Poison -8- Melanie Brown

Poison-8-

By

Melanie Brown
Copyright © 2024

Part 8

Karen walked out of the cafeteria with me as I headed for my next class. “Wow. You haven’t even been at this school a whole day, and you already score a date with the biggest hunk.”

I shook my head. “Oh, stop. That’s hardly a date. We’re going to be discussing Algebra. Hardly a hot date topic.”

“It’s called getting your foot in the door,” laughed Karen. “Let’s face it; he wouldn’t have helped you in the first place if he didn’t like you.”

“You think he’s that shallow?”

Karen laughed. “He’s a boy, isn’t he?”

I shrugged. “Well, I’m certainly not looking to date anyone. I don’t even know if my mom would let me.” I can’t even imagine liking a boy.

We stopped walking at a large hallway intersection. I pulled out my map.

Holding my map up to Karen, I asked, “Can you tell me where this class is?”

“That’s one of the Science labs.” She pointed. “That’s way on the other side of school. You need to hurry.”

Frowning, I said, “Well, shit. See ya later.” I started to hurry off.

Karen yelled, “Good luck!”

She didn’t see me, but I rolled my eyes. Under my breath, I said, “I’m not dating Gene!”

I hurried through the mob of students to find my way to my next class. I had my card out and ready as I entered the classroom just as the bell rang.

As I handed my yellow card to Mr. Hendrix, the science teacher, I heard a familiar voice say, “Oh hell no.”

I turned to my right to see my sweet, darling brother Corey. In the science classes, there weren’t desks per se, but tables with black, round tops, equipped with sinks and sporting spigots for natural gas to fuel things like Bunsen burners.

As Mr. Hendrix handed my card back to me, he said, “Let me extend my condolences to you about your father. What a horrible way to go.”

I shrugged. “You don’t know the half of it.”

Mr. Hendrix continued. “I went to high school with your father. I knew about his sons, but I wasn’t aware he had a daughter as well. I have to say you favor him a lot. Go have a seat next to your brother so class can get started.”

Before I turned away from him, I took a hard look at Mr. Hendrix. I went to high school with him? Then it dawned on me. He was the son-of-a-bitch who stole my girl from me. Well, she wasn’t quite my girlfriend yet, but I was working on her.

And then he, with a cleft in his chin, perfect hair, dimples and sparkling teeth, swooped in and stole her. The rat bastard. I chuckled to myself.  He went on to marry Blanche Fuchs and became a middle school science teacher after he got his degree. I went on to become the senior chemical engineer at a major corporation. Hah!

And now I’m a teen girl in his middle school science class. Damned karma.

I walked over to the table where Corey was sitting. As I approached, one of the boys at his table leaned over and said, “Dude. You have a sister? Man, you’ve been holding out on us.”

Corey frowned and waved dismissively. “Stay away from her. She’s poison.”

“Will you knock it off, you little creep?” I scowled.

“I’d still have a dad if it wasn’t for you,” sneered Corey.

The boy who had talked to Corey looked at me. “What did you do to his dad?”

I frowned and said, “I mixed up some C-4 in the kitchen sink and rigged it to his car’s ignition system.”

The boy’s eyes went wide. “For reals?”

I frowned at him. “No.”

Mr. Hendrix was still taking notes for his class on his whiteboard, so he wasn’t paying much attention to his class.

A boy from the table next to Corey leaned over and whispered, “You should probably be careful. She’s the Rock’s girlfriend.”

Placing my hands on my hips, I said, “I’m not Gene’s girlfriend!”

Corey raised his eyebrows. “Did you just call him by his first name?”

“It’s his name.”

Looking pale, Corey said, “Nobody… and I mean nobody on this planet is allowed to call him that. You haven’t even been here a day yet. How did you become his girlfriend?”

I sat in the empty seat next to Corey. “I’m not. He’s just coming over tonight after dinner to…”

Corey grinned at me. “Holy crap! For reals? To our house? I admit I’m impressed.”

I shook my head. “You can think whatever you want.”

“Can you teach me how to make C-4?”

                    *

Last class finally rolled around. It was a study hall and they had the cafeteria set up for it. Most of the tables were filled. I found one with a large empty spot so I could have some privacy. Talking wasn’t allowed, but of course, people still talked. They were just quiet about it.

I relaxed and let out a sigh as I opened my Kindle reader on my phone and started reading my book. After several minutes of peace, a boy sat next to me. I ignored him.

He coughed a couple of times and kept staring at me. Finally, I put my phone down and looked over at him.

“Can I help you?” I asked with a bit of coldness in my voice.

He smiled slightly. “You’re Diane Williams, right?”

I sighed. “It’s been so alleged.”

“Hi. My name’s Steve,” said Steve.

I picked up my phone and started reading again. “Congratulations.”

Steve leaned over towards me. “What are you reading?”

I frowned at Steve. “Nothing yet.”

“I like to read.”

I loudly put my phone down on the table and growled, “Is there a point to this?”

Steve studied his hands a moment. “I heard you’re smart.”

I frowned and said, “I’m not telling you how to make C-4.”

His brows went up as he asked, “You know how to make C-4?”

“No.”

Looking disappointed, Steve said, “Oh. Look, I just wanted to ask you if you’d like to join me and my buds in a study group?” He pointed at another table where a group of nerdy-looking guys were sitting. A couple of them waved.

I shrugged. “Thanks for the invitation, but honestly, I’m tired, and I just want to read.”

Steve sighed. “I told them you’d say no. You’re so pretty and everything. We have trouble getting girls to join our group. Actually, Dick doesn’t think you’re actually smart.”

I raised my hands into the air and exclaimed, “Dick caught me.  I confess.”

Steve shrugged. “You can still join us. We could help you with math and stuff.”

I forced a smile. “I wouldn’t feel right about it. Now, I need to read this book for English.” I lied.

Steve nodded. “I’ll let you get back to it.” He got up and walked back to his buddies.

I felt someone touch my arm. I turned around, and a girl with shoulder length blonde hair who was sitting at the table behind me was leaning over towards me. In a whisper, she said, “None of my business, but you shouldn’t dumb yourself down just to get a boy.”

I sighed. “I wasn’t. And you’re right. It’s none of your business. I… “

She giggled. “But you have to admit that guy Dick over there is kinda cute.”

I shook my head as I turned around and picked up my phone again. Is there a way to test out of a whole grade?

                     *

“What are you doing here?” asked Corey as he stood under a tree outside the school building.

I frowned at him. “Waiting for Mom. The same as you, squirt.”

Corey looked at me curiously. “Your boyfriend isn’t picking you up?”

I placed my hands on my hips. “I do not have a boyfriend! So no, Gene isn’t picking me up.”

Mom drove up and parked in front of us. Corey yelled, “I call shotgun!”

I shook my head. “I don’t care.” I opened the back door and slid inside the car.

As Mom drove across the parking lot, she said, “Guys, I think next week I’m going to have Zach come get you so I don’t have to leave work early.”

I leaned back in my seat and said, “Fine with me, Mom.”

Mom looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Diane, so you know anything about these two calls I got today?”

I leaned forward. “What about, Mom?”

“Are you offering students to make C-4 explosives for them?”

I fell back into my seat and groaned. “No! Not really. I joked about it.”

Looking back at me in the mirror, Mom asked, “What exactly is C-4? And can you really make it?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s plastique. I am a chemical engineer… or was. I could probably make some.  I think I’d have trouble getting detonators.”

Mom said, “Well, unless you want a visit from the ATF, you might want to stop joking about it.”

I swallowed audibly. “Well, hell. No, I have no idea what C-4 is.” I lied.

With a cat that ate the canary expression, Corey said, “I know something you don’t know.”

Mom glanced over at him and asked, “And what is that, honey?”

“Diane has a boyfriend!” giggled Corey.

I leaned forward and exclaimed, “Shut up, you little creep!”

Corey added, “And he’s coming over tonight!”

Mom’s eyes widened. “Diane! Is that true? Did you invite a boy over for dinner without asking me first?”

Glaring at Corey, I said, “I did not! That little jerk is lying!”

At a red light, Mom turned around to look at me directly. “So you didn’t invite a boy over for dinner?”

I screwed up my face at Mom. “No! Where did you get that? I’m helping him with his homework.”

Frowning, Mom asked, “How old is this boy?  Honey, you’re only thirteen. I don’t want you dating yet.”

“How the hell should I know?” I exclaimed. “We’re in the same grade.”

“Watch your language, young lady!” shouted Mom.

Feeling some despair descend on me, I said, “I’m guessing he’s my age. He needs help preparing for an Algebra test.”

“You didn’t ask me first?”

I shrugged. “How could I?”

Mom shook her head. “Just like when you were a man, you’d never give me any consideration when you invited some co-worker and his wife over for dinner at the last minute.”

I groaned. “He’s coming over after dinner. You won’t even know he’s there!”

“We’ll talk about this when we get home!”

Corey stuck his tongue out at me and grinned.

I scowled at Corey and thought of the quote by Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters. “When in doubt, C-4.”

End of Part 8