Brilliant Innocence

"And where the hell were you yesterday?" I brought my head up from my desk and blinked a few times before seeing my best friend Braiden staring down at me with an angry frown on his face.

"Smoking." My eyes started to droop and I had to pinch myself to keep from sleeping. I was feeling light-headed and the claustrophobic classroom was not helping one bit.

He shook his head, dropping himself down on the seat beside me. He laid his head so he was facing me but he did not look happy, not that I could really handle his pissy ass self at the moment.

"Had to cover for you in Bio. Fucking teacher asked where the flask thing was since she knows that you took it for your bong. Couldn't exactly say that, now could I?" He brushed his shaggy brown hair aside so he could glare at me with his greenish grey eyes. Those eyes were the epidemie of innocence when you first got a look at them. I hated to taint them but that was what happened when he started hanging out with me.

"Well thanks, prince Braiden," I told him, sarcasm drooping with every word. "I don't know what I would've done without you, considering you're the one who complained about how dirty my old one was."

He scoffed, looking taken aback. "Don't put the blame on me. The last time I checked, that thing could be crawling with bacteria."

I stared at him, my eyebrow poised high on my forehead. "Thanks for the health lesson, Mr. Clean but I couldn't care less about the bacteria. If I did, I doubt I'd be smoking behind a dumpster."

At my school, about seventy percent of the students do some sort of illegal substance, whether they drink underage, do coke, smoke weed and who knows what else. They tried to put some sort of high power security system but that's only enforced in or around the school. The dumpster five blocks away isn't something they can control and that is where a majority of my friends do it.

"How about you do find another place to smoke?" he asked, an underlying tone in the words that he said. "Somewhere like my place," he was practically begging.

Fuck, not this again. I stared into those deep orbs of eyes, hope the only thing I could see for miles. As much as I loved the kid, I wasn't going to corrupt him anymore than I already had.

"Listen," I told him slowly, afraid to have him hold a grudge against me. As much as I was happy when he sometimes ignored me, that was when I asked for it. His grudges could be long and hard and I wouldn't want to endure that anymore than more usual once a week. "You can't come with me. Your mother will have my balls and you know how much I'm against that."

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes while at it. "I hate it when you act like this," he told me quietly that I had to struggle to really hear him. "You just know that people might like me better there."

I didn't want to hurt his feelings, I really didn't. But if this was the only way, then it had to be done. "They wouldn't," I told him honestly. "They would slaughter you there. You really don't want to join the world."

He didn't say anything for a moment and I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this time he'd understand. But alas, I was wrong again.

Braiden took his bag and stood up. "Fuck you, Cade." Throwing his backpack across his shoulders, he walked away, leaving me to stare after him while running my hands over my face.

I could've called and asked him to stay but I really didn't want to. I hated when Braiden acted like he could handle it. He didn't belong at this school.

Whoa, that sounded bad. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing that he didn't belong at this school. He belonged somewhere better than this. Somewhere across town, where he'd fit in with the kids who'd rather talk about quadratics than cut class to get high.

But he's here because he's born in a bad family and sometimes you can't control what happens to you.

"Damn Cade, you look like shit." This voice indicated it was one of the people I was with yesterday. She's a rude, snarky, sarcastic little thing and she even occasionally grew weed out of her backyard.

"Shit Amie, is that really what I look like? If some dog just shat right here, would we look alike?"

She snorted at the response I gave her. "Yeah no one said it had to be a dog. I saw Braiden walk out of class and I immediately knew you were in the class. Now why is that?"

I didn't want to talk to her anymore. I hated it when people talked about Braiden. They always make him seem not worth our standards. They always put him down even though they should really be praising him. No matter though.

"Just fuck off, why don't you."

"Language." At the most perfect time, did the teacher have to arrive. She surveyed the class and was surprised to see that Amie and I actually attended. Thanks for the faith, Miss.

"Where's Braiden?" she asked to no one in particular but I knew this question was directed to me. It was always directed to me.

"I'll go look for him," I told her and quickly scrambled out of my seat, leaving everything there and was out before she even had a chance to disagree.

The hallways were vacant by now but for some reason, I knew where he was. I always knew.

I made my way down the stairs where the lockers were. And lo and behold, who did I find, sitting on the floor of the broken lockers side-by-side, jamming his knees up to fit in?

"Damn Braiden, I don't know how you make yourself so tiny," I commented but he refused to respond. Two could play at that game.

I took a spot across the hall at him, spraying my legs apart. I watched him intensely and if we were outside, I would have a cigarette shoved in my mouth. He was facing the locker wall beside him before he leaned his head back.

I began to hum only loud enough for him to hear. A really obnoxious tune that I knew he hated. And sure enough, he slammed his head back. Hard enough to cause damage but not hard enough to cause permanent damage. Just the way he liked it.

"That can't be healthy," I muttered.

He turned his head and glared at me. "Now who's trying to teach the other about health?"

"Shit, didn't mean to piss you off. All I meant was it can't be healthy for me to constantly hang out with you and piss you off. It'll ruin your reputation."

Braiden scoffed. "My reputation. You mean the reputation that means virtually nothing to anybody? You mean my reputation as the only one who attends class and makes an effort to learn something? You mean the reputation where I'm just your shadow, the only who follows you around but has no business doing so? Is that what you're referring to?"

I can't help but think how glad I am not classes are down here because everyone would've heard him. He yelled at me. He's mad at me. What else is new?

"Yes, yes, and yes. The reputation that you hold saying that you are superior to me and all of us in every way. It might not seem like it but you're one step ahead of us already. You're on your A-game and I won't let you screw it up."

Braiden's out of the locker. He's sitting in front of it, his bag on top of his lap and his arms wrapped around it. Shit. He's going to cry.

Braiden sobbed quietly for a while and I just sit and watch him. I'm the worst best friend ever.

"You're perfect to me," I told him as he quieted it down. He had snot on his face that he doesn't make a move to remove. "No matter what anybody says. Even if your family and the entire school hates you, you'll always have me."

This time when he cried, I held him. I held him tight.