Chapter 8 - Blonde Headed Monster

I tried to fall asleep that night, but it was no use. I got zero sleep. In the morning when my alarm had the nerve to go off, I got in a fight with the clock. At first, I tried to ignore the annoying buzzer by stuffing pillows over my head. When that didn't work I stuck my arm out without looking to feel  around on my night stand, fumbling to hit the stupid snooze button without success. Irritated, I finally got my hands on the obnoxious noisemaker and chucked it across the room.

That worked.

The alarm shut off. And the fact that the clock, now lying on the floor in a million pieces, was so totally not my fault. I can't be held responsible for anything I do before caffeine hits my blood stream.

Truth be told I've never been much of a morning person. And today...well, it's not that I was tired; I was just too pissed off to get up.

Unfortunately for me temper tantrums weren't built into my morning routine. So despite the fact that I was feeling even crankier than normal, I was also running late for school. I would’ve asked my mom for a ride, but she was already hard at work baking her little heart out like a freaking lunatic. Besides, I wasn’t in the mood to listen to her yammer on about my waking up late. Again.

Kicking off my blankets, I stumbled out of bed and glanced at the time on my cell. If I hurried, I could still make the stupid bus.

I followed my usual routine; shower, get dressed, brush teeth and comb hair except this morning, I did it all in fast-forward. Thankfully I’m no diva about appearances, so I skipped blow-drying my hair to save time.

Before I left the house I made sure to grab a couple of energy drinks. Guzzling them down one after the other, I made a mad dash for the bus. Something told me this was going to be a two-can kind of morning.

God bless caffeine.

I didn't bother to grab a coat and I didn't need to wear a hat. My heavy bangs kept the wind off my face just fine. Although, even I had to admit it was a bit nippy to be running around with freshly shampooed hair first thing in the morning.

Not quite freezing, but pretty damn close.

After my little talk last night with Thomas, I felt empowered. But that didn’t mean I was looking forward to going to school and facing the most annoying species of students on the planet.

When I got off the bus I decided to hang outside before the bell rang to enjoy the fresh air. As I waited I pretended not to notice the multitude of staring masses all whispering about me.

Not that I was surprised.

My school was like a bakery. All the gossip students could cook up and dish out – made fresh daily.

A group of girls hovering nearby started pointing at me and giggling. Either everyone had the same idea to wait outside before class, or they were all here to gawk at me. Nice to know I had entertainment value.

At first, the change in the courtyard was subtle. You wouldn’t have even noticed if you weren’t paying attention. Somewhere off in the distance a gasp sliced the air. Instinctively I knew Mindee McCarthy, the most popular girl in school, and the McClones (my nickname for her idiot friends) were making their usual rounds.

I glanced over my shoulder at the gossipy girls admiring Mindee as she passed them by. If she noticed their stares she didn’t show it. How Mindee managed to cram all that attitude into that tiny frame was a total mystery to me. With such a petite body, heart shaped face, huge bright blue eyes, and perfectly pouty lips, she looked like an adorably fragile little doll. But looks can be deceiving. Trust me, Mindee McCarthy was anything but fragile. And I don't mean in that tough-but-cute kind of way.

More like...be-careful-it-bites.

The closer she got to the crowd the more I resigned myself to staring at her just like everyone else. When her gaze eventually zeroed in on mine like a heat-seeking missile, my heart actually skipped a beat as soon as I realized Mindee and the McClones were heading straight toward me.

Holycrapimpossible!

As a general rule cheerleaders didn't associate with us outcasts. And by us, I meant me. Today must be my lucky day.

When it came right down to it I didn’t have a clue what she wanted. I cared even less. Hard to believe we used to be besties in middle school. Now we weren’t even frienemies. Let’s just say we’re good at hating each other.

I knew the moment I started to dislike her. Almost overnight she developed a huge superiority complex and turned into a preppy snob. Seriously. It was like she suddenly decided she was God's gift to the freakin' universe or something.

I also knew the exact moment she started to dislike me. It was that time in seventh grade when I threw her under a bus. I mean, literally. Road rash, concussion, the whole nine yards. It wasn’t pretty. Although, in my defense, I was just trying to be a good friend.

It happened one day while I was waiting for my bus. Mindee wasn't looking where she was going, as usual, and walked right in front of a caravan of buses pulling up to the school. Without even thinking and risking my own life I dove off the curb, tackling her body in mid air and threw her to the ground before the buses flattened her like a pancake. Without quite knowing how I managed to tuck and roll my way to safety basically unharmed from the impact, while Mindee wound up pinned under the bus when the driver came to a screeching halt.

The police deemed it an act of bravery. When I showed up at the hospital later to apologize, she wouldn't accept my visit. I'd heard through the grapevine that she was mad because I'd used excessive force, or something ridiculous like that. Basically, after I'd gone out of my way to save her life...she never spoke to me again.

Until today.

I glanced around at the growing crowd. It seemed as if the entire school had showed up to watch Mindee confront me. With the exception of faculty, of course. I was the clueless dork that hadn't gotten the memo about the rumble.

As silence thickened around me you could've heard a pin drop. Everyone waited breathlessly to hear what Mindee had to say.

Including me.

Standing with my back pressed up against a brick wall, Mindee and the McClones formed a loose semicircle around me as if trying to cage me in. They all had the same fake-ass smile plastered on their Barbie-doll faces. I actually had to stifle the urge to laugh at their ridiculous matching outfits. It was more than a little chilly to be hanging outside without a coat on, so I knew they had to be freezing in their matching bras and panties. Some people would call what they wore a two-piece cheerleader’s uniform.

I called it underwear.

Our backward-ass school maintained a strict dress code policy. No tank tops, exposed midriffs, or mini skirts. Cheerleader uniforms managed to break all three rules at the same time. Especially the skirts. They barely covered the girl's biscuits. Personally, I preferred my biscuits not only covered, but smothered in sausage gravy. In other words, I always wore jeans. Even in the dead heat of summer, my biscuits never saw the light of day.

I pushed off the wall when Mindee walked up to me, invading the crap out of my personal space. As the psycho pep squad surrounded me, something about the scene seemed oddly familiar. Either they were about to accuse me of stealing their routine, or I just watched way too much HBO.

“Excuse me,” I said, not sweetly. “I’ve already seen this chick flick.”

Mindee’s blank regard of me was the same way you would look at gum stuck on your shoe. It seemed impossible, but her pretty face managed to mutate into a look of utter disgust as her full pink lips curved in a cold, tight smile. No...not a smile exactly…more like a smirk.

“We were just wondering what’s up with you, that’s all.” She tried to sound all warm and genuine.

I knew better.

The sugary voice didn’t match the salty scowl. “Your little act won’t work on me,” I supplied.

By now the in-crowd (my nickname for all the popular kids) had joined the party, cheering for their favorite cheerleader. As the enthusiastic audience of Mindee supporters grew, I knew this would turn out to be a pivotal confrontation. Clearly, one of us was going down in flames. And I certainly didn't want it to be me.

I just wasn't in the mood. Maybe later.

Undaunted, Mindee stood confidently with one hand resting on a tiny hip. “I heard you fainted yesterday. What happened? Did you see your reflection in a mirror?” She'd barely spit the words out before bursting into high-pitched giggles. The sound of her childlike laughter made my teeth hurt. It made me want to punch her in the face even more.

Flipping her head in unspoken triumph, Mindee's hair fell in one luxurious golden cascade, rippling with curls all the way down her back. I was pretty sure; inch for inch, her hair was bigger than she was.

Eyes sparkling with indignation she continued her onslaught, saving the best for last. “I always knew you were a freak of nature.” Coming from her lips, it sounded more like an accusation than the truth. “So...instead of trying to kill me, you've moved on to the faculty?”

The crowd gave a collective gasp.

I trained angry eyes on Mindee's taunting grin, feeling the blood in my veins start to boil. I opened my mouth to say something so snarky she would never forget, but then closed it when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

Thomas had come to check up on me. His timing was impeccable.

“Get out of my way,” I grumbled, attempting to shove past the McClones. In a movement as sudden as it was unexpected Mindee reached out a hand to grab my shoulder, which stopped me dead in my tracks. The touch of her hateful flesh burned my skin as if my entire body was on fire. I closed my eyes and let out a hotly held breath. Instead of relaxing my stomach clenched, filling up with even more heat. As the pressure inside my body continued to mount, I felt like I was going to explode.

The sound of the crowd cheering Mindee on faded away. All I heard were Thomas' desperate words in my head.

“Don't lose your temper.”

The first warning bell sounded. Eagerly anticipating my reaction, nobody dared to move an inch. Instead of slapping the blonde highlights out of Mindee's hair like I wanted to do, I was more interested in trying not to self destruct.

Pausing to give my heart a chance to start beating normally again, I decided Cheer-tarts had run this school long enough. As head of the psycho pep squad, Mindee needed to be taught a lesson.

And I was just the one to do it.

Raising my chin I took a slow, purposeful step toward her. With our faces mere inches apart my body began to vibrate with a fierceness I’d never possessed before.

I tilted my head thoughtfully to one side. “The Gonz got what was coming to him. Unless you back up out of my face, you're going to be next.”

Mindee's eyes flew open. She didn't take a step back so much as she flew backwards to escape my wrath. As if I'd just waved a magic wand, her smirk disappeared like magic. Poof!

The final bell sounded. Only five minutes left to get to class. I decided we were finished and brushed past her. This time, she didn't try to stop me.

Smart girl.

I crossed the courtyard without looking back. The crowd's stunned silence was a gift that kept on giving. I tried, but I couldn't stop grinning like a canary that ate the cat for a change.

Me, gloat? Never.

On the way to first hour part of me wondered if the Dark Ones had sent Mindee not to try and deceive me, but just to seriously piss me off. Maybe they hoped I might lose my temper and spontaneously combust.

I decided to shrug off the paranoia.

Today, the only monster at school was the one trying to figure out where she'd went wrong.