Blame The Weeds (gxg)

15.5

May '97

Kareena is 14

Luke's practice had never run so late, but it gave me the opportunity to figure out my metal bike lock. I inserted the key into the lock and turned, relishing the pop! as the bars separated. Even after two hours, it never got old.

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

"Kare Bear!" came a shout. My lips turned up as Luke and Dante came up the grassy hill near the track. I lifted a hand and waved to them both.

"Oh-em-gee it's Kare Bear!" Dante mocked in a high-pitched voice. I flipped him off with a chuckle.

"Hey Dainty!" I called back. Laughing, he flipped me off too. "Let's go, you snails! There's been a corn kernel stuck in my braces since first period!"

"Use a twig!" said Dante.

"Tried that!" I shouted back.

"Toothpick?" said Luke. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, let me just grab my stash of toothpicks from my pencil case!"

Dante stopped Luke and pointed back to the sunset-cast track, speaking between them. I couldn't hear, but after taking one look at them, I groaned.

"Bags?" I shouted.

"Yeah," they said back in unison.

"Come on! You always do this! I'm starving!"

"You're always hungry, Kare!" Luke shouted. "We'll be two seconds!" They jogged back the way they came.

I huffed back against my tree and gripped my bike lock.

Pop!

The breeze played with the freshly cut grass and the branches above. Everything began to look like chips and dip.

There was a deep laugh near the school's alley, so I turned expecting to see Luke and Dante with their gym bags, but Sarah had a freshman pinned up to the bricks.

My skin flushed in anger, and somewhat in shock. Hadn't Sarah been suspended weeks ago? She'd tried to trip me in the halls once or twice, especially since I was Freya's best friend, but I knew she'd get what was coming to her. That didn't mean it had to include me, though. 

But I was wrong.

It was mostly a blur, but I was in that alley within the minute, lock in hand.

Crack!

Sarah dropped the kid and crumpled to the asphalt, boneless, red gushing from the gash under her eye. The kid puked orange acid chunks on Sarah's limp body while sobbing uncontrollably. Then he ran away, tripping twice and skinning his knees along the way.

I stood frozen, gripping the bloody lock.