Something Wicked This Way Comes 6 free porn video

Something Wicked This Way Comes 6 "So, they were having this costume contest at the Nerd Cave. It's a comic book store..." Ryan was at his therapist's office. Dr. Felder - sorry, Cheryl (call me Cheryl, we're friends here. Yeah, right, a friend my parents pay to talk to him) - gave him her fake smile, the same one the nurse gave him the first time he got his period. She laughs. "I assumed that. I'm still amazed at how people proudly use that term now..." Because you're old, "Anyway, so Logan and I went as Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen. From Across the Spider-Verse..." He thought about Logan. He hadn't heard from him. "How did that feel?" She writes something down on her pad. He hates that he can't read upside down like Harper can, but it probably wouldn't matter since her handwriting sucks. He's confused. "How did what feel?" He shifts around. There's a cushion on the chair that never sits right in his back. Plus he sinks into the chair and feels like he's being swallowed up. He guesses it's supposed to make him feel comfortable, but he'd rather have one of the chairs from school. At least, he knew how to sit in those. "Going as a couple. You and Logan. How did that feel?" He rolls his eyes and she writes something else. Fuck. "We didn't go as a couple. Alice and Mary and Elliot and Hands..." "That's the boy with the big hands, right?" Didn't anyone teach you not to interrupt? "Yeah, well anyway, they were all there. So we didn't go as a couple." "Did you all dress as a group? Like the X Men?" "No, just me and Logan." She smiles again, "Anyway, that's not the point of my story. The point is I had short hair for my costume and everyone said it looked good and she won't even let me try it." "Do you have a picture?" His eyes narrow, "Why?" Without realizing it, Ryan had taken the cushion from behind his back and was holding it tight to his stomach. She laughs. "Don't worry. I just want to see how it looks." He's sure she's lying but figures this will use up some of the session. He takes his phone out of his bag and starts flicking. He doesn't want to show her the store's Instagram page. He still feels unsafe, dirty when he thinks about it. He finds one that Alice took, when they first got to the store. "Here," and he thrusts it at her. Her eyes scan the phone. "You look really good, Teagan. I could see why you'd want that." He mutters a, "Thank you." It scares him how much he sounds like one of the girls at school. "Can you tell her that?" She smiles but ignores him. "Not just your hair. The whole costume. How did it make you feel?" "Umm, good. We won a prize. Second. A gift certificate." She keeps smiling. "Congratulations. I meant getting dressed as," and she looks at her notes, "Spider-Gwen." "Umm, fine." "Did you want to go as Spider-Man?" He looks at her. "I couldn't..." "Why not?" "Because Spider-Man is a boy. And I'm not..." She writes some more. "Well, when you went dress shopping, you were pretty upset." He feels sick. He touches his hair. And thinks about Charlie. He really is Koopgirl, isn't he? Not that he'd tell her. "That's different." "Why?" He pulls his legs to his chest. He hates that he's so short that he can do that in this chair, so he lets them drop. "It just is. And we were talking about my hair..." More writing. "We will. But I just want to talk a little bit about why this is different. Ok?" The way she says 'OK,' reminds him of his mom. "Fine," he huffs. "It's different because I wanted to do this. This is mine." "What do you mean it's yours?" "It's what I like. I didn't want to go to the dance. I didn't want to wear that dress. I told you that already. I wanted to do this. That's the difference." "Do you think it has something to do with your old life?" "Why can't I just like the movie? What's the big deal? I like the movie. I didn't like the dance. Why do you have to make such a big deal of it?" He starts scratching his arm. He felt her staring at him. "It's just an itch! And we were talking about my hair!" She smiles and writes, again, "So we were. Why do you think your mother's so against it?" He looks at the floor, then her bookshelf. There's a book on the shelf - Anal Pleasure and Health. It's the only part of this he likes. Every week, Miley and Logan ask him if Cheryl's anus looks healthy, Logan adding, 'my anus is not pleased with you.' He spots the book and continues, "I dunno. I told you it's wrong for my face, apparently." "Do you think she has another reason?" "Do you?" She doesn't answer except to say, "Did she say something about your costume?" "Yes." She twirls her hand and smiles, "And?" "She didn't like it." "Why?" "She doesn't like anything I like. She thinks it's wrong." "Wrong? What do you mean?" She's leaned forward a little, closing her notebook. "I'm not supposed to like Spider-Man movies and video games and Black Mirror. I'm supposed to like makeup and dresses and..." He almost mentions Jack. And Charlie. But then he knows that that will get back to his mom. "And what?" He watches her fidget with her pen, ready to write down what he says. So she can report it back. "And nothing." He scratches at his arm agian. "It doesn't matter." "Teagan, it does matter. What are we talking about here?" She looks concerned. He can't decide if that's what Miley calls 'therapist face.' He was afraid when he told her that he was going, that she would say that he was crazy. She just looked at him and laughed, 'I've been going since I was seven. I use it to get Janice to get me what I want.' "I told you it doesn't matter. She doesn't want me to be me. She just wants me to be her." She writes, no smile this time. "What do you mean?" "It means she wants a girl who likes dresses, makeup and The Bachelor. She likes what she likes and, if I don't, then there's something wrong with me." "Do you think that's fair to her? That's a broad statement." "Yes. Besides, why does it have to be fair to her? What about me?" "What about you?" Ryan scans her face looking for any hint that it's an accusation. He folds his arms pulling the cushion closer to him. "Fine. It doesn't matter about me." He shifts so he's at a ninety-degree angle to her and then puts his legs over the arm of the chair. He's done. He catches her looking at him and throws the cushion down on the floor. For a moment, they both look at it. Silently he curses, realizing he has just done what she wanted in the first place. "Teagan," the doctor offered, "let's talk this through." He sits silently, sullenly, looking at the stupid abstract picture on her wall. That he wouldn't know if this hadn't happened. "Teagan, this isn't helpful." You're right, he thinks. It isn't. He almost says that but doesn't want the fight later. Although he knows that there will be one. So he sits there. He takes out his phone and starts texting Miley. "Teagan, I have a strict no phone policy in here." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her writing. She's writing, I'm writing, he thinks. What's the difference? "Put it away, please." He'll text later, assuming they don't take away his phone. He ostentatiously shoves it in his bag, and then resumes ignoring her. Twenty-five minutes is a long time to go without talking. One thousand five hundred seconds, he does the math in his head. Especially when you don't have your phone. After five minutes, he looks at her. "She doesn't care about me. I told you she wants, I don't know, Harper or one of the girls at school. She doesn't want me. It's all about how everything looks." The doctor clearly wants to write but doesn't, which makes him smile. The older woman sighs, then looks at him directly. He is taken aback by the serious look on her face. "Let's work with that." "That's what she wants. That's why she sends me there. So I can learn to be like them." He and his mom have had this fight before. So, he doesn't care that it will get back to her. "Like her. Like she went to an all girls' school and turned out like her. So, if she sends me away, I can be like her." They've talked about this before. ---- Logan was leaning against the fence, both hands stuffed in his pockets and the brim of his baseball cap pulled down. Ryan smiled as he got nearer. Looking at him, he could see how much he'd grown since they were in school together. He'd be as tall as Michael soon. "He's so gorgeous," bubbled Harper. She was staying over again. It was true, although his arms and legs were long and gangly, like they'd been made out of Play-Dough and stretched. "Hey." He brushed hair out of his face. "Hey." Something was off in Logan's tone. Ryan looked up at Logan, at the cap pulled low. "Are you going incognito?" Getting no response, he reached forward and pushed the tip of Logan's cap back. Logan pulled it back quickly, but it was too late. They had both seen it. Ryan wasn't sure if he should say anything at first. Harper, on the other hand, had never found a mouth into which she couldn't insert her foot. "What happened?" She pointed at where his black eye would be if it wasn't hidden behind the cap, "did you get in a fight?" She didn't do a very good job of hiding the excitement in her voice. Ryan wondered if she'd ever known a boy who'd been in a fight before. "Does it hurt?" Ryan's voice was quiet. He had a bad feeling about this. "It's fine." Logan tried smiling, although the wince gave away the existence of his cut lip. He ostentatiously took Ryan's hand, which Ryan stared at, not knowing what to do. "It's nothing I can't handle." "Sure." Ryan's stomach was sinking. He wanted to throw up. Logan looked at Harper, "Can we get some privacy?" Harper looked between them. Ryan thought she might explode with interest. "Yeah, of course," she nodded excessively. They looked at her for a moment. She didn't move. Suddenly she seemed to realize what was expected of her, "Oh, uh, I'll just be over there," she pointed to the entrance of the skate park. She moved away very slowly. They had to wait a while until she was out of earshot. "What the hell happened?" This close, Ryan had to crane his neck up to see him. "It's out," Logan sighed, "about you I mean." Like Ryan needed any help to figure it out. "Charlie?" The anger boiled up inside Ryan. "Probably," Logan shrugged. "It was some older kids did this. Juniors, I think." "Shit. Shit, shit, shit." Without thinking Ryan laid his head on Logan's chest. He felt Logan's hand on his head, stroking his hair. "I'm so sorry, none of this..." Logan let out a hoarse laugh, "Come on. How long have you known me? I'm the black dork. If it wasn't this," he put a hand on the small of Ryan's back, pulling him closer, "it'd be something else." They stood there silently, pulled together, Ryan feeling Harper's eyes burning a hole in the back of his head. Logan pulled back first. "So, I mean, everyone knows now. About you." He must have seen the look of fear on Ryan's face, so he continued, "it was all over school." Obviously, from the black eye. "I couldn't do anything about it." Ryan's mind said to say that there wasn't anything he had to do, but his mouth went with, "W-what did they say? About me? I mean...you know who I mean" Duh. He stared down at his sneakers. "They're cool." Ryan gave him a look. He didn't sound certain. "They're a little freaked. It's kinda big news..." "Yeah..." Ryan's shoes seemed to be the most interesting things in the world. "They still want to be friends. With us. With you. It's just a lot, y'know." Ryan nodded his head, subconsciously mimicking Harper's earlier bobbing. Logan reached out and took his hand. At first, he wanted to pull away, but then he caught a glimpse of his battered face and suppressed the urge. "You ready?" Logan nodded towards the skate park entrance. He bit his lip and nodded. Logan's grip felt like a vice. They had only gone a few steps forward when Ryan stood still, "Shit." Logan turned to look at him, "Harper." He could tell Harper was watching them although she was pretending to look at her phone. "She doesn't know?" Logan seemed to be staring at him. Ryan shook his head. "The others won't talk. Not unless we bring it up." Logan sounded like he was trying to convince himself. They walked slowly towards Harper. Ryan could feel how clammy Logan's hands had become. Ryan could feel Harper's desperation to know what had happened. He tried his best to convey that she shouldn't ask, that he'd tell her later, through facial expressions. They could see Elliot, Alice and Mary hanging out on the old dome shaped jungle gym. Elliot was near the bottom while the girls had climbed up high, their legs hanging over the edge. The walk took forever and Ryan felt like the condemned (wo)man going to the chair. "Hey," Logan called out as they got closer. Elliot raised a hand in welcome. Logan moved away from Ryan slightly, as if to show they were holding hands. The entire time, Harper kept staring at them while trying to look like she wasn't. They stood around the jungle gym for a moment, all looking at each other. No one said anything. "I like your jacket. Teagan," said Mary, climbing down, Alice behind her. "Uh, thanks." Ryan cupped his hands over his eyes so he could see her better. The spring sun was low as dusk neared. "Yeah, it looks good." Ryan could never tell when Alice was being sarcastic. "Sure. Great. It's a great jacket." Elliot seemed tense. "Are we going to skateboard or what?" he looked at Logan. Logan looked back at Ryan. He must have seemed like a startled rabbit stuck in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Logan put his board down on the ground, and put a foot on it. "Yeah. We are." Ryan watched the two boys head off, only too aware all three girls were staring at him. "So," Harper said, her voice high and overly cheerful, "what's up?" The girls looked at each other. "Other than Logan..." Harper continued. A disbelieving smile spread across Alice's face. "Besides Logan, not much. There was a bake sale on Friday. Right, Mary?" Mary just nodded her head. She was standing behind Alice, intently studying Ryan like an animal in the zoo. Harper, didn't seem to catch on, "Um, what's going on? Why does Logan have a black eye? Did he give someone a beatdown?" All of the other girls winced at Harper trying to sound 'street'. Exchanging glances, for just a second, it felt like they were on the same side again. Then the spell was broken, "You mean you don't know?" Alice looked at Ryan. Silently, he pleaded with her to go no further. "Know? Know what?" Harper's expression nearly killed him. The look of hurt in her eyes. "Nothing," he hissed, "I'll tell you later." A pause, another hurt look. "I promise." He felt like he was going to throw up and not stop until all his insides were on the outside. Part of him hoped for that. Better than explaining to Harper that she was spending the night on the floor of a freak. "Um," his head was swimming. "I think," as much as he could think, "that we, me and Harper, we're gonna go get something. To eat. Pizza." He turned to Harper. "Come on," and he grabbed her hand. "Have a good time. Girls." Alice left a small break in between the last two words, enough to make Harper look even more confused. The plan had been to go to Elliot and Mary's for a D&D session. Harper was not happy about D & D, but happily accepted when she learned they'd be out late. With boys. He was feeling dizzy, "Tell Logan I'm sorry. I'll text..." He felt Harper take his arm. He wanted to shove her away. Tell her to keep away from him. That he wasn't worth it. That what had happened to Logan would happen to her. He was toxic. Let him fall there. He'd crawl away. It was what he deserved. They were out of the park. The walk out had seemed like both forever and a nanosecond. "What's going on, Teagan?" Harper sounded concerned. It was all too much, he couldn't take anymore. She was annoying but she'd been a good friend, his only friend at Muirwood. She didn't need this too. He pushed her away, falling to the floor. "It's me," he was hugging his legs to his chin, some small part of his brain was just about aware of the blood running down his leg. His new jeans were probably ruined. He gave a mirthless laugh thinking of how his mom would go ballistic over this. "I, I was born a boy..." as the words left his mouth, he puked, vomit splattering all over him. "Oh," for once Harper was lost for words. His vision blurred. Fuck, he was crying. "That's like...really, really cool." He couldn't see her but he felt her hand over the top of his. He couldn't stop crying now. He wasn't even sure if he was happy or sad. Somewhere through the emotions and the puke smell, he heard Harper's phone buzzing. Then her hand disappeared and he was aware of her standing up. "Yeah, yeah, she's with me," her voice seemed calm. Happy even. It was then he became aware of the multiple text and WhatsApp alerts on his phone. He wiped the tears from his eyes and opened them up. His head was still swimming and Logan had sent too many for him to take in. But the ones mentioning Alice followed by some pretty unflattering emojis did register. He smiled, just a little. "Don't worry, I'm going to take her home. Alice is a fucking," and her voice dropped, "see you next Tuesday." Ryan had never heard her curse and it took him a second to figure out what the last part meant. "Tell Elliot to DTMFA," which made Ryan laugh. ----- He could feel the sun on the back of his neck. Spring was in the air for the first time as he trudged towards to staff entrance to the mall. All around the parking lot, he could see blurry eyed people trudging from cars or walking from bus stops. Poorly ironed uniforms peeking out from under jackets. "What's up, Teag!" Lou said, as he ran to catch up with Ryan. Ryan smiled. "Hey, Lou. Nothing. You buy that car yet?". For the past two weeks, all Lou had been talking about was the 2007 Honda he was going to buy. Lisa, who was walking just ahead of them turned and visibly rolled her eyes, "Shut up! You'll never own a car you 170 bus taking motherfucker!" Lou shrugged and flipped her off. Lisa pushed open the doors that led to the changing rooms, "Scholarship," Lisa's nickname for Ryan, "will own a car before your sorry East Orange ass." When everyone found out that Ryan went to private school, it had been awkward. He knew the reason why but they assumed things. Not that his family was rich, not by a long shot, but he didn't have to work, not the way most everyone else did. His parents paid for his clothes and games and would give him money when he went out. But, still, they gave him shit, Lisa especially. A smile spread across Lou's face, "I'm going after work and buying it." "Cool! That is so cool. I can't wait to see it." Ryan's head bobbed up and down. Lou had shown everyone pictures. Frankly it looked like a heap of old crap held together by rust alone, but Lou looked at the picture like it was a photo of his first born. Just then, Marcus came in. "What can't you wait to see?" Ryan nodded, "Lou is getting his car today." Dirk, the manager, overheard and sighed, "Our last day on earth and we're here." He held out his fist to bump knuckles with Lou, as if to say just kidding. Lou gave a half-hearted dap back. They came out and Ryan took his place at the grill. He had become used to it. Other than having to slather his face in zit cream, he didn't really mind. He could listen to music and, if Karl was next to him, they had a rhythm, passing patties back and forth. He had worked the register a few times and could live without the guys trying to stare down his shirt. Karl looked at her and yelled "T," and then he cocked his finger and fired. Ryan had stopped blushing at that and instead responded, "K-man on the mic.". Karl would make up raps as he worked, most of which sucked, as everyone let him know. "Did you get a grade on your paper yet?" He was a freshman at Kean University and was waiting on a grade on his English paper. "A minus." Ryan bumped fists, feeling his knobby knuckles through the rubber gloves they intermittently wore, mostly when Dirk was looking. "For that, you get a double F." A double bacon corral burger. Known to the staff as a Double F, for the fat fucks who ordered it. Double meat, double bacon, double cheese. Everyone gave Ryan a round of surprised applause when he added, "Triple chin." Karl looked at him. "I said I got an A minus. Not an F." He paused, "How's Saw...off his penis coming along?" His nickname for the movie Ryan was making. He had called it that ever since Ryan told them the girl was the rescuer. He held off talking about feminism and the female gaze. It sounded stupid and pretentious to him and he was in it. Ryan felt himself blush, "It's good," he smiled, thinking about Claire. The way she sat on the desk, her legs tucked under her. He tried it once and felt like he was going to fall over. "I mean, it's kinda taking a while 'cause of class and stuff." Karl looked at him. "It's cool, Teagan. You're making a movie. I'm just busting you. We a'ight?" Every so often, when Lou got on his nerves, Karl would adopt what he called his 'hood accent.' He'd also used it when he was mocking Eyeball for repeatedly trying to pick up the girl who worked at Macy's (yo baby, I'ma hook you up with mad onion rings, yo). Ryan laughed and they began prepping for the customers. Two hours later and it was break. They were all headed to the back, when Ryan stopped for a drink at Popeye's. "Hey, Teagan," the guy behind the counter smiled. As he stared at his chest. "Um, hi, Mike," Ryan said, while the others stood around laughing. "Could I have a small Coke please?" Mike smiled, "I can give you a large, if you want..." Which led to laughs from the guys from work. Then a punch from Lisa. "What?" protested Karl, "I didn't say it?" "Um, small is fine. Thanks," Ryan said, as he fished around for his money. He put it on the counter and left quickly. He dreaded the shit he'd get on the loading dock, but dreaded Mike more. Their shift finished a couple of hours later. As they were leaving, Lisa turned to Ryan, "Hey, Teagan. There's a sale at Hot Topic, wanna come?" Ryan thought for a second. On the one hand, Hot Topic gave him a headache. On the other, going would mean he'd have that much less time at home, with Jack and his friends. Plus, he didn't really know Lisa and wanted to know why she'd asked him. "OK. Sure." He pushed a hand through his hair hoping it wasn't too greasy. "Let me just text my dad and let him know." Lisa smiled, "Oh yeah, your daddy picks you up." Ryan felt his face flush. "It's not that. It's just... I have homework and, if I took the bus back, I'd have to walk a bunch... and..." Smooth, Ryan. That sounded much better. Lisa looked at him, "I'm just playing with you, Scholarship. Relax. Why take a bus when you can be driven in a Mercedes?" Ryan shifted his weight from one foot to another, "That's in the shop. The dealer gets upset when you take cars without paying for them." Lisa nodded in what almost seemed like admiration. Followed by, "I've seen the minivan your dad drives." Ryan began texting, 'Goin 2 Ht Tpc w Lisa Wll txt whn dn K?" 'Sure,' his father responded. Followed by a smiley emoji. Ryan had to suppress an eye roll. At least, it wasn't a kiss emoji or hearts. Or poop. They walked around the store, Lisa doing most of the talking, about some guy at school who kept hitting on her. Ryan was looking at an Infinity War t shirt when Lisa said, "You into all that?" "All what?" Ryan had lost the thread of the conversation. "That Marvel shit. I liked the last movie, but a shirt?" "I dunno. I like it. It looks cool." "OK, whatever," she shrugged. "Is your boyfriend into it too?" Ryan tried not to look at her, feeling his face getting hot. Lisa smiled, the cat having caught the mouse, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Ryan began looking at a pair of leggings with great intensity. A bad choice, since how much can you look at leggings? "Teagan has a boyfriend." "He's not my boyfriend," It still felt weird to refer to him like that. Even though they were always holding hands when they hung out these days. And they'd stopped hanging around each other's houses due to the less than subtle surveillance they were under. "What is he then?" Lisa put her hand on Ryan's, stopping him from moving clothes. Ryan's eyes darted around the shop, hoping to spot an excuse or a escape hatch, "I dunno. He's a friend, since like kindergarten. But we've kissed and...." He put his hand on his phone, hoping for an emergency text. Nothing. Lisa laughed, "Relax, Teagan. I won't say anything." Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. "This sorta boyfriend have a name?" "Logan." "You got a picture?" Ryan thought about lying but knew that she wasn't letting this go. He took out his phone and found one of the two of them that Harper had taken. Great. Logan's arm was around him. He didn't realize how much taller Logan was until he saw the picture. He begrudgingly handed it over. Lisa looked and smiled, "I would not have guessed it." Ryan took a deep breath, "Guessed what?" Lisa grinned, "You know what." It took Ryan a second and then he figured it out, "It's not a big deal." Lisa kept grinning, "Do your parents know?" Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yes." He almost said that they knew his parents, and thought that sounded worse. Like he was an even bigger dork than he was. "Mine wouldn't be that cool," Lisa said, "Good for you. He's not bad." They finished shopping and were heading towards Barnes & Noble, "You working next Saturday?" Ryan nodded and she smiled. She looked at the entrance to Barnes & Noble and said, "What is it that dads find so fascinating about this place?" --- He found the fact that the girls at school were ignoring him reassuring. The same as last week, the same as the week and month before that. He would sit at the back of each class, comfortably forgotten. For the majority of his classmates, he was just another one of the herd. Only Harper seemed to especially want to seek him out. If she'd been bad before, now that she shared a secret with him she was twice as annoying. "How are you?" She leaned over to him in English. That concerned look on her face. It was double Math, their first class of the day. He shrugged, "Fine." The teacher was talking and Ryan was trying to get everything down in the notes section on his iPad. Not an easy task at the best of times. Looking forward, he tried not to notice her eyes staring at him, "Stop." Sensing she wasn't going to do so, "Not at school." "Oh," Harper responded, a little too loudly for Ryan, "Oh, yeah. Of course." There was a pause, he could almost hear her formulating the next question in her head. "They know, right? The teachers I mean." "Um, yeah. Some of them." He kept his head down looking at the glowing screen. A couple of girls one table over were looking idly in their direction. Probably hoping to pick up some gossip to brighten the otherwise dull morning. "Not now," he hissed. He turned just enough to see her nodding seriously. At lunch, he made an attempt to ditch Harper, "Sorry," he tried his best to look sincere, "I hafta... make a call." Immediately he regretted it. Who made calls? His grandpa? Harper's face contorted in concern, "Oh, I, is everything OK?" How many times had he heard that phrase that day, and it wasn't even lunch. "Yeah, yeah. I just have to call my... er...therapist." He thought he'd feel worse about lying. But the thought of twenty minutes to himself... "Yeah my therapist. She likes me to check in." He felt a bit bad about putting on his best serious face, the one that was supposed to be reserved for lying to parents, "Just to be sure I'm OK." Harper nodded solemnly, then she reached out and took hold of his arm, "Definitely. You should." After letting go, she turned around, "Come find me in the library once you're done." Saying that he would try, he waited until she was gone. The he rushed off. Eventually he found a corner of the fields and sat down. Taking out his phone he opened up his different social media apps. His eyes forced forward he scanned for any signs of comments mentioning him. So engrossed was he that he missed that he was being overlooked. "Ew, is that an iPhone 5?" He looked up to see two faces looking down at him. One was screwed up in mock disgust, the other was watching with a hungry look in her eyes. He recognized the first as a second year from the film club. The second was just some face he'd seen in the crowd. He quickly moved the phone to his blazer pocket. "Oh, that's right. You're on scholarship." The first girl leaned over him, causing him to lean back a little. He could see the pockmarks from her acne, the ones covered in a thick layer of makeup. It looked like the surface of some unexplored planet. She sneered when she saw him move back, "Don't worry. We're all about the charity cases." Ryan went to get up but crater face pushed him down, "What's the hurry?" "Er, I've got to get to my next class." This time, it was the other girl who stopped him from getting up. She had red hair and calves that looked like tree trunks. "Let me up," he half stood but was easily pushed back. One of the girls had grabbed his bag. "Hey!" she threw it to her friend. "I wonder what else she's got in there." His heart sank when he remembered that his iPad was in there. He wondered if his mom would buy him a new one if it smashed. Behind them, Ryan could see a small group forming. Teenagers being able to smell humiliation, the same way sharks smell blood in the water from miles away. The girls began throwing the bag between them. A small semi-circle formed. "Hey, come on," he tried to reason. It was pointless. They only laughed. Feeling sick to his stomach, he could only wish himself somewhere else. But where? At home with Jack and his mom? With Logan, playing the girlfriend? Miley would just laugh if she knew... "Jesus Christ. Will you stop?" Everyone turned. The girl who currently had the bag dropped it. Perhaps she thought, from the tone, it was a teacher. Ryan turned to see Claire. Her hair newly dyed blue. "Fuck is the matter with you?" Despite their air of sophistication, her blatant use of a swear word in school caused a ripple of awe amongst the onlookers, "Seriously, what? Are you," and she stared directly at crater face, "in middle school?" The two girls suddenly looked mortified, as the mob turned to look at them. Claire knelt and picked up a book that had fallen out of the bag and passed it to him. It took him a second for him to take it, half expecting her to snatch it away. "T-thanks," he couldn't pull his eyes away from her. The way her bangs fell down over her eyes as she moved. The way she flicked them out of the way with one, confident move. He scrambled to pick up his bag. Looking inside, he was pleased to see the iPad was OK. He felt sick to his stomach imagining having to tell his dad it had broken. Or worse, how it had broken. By the time he looked up again most of the crowd had dispersed. He looked for Claire, and saw her with the janitor, the one with the clown makeup. He shook his head and they were both gone. --- The cold weather was giving away to spring, which meant his parents suddenly decided they needed to spend more time outside. Which in his house meant more time in the car driving to somewhere that his mom deemed to be the 'great outdoors.' Ryan was hoping for the South Mountain Reservation. But, no, his mom decided that they had to go to the Delaware Water Gap, which meant an hour at least - each way. His mother had intended allowing them to bring friends as a perk. Some perk. It surprised Ryan how happy his parents were to invite Logan along. Jack had insisted on his friend Nate, one of his new football friends that Ryan hadn't met yet. They went to Logan's first. Ryan's dad jumped out, clasping his arm around his shoulder. "Logan, buddy, how have you been? What've you been up to?" Ryan saw the look of terror and confusion on Logan's face, as he mumbled something. Glancing over, Ryan could see his mom watching on with pursed lips. Jack largely ignored the whole thing, just staring at his Switch. His only gesture of acknowledgement towards Logan was a small grunt and nod of his head as he climbed in. Ryan moved over a little to let his friend sit down, their legs squashed in together. It felt strange to be sitting next to him when they both had bare arms. As the A/C kicked in, he could feel goosebumps erupting and looked away, worrying that it looked like he had chicken drumsticks for arms. He also wasn't too keen on the t-shirt. His mom had picked him a bunch at Uniqlo, when she was in the city for a case. When she'd shown them to him, they looked like... t shirts. It was only when he put them on that he saw how clingy they were. And how low the neckline was. Nate lived over near Miley. As they drove down the street sprinklers turned on at the same time. Like some strange watery military guard. Nate seemed to be the sort of kid that only existed in the dreams of gym teachers. For a fanciful moment, Ryan wondered if Nate's shoulders were as wide as he was tall. He and Jack greeted each other as he got into the minivan. "Jack-O!" "Nate-O!" Ryan had never liked bros. Now, he knew why. Nate looked over Jack's shoulder, in their direction. For a split second, his gaze was cold and empty. Then he switched and smiled again. It reminded Ryan of a sociopath or a politician. He could feel Logan's leg tense. The rest of the journey was largely uneventful. Ryan watched Logan staring out of the window. Occasionally, his dad would look up in the rear view mirror and ask Logan a question. "So, the Knicks are looking pretty bad this year, huh, Logan?" "Um, yeah," he mumbled, to Jack and Nate's snickers. "And school? How's it going?" "Um, good." Ryan saw his mom try unsuccessfully to shush his dad. The parking lot was full, other families making the most of the first warm day of spring, no doubt. It took awhile for them to find a space and, when they had, a while longer for Ryan's mom and dad to argue about what they had brought with them, and what they'd left behind. Ryan was watching engrossed until he caught Logan looking over at him. "What? What are you looking at?" He wished he had a mirror. Logan laughed, "You did it again. You keep doing it." Ryan felt himself seizing up, as if the tiniest of movements could potentially cause the most social embarrassment ever experienced. Logan seemed to take pity, "Your hair." Ryan lifted a hand to his head half expecting to find that he'd gone bald, "You keep doing this thing," Logan lifted both hands to his head, "pushing your hair behind your ears. Like you're nervous or something." "No I don't." No sooner were the words were out of his mouth than he realised that he'd just done the same gesture that Logan had described. "Just... shut up!" Looking around, he realised Jack and Nate were glancing their way. Jack was smirking, Nate had the cold eyes again. Logan lifted his hands. "It's no big deal, Teagan." Then he paused. "It's kinda cute actually." Ryan desperately wanted to let his hair fall down and cover his undoubtedly red cheeks. But he knew that would only call attention to it. And that he'd likely push the hair back at some point, only proving Logan right. "Hey you two," his dad bounded over. "You guys ready?" Ryan gave him a suspicious look. They took an easy path along the banks of a river. The path was uneven with large stones jutting out. Ryan's sneakers weren't much help against them. Not that he'd admit that, knowing his mom had told him he should wear boots. "You OK?" Ryan's mom slowed down so she was near level with them. "Uh huh," Ryan shrugged. Logan stayed silent. "Something interesting on the rocks?" "Huh?" Then, he realized what she meant. He lifted his head and looked around, as if to indicate he didn't think there was much to look at. "So, Logan... are you having a good time?" Her voice had that hint of forced jollity that usually indicated trouble. "Um, yeah," it was now Logan's turn to stare at the floor. "Thank you for inviting me, Mrs Koopman." "You're always welcome, Logan," she said, smiling although her voice sounded as awkward as Logan looked. "I'm glad you two are having fun." Can we stop at the ER for stitches on the way home? Maybe the dentist after that? They had reached an empty clearing by the river. It had a wooden table with two logs either side acting as benches. Ryan's dad turned to the others looking happy, "So, boys? Who's up for fishing?" Then, his face fell. "Sorry, Teagan, you too of course," as his wife gave him an exasperated look. Ryan noticed Jack nudging Nate in the ribs and the two boys looking his way. He crossed his arms. He caught his dad's eye and felt bad, clearly he'd thought the arm crossing was aimed at him. When no one responded, "Come on guys. Jack? Nate?" Jack shrugged, "Nate got a new game for his Switch," and then the two wandered off without asking. His dad looked at Ryan with pleading eyes. Ryan was about to give in when Logan offered, "Um, I'll go. I like fishing," he shrugged with his eyes at Ryan. "That's perfect," Ryan swung around to see his mom opening the cooler. "Teagan will help me." By the time Ryan had thought of something to say, everyone had moved away. He stood there, rooted to the spot. It was a few minutes before his mom looked up at him, "Close your mouth. You'll catch flies." A smile flickered across her face, "I'm sure your dad and your boyfriend can be alone for half an hour without killing each other." Ryan was aware his mouth was flapping open and shut, he just couldn't seem to make anything intelligible come out. "Why don't you help me set up?" His mom said, not unkindly. Slowly Ryan shuffled over to the table. He stood there watching his mom get out the plates. It was a few moments before he spoke, "So Dad and Logan are friends now?" "He always liked Logan." His mom didn't look directly at him, but he could tell she was concentrating more on what he was saying. "But now they're friends? He likes him better now?" Ryan watched her carefully. The ends of his mom's mouth twitched upwards, "The problem with being a lawyer is you end up with lawyer's kids. It's not that he didn't like him before. It's just," and she paused, Ryan watching her intently, "different now. Dads of teenage girls remember what it's like to be a teenage boy." She took a deep breath, "Buuut, when we heard about what he did for you...". Ryan went rigid, his mom looked at him and grinned, "Did you really think Logan's parents wouldn't say something?" Hoped, maybe. Tried not to think about it - definitely. It took awhile for Ryan to respond, "So you're not mad?" "Mad?" She shook her head and, in that light, looked tired. "I was never mad. You couldn't have done anything differently. I was more, well, worried." He stayed silent for a while. He used the lawyer part of his brain, the one good side of having a mom who was a lawyer, to figure out what she wasn't saying. "Do you like Logan?" His mom went quiet and looked over his shoulder. "Well, do you?" "I never said..." She kept looking over his shoulder. "And you never said you did like him." Something had been bothering him for a while. He vocalized it, "Because Logan is black..." "What? No," he saw her ears turn red. "I cannot believe you'd say... I mean... Grace is my friend." He thought about it and realized that they'd never hung out, unlike she had with some of Jack's friends' moms. "And at work... and went to college with..." she looked at him, seeming to calm herself down. "It is really not that. I promise you, Ryan..." Ryan nodded, slightly taken aback. When was the last time he'd heard his actual name? "But something is bothering you." She flung her arms up in the air, "God, Teagan! He gets in fights. I'm your mom. I'm supposed to be worried." "He got into a fight. Because of me," he hadn't realized he was balling his fists. Or that he was shouting. "Just," his mom rubbed her eyes, "Teagan, don't push it, OK. We're supposed to be... It's supposed to be a nice day. Can we please just call a truce?" They looked at each other for a while. "Look, your dad will be back soon. Go look for firewood." Ryan wandered off. When the going gets tough, you send me away. Ten minutes passed and he found himself near the river's edge. He'd been so engrossed in playing back their argument in his head he hadn't noticed that he was being watched. "Hi, Teagan," it was Jack. Without turning around, he could see his smirk. "Whatcha up to?" "What, twerp?" It was a stupid nickname. Especially since Jack now had a couple of inches on him. "Is that nice, sis?" the emphasis was on 'sis.' "I just want to know what you're doing here." He saw Nate grin. Prick. "Well, these are sticks," and he held them up. "So what does it look like I'm doing?" He moved closer to the river to be further away from them. He didn't want to stand up and give Jack the satisfaction, but was only too aware that Nate was staring at his ass. "Well, it looks like you're playing mermaid, Ariel, like when you were little. She loved Ariel." "What the f..." It all happened in slow motion. Ryan turned around, surprised at the stupidity of Jack's comment. Then Jack came forward and pushed. What stuck in Ryan's mind the most was the stupid grins on the two boys faces. He didn't have time to get his footing and he fell into the river. He was surrounded by brown water. It was deeper than he expected and, for a few seconds, his head was submerged. Then he broke the surface, "Fucking asshole!" The two boys were laughing, "Under the sea, under the sea," Jack sang, his face contorted, ugly. Nate laughed like some big stupid ape from an old cartoon. His eyes focused on Ryan's now wet t-shirt. "Teagan!" They all turned to see Ryan's dad running towards them, Logan not far behind. Ryan gained some small satisfaction seeing Jack and Nate step back suddenly. ?W-what happened?? Ryan was enjoying the worried looks on the boys? faces, dreaming of the punishment Jack?d get. Then, he felt sick thinking of how he needed Logan and his father to save him. ?Nothing,? he mumbled. ?I slipped and fell. Jack and Nate were just about to pull me out.? Jack looked startled. Logan clearly didn?t believe him, although he kept his mouth shut. He wasn?t sure what his dad thought, but he just stepped forward and offered Ryan his arm. As he was pulled out he caught a glimpse of Jack. He looked even more mad than he had before. --- After Ryan was pushed into the river, the rest of the day was ruined, as far as his mom was concerned. Which was fine by Ryan. The sooner they got out of there, the sooner they?d be home and the sooner he could get even. The sole saving grace was when Logan ?accidentally? tripped Jack, making him fall flat on his face. Which made up for Ryan spending the afternoon wrapped in the blanket his dad kept in the trunk for emergencies. The ride home was deadly silent. They pulled into the driveway and got out. ?Teagan, go take a shower,? his mom said. Why thank you, mother, he thought. I would never have thought that without your prompting. I?d much rather smell like the Delaware and jumper cables. ?Yeah, Teagan, go shower. You stink,? Jack joked, in a voice he thought was too low to be heard. It wasn?t. His dad turned around. ?You! Shut the fuck up right now!? Ryan and his mom turned. Jack opened his mouth and before he could speak, his father continued, ?Exactly how fucking stupid do you think we are, Jack? 1 to 10. How stupid?? Jack looked like he?d just been frozen, ?I didn?t call you out in front of your friend... because. But I know exactly what happened. And you are in deep shit. Go upstairs and disconnect your XBox NOW! Bring it to me with your Switch and your DS and your phone and anything in your room that has a battery.? Jack, his brain having not yet caught up with reality, smirked, ?What about a calculator for school?? ?Congratulations.? Ryan was trying to remember if he?d ever seen his dad that angry before, ?I hadn?t decided how long to punish you for, but whatever it was, it?s now twice as long. Did you want your sister to drown?? Jack glared at Teagan. Which made his mother jump in, ?What? Do you expect her to lie for you again? Do you?? He grumbled a ?No?. Ryan maintained an impassive face, knowing that this wasn?t over. He wanted to stay and watch, but figured he should just go upstairs and shower. He stood there for fifteen minutes, just watching the grime fall off of him. He stared at the razor. For his legs. And, for a minute, he allowed himself to cry. Then, he finished washing his hair and got out. He was getting dressed when he heard a knock, ?Who is it?? he sighed. ?Mom.? ?Hold on.? The last thing he needed was her. ?I?m getting dressed,? He put on a pair of the stupid pajama pants she had bought him for when Harper stayed over. The ones Harper said were really cute. ?Come in.? He started brushing his hair. ?That?s easier if you look in a mirror,? his mom offered in an almost human voice. ?Uh huh,? he kept doing what he was doing. ?Do you want something?? His mom looked at him, ?That was uncalled for.? He began brushing harder. ?Sorry,? not sorry, ?what?s up?? ?About today...? Which part? ?Yeah?? He looked out the window. ?I?m sorry.? ?K.? So what? It didn?t change anything. His mom sat down next to him and put her arm around him. He moved away, still looking out the window. ?Teagan, please.? He turned to face her and snarled, ?Please what? Please don?t think you?re racist?? His mom stared. ?Or please just accept that your son wants me dead?? ?Teagan...? Ryan stood up. ?He does! You know he does!? ?Don?t you think you?re being just a little melodramatic?? Accompanied by a weak smile. ?I know you haven?t been getting along lately but Uncle Mark and I...? ?I DON?T CARE ABOUT YOU AND UNCLE MARK, K? I hope Uncle Mark dies of cancer. And I hope Jack does too.? He looked at his mother, her eyes horrified. ?He wants me dead. He tried to drown me. So why can?t I want him dead? Or am I just supposed to take it?? His mother seemed to regain her bearings, ?There?s something between taking it and wanting your brother dead...? ?He isn?t my brother,? he brushed furiously at an imagined knot. ?You don?t get to choose your brother. Believe me, I love Uncle Mark but I underst... no, I?m not going to compare brothers with you. Obviously, you?re not interested.? Ryan kept glaring at her and she continued, ?I don?t know what happened...? Ryan rolled his eyes, ?Fine, I don?t know what his problem is...? ?I do,? Ryan tugged at his hair with the brush. He could feel it moving, wet against his neck. ?That was rhetorical, Teagan,? his mom moved over to the window. ?If he does something...? Ryan stood up. ?What? If he does something, what? What will you do?? He walked to the door. ?I want a lock.? ?Teagan, really?? ?You think this is over? It isn?t,? he hoped that she couldn?t hear the quivering in his voice. ?I don?t feel safe around here.? ?You are safe. We wouldn?t let anything happen to you.? ?I want a lock. I don?t see what the big deal is. Lots of,? he swallowed hard, ?girls have locks on their doors.? He thought back to his grandparents? house, before his grandma died and his grandfather moved, ?You did.? She looked at him, then yelled for his dad. A few minutes later he arrived at the door, ?Everything OK?? ?Can you go to Home Depot tomorrow and get a lock for Teagan?s door?? Ryan?s dad looked between the two of them, sitting at opposite ends of the bed, both tensed. His mom just nodded and rubbed her temples, ?It?s a,? and she paused, clearly choosing her words, ?not unreasonable request. Please.? She turned to Ryan, ?Congratulations.? ?Thanks,? he grumbled, ?now, can you leave me alone? I?d like this day to be over. K?? --- ?Wake up.? Miley opened her eyes slowly. In front of her was a face she didn?t recognize. ?Come on silly, we?re here!? The girl, whoever she was turned and started walking away. Miley sat up. She was on the back of a school bus. The girl was wearing some kind of school uniform - grey pleated skirt, sky blue and grey blazer and a small felt hat. At first, she thought about Teagan?s school, but it wasn?t their uniform. At least, she?d never seen Teagan or Harper in a hat. Miley looked down, then touched her head. She was wearing the same. ?What the f...? She was stopped by a woman at the other end of the bus, ?Miley, now. You?re holding us up.? There was something strangely familiar about her. Groggily Miley stood up. She?d only been drunk once. That summer, when she and Olivia - her stupid cousin, the one Ryan liked - had taken a bottle of wine from the liquor cabinet when her parents were out. Taking turns swigging it until they both puked, giggling like fools. This felt like the day after that. She wobbled down to the door. As she got out, the woman gave her a reproachful look, ticking something off on a clipboard. Miley couldn?t escape the feeling she?d seen her somewhere before. She was dressed like a teacher. Not like an actual teacher, more like one in a bad movie or one of the old MTV videos her dad would watch. A grey pencil skirt, glasses on a string around the neck and hair in a bun. ?Go join the others,? the woman shooed her away. Feeling uneasy Miley moved towards the other girls and boys, none of whom she recognized. The girl from before turned, smiled and beckoned her. As Miley got closer, the girl whispered, ?What did Miss Vink say?? Vink? Suddenly it hit Miley. The woman was Ms. Vink, the substitute they had when her regular Social Studies teacher was out for a month. She immediately felt her face getting warm with embarrassment, as she remembered her. The way she pronounced her ?l?s. The way her hair smelled, when she called Miley to the desk to look at an essay. The shoes she wore. It had been the first time she?d realized that she liked girls not boys. She hadn?t thought about her in ages. ?Uh, nothing... she just said keep up,? Miley mumbled. This strange girl didn?t seem too bothered by her vague reply. She turned back to her friends. Who all burst into fits of giggles when one of the boys looked in their direction. It was only then that Miley took in the scene. They were at the bottom of a set of tall stone steps that led up to a big castle-like building. Above the large entrance was hung a sign that simply read ?museum? ? which museum it didn?t say. Miley stood there dazed, having no idea where she was or why. She only snapped out of it when Miss Vink, now somewhere in front of the group, called for them to follow. Instinctively scared of being at the back of the crowd, where bullies found it easiest to pick stragglers off, Miley found herself moving to the front. There she could see Miss Vink talking to a man at the front desk for a few minutes before waving them on towards an entrance marked ?The Wonders of Ancient Egypt?. Following along behind, Miley couldn?t help but notice Miss Vink. The way her skirt clung to her hips and ass. The way it swished as she walked. Once they were in the exhibit, they were joined by a tour guide. He was old, the same age as her dad, and wore glasses and a blue blazer that was too big for him. On the breast of the blazer was a sticker, peeling off, that said ?Museum, come see it?. He spoke in a slow monotone voice. Something about tombs and pharaohs. Whatever. She was falling asleep on her feet and couldn?t focus anyway. They came into a room with a number of glass cases and one large sarcophagus laid on its back on a raised platform in the center of the room. Along with the rest of the class, she went over to the first glass case. The man was saying something, maybe about ancient warfare. She wouldn?t bet on that though. Thud. Miley jumped, then turned around. Why did no one else seem bothered? Thud, thud. This time, she was sure it was coming from the sarcophagus. The man and Miss Vink were leading the class towards the door to the next room. ?Miss,? Miley stuck up her hand feeling a complete idiot. Thud, thud, thud. Surely they must have heard it? ?Miss, miss!? she really felt like some sort of kindergartener begging to be allowed to go the toilet. ?What, Miley?? Miss Vink sounded exasperated. Thud, thud, thud. Miley heard a muffled voice. Was it calling for help? ?Um,? Why hadn?t they heard anything? ?I can hear a noise coming from inside.? She pointed to the sarcophagus. Several of the girls openly laughed. The girl from the bus gave her a worried look. ?Miley!? Ms. Vink snapped. ?I am extremely disappointed in you today.? Miley hunched a little. ?Keep this up and I?ll have to call your parents. Just get in line. Please.? Miley hunched a little more, mortified that she was being treated like a little kid while the other girls smirked. So, she shut up and pretended to follow. All the time thuds came from behind her. She hung at the back of the line. Even the bullies and screw-ups ignored her, afraid to catch whatever she had today. After everyone had filed out, she ducked behind the ancient chariot exhibit. She saw the last kid file into the next room and rushed over to the sarcophagus. The lid was heavy, and it made a loud grating sound when she pushed it. Yup, another dream, she thought. No need to worry about being caught. She threw all her weight into moving the cover, huffing and puffing as she did it. When the lid was halfway off, she looked in and saw someone, something. Clearly female from its shape. Bound in bandages, but not the gray mummy ones she expected. Clean white Ace bandages. The figure was wriggling desperately. Its voice muffled, although the cries of distress were easy enough to recognise. Miley gave it one more heave and the lid came off, crashing to the floor. The bandaged woman let out a shriek of terror from below her wrappings. ?It?s OK, it?s OK.? Miley whispered to where she figured the ear must be. The bandaged woman seemed to calm down a little, although she still wriggled to be free. ?Stop,? Miley commanded, ?I can?t free you if you keep moving.? The figure gave a whimper before it finally laid still. She worked as fast as she could. Finding a loose end near the top of the head, she started unwinding. She wasn?t surprised when she found soft dirty blond hair underneath. ?Stay calm Teagan,? she whispered, ?It?s me.? From the heavy breathing, she could tell Teagan was trying to keep herself from freaking out. First came the forehead, which was covered in sweat. How long had she been like this? Then her green eyes, which looked wild. Finally Miley made it to the mouth, where she had to pull a wad of bandages that had been stuffed in Teagan?s mouth. ?What? How?? Miley stammered as Teagan gasped for breath. ?I, I, I, don?t know... I remember waking up, and it was dark. The air smelled stale, like an old basement, and I couldn?t see,? her speech was garbled, half crazy, ?then there were voices. Distant...but I thought... if I just screamed...? She started crying. Looking down at the lid, she spotted something tapped to the inside. ?What?s this?? She leaned down. ?Hey, wait!? Teagan complained. Miley could hear her struggling even as she bent down. ?Don?t panic,? Miley stood up examining what she could now see was a photo, ?I just found something.? Miley looked down at her friend, still mostly bandaged up. Out of nowhere, a doll she had when she was little came to mind. She never liked dolls except this one, with its missing eye and an arm that was stuck. She loved that doll. She leaned over and brushed some hair out of Teagan?s eyes. Then she looked at the photo again, ?You know her, right,? she turned the photo so Teagan could see it, ?She?s at your school. You tagged her in an Instagram post.? Teagan pushed herself up a little to see, ?Yeah, Claire. But why would anyone tape a photo of...? She was cut short. ?Miley, what the hell are you doing!? Shocked, Miley spun around to see Miss Vink storming towards her, behind her was the tour guide and a security guard. ?I was just helping her, Miss.? Why was her voice so little? ?Helping who? That?s an exhibit! How old are you?? Miley looked at the contempt in her eyes and wanted to crawl away. Before Miley knew it, another security guard had lifted her under her arm and was taking her away. She watched Teagan plead with Ms. Vink. Who looked remarkably serene and tender. She knelt down and began rewrapping Teagan, like a mother and a baby. Miley tried kicking and biting but nothing would work. Teagan?s cries were soon muffled. --- The last thing, Ryan remembered was the bandage going over his eyes and everything going dark. He sat bolt upright. Seconds later the light came on. ?Teagan, are you OK?? ?What...? It took Ryan a moment to figure out he was in his bedroom, surrounded by the things he?d known all his life. Safe. As much as he ever was. ?What the hell, Teagan, where did these come from?? Ryan looked where his dad was looking. His torso was covered in bandages. He lifted his arms, worried that he was again trapped, but they came apart easily. ?I...? his mouth gaped open. His dad sat down next to him on the bed and smoothed down his hair. A movement that had a calming effect on Ryan. ?Honestly, if it?s not your brother recreating Thanos, then it?s you doing the Mummy.? Ryan laughed, even though he hadn?t seen the movie. He had a vague idea Tom Cruise was in it. His dad helped him out of the bandages. ?Did you clear out the whole medicine cabinet?? His dad sat on the bed, while Ryan went to the bathroom. His dad laughed, ?Hopefully, we won?t have any accidents tonight.? Then, he tucked Ryan in, something he hadn?t done in many years. ?Sorry dad,? Ryan mumbled, feeling sleepy. His dad stroked his forehead, ?Don?t worry about it,? a pause, ?let?s not tell your mother about this, hey?? ?Uh huh,? Ryan yawned. After his dad had left, Ryan checked his phone. There was one message. From Miley: ?WTF???? What the fuck indeed, wondered Ryan as he slipped into a dreamless sleep. --- ?Welcome to BBQ Corral, what can I get you?" Ryan said, bored. He had been working the register since the beginning of his shift three hours ago. Some people liked it, interacting with the customers and not smelling like grease, but Ryan would just as soon have stayed in the back. He couldn't deal with it when someone would complain about how the toy in their kid's Lil Buckaroo meal broke. It's cheap and your kid's a psycho. They were supposed to say "Howdy Pardner" to everyone when they ordered, but the first time he did that when Dirk wasn't around, Terrell told him to cut that shit out. It was reserved only for "Howdy Pardner, let me hit that vape" or "Howdy Pardner, your girl has a lazy eye" and stuff like that. Anyway, Ryan was getting an order when he saw them. Emily Dunbar and Maia Hoff, two girls from middle school. They weren't his enemies, not like Charlie. But they weren't his friends either, especially after everything. He's pretty sure Maia left the tampon in his locker, right before he left. He looked at his reflection in the steel over the heat lamps. He looked different enough from middle school, it had been over a year. They wouldn't recognize him. "Hey, Teagan," Sally grunted, "there's a line. Come on," which made the guys on grill laugh. Fuck, Ryan thought. Act like you don't know them and they won't know you. He took a deep breath. "Welcome to BBQ Corral, I'm Teagan. What can I get you?" Maia started to say, "Number 1, with a diet..." And then she looked at him. Then, she looked some more. Don't get nervous. She's just thinking about what she wants. Don't gulp or blink or anything like that. "Coke, 7 Up or root beer?". He hoped he wasn't sweating. "Excuse me?" "You said diet, so I was asking which..." She kept staring, which made Sally stare at him, like it was his fault. Then, she whispered something to Emily, whose eyes widened. Then, they both started giggling and ran off. Sally looked at him and said, "What was that all about?" Phrased less as a question and more as an accusation. "Some girls," Ryan mumbled, "from my old school. I guess they were..." "Whatever. And you're supposed to say Howdy Pardner. Just because Dirk's on break..." That first day at work, Lou told him how, on the worst days, you were aware of every minute until break. Ryan was aware of every second. He stood like a statute at the cash register, eyes scanning the food court. ?Hi, uh, I mean, howdy pardner. Welcome to the BBQ Corral...? When he turned to the grill to pick up an order, Terrell gave him a strange look. ?What?? Ryan snapped. ?What what, T?? Terrell kept looking at her. ?I don?t know what what. Why are you looking at me like that?? Ryan suddenly felt aware of the pockets on his shirt. Terrell slid over the number three meals that Ryan?s customer had just ordered. ?I?m not looking at you like anything, T.? And he turned around, mumbling to himself. Ryan resolved not to look at the clock. A watched pot never boils, his grandma used to say. After an eternity, Karl came over and tapped Ryan on the shoulder. He jumped. ?What?? Karl smiled. ?Relax, T. Break time.? Ryan could feel the sweat on his brow. ?Sorry, sorry. It?s just been....? he said, as he walked about back. He went outside, where Terrell, Lou, Lisa and Nikki from Cinnabon were standing. As the door opened, it sounded like they stopped talking. Ryan shuffled out. ?Hey everyone,? he said, his eyes darting around. Lou looked at him. ?You OK, T?? He snapped. ?Why does everyone keeping asking me that? I?m fine.? ?You seem real fine, T,? Terrell offered. Nikki came over and whispered in his ear. ?You have your period?? Ryan turned around. ?No. No I don?t,? he hissed. ?What does that mean anyway?? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nikki give Lisa a look, a smile and a nod. Which Lisa then passed on to Terrell and Lou, who looked sick. ?Why is everyone looking at me?? Terrell edged forward, ??Cause you?re acting crazy, T. Like some Sally shit.? He took out his vape pen. ?Yo, take a hit.? Ryan didn?t want to, in case anyone else came by. On the other hand...and he took a hit. ?Sorry,? Ryan mumbled. ?I didn?t mean to be...? A bitch? Was he a bitch? A dick? Something else? Everyone mumbled what sounded like acceptance of his apology. Still, he felt a cloud pass over everyone. Like they were all staring at him. Five minutes before break was over, Nikki looked around. ?I gotta get back inside, yo. Kamal,? her manager, ?has been on my ass.? Ryan felt nauseous. Nikki never went inside before the last possible second. Lou mumbled something about taking a leak and followed her. Before he went in, he gave Terrell a look. Terrell looked at Ryan. ?Yo, T, you wanna switch? I?ll take the register and you take grill?? Lisa looked at him. ?No, she doesn?t.? She seemed to emphasize ?she,? and she continued, ?you just wanna be up front and stick her with the shit job. That?s bullshit.? Ryan noticed how no one included him. He offered meekly. ?Nah, it?s cool, Lisa. That?s,? and he paused, ?better. Yeah, we?ll switch. Thanks.? He held out his hand for a fist bump, which Terrell looked at for a second and then bumped. He started to follow him, when Lisa said, ?Hold up, T.? Terrell stopped, moving only when she said, ?It?s girl shit.? The door slammed and Lisa looked at him. ?What?s up, Teagan?? She never called him that. Mostly ?scholarship,? sometimes, ?T.? He looked around. ?Nothing. Nothing?s up? Seriously, why does everyone keep asking me that?? She fixed her gaze on him. ?Because you are acting like a total bitch. And you told Nikki you don?t have your period.? How she knew was currently beyond him. ?So what?s up?? ?Nothing!? As Lisa walked away, he said, ?It?s stupid.? ?You and Logan,? and she grinned widely, the way she did whenever they were working the register and a black guy under age 50 came up, ?have a fight?? He had forgotten about Logan. Until now. When he remembered the black eye. ?No!? Lisa looked him up and down. ?Then what the fuck is up?? ?These two girls who used to pick on me in middle school came in before and now they?re going to say something...? She looked at him with a mix of pity and contempt. ?What? That you work at the Shit Taco? You think that makes them better than you?? She looked pissed off, like she was challenging him. A challenge he failed. ?It?s....? It?s what? I used to be a boy. Maybe. And I?m not now? Probably. ?No.? She kept looking at them. ?They?re just bitches. And I don?t care if they know I work here.? A lie, a big one. ?I can?t explain it.? Which was true. ?So fucking what you work here?? She smiled. ?I mean it sucks. But that?s not their business...? Ryan mumbled something. ?C?mon Scholarship. Give me a big ?Howdy Pardner.?? He looked at her and stared. ?I can?t hear you!? He gave her a middle finger. ?Close enough. You sure you want to work the grill?? ?Yeah,? he said, staring at the door. ?I, um, don?t feel like dealing with people right now.? Three hours left to his shift. One hundred eighty minutes. He did some math in his head, and came up with 10,800 seconds. Probably. As long as he was on the grill, he was safe. He kept his head down. ?Hey, uh, T,? Lou said, when he returned from break and went to the grill station. ?Uh, why are you here?? ?Because,? he snapped. He looked up to see Lou?s raised eyebrow. ?Because I don?t feel like being up front. K?? ?What the fuck crawled up your ass today?? Lou asked, not unkindly. ?Sorry. I don?t want to talk.? Lou kept staring. Ryan peeked over the counter to see if anyone was he recognised was there. No one. Just the usual, an annoyed mom and her stupid kids. ?I?m really sorry. I?m just having a bad day.? ?It?s cool,? Lou said, not looking at him. ?We all have shit days. I get it.? ?Sorry,? Ryan mumbled again. He didn?t want to talk, and Lou unwillingly complied. Working with Lou made the time fly. He?d sing along with the radio. Mock whoever was working storeroom or, worse yet, on bathroom duty. But today, he kept quiet. Everytime someone other than Dirk would pass by their station, Ryan would catch him giving them a look and then everyone would go silent. Which only made the day go slower - and leave Ryan alone in his own mind. As he was taking off his hairnet, Dirk came over. ?You OK, Teagan?? Ryan felt his eyes boring a hole in him. He almost snapped but stopped. This was Dirk. His boss. ?Um, yeah. Why?? Dirk kept looking at him. ?Sally said you seemed out of it...? ?It?s OK...? ?And,? he laughed, ?you took grill over counter.? He adopted a fake Western accent, ?Why JH Cardiff himself would say yer one crazy buckaroo.? Which got a confused look. Dirk shrugged and continued, ?Anyway, and Lou was being very quiet, which never happens.? He laughed. Ryan didn?t. ?OK, then...? Ryan tried to smile. He looked around and said to everyone coming off shift. ?Sorry, everyone. I wasn?t a good cowgirl today,? he tried to joke. ?I was just in a bad mood.? Everyone mumbled that it was OK, although they didn?t look at him. ?Anyway, I?ll be better next time. Sorry.? And he went into the locker room to change. His shift finished without drama and he went to meet his dad. "Hey, Teagan!" Great. Mom. Ryan got in the car and slumped down, the top of his head barely visible above the window line. "Where's dad?" His mom laughed. "Nice to see you too. How was work?" Eyes fixed on road. "Can we just go?" "Did something happen today?" Lawyer voice creeping in. Yeah. My life was ruined. "No. Sorry. I just want to get away from here." His mom smiled. "We've all had those days. I get it," and she pulled away. "Do you want to stop at Dunkin' Donuts? I know..." "No. I just wanna go home." He looked over at his mom. "Sorry. Nikki at Cinnabon brought a whole bunch of extras out at break and I'm full..." Not technically a lie. She had done this. Two weeks ago. His mom smiled. "Got it. Although I wish you'd eat something healthier at work..." In spite of himself, Ryan smiled a little. "We all know how they make everything..." Which made his mom laugh. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" "Sally was covering for Dirk a lot today..." Also true. His mom laughed. "The petty tyranny of the ultimately powerless..." They were on the road and Ryan allowed himself to sit up a little. "Uh huh. Anyway, I just wanna go home." They rode the rest of the way, his mom talking about when she worked at the Union ice skating rink. Ryan wasn't listening, not really. But as long as he nodded and mmm?ed occasionally, it satisfied her. They pulled into the garage and Ryan rushed up to his room. He took out of his phone and began texting Miley. ?U there? Please be there, please be there. ?Hey T,? followed by four winking emojis. ?Wuz up? ?Emily n Maia saw me today.? Three dots appeared on screen, then stopped, then reappeared. ?R U sure they knw it wuz u? ?Y!!!!? He paused then began typing again. ?Maia looked at me. Then whsprd 2 Emily. Then laughed. Then ran away. Fuk. Fuk. FUK!!!!? ?Fuk. Any1 say anything? ?No. Sally told me 2 work. No1 else came tho. Gd rt?? Three dots, then none, then three, then. ?Uh huh? She doesn?t believe that, Ryan thought. I don?t. Why should she? ?Maybe I?ll quit job.? ?NO,? appeared very quickly. ?Not ur fault. Thy r bitches.? ?Goin 2 be bad isnt it? ?Im here 4 U? So, yes, it would. Then, ?bae? appeared on screen followed by a smiley and three kiss emojis. Ryan giggled. Then sent a tongue out emoji. Quickly. ?K if u want.? Then three dots. ?Itll be OK? Ryan started asking whether he should tell Logan, then stopped. Instead, ?u wl let me no if some1 sys smthng? ?Of crse.? Of course she?d tell him? Or of course they would? ---- Ryan spent the rest of the night and all day Sunday nauseous, waiting for Monday. Not that school wasn?t much better. Arriving late, he missed Harper in the morning and wasn?t scheduled to see her again until after lunch. Not that he minded too much, his head was elsewhere, wondering when Miley or Logan would get in contact. To be sure he kept his phone on vibrate in his sweater pocket. ?Teagan, Teagan,? his English teacher said, in a singsong voice. ?Huh?? he?d been staring out of the window, watching the strange clown janitor pushing a large cart across the grounds. Giggles from the girls in class. His teacher smiled. ?I was asking you about Chapter 7 of Huck Finn.? ?Um, sorry. Um, it was good?? The laughter led him to the conclusion that this was the wrong answer. The teacher rolled his eyes and moved on to someone else, thanking Ryan for, ?Your trenchant literary criticism.? The lunch hall was crowded and it wasn?t till nearly halfway through break that he spotted Harper. He?d been sat on his own at the end of one of the tables ignoring the other girls who seemed engrossed in some pointless bit of gossip. Harper pushed through the crowds and managed to get the seat next to him. ?Are you OK?? Ryan looked around. ?Um, yeah, sure. Fine. Why?? ?I dunno. You seem distracted.? She was speaking quickly, almost tripping over her own words. Ryan recognised that level of excitement. ?OK,? he picked up his vegan burger with both hands, ?go on. Tell me. Who's going out with who?? He took a big bite of the burger. Harper looked offended. ?Is that what you...? He grinned, aware that he still had a mouth full of black beans and sweet potato, ?You always get excited when you?ve got juicy gossip. That or when something?s happened on the Bachelor.? He smiled at his own joke, not caring about the crumbs. Harper looked affronted. She leaned forward conspiratorially, ?You mean you haven?t heard?? Ryan shuck his head, ?No. Just tell me already.? ?It?s Claire,? Harper whispered, ?she?s gone missing.?