American Royalty

They shouldn’t have bothered me. I shouldn’t have let them get to me. But as soon as she’d said those words I knew they would be on my mind for the rest of the day, fuck for the rest of the week.

“Why’d you have to beat the shit out of him again?”

It was an over dramatisation of what had happened, I had not beaten the shit out of the new kid, I had just ruffed him up a bit and maybe spat on his stupid suspenders. Serves him right though. If someone’s going to enter my school looking like a walking target then who am I not to give them what they so obviously want? Attention. They crave it; I’m just the nobleman who gives it to them.

Okay, so maybe even I didn’t buy that bullshit. The kid had just been a big dork and I hadn’t had the heart to obliterate him. But there had been so many people. So many eyes staring into me, expecting things from me, begging me to release my fist into some part of the boy. I gave into them only to an extent because, I told them, the freak wasn’t worth it.

What would everyone say if they knew that most of my lunges had been staged, that it had been a classic football move only off the pitch with an opponent half my size? They liked to think I was some cold hearted jerk buried under a plastic exterior. And I was really, for the most part. I was exactly what they wanted to see.

So when Andy had asked me that, her cool blue eyes flashing up into mine, I gave her the easiest smile I could manage. And I told her what they wanted to hear, as if they hadn’t already had enough of me.

“I’ve gotta’ show the newbie who’s boss.”

I stretched my arms up to the ceiling, catching girls’ eyes and pretending I didn’t notice. Andy liked to feel special when she was with me... but then who didn’t? I’d play their game. They’d be the only girl for that moment. They’d repay me with more than a smile. It was a win win situation.

God, but her words were still on my mind, even when she shot me her best dirty look. I hated that she’d made me think about it, about myself. It was so much easier when I just drifted along mindlessly because that way I wouldn’t have to realise what a huge jerk I was. But I was a jerk for a reason. Who would these people have if not me? I was their constant, if I started being nice to girls and lenient on dorks then nothing would make sense.

King, right? Even if the crown sometimes weighed the whole world.

But it was worth it. Girls like Andy and moments when the crowd parted for me were worth it. That nerd, the nameless dork, was just a nobody. Why was I even worrying? People had bought my performance so what was there to feel bad about? I didn’t even lay into the kid like I could have. That made me a good person. That must have made up for my wrongs?

I was tired from mom, I was tired from the fight and I was tired from keeping the smirk permanently on my face. But Andy twisted into Gerry’s closet and finally I could forget her stupid words. I could fuck her senseless because she liked me and had slept around enough to know what she was doing. Her cold hands caught my collar and dragged me close, and suddenly her lips were on mine. I took control after that because I’d be damned if a girl was going to control me.

I liked Andy, enough to remember her name and allow her to sleep with me more than once. She knew the boundaries even if I knew she was close to breaking them. It was written all over her face when she moaned out my name. She was an open book in those moments when usually she was so closed off, with that life support flask tucked away somewhere in her pile of clothes. She was lonely, and I was taking advantage of her, and I was doing a very good job of not caring.

I left as soon as I’d come.

The hallways were practically empty; Gerry sent me a nasty but resigned look, a beaten soldier, as I passed him by. I puffed out my chest because he knew full well there was a half dressed girl currently scrambling around in his closet all due to me. I was Dallas King. I didn’t need him to like me and I certainly didn’t need some stupid dork that I’d pretended to destroy to like me. I didn’t need anybody except my baby sister. I loved her. It was surprising I even knew what love was.

It was just us. Until the end. I’d kill any boy who even thought of touching her, any boy like me who’d break her heart.

I let out a long sigh, finding my classroom and entering it calmly. The teacher didn’t even bat an eyelash as I slipped by. I sat in my usual seat at the back with the boys who sent me knowing smirks and subtle high-fives. The easy girls tossed their hair my way and the prudes just rolled their eyes, as if they didn’t want me at all. Everybody did though. That was the problem.

It wasn’t long before it was over – I had been late – so we were up and out quickly. Brice was somehow at my side even though he hadn’t been in my class, giving me his manly greeting and filling me in on the gossip surrounding the fight. It was all in my favour. One story even told that the poor kid was in hospital with fractured ribs no matter that the truth was he only had a few odd bruises. I rolled my eyes at this high school before remembering it belonged to me.

Some petite girl was suddenly in my way, lingering when others had practically fallen over themselves to make way. Brice was about to make a sarcastic retort when I beat him to it. I was desperate to get back that macho feeling I needed, ever since Andy’s words I’d felt it slipping away. This girl was the perfect target and the perfect thing to help me get it all back again.

“Lost your way sweetheart?”

She turned to me as if she’d only just noticed my presence. Her eyes were glazed over and the faint smell of pot lingered around her like death. I felt like recoiling but that would blow my act.

“What?” her voice was as young as she looked.

“Have you lost your way?” I dazzled her with the smile I only stored for these very occasions.

Dark blonde hair fell around her ghostly pale skin and a betraying twitch in her eyebrow gave her away. Of course she was a druggie. If I hadn’t smelt it on her it was obvious by just the way she was in front of me, not cowering. Although her eyes had gone as big as saucers at my smile.

“No... I go to school here.”

“What’s your name?”

“Cooper,” she pulled her belongings close to her. Smart girl. She didn’t trust me.

“Well Cooper, just thought I’d tell you that you’re in my way. I’m Dallas King and you really don’t want to get in my way,” I kept the smile on my face.

We were already gathering half a crowd which would only made this better. Poor Cooper and her big green eyes, any other day when I hadn’t felt so weak I would have just allowed her to move on with nothing but a sarcastic laugh.

“Dallas King?” she questioned, still looking confused as if she really had lost her way.

“I’d suggest you stop smoking the cheap stuff sweetheart, nobody wants to date a druggie who doesn’t know how to handle a little pot.”

There. Her reputation was now in the gutter. My job done, I slipped on by, still managing to shoot her a wink just to add insult to injury. And there was my rush. I was the man. I was the fucking man and nobody would question me. Not Andy with her secret flask, not Brice grinning admiringly at me, not little Cooper who still didn’t know exactly what lay waiting in all her peers’ faces yet.

Poor little girl.

I squashed the guilt before it had even started sprouting in my stomach. She was just as much a nobody as that nerd who’d soon have a black eye.

They were still there though, even as I strode away to see everyone part like some great Bible story.

“Why’d you have to beat the shit out of him again?”

Because if I didn’t, Andy, then I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror again. I’d be the nobody. And I was too much of a nobody outside of school to take it in here too.