The Devil's Pawn

The rest of the lunch period passed slowly. Erica and Fits ended up taking most of the conversation. I sat in front of the three friends, eating my food slowly. I didn’t contribute to anything after that. Every now and then I caught Tanner’s eyes. He gave me a gentle smile. I returned a forced one.

I wasn’t comfortable there, but I had to admit, it was better than sitting alone at the other
table.

Nonetheless, as soon as the bell rang, I was quick to leave the table. I was slow
enough not to be rude, but quick enough not to get stuck with them anymore.

I was thankful that I had no more classes with them.

The classes passed in a blur. I didn’t pay much attention in them, which meant that I
would definitely be screwed over for tomorrow. For whatever reason, I had only minor
embarrassment from teachers calling on me when I wasn’t paying attention. Most seemed
to have ignored the fact that I wasn’t answering as many questions as normal.

I ended up sitting alone on the bus today. My normal seat buddy, Jamie, was sick today.
Jamie was a sophomore that I used to tutor in her freshman year. She was as close to a
mini me as you could get. Her classes were as hard as mine had been when I was in tenth
grade and her parents were as strict as mine were. We even found ourselves wearing the
same shirt every once in a while.

She was such a sweetheart.

I sat in my seat, my bag propped in the empty space. I stared out the window, not
focusing on anything but the blur of the moving objects as we moved.

It was nice to be alone.

The bus dropped me off at the corner where Trenton had been dropping me off. I was
the only person to get off in the entire neighborhood, which reminded me of the loneliness I
felt. Even though Trenton was someone my age, he wasn’t someone I was allowed to be
friends with.

As I walked into my house, I could feel the thick tension in the room. I walked into the
living room.

Dad was sitting on the chair, forearms resting on his thighs. His head had fallen
forward, buried in his hands. His body was tense.

Mom stood in front of him, her thin arms crossed over her chest awkwardly. Her lips
were pursed in annoyance, beady eyes glaring at my father.

I stood behind Mom, biting my lip slightly.

Do I interrupt whatever discussion they had been having?

“Hey Mom, Dad.” I said sweetly.

Mom turned around to face me, her eyes still enraged. Dad looked up from his hands
with a small smile.

“Hey Taylor.” Dad said, sounding exhausted.

“Taylor, you should get started on your homework.” Mom suggested. Though, we both
knew it wasn’t a suggestion at all.

“Uh….” I hesitated, “Alright, Mother.”

I turned around, heading up the stairs.

I wasn’t even on the second floor before I could hear Mom’s voice rising in anger. Dad’s
low mumble was hard to make out, but it was evident that he was the victim in this.

I closed my door, opening my window to the nice May air. I pulled my bag over to me,
grabbing the homework out.

It dawned on me that I would be having a bit more trouble now that I hadn’t paid
attention in any of my classes. Nonetheless, I took out a notebook and got to work writing
down the math problems that needed to be solved for homework.

Ding.

I snapped my head up, looking towards the window. I frowned slightly, wondering why I
heard such a strange noise. The window didn’t appear to have anything wrong with it.

Why would it make that noise?

I shrugged, running a hand through my curls. I turned my attention back to my
homework, putting the noise out of my head.

The problem before me confused me. How was I supposed to find the volume of such
an abstract shape at this stage? We hadn’t begun to learn this just yet.

Ding.

I frowned.

There is was again.

I scanned the window to make sure it was still intact, taking a deep breath. This would
get annoying if it didn’t stop soon. I needed to get my homework done, not distract myself
with some unknown noise.

“Ow!” I hissed when something nailed me on my chest. I pulled the collar of my shirt
down ever so slightly to inspect the spot that had been hit.

A small red circle was forming, but it didn’t look like it would leave a bruise.

I frowned, my eyes resting on the object that had hit me. A small rock laid on my
notebook, a few specks of it having fallen off. I noticed a piece of paper underneath that
hadn’t been there before. The edges curled up, as if it had been folded around the rock
previously.

I pulled it out from under the pebble.

Ten digits were scribbled down with the word Now! underneath.

I looked up, out the window.

Trenton’s figure was rested against his own window ledge. He waved lazily to me,
holding a phone in his hand. He shook it slightly.

I pulled my cell out of my pocket, typing in the numbers.

Trenton picked up after one ring.

“Can I ask why I’m calling you?” I asked.

Trenton slumped forward, still hanging out his window ledge. I kept my eyes trained on
him as we spoke.

“I’m a little bored.”

“Do your homework for once.”

He frowned, “Ew, no.”

“Well you might not do your homework, but I do. And I need to get it done. So what is it
that you need me for?”

“Erica said you sat with her and the guys at lunch.”

I hesitated. “Yes, I did.”

Trenton laughed.

“What’s so funny about that?” I asked defensively.

“You’re not… the kind of person that would sit there.” Trenton shrugged, backing away
from the window. He remained on the phone, but out of sight.

“What do you mean?” I frowned slightly.

“You’re so prissy all the time.” He said, “You always turn your homework in, you wear
clothes that you’d wear to church. The list could go on for a while.”

“I get the point.” I said, offended. “But you’ve met my mother. She’s not exactly the kind
that will tolerate anything.”

I never realized that people had that big of an issue with me. Sure, I didn’t dress in low
cut tops with my breasts hanging out, but I didn’t realize they had a problem with my clothing.

He snorted, “And you’ve met my dad. I could give a shit less what he thinks of me.”

“Could you please not use that language?”

“What, shit?”

“Yes.”

“Shit, I’m sorry that I used a shitty word.” He said sarcastically.

“Trenton!” I hissed. I had to remember to keep my voice down. Mom didn’t know that I
was on the phone with the new neighbor. She would have a heart attack if she knew I was
wasting my time talking to the neighbor’s son that she disapproved of.

He only laughed.

“Look, my mother could come up any minute…”

“So?” Trenton prompted “You’re on the phone. Whoop-die-doo. It’s not like this one
conversation is going to hold you back a year.”

“I just…”

“Chill, Tay.” He sounded so calm talking about the fact that we were wasting working
time. “You’ll get your homework done.”

“It’s Taylor.” I sighed.

“I know.” I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“Could you maybe call me that?” I asked, malice beginning to seep into my words.

“Nah.”

I groaned quickly.

“I still heard that.”

I bit my lip, changing the subject quickly, “Where have you been the last two days? You
don’t sound sick at all.”

“Aw” Trenton cooed. “Did you miss me?”

I scoffed “No I just—”

“You missed me!” He teased “I didn’t know our relationship had developed that far.”

“R-relationship?” I stuttered “We don’t-”

“I was kidding.” Trenton said.

“I know.” I could feel my face heating up. I backed away from the window, making sure
that there was no way he could see me blushing. Regardless of the fact that Trenton wasn’t
in the window anymore.

“Anyways, sweet cheeks, tomorrow’s Friday.”

“Don’t call me that!” I hissed into the phone.

He ignored me, “Me and the gang are going to…er… the bowling alley. You in?”

“The gang and I.” I corrected.

“Huh?”

“You said it wrong. Grammatically it should be ‘the gang and I are going to the bowling
alley.’” I mumbled, ironically feeling stupider by each word.

“Yeah whatever.”

It was clear Trenton didn’t care very much for proper grammar.

I sighed.

“So are you in?”

“My mother wouldn’t like me hanging out with you guys…”

“Tell her it’s a study group. Tell her you’re sleeping over at that one chick’s house, Leah
or something.”

“Elizabeth?”

“Yeah, her.”

“I… I can’t lie to my mother. That’s not right…” I bit my lip.

“Fine, then tell her you’re going to hang out with friends.”

“She wouldn’t let me then…not if she knows you’re going.”

Trenton groaned, “Why do you make everything so complicated? Look, just bring a
twenty. I’ll get you a way there. Don’t worry.”

“But what will I—”

“Stop, sweet cheeks. I’ll handle everything.”

“Trenton, I don’t want to go out Friday. That’s my night in.” I didn’t want to become rude,
but I found that the more I spoke to Trenton, the more my tone changed. “And please, stop
with the nicknames.”

“I’ll just tell have to tell your father that you’re going to stay with Sam instead.” Trenton
said, “He was all for you making new friends. But I’m sure he’d be even more interested
knowing that you have a very special friend instead.”

My eyes widened. “Trenton….”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t tell my father.” I begged quietly. I had an irrational fear that my parents
could hear every word I spoke. I knew it was foolish but I still worried.

“Then you’re hanging out with us tomorrow.”

I gulped, “Fine.”

“Sweet.” He said, drawing out the ‘E’ sound.

“Is there anything else you needed?”

“A blowjob would be nice…” He mumbled

My eyes widened in shock as I gasped, “Ex-excuse me?!”

Trenton laughed, “I was kidding. You’re so innocent sometimes, it’s hard to believe that
you were the same girl having such an intense make-out with that Sam chick.”

“Please, stop talking about it.” I begged, my face heating up with embarrassment. I
wasn’t embarrassed about Sam, just the fact that Trenton took too much pleasure out of
this.

“No one else can hear us.”

“I know, but still! I don’t like how much you like this!”

“It’s hot, what can I say?”

“You can maybe not say anything?” I suggested without any hope.

Trenton sighed, “No can do, sweet cheeks.”

I groaned. “Whatever. I really do have to go, Trenton. I’ll see you in school tomorrow?”

“I guess I’ll go.” He sighed, “I’m giving you a ride to school tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at
the corner so your mother doesn’t see.”

He said the last part mockingly.

“What?” I asked, “I don’t want—need a ride from you!”

“Oh well.”

“Trenton, come on!”

“Bye, Tay.” He laughed, hanging up.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. The screen went blank, the call having ended. I
glared at the phone, annoyed. Why did Trenton think that I would want to hang out with him
on Friday? Why did he even want to give me a ride?

He had oh-so-kindly said that I didn’t fit in with him.

So why did he want me near him? I was much happier before he came into my life,
when I could hang out with who I wanted when.

I closed my phone, tucking it back into my pocket.

I made an attempt to turn my attention back to the work in front of me. I pulled the blinds
down so that Trenton couldn’t distract me anymore. I was amazed that he had managed to
get the rock into my wind.

I assumed the first few dings I heard were his failed attempts.

I laughed to myself, imaging Trenton throwing small rocks at my window. What would
someone driving down the street think?

A boy throwing rocks across the street, aiming for a window on the second story.

I made an attempt to turn my attention back to the work in front of me. I pulled the blinds
down so that Trenton couldn’t distract me anymore. I was amazed that he had managed to
get the rock into my wind.

I assumed the first few dings I heard were his failed attempts.

I laughed to myself, imaging Trenton throwing small rocks at my window. What would
someone driving down the street think?

A boy throwing rocks across the street, aiming for a window on the second story.

Quite foolish.

Trenton must’ve had a strong arm though. I don’t think I could’ve gotten the rock to get
halfway across the street with my wimpy through.

No, focus on the homework.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes.

That boy was going to be the death of me.