Before i even think of wiping my hands dry, the moisture from them vanishes in an instant, but none of it registers in my head.
I walk out of the bathroom, clutching my head.
That bitch... can she hear my thoughts? I bet she can. You better come out and tell me whats going on!
...
Fuck... whatever. Its just hair. Nothing to ponder about. Maybe yesterday wasn't even real.
Apo slowly makes his way back to his lunch table.
"You guys could have warned me my hair turned blue."
I tell them.
Mike and Elizabeth look at me confused yet mockingly.
"What, you got drunk and dyed your hair or something?"
Elizabeth asks.
"Yeah... maybe i did."
I say, pondering if yesterday really was just an intense hallucination.
"I'm not sure if you guys have noticed, theres a whole lotta rats outside the school now."
Elizabeth says.
"That's a lot of mirrors."
Mike tells her.
Elizabeth gets all up in mike's face.
"You're not slick little boy."
She tells him in a low tone.
From the distance, i can hear commotion.
"Ugh, these kids just dont know how to stay quiet."
Elizabeth says.
"Maybe we can snap their necks."
I say in a sarcastic tone.
"Yeaah i'm down for that."
She says, suspiciously unsarcastically.
I look at Mike, texting on his phone, probably talking to his girlfriend. What a waste of time.
Is the texting about business? Or pleasure? None of that matters.
"Shit... i see."
I hear him whisper to himself.
"Is something wrong?"
I ask him curiously.
He sighs.
"My girlfriend's ex is outside the school, alongside a bunch of his classmates, from another school, the one at ballpark."
He tells me.
My eyes narrow, now listening intently.
"What does he want?"
Elizabeth asks.
"Man, its just some bullshit, saying i stole his girl or whatever."
He explains.
"Dude, he was with her in like, elementary school for a year, someones gotta tell him to let it go."
I tell them.
Elizabeth jumps up from her seat and grabs onto both me and Mike.
"Dont you worry! Me and Apo have your back!"
She says.
"I didn't agree to this."
I tell her, which makes her squeeze down on my neck.
"Fine, fine! We have your back!"
I tell them.
I dont really wanna get involved. But it's not like i have something better to do. I doubt something will even happen, they are all bark no bite, probably anyway.
The three of them make their way outside, where two large distinct crowds have formed, representing each school.
Jesus. Isn't this a little much? It's just a dispute about a girl.
Mike approaches the front of the crowd, Elizabeth right behind him, i decide to stick close, but not directly next to them.
Jesus, there really are a lot of rats around here. Did the sewers get flooded?
"There's the little bitch Mike! How nice of you to pay a visit!"
One of the guys says, probably his girlfriend's ex.
"Fuck you, Dan, get your ass out of here."
Mike says.
"Not until you hand Sarah back, that clear you little bitch?"
Dan says, rubbing his own hair.
"She's not getting "handed back" bitch, she left ya."
Mike responds, his fists clenched, ready to throw hands.
...
Has nobody else... noticed? Dan's hair is clearly... glowing. A little. Can they not tell because it's black?
Shit... its like yesterday... that girl...
How does she relate to this?
Dan shoves his hand infront of Mike's face, emitting a huge cloud of black smoke directly onto Mike.
The smoke manages to grow huge and blind everyone, sending almost everybody running off screaming and pushing.
Shit... what the fuck? I can hardly breathe in this shit!
Suddently, i feel something grab onto my leg, its a rat. Disgusting.
Not the time little guy. Fuck outta here.
Suddenly, my own hair starts glowing. Shit... it's happening to me too?
From the smoke, Elizabeth grabs onto my hand.
"Mike! Where is Mike?!"
She yells, incredibly worried.
"You mean you lost him?"
I ask her.
"T-the guy somehow blasted smoke everywhere and and in the confusion we got separated!"
She tells me, i think she's about to cry, never seen that from her before.
"Go look for him, the smoke will clear out, i have something else i need to do."
I tell her calmly.
"Okay... okay..."
She says, letting go of me and dissapearing back into the smoke.
This shit is crazy, why is there a rat clinging to me and why is my hair glowing?!
"Use it."
The female voice in my head suddenly says.
Fuck... you're back?
"Feel the connection with him."
She says.
Connection? What the hell do you mean?
"The ground, the rat, can't you feel it? I gave you my connection with them."
She tells me.
What connection?! Are you trying to drive me insane?!
"ORDER IT."
She tells me loudly.
Fuck! My head... stop doing that! Fine!
I point to the rat.
"You, find me Mike!"
I tell the rat.
To my suprise, the rat lets go of my leg and runs off to my right, i decide to follow it.
The more i follow this rat, the denser the smoke gets, but i keep pushing. This Dan fucker must be close.
Emerging into a quiet spot, i find Mike on the ground, choking, Dan right over him.
"Well, You can't have Sarah if i put you 6 feet under, can ya? And here you thought you were shit."
Dan says tauntingly.
Shit... i have to do something.
"Well, now's your chance, what else do you think you can do, Apo?"
The girl in my head tells me.
What else i can do...
I touch the ground with both hands.
A heartbeat... i feel a heartbeat...
"Only you can feel that now."
She tells me.
"Imagine it Apo... imagine owning that ground."
I look around and spot a small garden connected to the wall, its the closest spot to the actual ground, everything else we stand before a concrete mess.
"Im boutta get fucking paid."
Dan says, grabbing onto Mike and trying to fill his lungs with smoke.
I dig my fist onto the garden's dirt, shoving flowers aside and feeling the heartbeat of the earth intensify, the glow in my hair intensifying.
My hands start digging into the ground, i begin feeling the earth itself trying to touch me.
"You dont have much now, but what you have now is enough!"
The girl in my head yells.
I groan as my arms bleed from the sharp earth, but i keep pushing, trying to grab onto something, anything.
Eventually, i grip onto something, and i roughly yank both of my arms out of the ground.
I stumble back, but quickly compose myself, and now in my hands, sits a sledgehammer made of dirt and stone.
This seems fragile... but it'll do!
"Hey! Hands off!"
I yell out, turning around and dashing towards Dan, hammer in hand.
Dan lets go of Mike, but looks at me with a wicked expression, seemingly showing no concern.
I try to hit him in the head with the hammer, however, right at the last second, his whole body turns to smoke, my hit misses and hits the ground, my newfound hammer shattering into a million pieces.
He swiftly reappears infront of me in a dash of smoke and delivers a swift kick to my crotch, sending me kneeling back.
"You're one of us eh? Sorry pal... no holy ghost in me. I'll make it quick though."
He tells me, a small dagger appearing in his hand, seemingly purely made out of smoke.
Shit.. shit.. i can't die here... i haven't done shit in life!
The girl in my head speaks to me once more.
"Dont worry, you're never alone."