Cadaverous Love

Chapter Thirty-One

I fling the locker door open-finally. Dallas leans against the lockers next to me and waits as I close the door and practice my combination again. My fingers fumble to the metal hatch-it doesn't budge.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I let out a long, exasperated breath and look up at the No Smoking sign that hangs above my locker proudly. On the bottom it reads, "you might smoke, but some of us don't!"

The bell wails in my ears as-whatever creatures they may be-flood from the classrooms. The smell of a cancer stick wafts up to my nose, looking over at Dallas, I come to see that he's the one smoking. Why am I not surprised?

"Dal-" I pull the cigarette from his lips, "-there's a No Smoking sign right there." I wave in the general direction of it.

"And?"

"So don't smoke-" he gives me a somewhat glare and I decide to soften my tone, "I really just don't want you to get in trouble on the first day of school, okay?" Or at all for that matter...

"Whatever," he waves his hand, brushing off my comment.

"Excuse you, Miss!" A high-pitched voice yells out. I turn, and I am hit with the shock and amusement that it's a man speaking. He looks to be in his mid-forties with an expression that looks like he ate something sour. He has limbs that could easily pass for two twigs dangling at his sides. I can't do anything but stare as he approaches.

His long fingers wrap around my wrist and the smell of rotten meat follows him.

"Can't you see the sign?" He asks through gritted teeth. He grabs me by the arm.

"Watch it, asshole." Dallas says.

"Did you want to go to the office too, hood?"

Dallas glares and spits on the floor, "yeah, take me to the office. Wasn't even her who-"

"I'll deal with you sometime else."

"Deal with me now," The man turns and tightens his grip, "hey-asshole."

"Dallas-" I say as I look right into his eyes as they swarm with anger, "-no."

"Are you really going to-"

"Just stop."

The tall, almost sickly man, tugs my arm hard and half drags me down hallway.

Dallas looks at me, and mouths "Why?" I see him turn and leave before I'm dragged into the office.

--

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see you here so soon." Mr. Artie says, "please, have a seat." I sit down in a chair in front of his desk. "You were smoking?"

I open my mouth to say something, but instead, I decide to just roll with it, so, I nod.

"You know that smoking is bad for you, right? Thus the name 'cancer-sticks'."

I nod again. I wonder what it would be like to say that to Dal.

"Now, I'm just going to let you off with a warning. But, I am going to have to keep you for a period or so," I let a long breath. "Sorry, rules are rules."

Sinking down into the chair, I begin to count the tick of the clock and how many times my pulse presses against my thumb which is laying against my wrist.

Darry is going to chop my head clean off as soon as he finds out I was sent to the office my first day back at school.

"Are you okay?" His voice breaks through my frustrated train of thought.

"I guess, why?"

"You look like you're trying to avoid transformation into a werewolf. "

I didn't notice it, but when I look down I see my hands grabbing the arms of the chairs, knuckles turning white. I loosen my grip and shake the cramps from my fingers