Chapter One: Mister Mister. Would you be so kind as to lend me a cigarette?

A Chapter by Amanda Eckhoff

I sat at the cafeteria table that I always do with the friends I always eat lunch with. As they were chatting about what they were going to be doing this weekend, I stared at the wall and did my best to tune them out. I didn’t care about what they did or said.

"Angel! Angel!" I snapped out of my ignoring trance to see my girlfriend Candy looking at me expectantly. I've always hated the name Candy and reasoned that only trailer trash and strippers can have that name. She had placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head at me.

"What?” I asked her irritated that she was demanding my attention.

"Where you even listing to anything I said? No of course not you never listen to what I have to say do you? It's always about you. You, You, You. You can never listen to me, even when I have semi-important stuff to tell…" I cut her off when I felt my nerves crackle.

"No Candy I wasn't listening. You want to know why? Because I don't give a f**k." Every one at the table looked up at me surprised, not used to seeing my aggravated. For one reason or the other, I just wasn’t able to take the nagging anymore. I stood without much thought and took a few steps away to the door when I realized I left my bag.

"S**t." I walked back to the table and quickly grabbed my bag before turning on my heel to walk away. One step later Candy’s voice halted me.

"I was just telling you about the party at Shawn's. But if you are going to be a little b***h about it than don't come." I turned around to look at her and she had a smile on her face as if she thought she had just won some

argument. The smirk pushed me from irritated to pissed off.

"F**k you…" I turned on my heel just to hear her voice stop me again.

"I wish you would sometime. I’m honestly not even sure you have a dick, you’ve never given me any reason to believe you do.” The rest of our group, Candy’s friends mostly and some guys from the basketball team all stared at me, not knowing how to expect me to respond. I hadn’t ever acted out of place like this. I’ve never before let on how much she truly bothered me.

"Maybe that is because I know you've been fucked so many times that you’re so loose I wouldn't even feel anything." She gasped. Everyone fell silent for a moment. I took the chance to walk away. I hated that I felt bad for saying it to her. I walked away with the guilt that I shouldn't have. That realization that I should feel bad, but did anyway made me furious. I bypassed the office and shoved my way out the door.

I began to jog unnecessarily when I was outside, trying to get to my car as quickly as possible. Someone stepped out from the side of the car and before I could react, I had slammed into them and sent them to the ground.

“S**t.” I said surprised. I looked down to see his books where scattered everywhere. He took a moment to register what had happened and then began to grab his books, not looking up at me.

"Hey I'm sorry; I didn't mean to run into you." I knelt down and helped him collect his books. When he finally looked at me, I froze. I wasn’t sure what it was but I was struck. When I noticed the wolf ears on top of his head and tail resting against the concrete I realized he was the new hybrid kid. We had been told about him and were told to be respectful and not make fun of him. He wasn’t different from any other person physically but he had wolf ears on top of his head. They were big. His tail was tipped with white and the rest was grey.

He had almost shoulder length hair, but his bangs were a shorter side swiped to the right cut. They fell right below his right eye. His hair was almost black. His eyes were a fierce brown, and his jaw was strong. His lips where full. I didn't even realize I was staring until he gave me a confused glace.

"I didn't mean to run into you, sorry." I said again, he grabbed his books and inhaled deeply but shakily. He put them in his bag and spoke for the first time.

"Uh, I should b-be sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I was just dropped off and I didn’t even know where I was going." I let an involuntary sigh of relief that he finally spoke.

"Don't apologize, you know. It was my fault." I stood up and extended my hand to help him up. He was light and short, but somewhat intimidating. He grabbed his tail and clutched it to his stomach. His eyes refused to meet mine; instead he stared down at the pavement.

"My names Angel by the way. Well it's Benjamin as in Benjamin High, but I prefer Angel." I smiled, not really knowing what else to do or say. I don't know what possessed me to stick around and introduce myself. I knew that all my friends would give him hell as soon as he walked through those doors, and if they ever saw me hanging out with him or even talking to him, then I'd be putting him at risk for a serious beating. I liked the way he stood and his voice. It startled me a bit but the fluttering in my stomach intrigued me.

"My name's MiKey." He didn't smile back and he looked nervous. I held up my finger in a 'just a second' motion. It had been all day since I had a cigarette and I wasn't planning on letting him go just yet. I pulled out a cigarette and put it between my lips before lighting it. I took a long drag then exhaled it.

"No I'm not 18 I'm 16, but I can trust you to not tell right? You seem pretty cool." He looked to the side and shrugged. He then looked at my cigarette with a longing expression. I extended my hand with the cigarette and raised my eyebrows.

"You want a drag?" I could see my hand shaking as I held it out to him. I couldn’t explain the feeling I had. It was like my energy had all built up at once and was trying to find a way to escape me. He looked at me then took the cigarette from my fingers with a shaking hand. He slowly brought it to his mouth and inhaled. He let it out fast with a sigh. I know a nicotine addict when I see one. This poor kid has been deprived. He was about to hand it back but I put up my hands in mock-defense.

"No-no keep it. If I'm right, I'd say it's your first one in a few days?" He nodded and scuffed his shoe on the pavement. "So, you are new here?” I asked, knowing it was a dumb question but wanting to hear his voice again. He nodded again.

“Yeah, but I should uh, really go in.” He said. I was disappointed but I wasn’t just going to leave the conversation that way.

“Well look. If you do decide you want to talk then-" I searched my pockets for a pen and found one in my bag’s pocket. "Here is my number. If you want to talk or just hang out." I wrote it on a sticky note I had conveniently placed in a pocket of my bag, and folded it, then handed it to him.

"Uh? Th-thanks. For everything." He held up the cigarette as a gesture, to explain what he was talking about. He blushed and I couldn’t stop myself from thinking it was damn endearing how shy he was.

"No problem, MiKey." I laid my hand on his shoulder as I walked by, and the warmth of him electrified me. I shook it off and pulled another cigarette out.

"Um, Angel?" I turned around. He was standing there looking at the sticky note.

"Yeah."

"When should I uh-call or…or text?" His eyes met mine and it nearly knocked the breath out of me. I had since forgotten how angry I was when I left the building. I was feeling anything but anger then.

"Anytime MiKey, my phone is always on." With that being said, I lit up then walked in the direction to my car.

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