by Chuck Buda
Aiden sat up straight. “You think we should scar them?”
Leah rolled her eyes. She wondered why men were always so literal. There was never any gray, or palette of colors. It was only black and white.
“I mean, we should do something that will leave a psychic scar on them for years. Teach them a lesson they will never forget. Like one of those cheesy teen movies where the bullies get what’s coming to them in the end.”
Aiden nodded in understanding. “Oh, so Tommy can stand by and start the slow clap scene?” He laughed for the first time. Leah realized Aiden had been so upset for days now. She liked his smile. It was wholesome and inviting.
“Exactly. Except I don’t want Tommy anywhere near those guys. Or us for that matter.”
“Me neither.” Aiden shuddered at the thought of her little brother.
Before she could continue, her cell phone vibrated. She glanced down at the display. Zoe’s name flashed upon the screen.
“You gonna answer it?” Aiden looked visibly shaken.
“No.”
“You have to answer.” Aiden tried to grab her phone.
“YOU answer it.” Leah handed him the phone. Aiden stuck his hands in the air to avoid even being touched by the device.
Leah groaned. “Fine. So typical.”
“What does that mean?” Aiden whined and Leah held up a finger to shush him.
“Hello?”
A brief pause waited on the other end of the line. Then Zoe spoke. “I know you THINK you quit The First Cut, Leah. I’m not so sure that’s a wise decision.”
Leah’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe Zoe’s brazen behavior. It shouldn’t have surprised her, she reasoned. She listened without responding.
“You and your little pathetic quitter friend better watch your backs. I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all if I were one of you. And as far as sharing any details about The First Cut?” Zoe chuckled like a maniac in a Hollywood film. “Let’s just say the consequences will be serious, and swift.”
Leah gaped at the threats.
“What is she saying?” Aiden mouthed his question without speaking. Leah shook him off and concentrated on every word Zoe said.
“You have no idea what I am capable of doing, Leah. Believe me when I tell you I will do whatever it takes to protect what I want.”
Leah hung up the phone immediately. She was too stunned to reply to Zoe and she thought there wasn’t anything else Zoe could imply.
Aiden searched Leah’s face for answers. “So? What did she say?”
Leah licked her dry lips. She felt warm tears building up. She swallowed and looked to Aiden.
“We have our work cut out for us.”
Chapter 9
Jordyn saw Leah as she left the cafeteria balancing an orange juice and a stack of books. Jordyn got the impression Leah saw her wave and chose to avoid her. She hurried after Leah before the first bell rang.
“Leah, wait up.”
Jordyn noticed her friend’s shoulders tense. Leah stopped and slowly spun to face her.
“I wanted to talk to you.” Jordyn tried to catch her breath.
Leah looked up the hallway. “I don’t think it’s a good time. I have to get to class and the bell is going to ring.”
Jordyn snorted. “The bell isn’t going to ring for five minutes. Are you...trying to avoid me?”
Leah shook her head.
“I tried calling you a few times this weekend but I kept getting your voice mail.” Jordyn tried to figure out if Leah was mad at her. She seemed very uncomfortable being near Jordyn.
“Really? I didn’t have any messages.”
Jordyn sighed. “I didn’t want to leave a message. Don’t you check your recent calls to see who you missed?”
Leah was about to respond but Jordyn wanted to get on with the discussion.
“Look, I just wanted to let you know that I am not okay with what happened at my house Friday night. And neither is Todd. We both support Aiden’s wishes to quit.”
Leah appeared to relax. She sipped her orange juice. “That’s good to know. Thank you. But shouldn’t you be telling this to Aiden?”
Jordyn pursed her lips. Todd wanted to reach out to Aiden but it had been her idea to work through Leah. “I thought it would be better to talk to you. Since you left with Aiden.”
“You mean, I carried him out. Leaving under your own power and being carried away are two different things.” Leah sipped more juice.
Jordyn felt the intensity coming from Leah. In all the years she had known her, Leah had never given off such strong vibes before. Jordyn felt a bit tentative, not sure if she should continue to bother Leah. At least, that’s how Leah made it feel.
“Sorry. I’m still upset over what happened. It was totally unfair of Zoe and Spencer.”
Jordyn nodded. She touched Leah’s arm. “I agree. We thought this was supposed to be about fun. But it became too...heavy.”
Silence filled the space between them. It made Jordyn uneasy so she decided to fill the hall with more words.
“Todd and I want to stand up to Zoe with you and Aiden. We believe if we stand together, we can finally knock her down a few pegs.” Jordyn stroked her hair like a little girl. She felt the nervous energy working its way through her pores. “It’s time Zoe took a backseat. Or...stepped aside.”
She realized her intentions wouldn’t match the outcome. There was no chance in hell Zoe would take a backseat or step aside for anything.
Leah grinned. “I appreciate the support. But Aiden made up his mind already. He wants to apologize and join The First Cut again.”
Jordyn couldn’t believe her ears. Aiden wanted back in? After the attack which nearly cost him his life? Was Aiden that desperate to be liked that he would give in to an egomaniac like Zoe? And Leah was fine with it? She didn’t sound like she thought everything was okay by the tone in her voice earlier. Jordyn was confused.
“Wait. Are you saying Aiden is forgiving Zoe and Spencer? And joining her fucked up bullshit again?”
Leah nodded emphatically.
Jordyn exhaled. “Wow. Either Aiden is the most forgiving person I know or he is a glutton for punishment.”
Leah tensed up again. “Aiden is neither of those things. He was upset at first but then blamed himself for what happened. He feels sorry his selfishness disrupted the evening. Aiden never meant for things to spiral out of control.”
Jordyn stepped closed to Leah and lowered her voice. “Zoe caused all of this. Not Aiden.”
“Regardless of our opinions, Aiden wants to return to the way things were before Friday night. He doesn’t want to lose his friends over a simple misunderstanding.”
Jordyn chuckled. “First of all, it’s not an “opinion” about what happened. And second, Aiden wouldn’t lose his friends. Not his REAL friends.”
Leah tilted her head. “I have to get to class. I have to hand something in before the bell rings. But I will let Aiden know you and Todd were thinking of him. It’ll all be fine soon. You’ll see.” Leah turned and headed up the hall. She called back over her shoulder. “Thanks, Jordyn.”
Jordyn remained in place, stunned. She tried to make sense of the mixed signals. Leah was apprehensive then calm. Her demeanor and tone were aggressive then went back to passive Leah. And Leah completely dismissed Jordyn’s argument. She knew her reasoning was sound. None of it made any sense.
She wondered what Todd was going to say when she filled him in on the conversation. Jordyn imagined Todd would say something like, “That’s bullshit.” Then he’d storm off to talk to Aiden.
Jordyn started to walk to her first period class. She knew there were some big decisions ahead. After talking to Todd over the weekend, Jordyn thought the decisions were behind them. Now she and Todd had to figure out if they would stick it out in The First Cut, or be sensible and walk away on their own. Or what if she decided to walk away and Todd chose to stay? Or maybe she would stay and then Todd would decide to leave the group?
There were too many variables and all the possibilities were hurting her brain.
Jordyn had a suspicion that things were going to be glossed over as easily as Leah had made it sound. Would Zoe and Spencer even allow them to waltz back in? And if they did allow it, would everyone talk behind each other’s back and conspire against one another?
So much had changed in several days. Jordyn loved her life in high school. She had everything going for her. The boys thought she was hot. She was a senior and knew her way around the teachers to avoid working too hard. She was part of the cool kids group. In her mind, she was going to graduate as one of the elite in Tenafly High School, along with her best friends.
But all of it might be gone.
The end of her senior year might be marred by one night of bad decisions. She would always have the memory of how great things had been and the precipitous fall right before graduation. Jordyn didn’t want to live with memories like that. It would be a nightmare.
She squeezed into her first period class just as the bell sounded. Jordyn slid into the desk along the windows and looked around at the other kids who sat in her History class. She was saddened that her life would become as plain as all of theirs if The First Cut fell apart. Jordyn realized she would have to go along with Leah and Aiden. She had to try to make things work again.
So she wouldn’t have bad memories.
Chapter 10
Aiden tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. The school day had ended and he hurried to the parking lot. He wanted to catch Zoe before she went home. Aiden thought the impromptu conversation would take some of the wind out of Zoe’s sails. She wouldn’t be able to prepare for his apology if she had no idea it was coming. Plus, he wanted to get it over and done with. His mind had tortured him all weekend about it. Concentrating during class hadn’t been easy either.
Zoe was on her way to her car. Aiden scanned the lot and was relieved he didn’t see Spencer or anyone else from the gang yet. If he could pull off the conversation before anyone happened upon them it would be even better. Aiden sprinted the remaining few hundred feet to close the distance.
“Zoe.”
Aiden could tell Zoe recognized his voice. She appeared to bristle at his presence. She spun around with her jaw offset. A grimace framed her face.
“You trying to do something to me?”
Aiden got closer. Zoe’s question caught him off guard. “What? No.”
“Good. Cause I don’t think you know what you’re messing with.” Zoe slammed her books on the hood of her car. Aiden felt himself begin to shrink. Zoe looked like she was preparing for a fist fight.
“I...just wanted to apologize for the other night.” Aiden checked back toward the school to see if any of their friends were coming.
Zoe shifted her stance. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about Aiden’s words.
“I was out of line. I shouldn’t have caused so much trouble.” He noticed how hard it was to maintain solid eye contact with Zoe.
“Is this a joke?”
Aiden shook his head. “Not at all. I’m sorry for getting you so upset.”
The sound of running feet approaching caused Aiden to flinch. As he turned, Aiden watched Spencer jogging over to them. Aiden took a defensive step back. He chided himself for allowing his fear to seep through.
“Trouble, Zoe? Nice face, Aiden. I’m sure the other guy looks worse, right?” Spencer dropped his books on the pavement and placed himself inches in front of Aiden’s face.
Aiden wanted to piss himself. He understood this body language from years of being bullied on the playground. There was only one reason a guy would get this close to another guy. It was the universal signal for an upcoming fight.
“I don’t want any trouble, Spencer. All right?” Aiden raised a hand to distance himself from Spencer’s menace.
“You’ll love this, Spencer. Aiden apologized for causing problems Friday night. Can you believe that?” Zoe’s tone became sarcastic.
“No shit. So I don’t need to finish what he started then?”
Aiden stepped back. “No. I don’t want to fight you, or anyone. I just want to apologize. We’ve all been friends for too long to let a little disagreement come between us.” Aiden glanced between Spencer and Zoe, who approached them.
“I’m glad you came to your senses, Aiden. I wasn’t looking forward to punishing you for your lack of respect. But I am willing to do whatever it takes.” Zoe folded her arms across her chest. “Protecting The First Cut and its secrecy is more important than any one individual.”
Aiden nodded. He stared at his shoes. He hated himself for being cowardly but if he connected eyes with them for too long, Aiden was afraid he would puke all over the asphalt.
“I spoke to Leah this weekend.”
“Oh yeah. And what did that fucking cunt have to say?” Zoe spat the words as if she was heading into battle. Spencer grinned like he waited for a wrong answer to come forth. He was like a big cat, ready to pounce on a zebra.
“She...she agreed with me. Leah thought I was out of line too. I told her I wanted to make things right and she said I should do it.” Aiden checked the parking lot for Leah or anyone. “Even if it meant getting my ass kicked again.”
Zoe and Spencer laughed. They patted each other’s arms, enjoying Aiden’s submission. Aiden briefly wished he had a baseball bat so he could whack them both across the skulls with it.
“Sounds like Leah is much smarter than you.” Zoe got back to business quickly. “So you apologized and saved yourself some trouble.”
“I want back in.” Aiden was shocked the words shot out of his mouth before he could think.
Spencer laughed with his tongue jammed into the side of his cheek. He spun on his feet and circled around Aiden. Zoe didn’t move a muscle. She stared into Aiden’s face. Silent. Considering.
“You want back in? Back in what? The First Cut?” Zoe glanced at Spencer and continued without awaiting a response. “Why should I trust you again? How do I know you aren’t going to pull the same shit in two weeks, huh?”
Zoe tightened her pony tail. Spencer leaned back against the hood of Zoe’s car. He folded his arms and crossed his legs over, pleased with taking a spectators position. Aiden stiffened under Zoe’s calculating glare.
“I promise I won’t have a problem again.”
“Oh, you promise. Your promises don’t mean fucking shit to me, Aiden. And what about the others?”
Aiden blinked rapidly.
“How do you know Todd and Ryan will let you back in? How do you know Jordyn and Spencer will trust you again?”
Aiden noted the absence of Leah’s name. He wondered if Zoe assumed Leah was still in the group. Or if she considered Leah’s defection a separate offense requiring her own apology and groveling.
“I want back in. Leah is fine with me coming back. She told me herself.” Aiden thought on his feet and tried to play up to Zoe’s power trip. “I figured you were in charge around here and the decision would be yours.”
Aiden watched Zoe inflate with pride. Spencer made a hissing noise as if he disagreed with Zoe being the decision-maker for The First Cut. Zoe shot Spencer a look. Spencer held her gaze for a moment. The he raised his eyebrows and lowered his head. Aiden took it as a sign he caved to Zoe, but he wasn’t happy about it.
Zoe returned her attention to Aiden. He felt her eyes burrow holes through his skull, dissecting his intentions. Searching for remnants of malcontent.
“I’ll have to consider your request. I don’t have an answer for you at the moment.” She pursed her lips, thinking some more. “I’ll get input from everybody first. Then I will come to a decision.” She inched closer to Aiden. He felt her hot breath against his ear. It made his flesh break out in goosebumps. Zoe finished with a whisper. “And my decision will be final.”
Zoe smiled in Aiden’s face. She stepped back toward her car.
Aiden was torn between telling Zoe to go fuck herself and running away to the tree line t
o piss himself. He was glad the discussion was over. But he knew the war was still engaged. Zoe and Spencer would be all over him if they allowed him to re-enter the group. He knew they wouldn’t trust him any longer.
Chapter 11
Todd grabbed Jordyn’s hand and ran. Jordyn whined that his grip was hurting her and she demanded to know where he was taking her. Todd was much taller than Jordyn. His vision had picked up a potential problem across the parking lot. Aiden was alone with Zoe and Spencer. And from what Todd could make out, things didn’t appear to be going Aiden’s way.
Todd shouted to Jordyn over his shoulder without breaking stride. “Up there.”
Jordyn finally got up to speed, willing her shorter legs to keep pace with Todd’s longer strides.
They snaked their way through parked cars and groups of classmates milling about. Todd saw a few burnouts making their way toward Aiden and Spencer. When blood was in the water, high school kids circled the cage like sharks. They all wanted to be front row for a fight. Especially the burnouts. Burnouts lived for misery.
Todd let go of Jordyn’s hand and sprinted the rest of the way to Zoe’s car. By the time he reached the area, any indications of a confrontation had dissipated. The burnouts waved their hands and shook their heads in disappointment.
“What’s going on here?” He gasped the words as he tried to catch his breath. Todd was in great physical shape, but his adrenaline was surging and it took some of his air away.
Zoe smirked at Todd. Spencer rested against Zoe’s car. Todd glanced at Aiden before checking back with Zoe.
“Perfect timing, Todd. Our little friend, Aiden, was just apologizing for Friday night.” Zoe seemed sure of herself. Todd had grown weary of her attitude. He liked fucking Zoe and looking at her sick body. But he wondered if that was enough to compensate for her bitchy power trips.
“Apologize? For what.” Todd glared at Zoe. Jordyn finally caught up. She tweaked Todd’s back to get his attention but he ignored her.