Goblin (Old and Unedited)

Chapter Five: Dead

My entire school day come Monday was wasted on the distracting thoughts of having to meet with Doctor Strauss today. Through Chemistry, Algebra, Phys. Ed., even lunch I couldn't help but think about what bad news he wanted to tell me. He said I would be losing my sight sooner than later. So does that mean I only have a couple of years? Months? I wish I knew, but at the same time I wish I didn't know. I wish I wouldn'thaveto know. But the bitter truth was, Idid. The truth was inevitable, and running away from it wouldn't do much but cause more trouble for me. Besides, maybe he also wants to talk to me about some treatments that could reverse the effect. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.

Improbable.

If I were paying attention, I would have noticed that Leona hadn't looked at me once today. In fact, as I thought back on it, she was hardly in any of her classes, and definitely not in lunch. Honestly, I would admit I was slightly concerned. But only slightly. I can't really say I care, overall. So the day may have proceeded depressingly, but I hadn't been at all harassed by her weirdness.

"There she is!" Quinn announced my arrival when I made it to her locker, about a minute or so after the ring of the final bell. "Damn Audrey did you get lost or something?"

Lately I haven't been able to keep up with my own time. It didn't seem that important to me, now that I knew it was working against me. I shrugged. "Sorry. It's crowded today."

"Yeah I noticed that too. Word's been spreadin' like wildfire, girl," Sasha nudged Quinn's rib by her elbow, smirking in that devilish way of hers.

Quinn rolled her eyes, closing her compactor and kicking her locker shut. "Oh, that? Whatever that's old news. She's just making a big deal out of it probably because she likes the attention."

Quinn headed off before us down the hall, leaving Sasha and I to scurry behind, darting between people to catch up.

"Wow, Curly-Q," Sasha called her by her nickname in awe as she threaded her arm around Quinn's. "I'm surprised you aren't itching to kick that bitch to the dirt."

Quinn smiled, twirling one of her dark-brown locks of hair as she strutted in the center of us. "Well you know, I won't give that nasty little girl the pleasure of spitting her name out my mouth. Why even acknowledge her?"

"True." I chimed in for the fourth time today, making this another rare moment that I've spoken.

They looked over to me, seeming a bit surprised that I even said something. But as the clamorous noise of students seemed to rise we looked ahead again, seeing that some sort of attraction was coming our way. And Giovanna was the head of them.

She and her lackeys stormed from the opposite direction of us, bystanders who listened as she probably gave a speech on how she would confront Quinn dragging behind, hungry for a fight. You could see it in their eyes as they followed her, staring at us and then at her and then us again, the mere anticipation causing their boisterous behavior.

Before you knew it we were facing each other, and now that we were toe to toe I could see their faces more sharply. Caitlin Moore, one of her fellow lackeys, stood opposite of me and looked at me as if I screwed her boyfriend the night before. Aside from having a history of doing those sorts of things, this was the price of being Quinn's closest friend. There were people who loved you and thought you were drop dead gorgeous, and others who hated you with a vengeance.

Quinn gave Giovanna an up and down glance, her face showing that all she could see is mediocrity, then she put her phone to her face and jabbed at the keypad with her French tips, clearly disinterested by the entire confrontation.

"Something you need, girl? You look lost." She asked, though honestly she couldn't care less. I knew this.

I looked over at Giovanna, who scowled at her with blatant disgust. I'd be angry too if someone called me "girl". So she snapped. Giovanna placed a hand on her bony little hip and leaned in to get closer to Quinn and began shouting.