10
Rowen always had a weird understanding of how bullies operated. Being an orphan for most of his life he was the target for a lot of bullies. Who better to pick and relieve insecurities on than the kid who never had anybody by his side? But he understood it. When bullies picked on someone it was always because there was something going on at home. Whether it be an alcoholic/abusive father or an absent parent, the need for proper attention by peers is always there. What better way to impress friends and releasing anger by victimizing someone who can't defend themselves? It's a vicious circle that while not right, is understandable. How can you stop when you haven't learned better? And that's why he never fought back. Rowen always knows that deep down the bully always feels more pain than the victim.
If they were ever by themselves though I'd like to think that I could talk to them. That I could help them in some way to get better. Ha it could benefit me too though. It'd be nice to not get my ass beat.
"Why don't you just run away though?" Max asks as they enter their dorm. "It's not like you have to just take it."
"Well there's two things. One….there's usually a group of them and two….I like to think that I'm doing them a favor by helping them release their stress." Rowen responds.
"That doesn't give them the right to victimize you, me or anyone else though! It's sickening to see that it is allowed. No one stops them ever. It isn't fair to us. "
"No. No it doesn't. Doesn't make it fucking fair but what are you or anyone else going to do about it? Teachers and other people really don't give a shit. The way I see it….you can do one of two things. You can stay down and take the beating. Get back up later and learn where and when not to be. Or you can try to stand up against all odds and fight. Fight and get beat down even more and they may not stop. You could injure yourself critically or fatally." He stares at Max as they settle down in their room. All humor had been taken out of his voice.
"So get the shit kicked out of you and kill your dignity or fight and either die or critically injure yourself." Max stares at him right back choking up.
"The key is to learn. Approach it by learning self defense or learn where they will be and when they'll be there. In other words learn to fight or learn to adapt and avoid."
"So why haven't you done either?" Max jabs at him.
"Because I haven't learned enough. And well she was kinda cute."
"Ha! I figure that was the real reason." Max retorts finally bringing the humor back into the room. "Ten bucks says you'll never get her though."
As Rowen begins to reply a frantic spurt of knocks came from their door. A cannonball of panic and delirium shoots through the room. Max and Rowen stare at each other with wide eyes and uncertainty. They never get visitors. They really don't have many friends so why someone was there knocking on their door. Was it those athletes from last year? Was it Craig? Was it Dr. Frieg for whatever fucking reason?
As Rowen approaches the door, rather timidly like they usually do in horror movies right before the killer breaks through and kills everyone, they both hear a rather familiar voice pleading from the hallway.
"Guys! Rowen? The other kid from earlier? Please! Anyone there? I…I need help!"
It was Raina pleading for help. The two of them looked at each other frantically. Should we or shouldn't we?
"Don't do it man." Max whispers. "What if this is a setup? What if Craig is behind her? Just waiting to come in and beat the shit out of us? They are attached at the hip."
"I'm gonna open it."
"Rowen are you a dipshit? This never ends well. Haven't you seen any movie that has a damsel in distress? One of the heroes always loses somehow man." Max pleads.
"Please open up! Craig is gone!" Raina begs again and whispers, "Craig is dead."
***
"Okay. Back up. Repeat that again?"
"Craig…..I…I killed him….and then he…he…he came back to life and was about to kill me and then and then.." Raina trails away in confusion and fear. A blank but frightened stare creeps across her face.
"He was grinded into the ground by an invisible force?" Rowen asks hesitantly with a hint of optimism.
Normally Max wouldn't believe her. Hell, even now there's a little part of him that doesn't believe her. With his experience helping "distressed" girls going to him for help, since he was a nice guy and was always weak for a pretty face, only for him to be setup for the boyfriend to come out from behind the bushes or from out of the nearest building to get his fat ass beaten he will always have that shadow of a doubt that these girls or "helpless" people are only in need of some form of sick, mild entertainment.
It's that look on her face though. Spooky as hell. I'm even getting the chills listening to her. It's something about how every word of hers seems to take so much effort to get out. I think she's unfortunately telling the truth. I mean I hate Craig but damn that's brutal. Its all Craig-bruley up in this bitch!! I shouldn't probably not say that. But one less bully in the world.
Rowen catches a slight smile on Max's face as she explains the situation. He shoots him a look of disapproval that says, "I'll be the next bully if you don't wipe it." While he does feel relieved to be rid of the prick it still didn't make the situation any better. No matter how bad some people may be, they didn't deserve to be blended into a puree. Max receives it and removes the smirk and buries the vengeful pleasure deeper.
"Yeah." She sniffled. "There's nothing left of him. It was like the ground absorbed and ate him."
"Then how is it your fault Raina? It's beyond your control." Rowen replies.
"I…I…I…" She gives up. Though a hint of pleasure still resides within her. Her abusive boyfriend was gone, and she had the strength to make it happen.
"What made you want to come to us?" Max asks still suspicious and makes a gesture to prevent Raina from moving any closer to Rowen. "Weren't there two other girls with you guys?"
I don't know what Rowen has but the last time he helped a girl out he was bugging out big time. I have a hunch but I think it has to do with touch.
Raina backs away hesitantly, looking at Max both honorably and apprehensively. As if this fat shit could do anything. His hearts in the right place but I know a bitch when I see one.
She relaxes her face and glances back at Rowen. Fear dissipating and breathing returns to normal. "Before Craig and I ended up at Range we left Gwen and Natalie with the nurse. She fixed my nose up pretty good but as we were leaving the nurse requested that the two of them stay. I came to you guys because I didn't have anyone else to go to. I don't have very many friends. I was only ever with Craig. That and…and you guys…."
"Were nice to you when you needed it." Max shoots.
She nods admittingly and walks past Max. He feels her long brown hair lash out at his cheek. She stops in front of Rowen by his desk and heads towards the bathroom. Ever since she dashed out of Range a confidence had been rising within her.
"Do you guys mind if I use your bathroom to freshen up? I just want to wash all of what happened away."
Rowen and Max look at each other dumbfounded. They had never had a REAL girl in the room. Just posters of Maxim models hanging in the corner. And now one was going to be in their bathroom naked. The boys' hearts race and sweat begins to form on their foreheads. They turn towards her and glare at the ground.
"Ye..yeah help yourself." Rowen hesitates.
She leans in and throws her arms around him. He can feel a fury of emotions sink into him yet again. A fiery sense of satisfaction and a bout of frozen fear. He stumbles backward and lands back in his chair. He is taken aback by not only her beauty (he was not complaining about the firm comfort he got from her breasts pressing up against his chest) but the large confliction of the two feelings now transferred into him.
Raina scurries into the bathroom and starts to remove her clothes. She pulls off the blue v-neck shirt to reveal a basic white bra. With her back turned to them she bends over and removes her jeans. She looks over at them (specifically Rowen) and shoots a flirtatious smile.
Rowen's eyes go wide, and he swears his jaw physically dropped. The last thing he sees before Raina closes the door is her perfectly round ass and pink panties being dropped to the floor.
***
"What in the hell.." Max waits until he hears the shower turn on.
"I don't know what to say to you at the moment." Rowen replies dumbstruck. His face had turned red from being flustered.
They both shake their head and clear their heads of what could be. Neither had been with a girl before but both knew what she had just insinuated.
"I like you dude but not in that way." Rowen retorts.
"Fuck outta here. In your dreams." Max replies. Cheeks red and sweat perspiring throughout his body.
"What are we going to do about this?" Rowen states seriously.
"What do you mean?"
Rowen strikes him with a degrading "don't be stupid look". One raised brow and a one-sided smirk. "The fucking body….And she's freaking crazy man. When she hugged me I felt her fear and…."
"As she should man. I mean her boyfriend's dead."
"And her aggression. I felt a sort of invigorating aggression Max. I think she may have actually killed him."
"Fuck him. But fuuucckkk man. You look okay though. You are okay from that right?"
"Yeah for whatever reason I felt the fear and that got absorbed by the aggression. Then the aggression just faded. It wasn't like the last couple times."
"It was because she was naked." Max teases. "That's why all that went away. Naked women have that narrowing effect."
"Like you would know oompa Loompa boy."
"First off ouch. Not like you've done better. And second my phone says otherwise." Max replies snidely.
"Fuckin' gross man. TMI. I don't need to know what you do in the bathroom."
"And while you're asleep." Max chimes in.
"Nightmares. Nothing but pure nightmares from here on out. Worse than last night probably."
Rowen shoves Max lightly onto his lower bunk. Both giving in to the childish hilarity of it all and to the ridiculousness of how much stuff they had gone through in 24 hours. With the sky now darkening it was a moment closer to finally closing out the hellish day.
"So what actually are we going to do about this? She could be a murderer according to you." Max says driving the conversation back on topic.
"I think we may have to go back to Dr. Freig and bring her this time."
"I agree. But of course, Dr. Freig always seems to be appearing at the weirdest of times man. It's pretty creepy."
"She knows something. I think she knows everything that's going on." Rowen says intrinsically.
"She definitely does. You think she knows about what happened to Raina already? Or better yet do you think somehow she played a part in Craig's so-called disappearance?"
"I don't know but I think she can help. I also kinda think we need to check out the fountain in the morning or definitely before our last final in two days." Rowen states glumly.
"Haven't you ever seen a fucking horror movie? That's how more people disappear. This past day seems like a whole bunch of voodoo, supernatural, spiritual bullshit that will get us killed. Fuck….that!" Max replies hysterically.
"I gotta do it man. Tomorrow morning."
"That means I'm going. Damnit! Can we at least see Dr. Frieg first? You know with little Miss Oopsy Daisey over there?"
"Fine by me man. I don't know though there's something about that that just draws me towards it."
"Well yeah it's because she's fucking hot. She was involved with a disappearance or a murder and on top of it she stripped right in front of you?" Max exclaims.
"In front of us."
They hear the shower turn off and a rustling sound. After about ten minutes Raina emerges from the bathroom, this time fully clothed and in the clothes, she just changed out of. Rowen offered her clothes to change into, but she declined politely.
Rowen, sitting at his desk, stares in amazement as to how beautiful she looks in the faint glow coming from the bathroom light behind her. Though her hair was rolled up in a towel he could still see strands of her hazel hair tickling her flushed angelic cheeks. As beautiful as she is though, Rowen still can't detract away from the haunting beauty of the girl in the mirror. There was something about the two of them he couldn't put his finger on. There was something about the two of them that were similar.
"Hello space cadet." Raina mocks and waves a hand in front of his face. "So what did I miss?"