Pus Junkies

—2—

Lunch time. Kip hadn’t seen Zak all day, had hoped they might run into each other at some point. Kip wanted the other kids to see them together, to see that Kip had cool friends. Or one cool friend anyway. He told himself he and Zak were just missing each other, that it was just bad timing. He told himself that Zak wouldn’t skip class, not after their talk.

He kept smiling sporadically all day, just thinking about having his cousin at home with him. The only person he had ever really considered a friend. His best friend.

And we’re going to see Street Trash tonight.

He couldn’t wait. He’d seen the movie at least five times already, but never in a theater. And never with a friend. There was over two hundred bucks burning a hole in his sock drawer at home—saved from his last birthday—and though he was saving it for a new computer, he had already decided to pay for everything tonight. The movie tickets, popcorn, candy, and sodas. Or whatever else Zak wanted. Maybe they could stop for a burger and fries afterward.

Kip had bought two pepperoni pizza pockets with the lunch money his mom had left for him, and sat at a corner table alone. He flipped through the latest Deadpool comic book, being careful not to rub any grease over the pages. This was pretty much his daily ritual. Try to hide in the shadows so his fellow students wouldn’t notice him.

“Hey,” a voice came from across the cafeteria.

Kip recognized the voice as Chuck, the douchiest jock in the whole school. The guy played football, basketball, and was even on the wrestling team. Kip only knew that because he had two classes with the jerk, and that’s all he and all his jock friends ever talked about. And of course, as if the asshole couldn’t be any more revolting, he was dating the head cheerleader, Chelsea McMahon. It was so cliché it hurt Kip’s teeth.

And Chuck just loved to give Kip shit, got off on it, him and all his buddies. He was the one who dubbed Kip Toad in the first place.

There’s an entire cafeteria full of kids. He’s not talking to me. Just keep your head down and mind your business, Kip.

“You hear me talking to you, Toad?”

Damn.

Kip’s eyes slowly rose from the comic toward the sound of Chuck’s voice, and he saw that most of the other kids were looking Kip’s direction now. As he felt himself blushing, his zits got to pulsating again. Felt like his entire body was thrashing in place, and it felt great. His eyelids flickered as he stared across the cafeteria at Chuck’s scowling face.

Kip only locked eyes with Chuck for a second before returning his attention to the comic book. He took another bite of his food and chewed it slowly, waiting for the onslaught.

Where are you, Zak?

Part of the reason he had been so happy today was because he thought being Zak’s cousin would somehow save him from all the ridicule he had been enduring for most of his life as a student. Zak was instantly popular when he arrived at Bowie High School. The girls loved him right away. Kip had heard a group of them talking, saying how Zak looked like David Beckham and that he was mysterious and they couldn’t stop swooning over how hot and cute he was.

At first, Kip resented Zak for this, even though he knew damn well it wasn’t his cousin’s fault. But after this morning, things had started to feel like they used to, back when they were kids, back when they were best friends.

And since Zak is so popular and so… attractive to the ladies, maybe I’ll become popular too. Maybe they’ll finally stop teasing me and start treating me like one of their own.

“I can’t tell what’s greasier, Toad. Your face or your pizza pocket. I bet if I scraped the oil off your back, I could run my Mustang on it. Whattya think, Toad?”

Kip just shrugged, turned the page. Though he glanced at the pictures, he couldn’t read the words—his vision was getting too blurry. Avoiding Chuck’s face, he quickly glanced around the cafeteria, hoping his cousin would be there, would come to his rescue. Would charge across the cafeteria like the Incredible Hulk and smash Chuck’s face into meatloaf. But he only saw the smiling faces of the rest of his classmates. And every last one of them was enjoying the show. Most probably just glad it wasn’t them being picked on.

There was only one face he caught sight of that didn’t look amused, and as soon as Kip saw that she was looking in his direction, listening to all the teasing, he wanted nothing more than to run away. Or die. Whichever came first.

Just seeing her sitting there, concern pinching her face, his acne throbbed more violently, felt like the pimples would start popping on their own any second, spray pus and blood all over the place.

Gwendolyn. She was the only person in the entire school, besides the staff, that was ever nice to him. He wouldn’t call her a friend or anything like that. They never hung out, never really spoke that much, but every now and then she’d smile at him, talk to him a little. It was always about whatever they were learning about in class, but that was fine with Kip. She took the time to talk to him, and that was enough. It was more than enough.

Except that he knew she did it out of pity. It was written all over her face how sorry she felt for him, but it just proved to Kip how sweet she was. How perfect she was.

And she was so pretty, always smelled so good. Her scent reminded Kip of the candy store, with a hint of flowers. Like rose flavored licorice. She never wore any makeup, never dressed in anything provocative, never showed any skin. But she didn’t need to. In Kip’s opinion, she was beautiful, his dream girl, and seeing her sitting there across the cafeteria pitying him hurt like a shotgun wound to his chest. The zits frenzied like they were trying to tear free from his skin.

Throb… throb… throb.

Sure, Jade Brewster was drop-dead gorgeous, was probably the source of every boner in school, but if Kip had his choice, he would take Gwendolyn any day. An easy decision. He had lain in bed many nights, imagining Gwendolyn confessing her love for him, kissing him with tears in her eyes. That was as far as his fantasy ever got, but it was wonderful. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to actually kiss her, to feel her soft lips pressed up against his, her nails scraping across his scalp as they embraced.

Jade Brewster was hot though. And she made appearances in his fantasies too, but they weren’t as sweet as his Gwendolyn ones.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen Jade around either. He had seen Jezebel and Sasha, Jade’s clique, and they were hardly ever without her.

Zak skipped school with her. That’s what he did. He lied to me. And now I’m stuck here with all of these assholes. Alone. Like always.

Kip was still hungry, but decided not to finish his food. The sickness growing like mold in his belly overpowered his hunger, and he wrapped a paper towel over the remaining pizza, tucked his comic under his arm, and stood.

“Where you going, dork? I’m not done talking to you.” Chuck weaved his way through the tables toward Kip, his buddies, Cash and Jerrod, following behind like a pair of pilot fish to a Great White. Kip wondered if either of them could actually think for himself. They were like moons trapped in Chuck’s gravitational pull.

“Leave him alone, Chuck.” Gwendolyn was on her feet now. “Does it make you feel like a big man picking on someone smaller than you?”

At the sound of her voice, after hearing her stick up for him like that, Kip had to grab the edge of the table as his acne came alive. It pulsed so hard, he wondered if any of the other kids could see his face moving, see his skin thumping like he was filled with one giant beating heart, pressing tight against his skin from the inside. Hearing Gwendolyn’s tone as she stood up to Chuck, knowing why she was doing it, might have been worse than her joining in on the ridicule.

She thinks I’m pathetic. She thinks I’m a loser. And she’s right.

“What, you want me to pick on you instead?” Chuck now stood just in front of Kip, but had his eyes on Gwendolyn. He grabbed his crotch and licked his lips. “I gotta pick right here for you, girl. And I know you want it.”

Cash and Jerrod chuckled, both still staring Kip down hard. Kip kept his eyes on the table, chancing glances at Gwendolyn every few seconds.

“You’re a fucking pig. All of you are.”

“What the fuck did you just say, bitch? Maybe I’ll shove my dick down your throat, shut you the fuck up.”

“Hey,” Kip said. He was on his feet, and the sudden motion of standing tossed his chair onto its side behind him. Now all attention was back on him. Chuck’s head turned slow, like an owl’s, and his eyes looked like open flames on his face. “L-leave her alone, okay? If you need someone to pick on, just pick on me.”

Each bead of sweat felt like it had tiny spindly legs that tickled him as they ran down his flesh. He could feel each individual pimple now, each one calling his attention all at the same time. Each one inflated and deflated like a frogs’ throat.

The tingling became so intense that he started to feel his pants tighten. His erection pressed up against his cold zipper and demanded to be let free, and all Kip could do was hunch his back some and hope nobody noticed.

“What’d you say, you little faggot?” Chuck took a long step toward Kip.

Kip closed his eyes, turned his head, and awaited the fist that was surely on its way to his face. Chuck had never actually hit him before, had kept it to verbal abuse, a few shoves here and there. But Kip had never stood up to him, had always just taken it.

“What’s going on in here?”

Kip’s eyes burst open at the sound of Mrs. Lee’s voice. One of the assistant principals. She was always nice to Kip, always making sure nobody messed with him. She shot Kip a quick smile and nodded, then turned toward the boys and scowled.

“I suggest you boys walk away before you find yourselves in the principal’s office. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy for you to miss the big game?” She gasped and covered her mouth, eliciting a few giggles from the other kids.

Chuck and his buddies were already backing away. Chuck kept his eyes on Kip the whole way, smiling, nodding. His friends did the same, elbowing each other and snickering.

“If I see you boys picking on Kip again, I promise your coach will be hearing about it. And I’ll personally see to it that you don’t play. Understand?”

Chuck and his buddies nodded, hands up in surrender.

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes, gathered her things, and stood. She shot another look toward Kip, sort of pursed her lips, then walked out the side door, the opposite direction of Chuck and his jock minions.

Kip started heading the same direction as her, not to try and talk to her, but because it seemed like the best route to avoid another confrontation. He couldn’t even look at Mrs. Lee, just wanted to be out of there.

“See you later, Toad. See you real soon,” Chuck said, cracking his knuckles and licking the front of his teeth. Cash and Jerrod thought this was hilarious.

Throb… throb… throb.

“What the fuck is that?” Zak blew smoke from his nostrils as he flicked the butt of his cigarette.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a pussy, man.” Jade unscrewed the top to the Crown Royale bottle, pressed it to her lips, and tilted her head back. She held it there for a few seconds before pulling it away and hissing. Then she offered it to Zak.

“No thanks. You know it’s barely past noon, right?”

“So what? It’s not a big fucking deal, okay?” She took another drink, then went digging around her purse again. “That’s what the coke’s for.” A small Ziploc bag full of white powder was now pinched between her thumb and forefinger.

“Are you fucking serious right now? You’re not doing that shit in my car. God… if I knew you had that…”

“Then what? You would have pulled your dick out of my mouth and told me to leave? I doubt it.” She opened the bag, glancing toward Zak as she did it.

“Don’t. I’m serious.”

“Dude, you’re totally blowing it right now. You know that?” She dipped her pinkie nail into the bag, pressed it to her left nostril, and snorted. Then she repeated for her right. Her eyes fluttered and she leaned back in her chair and moaned, smiled.

Zak started the car and started pulling out of the woods. He already hated himself for skipping school, for lying to Kip. His cousin had probably been looking for him all day, had probably already figured out Zak didn’t show up.

He’s gonna be pissed. I’ll have to make it up to him somehow.

“Where the fuck’re you going, Zak? Just chill out for a second.” She checked her nose in the visor mirror, ran her tongue over the front of her teeth. “Besides… coke makes me horny. Pull over and fuck me. Right now.”

“No. I’m taking you home. I can’t do this. I told you that… told you I came to town to get away from that shit. And you brought fucking coke with you?”

When Zak glanced back at her, she had her shirt pulled up and her tits out. She squeezed them together and flashed Zak a painfully sexy smile.

“Come on. Can’t you just have some fun… one last time? I prooooomise I’ll make it worth it.”

She leaned over again, and now Zak was becoming annoyed. As fine as she was—and she was damn fine—he had had enough of her. He shoved her away, hard enough so she knew he wasn’t playing around. Her body slammed against the passenger door, shaking her tits and inducing a yelp.

“I bit my tongue, you fucking asshole.” She pulled her shirt back down, inspected her mouth in the mirror. “I’m bleeding. I’m fucking bleeding.”

Zak didn’t see any blood, and he refused to apologize. He remained silent as they pulled out of the woods and drove down the road back toward her neighborhood. She cursed under her breath the whole way, shot poisonous glances toward Zak every other second it seemed.

By the time Zak pulled the car to the curb in front of her house, the Crown Royale bottle was empty and she was in the middle of snorting another bump from her pinkie nail.

“Look, Jade. I like you and everything… but I’ve only been here a week. I think maybe I need to slow things down, you know? Get adjusted to all this shit before I—”

“Before you what? Fuck me again?” Her window had been down, and she threw the liquor bottle hard against the pavement, shattering it, then swung her hard eyes back toward Zak.

“Whoa. Chill out. I’m just saying that right now, I don’t think I should be seeing anyone.” He had his eyes on his knuckles, his hands wrapped tightly over the steering wheel. Then he looked up at her, startled at how red her face had become. “And I didn’t even fuck you.”

“Oh, that’s right. You just let me suck your dick, right?” She shoved her fingers into her mouth, pushed her fist in as far as it would go, started making a sound like she was about to vomit. Then she shoved her fingers into her crotch, all the while baring her teeth at Zak.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“You’re fucking me, Zak. Don’t I feel good?”

“Get out. Get the hell outta my car. You’re fucking crazy, man.”

She just widened her legs more, moaned as her hand worked at her groin. There was some white residue just under her nose, like a tiny white Hitler mustache.

Zak threw his door open, stormed around the car, opened her door, and dragged her out. By the time he had her out in the open, she had stopped fingering herself and now threw her arms like she was swatting at a swarm of attacking bees.

“Fuck you, you bastard. Don’t you ever talk to me again, you hear me? You won’t ever know how good I am. And I’m fucking good, man. Real good.” She pushed him in the middle of the chest, retrieved her bag from the car, and stomped toward her house, shoving Zak again when she passed the second time.

“Jade—”

“Fuck you!” Slam!

Zak stood there staring at her door for a second before realizing he probably wasn’t safe. He walked hastily back to his car, hopped in, and burned off before that crazy bitch had a chance to grab a butcher knife and come screaming back outside or something.

No matter how good looking, she wasn’t worth that shit. She knew how to suck a dick though, that was for sure.

Zak tried not to think too hard about her little “you’re fucking me” show she had put on. He didn’t think there would be enough of his load left in her mouth for anything to happen, but then again, he couldn’t be sure. The last thing in the entire universe he needed to worry about was getting some girl pregnant. And not just some girl, but that bat-shit crazy lunatic back there.

The clock told Zak that if he sped toward school, he would still have enough time to make his last two classes for the day. But then he decided it might not be the smartest idea. What if I run into one of my teachers in the hall whose class I skipped?

No, it would be better to just skip the entire day, make it consistent. That way if any questions were asked, he could just say he was sick. He didn’t plan on skipping again, so he hoped it wouldn’t be a bigger issue.

Maybe I can park somewhere close by, try and catch Kip walking home.

He lit a cigarette and found a good spot to park and wait. Not so close to the school that someone might spot him, but the car was enough in the open that when Kip walked by, he’d see it. He hoped Kip wasn’t too pissed. Zak had planned on telling him about the Senior Skip Day party, but if Kip was upset, maybe he’d wait until later.

His eye caught something white on the floorboard on the passenger side. Jade’s little baggie lay on its side, its contents nearly completely used up. Zak’s fingers shook as he reached for it, flicked it, inspected it. Nobody would know. He could just take it now, real quick, and not a soul would have a clue.

But he tossed it into the street instead.

I’m not that guy anymore. And I don’t ever want to be again.