Explosive

29 || Puppet

~Dedicated to Ayzxah for taking the time to read my story. Please be sure to check out her book, Outlaw for You.

Red paint drips down my hands and into the sink, turning the water a murky pink color. There is also paint splattered across the front of my shirt. It stands out against the white fabric. It's too early for kids to be bustling around in the hallways. The washroom is silent except for the sound of running water, making it easier to think. My thoughts wander to my cousin as I scrub my hands. This morning he came down the stairs with his hair all shaved off. Without saying a word to me, he slipped out the door, a basketball in his hands.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door slamming against the wall. To my surprise, Tamara stands by the door, her hand on her hip and mouth in a scowl. After the fight, I stopped sitting with Tamara at lunch and deleted her number from my phone. Anyone who thinks it's okay to hurt someone so easily isn't worth it. "What are you doing here?" I whisper, turning to face her. Her presence made my body tense up and my heart rate increase tenfold. Tamara is bad news and she's blocking the only exit to the washroom.

"I came early to talk to Mr. Ackley. He told me that you were in here because the drains were clogged with paint again." Nodding, I try to maneuver around her but she moves to block my path.

"What's going on?" I ask, wiping my hands across my legs.

"I just wanted to talk to you," she said easily. Standing so close to her, I can see the weariness in her eyes. It takes me by surprise but then I shake my head, trying to clear my mind.

"There is nothing to talk about, Tamara."

Gripping onto my shoulders, she stares into my eyes. "I know we fucked up, Audrey. Leading your cousin on like that was messed up." I step back from her, not sure where she is going with this. "When you started school in September, becoming friends with you was just another way to get back at Josh and his posse." There was a time I would laugh when she would refer to Josh's friends as his posse. Now it just causes a wave of sadness to pass over me.

"Tamara-"

She cuts me off with a wave of her hands. "But then you turned out to be so...nice," she whispers, frowning slightly. "Hanging out with you was so much fun."

I sigh. This isn't something I want to get into right now. My mind is occupied with thoughts about my family, or at least what is left of it, falling apart at the seams. The last thing I want to think about is Tamara's guilt. "I need to go," I say to her and try to move past her. She stops me again. Her eyes widen as she bites her lips. Tamara's hair is up in a messy bun but it looks like it hasn't been washed for the last few days. She's falling apart.

"It was me," she mutters, rubbing her hands across her eyes and smudging her mascara. She looks like a rabid raccoon as she grabs me again. "I was the one who painted over your canvas. I am so sorry for doing that. Things got carried away." Tears glisten in her eyes but I don't feel anything towards her. Her confession doesn't surprise me. I feel guilty for thinking that Cynthia did that.

"I don't know what you want me to say. The text that you sent me was enough the break my trust in you," I mumble. The message she sent flashes in front of my eyes, sending a fresh wave of anger to course through my veins. I feed off that anger.

"Gabriel sent that text, not me. I just want a second chance," she says desperately, tugging at my wrists.

Everybody who ever asks me that is always given a second chance, no exceptions. "No," I reply without giving her words a second thought. I'm afraid that if I do, I would cave and let her wrap her arms around me. "I was never okay with what you did to Cynthia. Choosing to remain friends with you after finding out the truth was me giving you a second chance."

Tamara's mouth falls open but she doesn't protest as I step around her. At that moment, Gabriel barges into the washroom. "What's taking so -" He stops short when he sees me. A smirk spreads across his lips as he gives me a once over, blatantly disregarding Tamara, who has tears running down her cheeks. "Lookee what we have here." It feels like all the air from the room has been sucked out. While he cracks his knuckles, he walks towards me and backs me up against the sink.

"I told you to wait outside for me," Tamara says.

"What's she doing here?" he says over his shoulder.

"Let's get out of here," she pleads in response, nervously glancing at the door behind her.

"Just give me a minute, okay?" he yells at her. She bites her lip in response but stays silent. It is at that moment I understand something about my ex-friend. Tamara does and says whatever Gabriel tells her. He is the puppeteer, while she is the puppet who is at Gabriel's beck and call.

"What do you want, Gabriel?" I ask, slightly irritated. Fear is slowly seeping into every being of my existence. Being alone with these two people is making me nervous.

"I got suspended because of your boyfriend." He tugs at my hair and then runs his finger across my jaw. His touch burns my skin. Sneering, I jerk away from him. His grin disappears in an instant and a vile expression replaces it. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he brings his face so close to mine that I can smell his rancid breath. My eyes land on Tamara. She can stop this if she wants to but she doesn't move a muscle, she just stares at me with empty bloodshot eyes.

"You and your cousin are my bitches," he spits into my ear. Then he slams me against the wall. Searing hot pain spreads across my skull, causing an explosion of stars to cloud my vision. He hit me. The idiot actually hit me. No one has ever hit me before. Everything around me becomes a blur as my body slumps to the ground. Tamara bends down and pushes the hair away from my face. Her eyes are dry now. In a quick movement, she tugs at the necklace around my neck, causing the clasp to break.

As she pockets the necklace, she says, "You should have given me a second chance, Audrey." Her voice is laced with sadness and remorse but that doesn't mean anything. The fact that she let Gabriel hit me has cemented my decision about her. I will never forgive her for everything she has done.