You bastard! The word is flung, loud and clear, at him from across the room, even if it wasn’t spoken.
“What I want, Bambi, is for all of you ladies to get serious,” John’s expression has turned firm and he’s suddenly adopted a no-nonsense attitude. With his hands clasped behind his back, he begins to pace back and forth in front of the room. “You could be in a position one day where the one thing that could save your life was missed because,” he pauses and turns to look directly at Bambi, “your mind was elsewhere.” His gaze moves to Elsie, “Get serious,” then to each woman’s face in the crowd. “I have seen results of the most horrible things done to women, and I’ll be damned if I let those things happen to any of you. So, while you’re in here, I want your mind to be focused and serious and ready to learn how to kick my ass. Nothing else should be in your thoughts. Understood?”
John catches a glimpse of the new guy, looking through the glass at his class, from across the room. Their eyes meet for a moment…and he smiles at John, slow and almost lasciviously, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. John glares at him, almost daring him to try anything with his girls. Yes, they’re his, his to protect and keep safe from pigs like that. Mr. Latin Lover throws his head back and laughs at John’s reaction, almost mocking him.
You want it like that? It’s on, Motherfucker, don’t try me. He’s thrown the first blow and John gladly accepts the challenge.
Elsie is somewhat relieved, but she can’t stop the daggers from shooting out of her eyes directly into the Blonde Bitch’s back.
I may not be able to have him, but I’ll be DAMNED if you’ll dig your fake press-on nails into him.
Janie’s hand gently grabs onto Elsie’s forearm, pulling Elsie’s attention back to her. Janie smiles, winks, and whispers to her, “Don’t worry Babe, that shit has no possibility of ever happening. He’s so into you, the guy can’t see straight.”
It’s so good having your Thelma to my Louise.
CHAPTER 4 Eight Years Earlier, Elsie, “No one ever listens, this wallpaper glistens. Don’t let them see what goes down in the kitchen. Places, places, get in your places. Get in your dress and put on your doll faces. Everyone thinks that we’re perfect. Please don’t let them look through the curtains.” Lyrics “Dollhouse” by Melanie Martinez
“Why did you cut my pictures from the yearbook layout? The only ones I took, that are in the yearbook now, are the couple from the debate?” Elsie yells at Joe Stienberg. They’re sitting in the school’s makeshift ‘studio’ for the yearbook.
Joe’s the smartest kid in their senior class, the guy will probably discover the cure for cancer, but he’s such a pussy. He lets people walk all over him and use him, especially the homecoming queen and head cheerleader, Sarah Johnson, who’s boyfriend happens to be the quarterback of the football team, Johnny Simonella, the best looking guy in the whole school. And who is also too good for her. Sarah is the biggest slut in the whole school, but no one would dare whisper a word of what she really is. Ho Bag.
Joe turns to look at Elsie, finally beaten down by the constant badgering she’s been giving him for the past hour, over her pictures getting cut from the yearbook. His eyes are bulging out of his head from the strain of holding himself back, instead of choking the shit out of her. If he had to listen to another minute of her pounding on his brain, all because he cut most of her pictures, he’d snap. He was beginning to doubt if he’ll be able to stop his hands from wrapping around her neck and squeezing until her eyeballs pop out.
“Because,” he begins, almost shouting at her, before regaining his composure, he continues, “Elsie you know how things are. The popular kids get the most attention, and well, they’re the…most popular.”
She can’t believe that just came out of his mouth. Elsie stares at him a minute, in complete shock.
“How can someone so intelligent say something so completely fucking stupid?” Elsie finally says to him, shaking her head in disbelief.
Joe’s mouth clamps shut. The only person in the world who could shake his calm demeanor is Elsie, and his life had been a total hell since they started going through the pictures and choosing the ones that would make the final cut for the yearbook. To be honest, she had every right to be angry. What she was trying to do was assure that everyone had a presence in the yearbook, which was the fair and considerate thing to do. Unfortunately, if he’d stuck to her plan, there wouldn’t be enough pictures of the popular kids. This was politics, and politics aren’t fair. Neither is popularity, and popularity sells. It sucks, but that’s the way life is.
“I am not getting into this with you again, Elsie, so forget it. You’re wasting your breath. The picture lineup is finalized.” He looks at her once again, squaring his shoulders and gathering the courage to do what was expected of him, even if it was not necessarily right.
He could see the look of utter disappointment and hurt on her face. Elsie has a pretty face, behind the glasses and cloud of dark brown hair, full of life and passion. He’s had a huge crush on Elsie ever since the ninth grade, but now he’s ashamed of himself for turning his back on what is right, in exchange for what is ‘expected’; for selling out. It’s almost impossible for him to look her in the eye now, her complete disappointment is shouting loud and clear at him.
“I’m sorry, Elsie, it’s out of my hands,” he says with a
