Brilliant Innocence

Chapter 2

"I don't know why you put yourself through this torture," Amie told me. I'm sitting on her deck, watching as she picked through the tomatoes and carrots to get to the good stuff. It's half hidden underneath deck.

"The agonizing torture of watching you shake what you don't have?"

She flipped me off before moving on. "No dumb shit, the torture of having a face like yours. The torture of putting up with Braiden."

"Lay off, alright. I don't want to talk about it." We're cutting second period to be here. The rest of yesterday was spent hanging out at Braiden's place, not once mentioning the little cryfest he had going on. I couldn't help but notice that the place was colder than usual. I guess his father was back on.

"Yeah well I do. All you ever do it smoke and get shitfaced and the only time you have something interesting going on, you close off."

I laughed. "What goes on with Braiden is none of your fucking business. Now if you don't mind, can you pass me the weed?"

Being the bitch she was, she held back. "Not until you spill first."

Man, Braiden must love having such a good friend like me because I just passed down weed.

I turned my back on Amie and headed around the house to the front lawn. All was quiet as the little kids in her neighbourhood were at school. All the better.

There wasn't much to do besides school but since I couldn't deal, I opted to stay away. I didn't usually cut class this often. It must be a special week.

Somehow I wandered into the town mall. It was pretty empty with everyone off with their little 9-3 work spaces. I could go anywhere but I found myself looking at CDs and shit.

Not that I'd actually buy them or anything. That money could be spent on better things.

"Do you need any help?" I looked up and saw the only employee at the HMV. He was a college-looking dude with a piercing on his lip and a tattoo on his forearm.

"Black Veil Brides fan?" I asked him. He looked down and smiled at the tattoo he was sporting.

"Got it when I was 16, right before their concert. No doubt, one of the best nights of my life. Why, are you a fan?"

I shrugged. "I was, I guess. They're kind of going downhill now."

"Well all artists have their ups and downs," he argued to which I shrugged again. Whatever keeps him asleep at night.

"Are you looking for anything in particular? Band, genre?"

"I'm just browsing," I told him. He doesn't leave but instead, rearranges something I knew wasn't messed up when I touched it only moments ago.

We continued like this in almost complete silence before I finally decided it's time to go. I put down the CD that I'm staring at, making a mental note to look it up next time I'm near a computer. And he stopped me.

"I'm Nader, by the way," he told me, introducing himself. I stared at him boredly. "You know, for the next time you're here."

I still didn't know why he felt the need to tell me.

I began to exit the store once again but to no avail. Nader doesn't want to give up.

"Fine, I'm Cade," I told him while rolling my eyes. "And I really have to go." I gestured that he was in my way and he quickly sidestepped, looking down sheepishly.

"Cade," he called when I was almost out the door. I turned back around.

"I really hope to see you again."

Fucking creep.

I didn't relax from my tense position until I was on the next level of the mall. I looked at the time and realized it was about lunchtime so adults were slowly streaming in from their boring days and settling themselves at the food court. I decided to join them.

I was feeling Taco Bell so I ordered a box, finding an empty seat at one of the high tables. I was concentrating pretty hard on my food that I didn't even notice that creep from HMV come up beside me and took a seat.

"Hey Cade," he said, watching as I scarfed down a hard taco. I nodded at him, showing that I knew he was there. "Mind if I sit here?"

As if he wasn't already. I shrugged, hoping that my lack of response would get him to leave me alone. So far, it wasn't working.

"You in high school, right?" I nodded.

"I dropped out of that shit. The stress got to me, y'know." I didn't answer. But I knew what he meant.
"If you ever need advice, you can always talk to me." I didn't know who he was or what he was trying to do but it was getting mega-annoying and creepy.

He didn't speak for a while and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was looking at the restaurant in front of him.

"Hungry for Panda Express?" I asked. He broke his gaze from that store and looked at me.

"Not really. Heard their noodles were artificial." Well that was the first I've ever heard of that.

I finished the rest of my meal quickly. I wondered if they were at the dumpster right now. It doesn't hurt to head over to the school and check.

Brushing my hands to get rid of all the crumbs, I took my trash and tossed it while putting the tray on top of the trash can.

Nader was right behind me.

"Bye." I turned and left without a word, trying to get loss within the crowd. While at it, I practically sprinted when the floors were clear enough and made it to the entrance in a flash.

No sign of Nader.

I walked with purposeful strides. The walk to school from the mall wasn't too far but it wasn't worth it when it was time for lunch which was why nobody was really there. The walk to the dumpster from the mall was even shorter and I was there in no time.

I met an empty space. Shit.

Now I really had nowhere to go.

Most kids would suggest going home but that was definitely not an option. My mother, who doesn't care at all when I skip, just doesn't want to deal with me when I do. So I have to find some place to satisfies my need to rebel or go back to school.

And there was no place left.

Goddamnit.

When I arrived to school, I made it into fourth period twenty minutes late. People stared at me as I made my way to the seat in the back but the teacher said nothing. I knew he was glad I managed to make it to school at all.

As he continued his boring ass lesson, I looked at everyone sitting around me. The usual group of people who I skipped with the day before.

Diane, Miles, and Shane. I didn't care about school as much as they did but they only cared about it a little more than me. They skipped every two weeks but sometimes, they allow me to take some of their stuff without them. They were pretty sweet semi-frirneds.

"The hell were you?" Miles hissed at me, his curly hair flopping down in front of his face. I shrugged because why would they care that I was at the mall? They were just wondering if I dug through their stash but I didn't. I was kind of a sweet semi-friend as well.

"Amie came back to school without you," Diane commented. So I guess cutting weed wasn't as fun when I wasn't there to be made fun of. That was good to know.

"What's with all the chatter back there?" The teacher's booming voice was the first time I heard it all class. It's a talent how much I was able to ignore his words half the time.

"Nothing," the group mumbled and he just went back to teacher. How boring that must be, having to deal with such ignorant children. Most of us had our heads on our desk, attempting to sleep it out and ignore the world. He didn't even seem to mind and just kept on talking.

Our group stayed quiet.

Diane turled a lock of her dip-dyed bright red hair around her finger.

Shane had the headphones of his MP3 plugged in and was rocking out to his music.

Miles had a hood covered his head and was attempting to sleep.

I was thinking how much everything sucked.

I was so ready to leave when the class ended but then I remembered I had Biology. And Braiden would be there and if I wanted to appease him, I should just go and suck it up.
And was that a bad decision.

I usually sat beside Braiden but apparently the teacher rearranged the seating plan because I somehow managed to find myself wedged between asshole Alex, who thinks that just because he's a football player for our shitty school team that it means something, and Johnson the Jaguar who went for the cougar ladies in town. That was great.

The school was too poor to afford more lab equipment so some tables had to group up in threes. Braiden was lucky that he got another kid who knew the answers but just refused to work. I knew he would charm him somehow and the duo would slaughter us any chance there was a class competition.

"Today, we're going to dissect a rat." Damn, the cutters in our class must be happy right now to get another blade. "I expect everyone to gut the rat and take out its spleen. Then we will put a cut in the vertebrae. Mark it first and ask me if it's right. Okay, the equipment is up here and the rats are over there. Be careful with how you handle everything and don't forget gloves."

As soon as everyone went up to the front, the teacher decided she had to be extra. "Cade, can I speak with you, please?"

Fuck.

I told the other guys to get the stuff but they didn't move. Whatever.

I went up to the front. "Yes Miss?" I asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Do you have any idea where my flask went?" I gave her a confused look.

"You mean the flasks you told us not to use? No, I have no idea at all." She eyed me suspiciously. She knew I had it. She had it planned in her mind that I was probably going to confess the moment she opened her up. She probably had a Plan B as well. But thank the lord for Braiden.

"Hey Miss Ye, can you show me how to use this again?" He held up one of the doohickeys we were required to use and while she narrowed her eyes at me, she went over to Braiden.

I used a glove to pick up a rat and a tray of supplies before making my way back to my seat. Johnson was sitting on my seat and I had to go the right side, setting things up.

Of course, I didn't no idea what to do.

Of course, Braiden and his partner Kyle were the only ones to finish.

Of course, I was probably going to fail the class.

But then the bell rang and nothing else mattered.