These past two days have been fairly similar. I go to school, Craig and now Clyde hang around me. School ends, I either sit around with Thomas alone, or with Bradley and Kevin as well. It's Thursday, I couldn't sleep, Thomas wound up plotting about how he'll have to tell Kevin before he gets into an Ivy League School and leave forever.
I'm trying to distance myself from the inevitable car wreck. I know that I have enough time to shower before everything starts again. Even though it's still early morning, my parents wouldn't murder me if I choose to shower at five in the morning.
I turn on the bright lights in my bathroom, it really accentuates my facial features in the mirror. My sunken cheeks, pointed chin, wide eyes. I remove my shirt and I actually see my slouched demeanor. I straighten my back, I can see my ribs. Well this was fun, I drop my pants and head over to the shower to turn it on and let the water warm.
Letting the shower soak my head made my messy hair fall into my eyes. I cherish these moments where I can make the water so scalding that I turn red. It wakes me up enough that I can get through the day. It lessens my shaking as well. I wash my hair and body, my shampoo smells like 'black lightning' whatever that means. It has the fragrance of perfume, it doesn't matter to me what they call it.
Turning off the shower, I wrap myself into a towel, I still have another hour and a half to kill.
There's tension in the van this morning. "So what's up guys?" Bradley meekly breaks the silence.
"Nothing much." Kevin curt.
"Fuck!" Thomas proclaims, he doesn't add anything to his profanity.
I worry about if something shook the group.
"Isn't it funny how Eric Cartman got caught vandalizing Tom's Rhinoplasty? I heard Butters worry about it yesterday as we left. He has to do like thirty hours of community service." Bradley, town gossip. He's so fucking nosy, I cross my legs.
Everything blurs a bit for the next hour, that's what insomnia does to you. I'm sitting in my homeroom and Craig sits next to me.
"Hey Tweek, you did the AP English homework right?" Kevin snaps for my attention.
"Oh no, I will do it at lunch." I stop spacing out and glance over at Craig who's smirking.
I see that Kevin is disappointed, it's some questions about what we read, he's just being anal.
He leans onto my desk though, "Hey." He whispers. He's blocking Craig, who is currently the person I'm the wariest of. He knows who I am and keeps talking to me.
"What?" I say at a normal conversational tone, at least I think.
"Thomas has been acting weird as shit. You talk to him a lot, do you know anything?" I feel like I'm under interrogation, the lamp is swinging, man.
Stall Tweek, stall! "No, I haven't noticed anything." Good lie, Tweek. Don't blow it.
Kevin seems pleased enough to turn back to whatever homework he's obsessing over. Kevin's been trying to pry for evidence that Craig has a boner for me. I don't think Craig has shown any of his cards. I'm under the impression that he's just using me to appease his parents, which is fine by the way.
Homeroom ends unceremoniously, I have my drawing pencils and erasers with me. I walk off, this day is unnerving me. I wade through the massive groups of teenagers. The hallways fucking smell like ass and marijuana.
I wander into art class, and take my seat next to Thomas. "There's a problem." I tell him, I'm a great informant
"Fuck! What?" Some of the underclassmen still glare at Thomas when he cusses. I stare back at them to scare them into submission, they eventually get tired at staring at the freak shows so they turn back around.
"Kevin is suspicious. He told me that you were acting weird around him and he thinks something is up."
"Oh shit, really? I've been trying to leave hints. Cock! He's smart, why hasn't he figured it out yet?" Thomas genuinely has a devastating face right now. The class begins and I don't think Thomas is ready to find out the truth.
Craig's sitting next to me again, he's looking more broody than usual. I can already tell, that's fascinating.
Ms. Doyle allows us to discuss the questions in the book as she takes attendance. She's cool in my books.
"Hey, come over my house today. My mom doesn't believe that I got someone to tutor me." Craig doesn't move his desk like most people do when you get into groups, he just stares at me.
"What if I say no?" I ponder, I don't really feel like ditching my friends, especially if I tell them I'm with Craig. They'll start shit, and we're also supposed to play Dungeons and Dragons again. It's been a while and my level six wizard needs another quest.
"I'll beat the shit out of you, deal?" He smiles, I can't tell if he's kidding or not.
"Fine, but say that we need to do at my house." I explain, Bradley gets pissed when I have to cancel on D&D nights.
"Why?" The class starts to quiet and Ms. Doyle takes this as a hint to discuss answers.
I contemplate on leaving Craig hanging, "Because I have other shit to do." He doesn't respond, but nods. I'm glad he understands.
Lunch is no different from the past three days, Clyde annoys the majority of the table while my friends watch Craig under a microscope. I'm busy scribbling down answers to a book I skimmed while on the toilet.
We all mostly eat fast, except Clyde, and are shooting the shit.
"So tonight, I'm really excited to expand the story. The king is dead and everything is in ruins." Kevin smirks, it's probably going to be cutthroat. It's a bitch when we play more chaotic stories. No one is ever safe.
"Tweek, is that what you meant when you said you had things to do?" Craig nasally shames me, I mean yes, but fuck you.
"Uh, yeah. I have to stop at Craig's first, pretend that we're going to study." I explain.
"Oooh." Clyde pokes fun, Jesus, I hope they don't think that we're a thing. I can't go back to having no friends again. I worked hard for this.
"I have a few extra character sheets, if you want to play." Bradley offers.
I look over at Craig who just seems baffled. "Uh, sure."
Flexing his forearms like a dick, Clyde states "I'd play, but I have practice tonight, you know football."
"That's a shame." Kevin emphatically states.
This is how Craig Tucker wants to kill me, by invading my friend group and then stabbing me when I least expect it. Lunch ends a little earlier than I want it to, Bradley had a fascinating story about Scott Malkinson and how he might be gay. That means there's more of them.
I can feel that my friends are skeptical about Craig, and how he just interjected himself into our group already. Health is getting more physical than I like. We were practicing back blows on each other. I was unlucky enough that Craig decides that he wants to slap my back.
He's five inches taller than me and obviously more muscular. When he hits my back with his palm I actually feel the wind leave my lungs. When it's my turn, I have to put copious amount of energy to even get a reaction from Craig, let alone take his breath away.
"If I'm choking, I won't enlist for your help." He tells me. Ouch? Who the hell says enlist?
"Good, I hope you choke." Craig flips me off, Kevin sees and frowns. Great. The rest of the class is mostly more lecturing about different health tactics. The next chapter will be about sexual transmitted infections. I am so excited.
The bell rings as Mrs. Rhodes is still speaking, "Oh, I see you all on Friday then, have a good day!" I plan on it. She doesn't realize that it's a three day weekend, no one corrects her, she'll figure it out.
Kevin and I split off from our group, I think some of the smarter kids look down on me because I'm not a regular in the AP classes. I've been told to read since I was three years old, excuse me if it's the only thing that I excel in.
We don't talk, I think we might have a quiz, I don't feel confident like at all. It should be multiple choice, I'll just guess.
School ended and I'm not sure where Craig is. Kevin follows me back to my locker.
"So you'll meet us later at Bradley's right?" Kevin inquires, I shrug my shoulders not giving an answer.
"Well I'll see you later tonight. You know we have off tomorrow right? They kinda said it rushed over the intercom." Kevin pokes fun of a day last year, where I call Bradley crying that why did they ditch me? When in reality it was a day off.
"Yeah, yeah I heard." I roll my eyes and smile. He leaves chuckling to himself. I lean against the lockers, waiting, my phone buzzes.
(From Craig) Where the hell are you?
I sigh.
(To Craig) I'm at my locker.
I don't get a response, but Craig sauntering down the hallway.
He doesn't stop, "Let's go."
I pretty much follow him for the fifteen minutes walk it take to get to his house. I know I could walk to school every day. Laziness wins out every time and I hate the Earth.
Before we walk up to Craig's house, he stops suddenly and beckons, "What's our excuse for going to your house?"
Ah shit, now I have to lie for this kid too? "I'll just say I type up most of my notes onto my computer when I get home. Pretend like that's an easier way to study."
"Flimsy, but good enough." Craig continues, "Your friends would be pissed off if I smoked near them, right?"
Of fucking course, Craig. "We are a bunch of nerds Craig, what do you think?" Enjoying the way his name sounds, I smile, it probably looks like I'm glad that I was a dick.
"Whatever, don't fuck this up okay?" We walk again, nearing his house and now I feel like I might fuck it up.
Craig practically jogs to the front door. I trudge behind.
"I'm home." He states as I follow in behind him. His mother appears from the kitchen.
"Who's this?" Her voice more shrill than I imagine.
Craig shuffles a bit, "My tutor." I look around the living room, on edge. The most noticeable thing is the cross over the archway. It's right over his mother's head.
Craig nudges me, "Oh yeah, I'm Tweek. My family used to have Tweak Bros., the coffee shop."
"Oh I remember that, I know your father, Richard. Craig are you paying this boy to lie?" She crosses her arms, oh shit she might be on to us.
"I don't have any money, mom. I was just trying to show you that I am trying." He reveals. "Tweek doesn't have a laptop, so we have to study at his house." That wasn't the lie we agreed on, but I still nod. That's actually a really shitty lie, but I don't fight it.
"Alright, don't be out too late, I know it's not a school night" Mrs. Tucker leaves us be.
Craig takes the opportunity to get us out of there as soon as possible.
"So where's Bradley's house?" Craig asks me, we start walking again, I know my legs are going to be sore. I whip my phone out.
(To Thomas) We're on our way.
"So how the hell do you play Dungeons and Dragons? You know we're not studying." Craig states the obvious.
"You roll dice and pretty much roleplay. It's okay, the other guys like it more than I do." I explain.
He didn't say anything. I notice that it hasn't snowed since last spring, it's below freezing and the skies are gray. It's been snowy in September before, it will be snowy again.
We waste about twenty minutes before we finally get to the Biggle household.
I knock and Bradley opens the door in no time. "Hey guys, the other two are in the basement. You guys didn't have to walk." This makes Craig glare at me.
Once we get into Bradley's basement, Craig appears mildly fascinated by all the colorful die.
Maybe, I will teach Craig Tucker a thing or two.
AN: Hey if you've reviewed, you're cool. I made it to 10k pretty fast. Hooray! See you next time.