Misanthropy (noun)

- hatred, dislike, or distrust of humankind.

~*~

High school was a place you went to annihilate your self-esteem and innocence. As a senior student, I believed that entirely. High school was corrupted, no matter how many teachers or students denied it. It didn't matter what clique you were part of—you were always going to be judged. Your appearance, your personality, your taste in food, guys, everything. It made it seem like some reality TV show, there to provide entertainment for everyone else, for those who managed to stay out of the spotlight. I nearly snorted; I'd been in the spotlight since I first befriended that two-faced bitch.

Stupidly, I was egotistical at first. One of my best friends was the daughter of Lakeside High's principal. It was a weapon I used throughout middle school, too bad that weapon turned on me when I'd started high school, adding to the hell that it already was.

"I still can't get over the fact that you hate pineapples," Nolan stated as he leaned against my legs, munching a piece of the cheesy goodness and moaning loudly, making me roll my eyes at his dramatic face of pleasure. "It's fucking delicious." He emphasised his point by nearly choking on a dangling length of melted cheese. 


I hummed, swallowing the piece that I was eating. "I don't hate pineapple. I just don't like it on pizza. Or cooked. Kinda ruins the taste. But I'd happily eat it separately." He scowled at the smile on my face before snatching the pineapple I discarded and dropping it into his awaiting mouth, exaggeratedly wriggling his eyebrows at the taste and I laughed.


There was a huge possibility that Nolan Bean could very well have been my favourite person in the entire world. He'd been at my side for as long as I could remember, having met during kindergarten when he befriended my brothers. Initially, it was the four horsemen: Christian, Caleb, Nolan and me. But as my brothers' group of friends grew until it eventually turned into a team—I decided to snatch Nolan for myself. I mean, my brothers had enough friends and they still got to spend time with Nolan during practice.


Nolan played the position of striker on the soccer team and would occasionally help me polish my skills. He'd asked my dad numerous to let me join the team but there wasn't a team for girls, and Principal Ronstor didn't condone me being the only girl on a team of boys. She claimed that it was for my own safety, especially when we'd have to go against other teams. It was more likely for me to get injured when playing against only boys. But I had a feeling her daughter's disdain for me had something to do with it, although Principal Ronstor was hiding behind her carefully formulated and professional reason. Silly, if you asked me, which was why I was petitioning to start a girls' team. My senior year and I hadn't yet had the pleasure of playing a match.


"So I know a guy who's having a bonfire tonight. Wanna come?" Nolan's inquiry was followed by a loud belch and I snorted, elevating a hand to shield my nose. "That was a big one."


Disregarding his smirk at his powerful burp, I rose gently, dusting off my cheerleading uniform. It consisted of a red long-sleeved cropped sweater and a matching skirt. White tennis shoes embellished my feet and my long hair was pulled into a high ponytail with a red ribbon. I'd just come back from a match two hours ago—the same match that Nolan played at—and I was too lazy to change. "I'm literally afraid of the people you know, Nolan. I swear you befriend everyone you meet."


His green eyes flashed with jollity as his tall frame wheeled off from my bed, descending onto the fluffy white carpet. "It's called being a nice person." He stood up and marched towards my closet where he began scouring for clothes. It was a normal occurrence. Some of his clothes were in there too because he slept over all the time. "And I promise that this time, nobody is going to offer to pee in your ear."


I shuddered at the remembrance of the previous party he invited me to. At the time, I'd been pleasantly lounging on an armchair when a red-haired guy dared his friend to pee in my ear. It was a revolting and all-around unearthly experience. Fortunately, Christian had been at the same party and scowled at the two, causing them to scamper away. "Don't remind me."


Nolan laughed at my humiliation and threw a lovely yellow sundress onto my bed, followed by a denim jacket. "Seems cute enough," his words were muttered as he gazed at his own outfit which consisted of baggy black sweatpants and a matching hoodie that read: 'Suck my dick.'


Checking the time on my phone, I declared, "I'm just gonna check if one of my brothers is free to drive us." Nolan nodded and I left the room just as he thumped back onto my bed and shoved another pizza down his throat. A snicker left my lips and I hopped down the stairs, passing the window which surveyed our yard. With my dad being a soccer coach and all, our house needed to have a yard large enough to train in. "Dad?" I summoned, rounding the corner and seeing my dad and brothers bunched around the coffee table, looking all too solemn. "What's going on?"


Caleb looked up first before gazing into space. "We've got a game tomorrow night. Against Redmonte High."


I pulled a face, peering at Christian who sank back against the couch, muscled arms protruding in their crossed position as he waited for Caleb to state something else. He was no doubt thinking everything through. 


Redmonte High was our school's most prominent rival. We were always at each other's throats, whether it be regarding debate, academics, cheerleading, volleyball and of course—soccer. Frowning as I remembered something, I chimed, "but you always beat them. Every match." All three members of my household gaped at me as if I was a nincompoop and I lifted my brows in apprehension. "What? It's true. You guys haven't lost to Redmonte yet. So why are you stressing?"


Caleb was truly a spectacular captain so I had no idea why he was getting his panties in a twist. Most people speculated that the only reason he got his title was that our dad was the coach but that wasn't the case at all. Caleb was skilled at what he did and the entire team knew that. "They've got a new team member."


"And he's alarmingly good too," Christian piped in, his face impassive.


Dad sat with his hands gripped together, dark blue eyes sparkling as he thought. "He's an old student but new to the team. They must've realised they needed actual talent on the team." He played with the whistle around his neck, looking towards a now treading Caleb as I snorted at the subtle insult, ignoring the glare Christian shot me.


"He's making a name for himself," Caleb replied, stopping his pacing for a second to stare at us as if he was going to give a speech. Christian sat straighter, understanding that his brother's captain mode was stimulated and he was equipped to listen. "The guy is fucking fast on his feet. They call him Flash Finnegan. Or Finn, for short."


Unable to help myself, I laughed, "well, that's a dumb name." The three men glowered at me and I cleared my throat, acknowledging that it was dangerous to interrupt their little meetings. "Sorry, continue."


Caleb watched the smile that was tugging at my lips and he rolled his eyes, perceiving that I was still pondering on the nickname and trying to hinder myself from laughing. "He plays striker. So that means that we need to up our defence—"


"Shit," I interposed again and they looked towards me. "You're gonna have to whip Jeremy into shape if you're going up against Finn. If he's as good as you say, Jeremy, Mike and Gabe won't stand a chance." I recalled back to Mike and Gabe who played centrebacks on the team. They needed to secure the goalpost and Christian to the best of their ability.


Dad stared at me for a moment, comprehending that I had more to say. He looked slightly exultant. "What are you saying, Charlie?"


"Mike and Gabe defend me," Christian appended before I could continue. "I understand if we work them a bit harder but why Jeremy? He's defending midfielder." Dad's eyes glowed at the mention of the position and I knew it was because it brought back memories. When Dad started his career he was always number 6: defending midfielder.


Caleb knocked at his chin and hummed, thinking to himself and I wondered for a moment if Nolan finished consuming all the pizza. Knowing him, he did. At every single sleepover we had, he'd finish everything. My guess had always been because he hated the food the chef made back at his home. With absent parents and way too much money, he was always alone at home. Each time I went over to his house, his nanny, Agatha would be there to greet us. It was her who sat with him when he had a toothache, when he spent crying after his parents, when they never showed up at school events. The food that his chef cooked was always things you'd find in five-star restaurants. So when Nolan was over at my house, he indulged in pizza, normal food that we all enjoyed.

"I think I might know where you're going with this, Charlie. Go on." Caleb nodded at me and I took his signal, removing myself from my thoughts. 


"If Finn really is that good then he won't need any help, you know? He'd be able to get past the centrebacks easily." I said in an earnest tone, tapping my fingers against the arm of the couch. "This makes it easier for their wingers to try and pull the defence of our fullbacks outwards."


"Which means that Jeremy needs to be prepared to defend against their central midfielder and attacking midfielder. Fuck," Caleb swore, running a hand through his blonde hair as he bit his lip. Everybody knew that Jeremy Dawson was one lazy motherfucker. He never wanted to be put on the field. At some point, back when we were younger, he enjoyed soccer. But he was just on the team because he enjoyed being part of one. 


Christian furrowed his brows, "But we've got Nick as our central. He can play either offence or defence. If we put him in a defensive position, he can help Jeremy."


I shook my head, "but that would leave Caleb alone. How's he gonna handle having to formulate passes while exposed to an attack?" I looked towards my eldest brother who stared at me with a pensive countenance. "Would you be able to handle that?"


It took him a few moments to respond. "Yeah," he nodded, his answer firm and confident. "I've just gotta make sure that Nolan is always prepared for a pass." My ears perked at the mention of my best friend who was currently stuffing his face with pizza. 


Dad interjected again, "as a striker, he should always be prepared and I'm sure he will be." He then returned to me, "and regarding what Charlie said about their wingers distracting our fullbacks, we just have to ensure that Ethan and Luke do the same to theirs."


A swift smile developed on Caleb's face as he clapped his hands. "Well done, family." I pretended to flip my hair over my shoulder and beamed as my dad laughed. Being raised in a soccer family would only mean that I knew much about the sport myself—I mean, Gregory James was my dad after all. Out of the three of his kids, I was the one who had taken a liking to the position of defending midfielder, a position he was renowned for. 


When I heard another loud burp, I remembered what I'd come downstairs for in the first place. "Oh, can one of you drop Nolan and me at this bonfire thing?"


"Bonfire thing?" Dad asked with a concerned look on his face. "You don't sound too sure about what you're going to." I wasn't, not actually. Nolan always got invited to the most ominous shit and I always tagged along, in fear that my best friend would somehow get himself assassinated. It was a very real possibility when it came to Nolan Bean. In fact, anything was possible when it came to him. 


Shrugging, I countered with, "Nolan's idea."


"Of course it is," Christian grumbled as he stood up from the couch and stretched his arms out above him. "I'll drop you." He then turned to Dad. "I'll take the van. Might as well pick up the team for late-night practice."

"Tell Nolan that this is the last practice he's missing. We need to up our game," Caleb informed me and I nodded, pecking my dad's cheek before disappearing up the stairs.

When I shoved open the door to my room, Nolan was jumping around the room excitedly and I raised a brow as I reached for my outfit. "And what's up with you?" He froze suddenly, cheeks going red. "Do I even wanna know?" A scary smile emerged on his face and I sighed, hoping that he wasn't hiding information that this party was going to be insane. Next, I'd have people offering to shit in my mouth. 

AN: Hi :)