It continues! Please Review : )
2 MONTHS LATER
"Hey check this out! My brother got this from downtown the other day." Everyone in our group crowded around the poster that Alan proudly showed under the table. This moment reminded me so much of my first day at the school that I had to smile.
"Alan you didn't really steal it off Tony did you?" Tony Morris was a bully and I doubted Alan would have really been given the poster willingly and if he did steal it…ouch.
"Just look at the poster and ask questions later okay Michelle?" He tried to sound confident but I knew he was nervous, poor thing I'd hate to be there when his brother found out he'd been in his room. I glanced at the poster and my forehead creased, 'cirque du freak'.
"Circus of freaks? It looks kind of expensive, are you guys going?" I'd heard of these types of circus's from a history assignment I'd had to do a while back. They sounded horrible and the owners were cruel towards the deformed humans they kept locked up. I refused to go to something so inhuman but something in me felt compelled to go…it was unlike me. You're repulsed aren't you? Don't look at me! Please I beg of you! I froze where I was as the words from the dream I'd had almost two months ago came back to haunt me. It was obvious that I shouldn't go, but then why oh why did I want to? Steve's hand clasped mine and squeezed gently.
"You all right little girl? You're not going to cry on us are you?" I yanked my hand from his and punched him on the arm…it was actually becoming a tradition now, every time he said something sexist up came my right hook.
"I am SO not going to cry. I say we get the tickets and go this Saturday. Where did your brother say he got the poster from Alan?" Tommy and Alan were still laughing from my show of strength while Darren looked at me confused.
"He said this tall creepy guy came from the alley way and told him to take a poster. I bet he sells tickets too! But…I'm on house arrest this week so I can't get the tickets." He looked kind of glum, he probably wanted to see the 'tall, creepy' guy for himself.
"I can't go either because mum wants me to ace that math test that's coming up…if I fail another test she might send me for tuition!" I laughed at that one and had Tommy glare at me for a whole ten seconds.
"Better yet, she'd send you to ME for tutoring." The group started laughing at Tommy's expense…he was really bad at math and despite the numerous times I'd offered to help him he refused…saying he'd hate to look like a moron in front of a girl. Of course that resulted in my saying that he already looked like a moron to me. He was a great soccer player though, if he practiced dedicatedly he might even become a professional one day. He just smiled humbly at that one, the guy had his good points.
"Now that's not such a bad idea Miss. O'Collin, and what are you lot looking at?" The poster was taken off of Alan and we all had a really bad idea before Steve jumped in.
"Oh I found that somewhere Mr. Dalton, I was wondering if you could tell us what it was." Nice save…Steve really was quite cunning. I watched Mr. Dalton's face go from speculative to horror.
"I don't know where you got this poster but I sincerely hope none of you are planning to go. Not so long ago there were many 'circus's' like this, evil people parading around poor humans with strange deformities, it was a monstrous practice! To think after these sort of things were banned some people would have the audacity and heart to start it up again?" this was the right reaction I should have had, it was the type of reaction I would have had before the dream. He shook his head and walked back to the front of the room taking the poster with him.
"Ah sir, could I have the poster back? Just as something to stick up onto my wall is all." Mr. Dalton really liked Steve, especially when the guy managed to put on such an innocent expression. I bent down to share a smile with Darren at the scenario. Of all the members in our small group I'd really managed to click with Darren and Steve. Darren was good at soccer, not Tommy good but pretty good, an average student and although had a weird fetish for spiders was an overall nice guy and his sister Annie wasn't too bad either. Steve was…sexist, cute, cunning and I had this weird feeling that he was troubled and looking for something to save him. I wanted to help him. It pained me to see him in distress especially since his family environment was such a mess.
"Well…okay Steve but make sure that's all you have to do with this…monstrosity!" I could sense Steve was just itching to roll his eyes but waited until after class to laugh about it.
"So Alan, Tony would kill you if he knew you were in his room…if the poster turned up all of a sudden he would know it was you who took it. Why not I take care of it for a while?" Whenever Steve became manipulative I was on edge…he could do anything he wanted and the person would be under his control, he'd never tried it on me so far and it would not be my favourite day if he decided to. Alan was already worried about his brother and didn't need much encouragement as a result Steve pocketed the poster. It had a list of all the acts that were to be performed and was also the evidence that we'd even considered attending the 'monstrosity'.
