Page 94 of Distortion
I walk to the Quad and see the ATM next to the overpriced sandwich shop. The debit card Shade gave me! I dig it out of my pocket and slot it into the machine. I put in my birthdate: 1003. The pin is incorrect. I frown. I was sure he said it was my birthday, the tenth of March. Oh, March tenth. They do the month first here, not the day. I put in 0310 and push the button to show the balance, hoping that I might be able to buy some more of my books, and maybe aphone so they don’t find out I have nothing to my name at all.
But the account only has six dollars in it and I look down the list of transactions. Two dollars is put in every Monday. That’s it. Why even bother giving me the card?
I glance behind me, almost expecting at the very least for Shade to be there laughing at me. But there’s no one except a small group of girls casting looks at me and, of course, whispering.
Taking the card out with a sigh, I put it back in my pocket. I should have known.
I walk across to Grinder, hoping they need some help because I need the shifts. I’m going to be more than exhausted later and will definitely regret not going back to my room to sit in the quiet, but I need cash. Maybe I can buy an older laptop next month if I do enough hours. I rub my eyes. What am I going to do until then though?
Luckily,the next day I’m able to borrow one of the older laptops I find in the lab in a closet. It’s old and slow and makes some very questionable noises while it’s processing, but it keeps the other students off my back and I don’t have any more run-ins with any of my peers, except for the usual nasty comments I can only just hear, which are easily ignored.
Friday, the day of the first Dagorhir battle rolls around quickly. I walk through the Quad toward the coffee shop for my shift excited and lost in thought. I walk past a group of students by a small coppice of trees, not noticing the foot that comes out of nowhere to trip me.
I fall hard with a cry, narrowly missing hitting my head on a bench by the sidewalk and grazing my hands and knees badly on the cement.
I turn over abruptly to sit on the ground, my heart pounding and my vision hazy.
‘Watch where you’re going, kid killer!’
Laurie’s voice has me wincing. I’ve been trying to stay away from her and her little clone battalion of bitches, but I must have walked right by them.
I get to my feet, swaying a little, and I’m pushed hard in the chest by someone much stronger.
I step backward to catch myself, but fall again, vaguely glad I land in the grass by the trees this time. I glare up at them, fighting my anger. There are six of them, a mix of guys I don’t recognize and three girls that I do.
I want to get up and launch myself at the nearest person. The impulse is almost impossible to ignore.
But I claw back my rational mind when I see at least one phone trained on me. They’re videoing this. It’s a trap.
I look up at the nearest guy. He’s wearing a wrestling sweatshirt. He must be one of Blake’s friends and I try to ignore the pang in my chest. He’s not here, and we’ve been working side by side in the lab all week without a problem. Odds are he isn’t part of this. I hope he’s not.
I realize with dread that this area is out of sight of the buildings because of the trees.
‘Laurie. Jolie. Other clone. Guys I don’t know,’ I greet in a perfect parody of politeness.
I watch the astonishment, surprise, and shock on their faces as I slowly stand up and give them a civil smile. ‘How’s it going?’
Laurie turns away first with a small sound of absolute fury that I revel in as she and the other girls flounce away. The guys, all three of them wearing at least one piece of Richmond Wrestling paraphernalia, stay where they are.
I glance around, hoping there’s someone nearby because I don’t think I want to be alone out here with them. But there’sno one. I swallow hard and draw myself up. I don’t think I can run right now, so if they attack, I’ll be letting out the anger that’s been building since I got here.
‘So,’ I say conversationally, ‘which one of you assholes pushed me the second time?’
They glance at each other. I don’t think they know what to make of me. I need to use that to my advantage while they’re still surprised.
None of them speaks.
‘Oh, well. Doesn’t matter,’ I say airily. ‘Do you want me to say ‘hey’ to Blake for you?’
The eyes of the two at the back bore holes in the head of the third one.
‘You know Blake?’ one of them asks.
All three shift on their feet. They’re uncomfortable. I make a special effort to watch their expressions in real time.
‘Laurie didn’t mention it?’ I ask.
Anger and annoyance clouds all three of their faces. I guess she didn’t.
