"Stop being a jerk." I stated bitterly and lowly. Unsure of what he meant, I scratched my chin, scowling at his attitude. I was sick of it.

"Sor-or-ry!" He held up his hands and parked himself next to me, I shifted my body away. This time he took it seriously, "Look, we're freaks as it is…don't drag her into it."

I put my attention toward the currents in the river.