Chapter 20. Affliction

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Chapter20. Affliction

Two days after the incident with Genesis and the potatoes, I sat beside the table, spoon in hand, staring at my bowl of cereals, pretending to be alright. Pretending. I hated that word. Only Hollywood actors benefited from it.

"Dad, why don't we put water on cereals instead of milk?"

"Because it tastes awful." He gave me a look over his newspaper, ruffled it, cleared his throat, and went back to reading. I wasn't having any of it.

"So technically, if I put water on mine right now, I'm just the one suffering, right?"

"Right," he mumbled.

"I don't think so." I tapped the bowl with the spoon. "Water has more benefits than milk. If I put some on mine, I'm above you all. I'm more than sixty percent water, bitch. I'm the ocean."

"Language."

"Think about it, dad. Sometimes you have to suffer. Sometimes you have to deviate from the majority because that's what's good for you. Right? Right?"

He put his newspaper down and gave me a steady look. "Are we still talking about water on cereal?"

"Do I look like I'd rather be talking about anything else?" I rolled my eyes at him. Fathers. "Back to the topic. Water is good for cereals. I don't even have to tell other people about it. I can just pour some on a bowl, bring it with me on the way to school, and pretend everything is alright even if I want to vomit because it tastes God-awful. Because that's what you do sometimes for the good of things, am I right?" I banged my hand on the table. "You have to suffer!"

"Destiny, what the hell is going on?" He didn't look scrutinizing now. He looked concerned.

He was reaching to me across the table when I pushed the chair back and glared at him as I stood. "Teenagers, dad. Teenagers." I threw my hands in the air. "We hate everything. Deal with it."

His face was a question mark when I left.

Alright, it was wrong of me to take it out on him. Wrong of me to assume that he could understand the broken messages I was trying to send. But I needed some answers. All of which no one would like to offer me.

I reached the school like the rest of the Bear Creek High Sheep's and went to my locker. Surprise, surprise, only Spencer was standing there to wait for me. Two days and Genesis was still flighty. The heck did I do this time?

"Hi, Des." Spencer bounced on his feet and straightened when I came forward. He smelled like aftershave and Bertha's rolls, a deadly combination to the stomach. I turned away while I opened the locker door.

"Hey," I said cheerily. See that was the thing about high school. You could be anyone you wanted, even a liar.

"You didn't walk with me and Ester earlier. Did you stay up late for the homework?"

"Homework?" The sound echoed repeatedly in my head. "What homework?" I swiveled to him in alarm, then punched his shoulder when he burst out laughing. "You're evil."

"You're eviler." He caught the hand I punched him with and brushed a thumb over my knuckles. "Careful there. I'm Ironman."

I retrieve my hand by segueing to my books. Didn't want him to have strange ideas. We were better off as friends. He should know that.

"So what's been keeping you busy?" Spencer said. "You always go somewhere after classes. Genesis' campaign, perhaps?"

"Nope."

"A super cool hangout I should know about?"

"Nope."

"Another boy?" He sounded disappointed.

"There is no other boy except Boy, and I doubt he'd share me with anyone that easily again." I slammed the locker door shut and shifted the books on my hands. "There's ten minutes left before the first bell. Catch you in class."

His face fell before I turned around to take the opposite direction. "It is another boy," he said. "You should just tell me."

I didn't look at him over my shoulder. I kept walking. "No, Spence. It's not another boy. It's a girl."

The three potatoes were complete when I've made it to the club. They weren't working on a project though. They were brewing coffee and cooking omelet when I entered. It made the room toasty.

"Didn't realize you can do this on school grounds," I said as a form of greeting.

Only Woody turned around from the hot plate, spatula still in hand. Her sleeves were rolled right below her elbows like she usually kept it, but her eyes weren't as happy to see me. They were tired. "Good morning," she said, as if that would hide the fact that I wasn't welcome there anymore. "What are you doing here this early?"

"You know why." I motioned my chin to the hot plate. "Sometimes I think you guys live here. Do you?"

"No." Woody darted a glance to Top and Shorty before looking at me again. "But we do like it here."

"I kind of figured." Hugging the books to my chest, I waited for them to answer the unspoken question. I've been asking it for the last two days. It didn't need to be said again.

Top took pity on me and gestured to the sofa. "Why don't you have breakfast with us?"

I shook my head. "Just had it with dad. Water on cereals was good."

"Water on what?" Woody gave me a concerned look. "That's what Mr. Jones had been feeding you?"

Top elbowed her on the way to the table. They had a portable one laid out for the breakfast. "Don't look so shocked," she said. "The most creative people do weird stuff. That's why he's your idol."

"He is my idol," Woody murmured.

The three of us jumped in surprise when Shorty dropped the plastic plates on the table. She hadn't spoken since I got there, but the way she twisted to the other girls, she had seriously reconsidered it. "Let's not pretend that we want Destiny here," she said.

"Dude!" Woody exclaimed.

Top just shook her head.

Shorty didn't glance at me as she crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, girl, but you're not going to find Genesis here. If you want, we can tell you why she's avoiding you, but as I've been saying, you have to promise not to hang out with her anymore before we do."

My jaw hardened. This was the reason why I was on edge lately. What right did they have to do this? How did I deserve this treatment?

"I'm not cutting Genesis from my life," I growled.

"Well she's not talking to you anytime soon, so you might as well know the reason and join us while you're at it."

"No!" I gave Top and Woody accusing stares. "Are you just going to let this be? Aren't you going to take my side?"

Woody stared at the floor. "We're kind of in a pinch here, Des. I'm sorry."

"Fine!" I stomped to the exit. "But Shorty's right. Grow a pair, Woody." I slammed the door on my way out.








Spencer was irritatingly active during our classes. He kept throwing me papers.

'What happened? Why are you so pissed off?'

'Did you have a fight with someone?'

'Want some rolls?'

I ignored them all.

It wasn't like I was doing this on purpose. I hated being this mean. I didn't like the volcano eruption in my chest. But I was upset. With everything. Genesis, the potatoes, my unassuming friends, and myself. Life, man. Life!

Fifth period, while a film about Hitler was being shown in front, my phone vibrated. It didn't take much to take it and read the message. People were either sleeping or bored.

'Meet at the washroom third floor. Right now.'

I slid off my chair, tucking the phone in my pocket all the while. This was a development. A miracle!

"Psst!" Spencer whispered. "Where are you going?" It was impossible for him not to see my ninja moves on the floor.

"Washroom. Cover for me."

"Okay."

My heart was thumping when I made my way to the meeting point. Genesis had been avoiding me for days. She was always conveniently gone on lunch, or had Dindo pick her straight after school. I've missed her.

The door closed behind me soon as I entered. There was a click as the door was locked, and a whiff of strawberries as I was pushed to the wall. Gene stood not far from me, eyes twinkling, arms on either side of my head. Her breathing was fast.

"Destiny."

"Genesis." The bitterness of not seeing her for days melted as I wrapped my hands on her waist. She didn't move away. "How are you?"

"Okay." She inhaled. "You?"

Okay, now that she was here.

My hold on her tightened. If I could just keep her here. If I could just. . . If I—

Who was I kidding? I didn't know what I wanted. My hands slackened. "I'm great," I lied. "But we have to talk."

At this, she exhaled and nodded, then stepped away. Just like that, I found myself on the rain again. With her far from me, the umbrella that was shielding me had been yanked away. It left me cold again. It left me shivering.

"We do have to talk," she murmured.

"Is that why you asked me to come here?"

"Partly." Her eyes flitted to me, then to the wall behind. "Partly because I wanted to see you first."

"Hmm?"

Her hand cradled my cheek for the briefest second. I leaned to it before she withdrew. "W-we can't talk here," she stammered. Genesis turned to the wall, burrowing her hands in her pocket like she was burned. Like I burned her. "People can knock anytime. We have to do it in the janitor's office."

"Excuse me?"

Something shiny glinted in the air before I caught it. "That's a copy of the key. It's safer to talk there." Her shoulders stiffened as she headed to the door. "Will I see you later?"

"I'll be there," I said, just as she was leaving.

A wild smile was on my face when I returned to class. Things were getting back to normal. I could taste the sweetness on my tongue. Once we've had a talk, I'd understand Genesis more, and understanding her had always been a source of happiness for me. So was Nutella. But understanding her came first.

The class wasn't watching the film when I returned. The teacher was discussing something, blabbering on and on about a topic I didn't really give a damn about. She paused to look at me. "Hola. ¿Cómo te llamas?"

"I went to the washroom real quick," I mumbled. Now where was my seat? Did they rearrange things?

"¿Cómo te llamas?"

"Ella es mi amiga," someone said.

I looked at the sea of faces and saw Ester looking back at me. Her face was straight, but there was a panicked look on her eyes. It didn't register until after the teacher asked again, "Cómo estás?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat when I realized what was going on. This was the wrong floor, the wrong room, the wrong class. I backed away slowly, right onto the wall. "I didn't realize. . . This. . . B-buenos nachos!" The class laughed in the wake of my running.

"Where have you been?" Spencer said when I got back. Sleep lines were all over his face, his right cheek red from the pressure. If Ester caught him sleeping, he'd be dead for sure. But not as dead as I'd be because of my little slip. She'd give me a nagging after school.

I wiped my brow and buried my face on my desk. "Ugh. . . I got into the wrong room."

"Really?" He sounded interested. "Tell me it's the painting club. Are they drawing nude people there? Did you see it?"

"It's the Spanish class."

"Spanish. . . Oh." He patted my back in sympathy. "I'll come for your funeral. What flowers do you want me to bring?"

"Shut up and let me die."








Ester was one of those people who, even though she was part Spanish, took the advanced classes for the sake of it. I wish I had that strength. But unfortunately, I spent it on other things. Things that other people didn't care about but I treasured with all my heart.

I managed to survive the rest of the day, long enough to hear the last bell ring. By then I was itching to get out of the seat, impatient to talk as planned. Spencer didn't even ask where I was going. He just murmured a, "See you later," when I was picking my books.

"See you later," I answered. Maybe I'd join them at Bertha's later. They went there most times anyway.

My steps were fast as I headed to the Janitor's office. It was located on the ground floor, beyond a stretch of grass, far enough that people didn't bother going, save for special occasions. I went there with a mission.

The keys jingled as I fit it in the hole. I didn't even ask Genesis where she got it. The girl had her own ways.

Twisting the knob, I was greeted with hot air and the strong smell of cleaning materials. It made me gag for a few seconds before I checked over my shoulders to see if anyone noticed. I entered when I saw none.

"Gene?"

There were humming and hissing. The Janitor's office was conveniently the place where machineries were installed too. No wonder the janitor didn't stay here often. It was too loud.

"Genesis, I'm here."

It was an L-shaped room from what I could see. I've only been here a few times, but I knew that on the right part, around the blind corner, was where the desk and chair were situated. Genesis could be waiting for me there.

"I'm coming," I called. "Don't shoot me."

The smile was still on my face as I went to my destination. I was about to turn right when a strange sound pierced the air.

"Ahhhhh! Yes! Yeeesss!"

"G-Genesis?" I whispered.

"Right there!"

"Where, baby?"

"Right there."

It was hearing an open television without actually seeing the program. But it was enough to make my stomach knot. To knock the wind off my chest.

Still, I had to check if she was alright. It was just a peek, a glance. I wish I didn't.

Bile rose to my mouth when I saw them; Him on top of her. Her wrapped around him. It wasn't clear if they noticed me come in, but Genesis had tears in her eyes before she grabbed Brad's hair, so she could lower his mouth to hers.

"This is all for you," she whispered to him. "Everything I do has always been for you."

It was all consensual. All done for pleasure. I ran before one of them could turn to me. Before Genesis could see me break.


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