Hatchet

"You mean that booger brother of yours had the petty guts to turn the tables against you and incorruptingly stow your uncle's gift money which David had so sweetly given back?" Lisa looked scandalized as she asked this in the middle of a class session. My stomach was gurgling and the fact that my left temple was plastered doesn't seem to help.

Last night after Tiberius had so lovingly leaked out my encounter with David at the front porch, stepmother wasn't impressed. She had gone into a fitful rage at the sight of the money pouch, thinking that David was my boyfriend.

"I swear, I've never known him before. He just came to return the money he borrowed from me. Please don't hurt me" I pleaded, panic trailing down my back as the tears flowed. She observed my spiteful position on the floor, her icy stare unwavering as she approached me menacingly. My sobs became painfully creaky.

"liar! " Tiberius chimes from the door, his face aglow with the idea of seeing me severely dealt with. The money pouch was held securely in his grasp." I saw them kiss and hug and do all those douchy things that couples do"

My eyes narrowed at my stepmother. Whatever she chosed to do or whether she believed couldn't be determined. Her face was like a blank page on which nothing had been written.

"Gay" She seethed in so much intensity at the weight of the word. The words hit me hard and stripped off my sanity. I've never been called such before, but with the way Aunt Lindsey said it with so much intense and inhuman hatred it couldn't be good. "I've been housing a fag this whole Time?"

Hauling a heavy metallic cup my way, I tried ducking. It was utterly useless. I was trapped between the cup and the wall with nothing to my defence. Wincing as the cup smashed into my skull, and with the hot liquid running down my left temple I slumped to the ground writhing in a forming pool of red. Tiberius delivered a vicious kick and practically dragged me to my basement room, shutting me in for the rest of the night.

"it's my fault actually. If I hadn't been so stubborn and had quietly given him the money then my temple would still be spotless. Now it's just an addition to my scars. My face will be ruined before I even reach nineteen" I make my tone sound muffled so the teacher won't hear. We're in the middle of creative arts for crying out loud. But since it's Lisa, nothing could be concealed.

"Well I would say you deserve it. If you'd carefully hidden the money in your apron then how would Tiberius find out? Also if he was eavesdropping then so be it, he won't still know you've got money on you" She whispered much too loudly, causing the 54 year old professor to send us a warning glare.

"You guys are way too loud. We can all hear you both you know?"

Alan chortle from behind, his brows furrowed in annoyance. Perhaps not everyone entertained a subtle interruption in class. We both went back to listening to Mr Clare's talk on color hue and shade. Overall the class was boring and a few students practically dozed. I don't know why but I feel David has been avoiding me since morning. I wasn't quite an attention seeker but still something within me made me want him to look at me every time. When It was third period I had gone down the empty hallway to pick up my books when I saw him approach. My breathing immediately hitched as I found myself sweating buckets. The butterflies swirled harder and harder making my stomach's gurgling on end obvious. I hadn't eaten lunch and with him coming my way, my appetite kissed the window goodbye. Then suddenly looking up, and sighting me his expression paled instantly. He abruptly turned and went back the same way he came.

"What's your score in that bullshit test?" Lisa chirped, digging into her lunch box and singling a fry out. I scrunched my nose up at the scrawny handwriting on my script, Mr Claret might need to go back to elementary school to learn handwriting. A worthy suggestion later. "A four and half"

"I got a straight four. Why seems suspicious because I'm sure my answers matched yours" She pouted at me.

"Well I thought you said you didn't hear a single word the professor said. So that's why you copied me" I said, confused. She shrugged. "Yeah but shouldn't our answers be the Same?"