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The Association say my security is paramount. Now I have three cameras strategically placed in my clothing, and heat pads on at all times.
With my ounce of soul I can see things with a little clarity, so school looks different this time.
The students greet me with a sea of warm smiles as I make my way to the locker area to meet with Casey and Toby.
Casey beckons me. I walk towards them, feeling a flutter of warmth in the cold space that used to be my stomach; it's nice to have living friends, especially one who knows my status.
Dale rounds the corner and stops me before I reach my friends. His left hand rests on my shoulder, he grasps my right hand with his, "Kirk, I want you to know I'm sorry for your hazing. I really didn't mean for it to be anything more than a prank, a guy thing," he says, his eyes fixed on mine: a fleeting familiarity puzzles me.
Dale turns his attention towards Casey, "Hey Casey, I apologies for the things Jenna and I said in the interview. That said, we did believe you were holding Kirk back a little. I swear we didn't say what we said out of badness. I hope we can move on from this and be friends?" He says, while extending his hand toward her.
I study Casey's face to read her reaction; I can't find any emotion I've been taught. She doesn't smile, "Sure Dale, let's forgive and forget," she says, while taking his hand.
As soon as Dale departs, Casey's face takes on an expression I can read – irritation. "Oh man, that guy's sly," she says, with anger in her voice. Toby calms her, "Give him a chance Casey. We need this bull to blow over." Casey gently thumps her locker, "Yep, you're right – but, until they find out who beat you, I'll still believe it's Dale." She drops her head, shakes it, and looks back up at Toby, "I see an evil look in that guy's eyes; I can't deny what I see – Dale's bad, I feel it."
......
My first period is English.
In class there is a rush of students who want to sit with me. A blonde girl launches herself on the chair next to mine, "Hi Kirk, I get to sit next to a school celebrity, how cool is that?"
This girl talks fast, " I love what you did with your hazing video, the way you ate those fake guts, you looked the real deal, total genius! I love zombies, play zombie Apocalypse constantly, shame the movie bummed big time, you seen it? " she asks. "No," I reply. She gives me a look I read as confused, "What kinda zombie fan are you?" But she doesn't give me time to answer, "I'm Jess by the way, my zombie name's Jekko. Check out my Youtube channel, I do zombie make-up tutorials...
The teacher enters and hollers over, "Enough Jess, zip the talk; get your head into Romeo and Juliet – this is English class, not a zombie convention," she says, with authority and a smile I read as warm.
Jess spends the whole class drawing zombie faces on the outside pages of Romeo and Juliet. At the end of the period, she jumps up, "Man that was boring. Have you read this Kirk," she grabs a book from her back-pack, "FEED – it's brilliant?" The teacher approaches, wearing her warm smile, "Jess, not every body shares your passion for the undead. Put that trash away and go get to your next period.
