Story: Middle Part 4
[[Continuity Note: I don't know why I bother with these when I'm still writing in chronological order...]]
For Alf had never found it difficult to make friends, whereas Damien had always had other friends. Alf had, secretly, prided himself on being able to lay claim to being Damien's best friend, when everyone else were merely his friends. But now, he had nothing and no one. It was times like this that led Alf to think about how they'd become friends. And he realised that he didn't remember. He and Damien had just always been friends. It was probably because they'd lived across the street from each other forever. There was also Rock, but two years could make a lot of difference when you're young. And Rock had always been a bully.
And it was this pain that he was feeling, that his best friend had called him a liar, and belittled their friendship like that, this pain that made him do something he would regret in the lonely portions of the evening, when he was tired and not thinking so clearly. It was also this something that would made him smile on warm nights when he was surrounded by friends, thinking that if he hadn't been so terribly immature then he would certainly not be where he was, so happily.
And what was this something? Revenge.
While he'd heard that revenge was a dish best served cold, he hadn't heard anything about it being better when people knew it was you. Alf was certain that he'd have a certain quiet satisfaction in exacting his revenge. He didn't have the heart to start with Damien, though, so instead, he started the vengeance game with the first boy who'd asked him to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
Unaccustomed to the regular prank playing, as Alf had never had these sorts of feelings before, Alf was uncertain how far to take something, before it would be too much. After all, it was just a little teasing. He just needed something to occupy his lonely times now that they were more frequent than they had ever been before.
While watching said boy (Alf didn't even know what his name was) retrieve a can of soft drink from the vending machine, Alf had a great idea, though he was uncertain if he could pull it off. He distracted the boy by having his cap fly off a distance. That was the easy part done. Now, Alf had to shake the can without anyone else noticing. To achieve this, he shook it so fast that he hoped no one would notice, and that the boy wouldn't feel anything, as he was still holding onto it. He went a little too far, though, and the boy dropped the can. He didn't worry, though, and the boy just took it back to his place at the lunch table.
Alf watched with a barely concealed smirk as the boy (almost in slow motion - that's how eager Alf was) pulled up the tab and pierced the can. Immediately, the liquid erupted and covered the boy in a fine lava of soft drink. Alf wanted to pat himself on the back for a job well done as the rest of the gang laughed at their woeful companion. In fact, Alf thought that the best part would be that no one bar him would know that he had anything to do with it. Such power would certainly brought out the crazy prankster side in anyone. At least, that's how Alf dealt with it. He supposed that there were probably people who were more moral than him who still wouldn't dare. But they just didn't know the fun.
Over the next few days, Alf practiced harmless pranks on portions of the student body. A favourite hat found itself on a school roof, and when returned to its owner, was covered in fresh birds droppings. Alf had had to work pretty hard on that one, he had to get the food there so that the birds were there, and make sure that the school's handyman wasn't going to get up there before it had been nicely shat over.
Another time, two girls' hair ties mysteriously continued to fall out, leaving their long locks lasciviously laying about their shoulders. Yeah, that was funnier if you were there.
It was while Alf was following a boy, carefully unzipping his bag since he had one of those convertible bags that, if unzipped would definitely empty all his belongings onto the ground. He was so concentrated on this that he was very surprised when he suddenly fell to the ground as though his feet were stuck together, and he watched as the bag magically zipped itself up, with not help from himself. He tried to stand, and, when he looked at his feet, realised that somehow his shoelaces had been tied together.
"What?" he muttered to himself, then saw the girl from the dentist's office standing in front of him. This was not good.
"Hello," she said, calmly, smiling the evil smile of someone unaware that they were being evil.
Alf casually rotated so that he was was sitting up, shoes still knotted together. He rose carefully (and inwardly congratulated himself for not falling down). "Er, hi," he greeted, looked shamefacedly at his feet... then looking away because that was far too much shame.
"Alfonso Struthers, you've been a very naughty boy," the girl reprimanded. Alf's ears reddened as he discerned a somewhat sexual meaning that the girl had clearly not intended.
"Sorry. Just blowing off a little steam."
"I understand," she nodded. "But that's just one of those impulses that you're just going to have to control."
"I'll have to control it?" Alf queried.
"Of course. You do want to be a functioning member of magical society, do you not?"
Alf gaped somewhat like a fish, but more like one of those cartoons with the wide eyes and the jaw touching the ground. The idea that there could be anyone else with powers like him had never crossed his mind. After all, if there were, then why had he never heard about them? "Are you a functioning member of magical society, then?"
"Not at the moment, no," the girl responded. "But I will be once I'm eighteen. My parents won't trust me until then." She looked at him as though to say 'Parents, who needs them?'
"Ah," Alf nodded. And continued nodding.
"Look I know you can do magic. I had a bit of a suspicion that day you came in to see my uncle, but now I know. And my family's very interested in meeting you."
"In meeting me?" Alf's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Well it'll be difficult to explain in the two seconds we have before the bell rings but I guess I'll have to try. Magic's always run in families, which is why no one besides us knows about the existence of magic."
Alf's eyes widened. "Does that mean my parents-?"
"No," she interrupted. "And that's why my parents are interested in meeting you. We looked for any trace of any ancestor you might have had who once had magic and forsook it. But there wasn't anything."
"Oh."
"I'd like it if you came over after school," she handed him a small slip of pink paper. It had an address and a phone number written on it. "We'll be expecting you, so ring if you aren't coming."
And with that, she turned and walked away. As Alf took a step, he realised that she hadn't given him her name. The second thing he realised was that he should have untied his shoelaces before taking a step. The third thing he realised was that he wasn't falling over and that the girl must have untied them for him. Well. That was awfully generous of her.
[[end scene]]
posted by Cedric @ 10:49 pm
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