Status: Active. (Based on the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson.)
Twisted
Six
Kelsey leaped up, balled her fists, and screamed, "Yeah!"
Very unlady like.
The crowd around us fell silent. A couple football players congratulated Kelsey and jumped into the pool. The dweebs and whores reached for new beers. Mrs. Caine drifted towards the band. Dad watched the guys in the water. Sean was the only person who looked me in the eye.
"Good job, fair fight." said Mr. Caine. "She almost had you there, Kelsey. Better watch your back! Haha, now shake hands."
Kelsey ignored her father and shadowboxed one of her minions, a girl named Abigail with braces and super fake orange-dyed hair with long black extensions to make her look even more like a hipster doofus.
"Kelsey," Mr. Caine repeated, a little louder.
The last thing Kelsey wanted to do was shake my hand. Instead, she shoved Abigail, who backpedaled and fell into the pool, hitting the water with a loud smack.
"Kelsey!" Mr. Caine's voice snapped through the air like a wet towel in a locker room.
Kelsey froze for a second, then walked back to me, her hand extended. "Fair fight," she said.
"Something like that," I said. I smiled and squeezed her hand until the bones rubbed together like dry twigs. She grunted and covered her pain with a cough. I kept squeezing.
Mr. Caine had no clue. He patted me on the back. "Maybe we should have Elise here do our landscaping," he said. "I bet she'd work faster than those illegals Amanda is always hiring."
"Sure thing, Mr. Caine," I said, releasing Kelsey's hand.
Dad stepped forward. "Martin, I don't think this can wait until Monday. If we could sit down for a few minutes..."
"Ah, time for a toast." Waiters were hurrying through the crowd passing out champagne. At the microphone, Mrs. Caine tapped her glass with a spoon.
"Have a drink, Kevin," Mr. Caine said, waving over a waiter. "Whatever the problem is, I know you'll fix it. Relax, enjoy being out with the family."
One of the whores snickered. That's why I wasn't ready.
Kelsey reached out and patted me on the back, like her father had. But instead of a friendly pat, she smacked me as hard as she could. The blow sent me flying towards Sean and the waiters loaded with champagne trays.
---
The world downshifted to slow motion.
The waiters stumbled, and their trays flew up. Sean stepped backwards, then fell. My arms tried to catch him. My legs fought for balance. All the dads and dweebs and whores stood, frozen, mouths open. The trays came down, and fifty champagne glasses hit the patio.
A million shards of glass and champagne exploded.
Sean screamed.
As time sped up, just before I hit the ground, I noticed one more thing.
Sean was barefoot.
---
He screamed again.
We went down in a heap speckled with glass and blood. Kelsey vanished into the bushes.
---
Very unlady like.
The crowd around us fell silent. A couple football players congratulated Kelsey and jumped into the pool. The dweebs and whores reached for new beers. Mrs. Caine drifted towards the band. Dad watched the guys in the water. Sean was the only person who looked me in the eye.
"Good job, fair fight." said Mr. Caine. "She almost had you there, Kelsey. Better watch your back! Haha, now shake hands."
Kelsey ignored her father and shadowboxed one of her minions, a girl named Abigail with braces and super fake orange-dyed hair with long black extensions to make her look even more like a hipster doofus.
"Kelsey," Mr. Caine repeated, a little louder.
The last thing Kelsey wanted to do was shake my hand. Instead, she shoved Abigail, who backpedaled and fell into the pool, hitting the water with a loud smack.
"Kelsey!" Mr. Caine's voice snapped through the air like a wet towel in a locker room.
Kelsey froze for a second, then walked back to me, her hand extended. "Fair fight," she said.
"Something like that," I said. I smiled and squeezed her hand until the bones rubbed together like dry twigs. She grunted and covered her pain with a cough. I kept squeezing.
Mr. Caine had no clue. He patted me on the back. "Maybe we should have Elise here do our landscaping," he said. "I bet she'd work faster than those illegals Amanda is always hiring."
"Sure thing, Mr. Caine," I said, releasing Kelsey's hand.
Dad stepped forward. "Martin, I don't think this can wait until Monday. If we could sit down for a few minutes..."
"Ah, time for a toast." Waiters were hurrying through the crowd passing out champagne. At the microphone, Mrs. Caine tapped her glass with a spoon.
"Have a drink, Kevin," Mr. Caine said, waving over a waiter. "Whatever the problem is, I know you'll fix it. Relax, enjoy being out with the family."
One of the whores snickered. That's why I wasn't ready.
Kelsey reached out and patted me on the back, like her father had. But instead of a friendly pat, she smacked me as hard as she could. The blow sent me flying towards Sean and the waiters loaded with champagne trays.
---
The world downshifted to slow motion.
The waiters stumbled, and their trays flew up. Sean stepped backwards, then fell. My arms tried to catch him. My legs fought for balance. All the dads and dweebs and whores stood, frozen, mouths open. The trays came down, and fifty champagne glasses hit the patio.
A million shards of glass and champagne exploded.
Sean screamed.
As time sped up, just before I hit the ground, I noticed one more thing.
Sean was barefoot.
---
He screamed again.
We went down in a heap speckled with glass and blood. Kelsey vanished into the bushes.
---
♠ ♠ ♠
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