A Student/Teacher Relationship

"Is it alright if I walk home today?" I asked Rachel, walking with her outside after school.

"I don't care. Does it matter what I think?" She glared at my black eyeliner, black nail polish, and my black zip-up hoody. "Do what you want."

"Sure will." I grumbled, heading towards Schick Road away from everyone and their amusement.

***

Watching the garage door rumble open, no one was home yet.

"Thankyou." I collapsed onto the steps leading to the front stoop. The early December air numbed my aggravation.

"Your welcome." I heard.

"No, not you." I'm not panicking. There should be no voice. "Go away." I half-heartedly whimpered. I guess it would be nice to talk to someone who won't horribly antagonize me. Turning over, (St.) Jimmy from the asylum was laying next to me. "Holy fuck!"

"Is that any way to greet a guest?" He sat up.

Sitting up next to him, this isn't making any sense. "What are you doing here? And what the hell are you wearing?" He no longer fashioned the light grey patient uniform, but tattered jeans, scuffed black shoes, and a dirty brown coat.

"Oh I just thought I'd swing by and see how you're doing with life on the outside."

"Yeah, that would be nice if you weren't psychotic, and I had told you where I live to begin with." Is this an hallucination? If so, I'm talking to myself.

"Aw that hurts." He held his hand over his heart. Funny, I thought he didn't have one. When he saw I wasn't going to answer, he continued. "Ok, maybe I got alittle curious, and maybe I broke into and stole your records."

Crossing my arms, " And maybe you got ahold of my address and was hopefully released?"

Jimmy began to shake his head. "Nope, ran my ass out of there. It's really not that hard when ya think about it."

I looked up into the sky. "Why me? Why now?"

"Uh down here, hun." If anyone was to break out and see me (yeah right), Gerard would be the most likely person. Not this arrogant, smug- "Don't bother talking to 'him,' he's not there. Besides me literally going insane in there from Kimmy's 'Let's hug ourselves to love ourselves,' I think you're interesting. Different. So I have come with a proposition."

"This should be good. And what is your proposition?"

"I have some friends out in California and juding by the read in your file which is quite the page turner by the way, I figured you would like to come with me."

My lips cracked into a smile. "You are good. You almost had me going there for a second."

"I'm not joking. Do you want to come or not?" He's serious?

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly to find a response. "Um, I-don't-know. This is a bit sudden, don't you think? And I barely know you."

"What's there to know? Do we have to be best friends or something? I'm not going to mention boyfriend. Read all about that and yikes. You take teen drama to a whole new level."

"Ha, ha, ha." I stood up. "Is there a point to all this?"

"Weren't you listening? I told you the point. You're the only person I met here that doesn't bother me that much. So if I save you from here, it could count as my good deed for the decade. Traveling alone isn't fun also."

"Do you always have an answer for everything?"

Taking his place beside me, he shrugged. "They don't call me 'St. Jimmy' for nothing."

"Correction. I think you're the only one who calls you that."

"Cute, but I'm leaving tomorrow just to give you time to think about it. Cali's a cool place and anyways you could use a tan." Jimmy started down the drive. "If you decide not to be a social tool, meet me at the 7/11 a couple blocks away at 1 AM tomorrow night."

"Right, sure I'll think about it." I mumbled under my breath and entered the garage. "Like I'd do anything like that."