You Are Nothing What You Seem

"So, what are you going to do?" Isabel asks. Alex is in the bathroom.

I shrug. "I don't know. Like, I hate him. You know I hate him. And he hates me. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows that we hate each other. So…I guess I'm just not going to do anything about it. Like, I'm just going to act like everything is normal."

"OK, whatever you think is best," Isabel says nonchalantly. That's strange. She would normally be jumping in, trying to change my mind. Maybe she's scheming.

Alex comes back and sits down. A thin girl with big boobs walks by, and he smirks, checking her out.

I scoff. "Pig."

He turns to me, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"You're a fucking misogynistic pig," I say, a challenge in my voice.

"Well you're just a cold, uptight bitch," He shoots back.

"I wasn't on top," I say meaningfully, glaring.

He glares back, then stands up, shoving the chair under the table forcefully. "I’m leaving."

"Don't get hit by a bus," I say scathingly.

"I'll try," He says before turning on his heel and stomping off to the entrance.

"Right. Just like normal," Isabel says simply.

"I'm bored," I reply. "Take me home? I bet if you drive fast we can beat Alex."

"Sure," Isabel says. We stand up and walk down the mall, sprinting past Alex when we come to him. We get to her car just as Alex is coming out of the mall.

"Gun it!" I scream as we get buckle our seat belts. She peals out, tires screeching. We burst into giggles. I turn on the stereo and Katy Perry blasts out of the speakers. We sing along to "I Kissed A Girl" on repeat the whole way back to my house.

We're still laughing when we walk in the front door. Noah pokes his head out of the living room nervously.

"Are you two OK?"

I shake my head as we stumble down the hallway to the kitchen. We fall into chairs at the table and our giggles slowly subside.

Holding my aching stomach, I say "Want some ice cream?" Isabel nods, clutching her torso as well. I stand up and walk to the freezer, pulling out a tub of chocolate ice cream. I grab two clean spoons from the strainer next to the sink and drop my load onto the table, sinking back into my chair.

Isabel pulls the top off the container and we indulge in silence. We've been eating for a while when the front door opens and Alex walks in, leading a girl.

She is tall, but not as tall as Alex, and thin. Big boobs, narrow waist, stick arms and legs. Stilettos, miniskirt, tight tank top. Her face is pretty, but you can tell it's the makeup. I narrow my eyes.

"Hey, Alex. No sluts in my house."

"How did you get past security then?" He asks, leading Skanktastic into the kitchen.

"I'm not a slut, manwhore, and you know it," I say before shoving a spoonful of oral pleasure into my mouth.

"Hi, I'm Lauren," Skanktastic says.

No, bitch. Your name is not Lauren. It is Skanktastic.

"I'm Isabel, and this is Jane," Isabel says graciously. I glare at her.

"Wait, Jane Grace?" Skank asks. I nod. "Oh, OK."

"What about it? Why'd you ask?" I ask, a challenge in my voice.

"Nothing, it's just that I heard from Dylan that he knows a Jane Grace and that she's a lesbian," Skank says, her tone meeting mine.

"Dylan is a lying bastard, hoe," I say. I grab my ice cream and brush past Alex and Skank, walking up the steps to my room. Isabel follows me and locks the door behind us. "God, I hate people."

"I know, honey, I do too," Isabel says sympathetically.