“Hey! Open this door! Open it now! I’m warning you!” Devin screamed through the wood; she heard snickers on the other side. “For the last time…” Nothing happened and she backed up, bounced on her heels a few times before kicking open the door. The lock broke and it hurled itself open, smacking a few of the guys on the way. Devin pushed most of her short, blond-brown hair away from her blue eyes, picked up her folders and stepped over their groaning figures as though nothing happened; despite the many stares.
“That was impressive, you’ve been practicing.”
“Yeah, not really practicing though, more like…adding more techniques to my arsenal.”
“You’ll surely get in trouble though.”
“Yeah well, didn’t see you doing anything,” she stopped in front of her locker, ignoring the stares of her seemingly talking to herself.
The white cat blinked, or what looked like blinking. She still marveled at the silvery bones that could be seen through the fog-like body. The only bright colors being the red heart and lavender coming from the eye sockets. “It’s interesting to see the way you think and act, it’s so much more amusing than the other humans, you’re much less predictable.”
“Just wish my foot didn’t hurt like hell.”
“Yo Homey! Whats up?”
Devin turned to see her best friend Jackie. She was once again wearing the purple skull bow in her hair after people mistaking her for a dude too many times. She had been her best friend from second grade all the way up to now, first year in high school, third month, already hated.
“Can you not be so hyper right now? Gawd, I really cant handle the scattered-ness.”
“Sorry,” Jackie whispered, “just saw some guys on the ground, a few looked pretty pissed, I’m guessing it’s your work?”
“Yup, and whispering doesn’t do anything.”
“I know, so…Skelacat tell you her name yet?”
“No…Chad ask you out yet?”
“No, he’s being a DICtionary.”
Devin slammed shut her locker, “Ever occur to you to move on?”
“Says Miss-Dead-roses-in-her-room-and-doesn’t-like-anybody.”
“And you wonder why I have no heart-ache,” Devin did a weird bow, “Now c’mon, we’ll be late for English class.”
“I still cant believe you got into all my classes…except for Math…”
“Ugh, numbers scare me, there’s way too many of them…”
“Even though your not in tenth grade, just ninth.”
They reached class and scrambled for seats next to one another before their teacher entered. Jackie’s energy changed and Devin looked over to see what was happening, Chad just walked into the room. She thought, of course and helped Jackie out.
“Hey Chad! You can sit over here, there’s a seat by Jackie!”
He looked around, not seeing anymore seats he headed over, über shiny dark-brown hair blinding her.
“Ugh, how can you stand that?!” she muttered, then decided to write a note to Jackie. “Hey! Shoo! Off the desk!” she whispered angrily, picking the guardian up and setting her on her lap.
“How demeaning,” Skelacat muttered before falling back asleep.
“Better stop talking to Skelacat so much before people start thinking your crazy,” Jackie told her, seeing Chad staring uncomfortably from the corner of his eye.
“Too late, and besides, I probably am. I mean, you know someone’s crazy when they hate humanity and wish they were wiped out by a plague so that the earth and animals would be safe,” she heard Chad gulp, “Now quiet, I’ll write you a note.”
Before she could successfully write a note their teacher strode in, heels clicking sharply against the yellowed linoleum. She tapped her nails against the chalkboard before scratching it and producing a shrill screeching sound. Students covered their ears, Devin just twitched, listening to the orders that came as ringing in her ears.
“Good Morning class,” her voice was even shriller that the chalkboard and nobody answered, “I said, GOOD MORNING CLASS!!!” she screamed
The students woke up and answered in unison, “Yeah, Yeah, Mornin’ you old school bitch,” Devin added, Jackie snickered.
She turned to her, “Devin, right?” Devin nodded, “Please come up to the front.”
She got up and strode up to the front, one kid drummed music for a death march as another did Jaws music.
“You’re pretty pale for living in Florida, don’t you go to the beach?”
“Yeah, not often though, spend most of my time in my room practicing spells and trying to contact astral beings. Plus, I really don’t want to see your mom in a bathing suit, last one who saw that ended up in a pillowed room, screaming orange over and over again.”
She twitched, then laughed painfully, “Your funny, but your also anorexic aren’t you?”
“Um, no, at least, I’m pretty sure I’m not, and besides, anorexics look like that,” she pointed to a red-head on the other side of the room.
“Hey!” the girl yelled, standing up. She then sat down, feeling woozy and holding her head.
“I’m sure she isn’t anorexic but I’m sure you are dear, and delusional by the sound of it. Don’t worry, admitting it is the first step to fixing the problem-”
“I wish you’d just die.”
“What’s that dear?”
“Nothing.”
“I swear I heard you say something, tell the whole class the mean thing you said,” she grabbed Devin’s shoulder with her claws, gripping it until blood dribbled out through the cuts.
“Okay! Fine! I said…I WISH YOU’D JUST DIE!!! OKAY!!! I’m sure everyone in this room wishes the same thing!”
Suddenly, ragged breathing came from behind her, Devin turned to see her teacher’s horrid face turn purple and her slump over her desk. A few kids screamed, others were shocked, Devin poked her, kicked her ankle, then took a pulse. Devin’s face lit up.
“Holy crap…I don’t believe it…Holy Fuckin’ Crap! WHOOOOO!!!! SHE’S DEAD! I’m gonna roll around on the floor for a bit, k?” she rolled around and then got up, seeing frightened faces, “Okay, this could be fun…I HAVE KILLED THIS HORRID TEACHER!!! I AM THE ANGEL OF DEATH! I CAN COMMAND YOUR SOULS TO THE PITS OF HELL!!! WHOOOOO!!! ALL FEAR MY POWERS!!!”
All the students, excluding Jackie, got up and ran into a corner, huddling together. Devin strode up to them, looked at a few of them, then “Boo!” they all jumped.
“I WISH YOU WERE ALL DEAD! ‘cept you Jackie, of course, you’re okay.”
“What about Chad?” Jackie replied.
“Okay fine, and Chad too. Anyhoo, YOU WILL ALL DIE-excluding Jackie and Chad-IN FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE!” She pointed to them expectantly and nothing happened. “Um…why isn’t anything happening?”
Skelacat rubbed up against her legs, “Hate to break it to you but…your not the Angel of Death.”
“And you couldn’t have told me that sooner?! You mean…I just made people think that I was…even crazier?”
“Yeah and it probably doesn’t help that your talking to a skeleton cat that only you can see.”
“Oh right…um…Hi guys! Um…that probably looked pretty bad…”
“HELP!” the redhead from earlier screamed, “HELP!!!”
“Shut your trap you bloody redhead! I KILL U FAMILY!”
A teacher ran through the door, yelling about the screaming and he almost fainted. Soon enough an ambulance was there and school was temporarily postponed. Jackie walked up behind her.
“Nice, that was just perfect, way to go.”
“I’m a crazy bitch.”
“Yup,” Jackie patted her back, “and unfortunately, if I’m seen with you I’ll never have a chance with Chad.”
“Well, I’m glad your choosing me over him.”
“Who said that?”
“Wait! Your gonna choose a guy who doesn’t even like you over your crazy best friend?”
“Well…when you put it like that…yeah! And we can still hang out, just where there’s no possibility of people seeing you. Bye!”
“Your staying right here,” she grabbed her collar and pulled her back, “C’mon, You know I’d murder you in your sleep with a plastic butter knife if you left and steal your parents money, leaving them broken and homeless.”
“Okay fine, I’ll stay…oh man, did that just randomly pop into your head?”
“Yup…now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go steal that guy’s muffin.”
“I love you sis.” Jackie replied.
“I love you too…no homo.”
“Yup…I’m gonna go stalk Chad now.”
“You go do that.”
Later at home Devin is putting away her things when her grandmother calls her in for dinner.
“So Devin,” her grandmother asked, “anything interesting happen in school today?”
“Not really, same old, same old.”