Chapter XXI

Lilly’s world seemed to be spinning as she sat in the Magic Club’s room, tapping her foot against the ground as she impatiently stared at the door. She could hardly believe that the events of that day had actually happened. She had always been under the impression that smashing lockers and defiling desks were just things that happened in terrible high school dramas. She never thought something like that would actually happen in real life, let alone to a girl she considered a good friend. Her heart had been beating so hard all day that she found herself struggling to get through her classes. After all, the very reason she had always preferred to be alone had been to avoid drawing attention to herself and to stay out of situations such as these. Now, it was very possible this was happening to Alice simply because she associated herself with the club. If that truly was the case then it wasn’t unlikely that something similar could happen to her, too, and that thought terrified her.

It’s just not fair, she thought furiously. Why should somebody be bullied just for getting close with someone? The club isn’t bad! What’s wrong with being a little bit weird? I mean, they’re nice, and compassionate, and they’ve helped me numerous times since meeting them despite hardly knowing me. They don’t deserve this and neither does Alice!

She glanced over her shoulder to see the other members of the club in various spots around the room. Damien was sitting quietly at the table in the back, typing away on his laptop like he often did. Liz was lounging in a desk close to him, her headphones around her ears and her eyes closed. Eric was sitting behind Lilly, staring down at the orange stone laying on the wooden surface before him, something that was common for the tall boy. There was no sign of Jay or Vinny. Both had gone home without a word and Lilly couldn’t help but to feel nervous about that.

The anger in Vinny’s eyes that morning unsettled her. The blonde boy was someone who had always been upbeat and cheerful, with a smile on his face and a joke always on the tip of his tongue. The only time he had ever shown any sort of anger was when Eric first proposed letting Brad use the stone, but even then, he had seemed more irritated than angry. The way he acted that morning made her wonder if there was something about him that he hadn’t told her about. Part of her had considered asking one of the other members but she also didn’t want to pry into business that wasn’t her own.

She finally turned back to stare down at the surface of the desk she was sitting at, her hands folded atop it. She wanted to do something about it but she didn’t know what she could do. She wasn’t anything special. She was just a single, normal person. Even if she knew exactly who was behind the incidents, she knew she wouldn’t have the courage to do anything about it. Even after all the time she spent with the club, she still wanted to refrain from drawing more attention than necessary. Already, she was feeling slightly overwhelmed just by having that association with them. If she added anything more onto that, she wasn’t sure she could handle it.

But I don’t want to leave Alice to deal with this alone, she thought. I made the choice to be her friend and I meant it when I said I wanted to be. What kind of friend would just sit by and allow this to happen?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She raised her head to glance at the door, thankful that he was finally there.

“Come in,” Eric called out.

Seconds later, the door was pushed open and the large form of Bradley Fischer walked in, a disgruntled look on his face. Lilly glanced over her shoulder to see both Damien and Liz slightly tense at the big boy’s presence in the clubroom. She knew they still weren’t his greatest fan but, thankfully, neither complained when she told them she had invited Brad to the room to talk. However, since she knew the others preferred to keep their distance, she knew the role of leading the conversation would be on her. Even Brad refrained from looking at the others, choosing instead to look only at her as he closed the door behind him.

“Alright, Lilly, I’m here,” he said, albeit reluctantly. “And I don’t mean to be rude but is this going to be quick? I’m gonna get hell from the guys if they know I came in here.”

Lilly smiled, understanding his position and grateful that he came to help her regardless. Back when he received his grade for the test, Brad had told her that he owed her one and, if she were to ever need a favor, she could ask him. So, she intended to cash in on that favor so that she could do anything to help Alice.

“Don’t worry, Brad,” she assured him. “It won’t be long. I just...wanted to ask you for a favor.”

He sighed, seeming to understand that she was taking him up on his offer to pay her back. She even suspected that he knew more or less what she intended to ask of him. Yet, despite that, she could see in his eyes that he would keep his promise and do whatever she needed.

“Alright,” he said after a moment. “Go ahead. Whatever you need.”

Her smile widened and she hoped that by seeing how willing he was to help that Damien and Liz would feel a little more respect for the him. After all, ever since their tutoring sessions, Brad had become almost like an older brother to her and she found she truly did respect him. It was why she felt so confident turning to him for help. He was one of the few people she would trust with something like this.

“It’s about what happened to Alice this morning,” she said.

There wasn’t even a hint of surprise in his features. “I figured as much. And I do have to say that I have no idea what went on there. I had nothing to do with it.”

“And I don’t think you did,” she told him. “However, while I can’t speak for the locker incident since it happened before school, the desk thing bothers me. Remember how Mrs. Kentz seemed shocked to see what happened to it? While it’s possible she didn’t notice before she went out to her usual post outside the classroom, part of me wonders if it wasn’t there until after she left.”

Brad closed his eyes and exhaled softly. He knew what she was getting at and she could tell that he had considered the possibility, too. When he didn’t say anything in response, she continued.

“You were studying with Ellie this morning, right?” Lilly asked. “That’s why you didn’t get to class until right before the bell?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s why.”

“Then...do you think it’s possible that Evan or one of the other guys did that to her desk?”

She didn’t beat around the bush despite the fact that she was directly accusing his friends of being behind the graffiti. Part of her worried that he might get mad at her but, thankfully, he simply nodded once again.

“It...unfortunately wouldn’t surprise me,” he replied. “Evan...hates Mickelson almost to a disturbing degree. I wouldn’t put it past him to target Alice just to get under his skin.”

“I was thinking along those lines, too,” she said. “Plus, when he was making fun of the situation this morning, he almost seemed too proud of himself...like he was the one who did it and he wanted Vinny to know that. Has he...said anything to you that might’ve made it seem like he did this?”

Brad slowly shook his head. “I haven’t talked to him much today so I can’t really be sure.”

“Okay then,” Lilly muttered, feeling her resolve strengthening as the conversation continued. “Then...here’s what I need help with. Can you talk to him? You don’t have to directly accuse him or anything. Just see if you can tell if he did this or not. I...need to know...for Alice’s sake, I need to know who did this to her.”

Brad’s lips tightened and he seemed to consider her request for a moment. “And? If he is behind this? What are you going to do?”

She shrugged. “I...don’t know yet. That’s the honest truth, Brad.”

The big boy glanced away for a moment then reluctantly nodded. “Fine. I’ll talk to him and see what I can learn. Just...promise me one thing, Lilly. Don’t get yourself hurt. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was genuinely worried about her. Brad seemed as if he did think Evan was behind the desk defiling and he knew the boy was a bit unstable. Lilly knew that if she did try to talk to Evan herself, there wasn’t any guarantee that he wouldn’t lash out in some form. In fact, it was likely that Lilly would get herself dragged into the bullying with Alice, something that would only make the situation worse. She knew there was very little she could actually do to help, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to find some way to try.

“I promise,” she replied. “I’ll be careful.”

That seemed to satisfy him and some of the tension in his body eased up. He then glanced around the room at the silent club members, who were watching the interaction unfold. For a moment, Brad stared directly at Damien, as if considering something, before turning and facing Lilly once more.

“I’ll do what I can,” he said. “But I have to go now. I’ll fill you in on the situation first chance I get, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Brad.”

“Don’t mention it.”

With that, he turned and walked from the room, leaving Lilly and the club members staring after him for a few moments. She was grateful that he was so quick to accept her request despite his obvious desire not to get into any problems with Evan. She exhaled softly before turning and looking back over her shoulder to gauge the reactions of the others. Eric seemed relieved while Damien and Liz looked still conflicted by the situation.

“We can trust him, right?” Liz asked softly, eyeing Lilly with a look that told her that the girl’s fears hadn’t been eased by the talk with Brad. “I mean, you don’t think he would try to cover Evan’s ass, do you?”

Lilly firmly shook her head. “Not at all. I trust him completely. He’ll be honest with us. I promise.”

“I agree,” Eric chimed in. “Fischer won’t lie to us.”

Liz only looked partially comforted by the sincerity of their words while Damien only seemed more conflicted as he turned his attention from Lilly to Eric.

“Is that what your sense is telling you, Eric?” he asked hesitantly.

The taller boy smirked, eyeing his old friend wryly. “I thought you didn’t believe in my sense.”

“I don’t,” Damien grunted. “But I know you do...and I’m just curious.”

Eric laughed almost to himself before responding. “Yes, Damien. My sense tells me that we can trust Brad on this matter. However, even if my sense weren’t telling me so, I would still trust him for the simple fact that Lilly does. In my mind, her word is good enough for me.”

Lilly still couldn’t help but to find herself surprised by his words. No matter how often he said it, she could never truly understand how he could put so much faith in her. It was flattering as much as it was confusing.

Damien sighed, leaning back in his chair and shrugging. “Fine. I’ll trust her.”

“I guess...I’ll do the same,” Liz muttered.

The agreement of the other two only added to Lilly’s sense of surprise. It felt strange to her for them to trust her so unconditionally. To her, it didn’t seem like she had ever done anything to earn that trust and at the end of the day, they had only known her for a brief four months. All she could think of was that it was simply how the club was. They believed in her simply because they liked her and wanted to. It made her that much more determined not to let them down.

Alright, Brad,” she thought. You got this. I believe in you.

***

The sight of Brad Fischer walking down the hall sent another wave of irritation flowing through Evan’s body but, for the sake of not causing problems with the other guys, he refrained from showing too much of his annoyance. The truth of the matter was that, despite Brad’s impression that they were friends, Evan truly couldn’t stand him. He didn’t have a backbone and always seemed to be opposed to doing anything even remotely fun. The big boy had been shooting him glances all day which was enough proof for Evan to determine that Brad already suspected him of being involved with what was happening to Vinny’s girlfriend. Knowing how much of a stick in the mud Brad could be, there was no doubt in his mind that he was about to be chewed out.

But whatever, he thought irritably. Fischer can say whatever the hell he wants. I don’t have to listen to a cowardly fuck like him.

“Evan!” Brad called out. “Can we talk a moment?”

Reluctantly, deciding that it would be best to get Brad off his back as fast as he could, Evan turned and leaned up against the wall of lockers. However, he refrained from looking his teammate’s way, instead staring straight ahead through the windows across from him. It was getting dark out which told Evan that, could he have seen the horizon though the dark gray clouds, he would have been able to see the sun setting. Even though basketball practice had been that morning, Evan had stayed to do some drills with his friends out on the track. He had changed back into his uniform and was going to get some stuff from his locker when he noticed Brad approaching.

God, I don’t want to fucking deal with this asshole, right now!

“The fuck do you want, Fischer?” Evan growled as Brad walked up to stand beside him. “And if this is about Mickelson’s dumb bitch of a girlfriend then I don’t want to fucking hear it.”

When Evan turned his attention away from the windows to look at Brad, he found the taller boy staring back in clear surprise, which only told him that he’d been right on the mark. However, unsurprisingly, Brad recollected himself fairly quickly and replied firmly.

“Then you are the one doing this,” he stated sharply.

Evan scoffed, clenching his fists down at his sides. “What’s it to you? It’s not like it’s any of your fucking buisness so why don’t you stop sticking your nose into every little thing I do and fuck off, Fischer.”

Normally, it didn’t take too long for Brad to back down. Evan knew the boy preferred to avoid a fight at all costs and so, all he had to do was get in his face and Brad would back off. So, he was thrown off guard when the boy instead took a step forward, rising to full height as if to warn him not to do anything to piss him off.

“Leave her alone, Evan,” he growled. “Alice didn’t do anything wrong.”

His surprise lasted only a moment before fury spread through every part of his body. Evan pushed himself off the wall and stood up straighter as well, though he was still a head shorter than the boy before him. Though, that didn’t deter him as, if it was a fight Brad wanted then it was a fight he would get. There wasn’t anybody in the hall so there wouldn’t be anybody to get in his way.

Maybe kicking Brad’s ass is what he needs to get out of my business, Evan thought with a sneer.

“Oh? Poor little Mendez didn’t do anything wrong?” he hissed. “And again, what’s it to you? I didn’t know you were so cozy with the bitch. What? She fucking you, too, Fischer?”

“Screw off,” Brad snapped back. “I hardly know the girl but that doesn't matter. You’ve taken it one step too far this time, Evan. Busting open her locker...drawing all that horrible shit on her desk...it’s disgusting and frankly, you should be ashamed!”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Evan rolled his eyes in annoyance. “And you’re just assuming I’m the one behind the whole thing. I may have fucked with her desk but I didn’t do anything to her locker. You can thank little Miss. Davens for that. So why don’t you go interrogate her and see how McCormick likes you getting in his girlfriend’s face.”

Evan took pleasure in the look of surprise that crossed his opponent’s features. “Davens? You mean Rina? She busted the locker? Why?”

“Why else?” Evan hissed, starting to enjoy the confrontation. “Because Mendez is a fucking slut, sucking the dicks of losers like Brooks and Mickelson. And now I’m really starting to think she’s got her lips around your cock, too.”

He expected Brad to finally stay true to his cowardly personality and back down but, instead, his features only hardened, as if he was determined to say what he wanted to say.

“Is this about Mickelson? Brad breathed. “Are you and Rina fucking with Alice because of Mickelson?”

Evan snorted. “Can’t speak for Davens, but of course I am. You think I care who Alice Mendez fucks? All I know is that she’s dating that scumfuck and he gets utterly pissed if anybody even breathes on her. It’s perfect, isn't it? You should be thrilled by this! We finally have a way to get under Mickelson’s skin without getting involved with Clark! Not like I’d care if that motherfucker decided to go after me but I know all the rest of you are pussies when it comes to him.”

Brad shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like Vinny Mickelson, but this...this is ridiculous. For one, I am not going to stand by and let you go after a girl and secondly, you’d be stupid not to be terrified of Damien Clark! The fucker almost killed somebody for god’s sake! And if you think he won’t be pissed that you’re going after his best friend's girl then you’ve got another thing coming!”

“Then let him!” Evan snarled. “I’ll kick Clark’s ass! I’m not afraid of that piece of shit! Those rumors are probably exaggerated to hell and back anyway! And as for you, I don’t care if you won’t stand for it. I’ll kick the shit out of you, too, if you make me!”

For a second, the rage in Brad’s eyes was so intense that Evan almost expected him to throw a punch and was ready and willing to take him down if that’s what he had to do. In fact, part of him was tempted to hit him first, break his nose, and send him crumpling to the ground. He knew it would feel satisfying after all the shit he put up with around Brad. However, his excitement at the prospect of a fight was completely dashed when a third voice sounded out across the hall.

“Everything okay, boys?”

Evan scowled, turning to glance over his shoulder to see one of the school’s history teachers, Mr. Alexander, walking down the hall, carrying a few books under his arm.

“Yeah,” Brad growled. “It’s fine.”

With that, the boy turned and stalked past Evan, leaving him standing there, furious that his chance to take on Brad had been taken away from him. But he decided he shouldn’t let it bother him. After all, if Brad was serious about getting in his way and defending Vinny Mickelson then he was sure he would get a chance to take him on eventually. All he had to do was be patient.

“Mr. Wright?” Mr. Alexander asked. “Are we okay?”

Evan snorted and shrugged.

“All good, Mr. Alexander.”

Then, without looking back, Evan stalked down the hallway, instantly reaching his hand into the pocket of his uniform to pull out his phone. Clearly, the magic fuckers had somehow gotten into Brad’s head and turned his fellow teammate against him. So, he decided he would make them squirm a little bit as payback for getting in his way. He had gotten Alice Mendez’s phone number from Rina so he decided it was time to put it to good use. He quickly typed out a message and pushed send, finding himself in a slightly better mood knowing it would only piss Vinny Mickelson off even more.

***

When school let out, the snow began falling on the small town of Wilham once again. Similarly to the previous Saturday, it wasn’t a hard snowfall but rather a calm and almost peaceful one. However, to Vinny, all it served to do was put him more on edge as he made his way down one of the neighborhoods just a few miles from the school. His backpack was slung over his shoulder but, since he had opted to leave most of his textbooks at school, it wasn’t very heavy. The hood of his winter coat was pulled up over his head and he was wearing gloves and yet, he could still feel the biting chill of the evening air on his skin. He shivered, his boots crunching in the light blanket of snow that covered the sidewalk he was on.

The houses around him had their fronts decorated with icicle lights and wreaths hung on their doors. There were snowmen and reindeer that were lit up placed on their lawn and glowing candy canes along the edges. One house with its window open even gave Vinny a view of a rather large Christmas tree within. It was such a festive mood and yet, he felt like it was all a world away. Families would be spending time together and enjoying the season within the warmth of those homes and there he was, walking alone out in the cold.

I want to celebrate. I honestly do. I love the holidays but...with everything going on, I just can’t get myself to calm down. Something needs to be done about this! I can’t just leave Alice to deal with the consequences of associating herself with me. I have to do something but...what?

His thoughts shifted back to his near fight with Evan that morning, causing his stomach to tighten just by thinking of it. He still wasn’t sure whether Evan’s taunts were because he knew Vinny was pissed off about the situation or because the boy had something to do with it. He wouldn’t be surprised if Evan was behind it but, without any proof to go off of, there was nothing he could do. However, he was certain of one thing.

If Evan is the one behind this...then he’s going to fucking regret it.

Vinny shook his head and rounded a corner, finding himself facing a street with houses along its right side and a small park along its left. There was a large stretch of grass where families could play catch or have a picnic and, just beyond that, there was a little park with a play structure, a seesaw, and a swingset. The boy couldn’t help but feel partially relieved when he saw the lone girl on one of the swings as she swayed back and forth at a slow pace. He chuckled softly and stepped up onto the grass to begin making his way over to her.

“Enjoying the swings, are we?” he called out to her as he approached.

She dug her feet into the bark below her, drawing the swing to a stop before glancing over her shoulder to look at him with a smile that almost seemed as if the cheer was forced.

“Hey, Vinny,” Alice greeted. “Glad you could make it.”

“Of course I could,” he replied casually, stepping around her so he could approach the other swing. He brushed off the clumps of snow then plopped himself down into it, grabbing the chains with his hands before beginning to push his feet out to get momentum. All the while, Alice watched him as if amused.

“What?” he asked wryly. “Can I not swing?”

She giggled softly before shrugging. “No, of course you can. I just thought it was funny how at home you look on it.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her comment. “And what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I remind you of a child? I seem to recall you were the one who decided to swing first.”

“Very true,” she conceded. “So I guess that makes both of us children. We’re perfect for each other.”

With that, the conversation came to a close, leaving the two swinging side by side, the cold air making Vinny even more uncomfortable as he went faster. However, he found that the motion was oddly calming and, for the first time that day, he found himself feeling less overwhelmed by anger.

Though, that might be more due to the fact that Alice is here with me, he realized, sparing a look at the girl out of the corner of his eye.

From the side, he noticed once again just how cute she was. Her brown hair was long and silky with flakes of snow dotting parts of it, her cheeks were slightly red from the cold, and her eyes were a deep brown. Paired with her red beanie and her pink and black winter coat and he found himself unable to look away. It only made him that much more horrified that anybody would ever want to cause her harm. She truly was just an innocent girl going about her life without hurting anybody. Even after the horrid day she had just had, she was still able to joke with him and to smile, even if he could tell it was somewhat forced.

“I’m...sorry we couldn’t meet at my place,” she suddenly said, pulling him from his thoughts, “but I really don’t think that I need to be bringing a guy over that my parents have never met after everything that happened today. They’re kinda overprotective so it’ll just worry them even more. I know you don’t like the snow.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal. Just getting to talk to you after everything that happened today is good enough. Even if there was a goddamn blizzard, I’d still have trudged my way to this park.”

“Oh, please,” she murmured. “You know you could have just called me?”

“Not a chance,” he stated. “I needed to see you...to make sure you’re okay in person. I mean, after all...this is partially my—”

“Don’t say it,” she interrupted sharply. “I don’t want to hear anything about this being your fault, Vinny, because it isn’t. I don’t want you beating yourself up over this.”

The blonde boy sighed, turning away from her so he could look up into the dark clouds in the sky above. “Then why would something like this happen, Alice? What possible reason could anybody have to go after you like this aside from your association with me.”

“It could be anything,” she replied. “Maybe I just offended somebody and I didn’t realize it.”

He snorted. “Like hell that’s why. I’ve told you before, but I know there’s a lot of people at that school who would love to go after me...and I genuinely believe they would if they weren’t so afraid of Damien. Whether he likes it or not, people don’t want to risk setting him off…”

Alice sighed. “Honestly, I feel bad for him. After getting to know him a little, it’s obvious that those rumors aren’t true. It’s not fair that has to follow him around but...I’m glad it does keep people off of you guys.”

Vinny couldn't help but to grimace at her words, knowing that the rumors did, in fact, have some truth to them. However, for Damien’s sake, he refrained from correcting her, allowing her to continue on.

“But anyway, I don’t want you guys worrying about me,” she said. “I can handle myself. Whoever has a problem with me...I’ll just deal with it.”

Vinny immediately shook his head. “Not a chance in hell, Alice. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to do everything I can to nip this situation in the bud. Take it from me...it doesn’t take much for something like this to spiral out of control and for somebody to get seriously hurt.”

The girl frowned as she turned to look at him. “You...say that like you have experience.”

“I do,” he said firmly.

Vinny never would have imagined himself ever willingly telling anybody about his past. The only ones who truly understood what he had gone through were Eric and Damien—the ones who essentially saved him from it. Even Liz only knew a little about it since she joined their group after him. To Lilly and anybody else he met in high school, they would only know the upbeat and cheerful person he had tried to become and that was how he wanted it to stay. He didn’t want anybody to ever know what he used to be like. Yet, as he faced Alice after everything that had transpired that day, he found that he couldn’t not confide in her. He wanted her to understand why he wanted to help her so badly. He needed her to understand.

Alice seemed to look at him in surprise. “What happened...if you don’t mind my asking?”

He took a deep breath and began to explain.

“When I was just starting middle school, I was really insistent upon redesigning myself and being one of the cool kids,” he said softly. “I wanted to fit in with the cool crowd and be somebody that others could look at and think was awesome. In hindsight, I realize how utterly arrogant and stupid I was but it was what I wanted. So, I joined the flag football team thinking that was all I had to do to be cool. The problem was, I’m kind of a small guy and I was even more so back then, so...you can imagine what I looked like to the others on the team.”

Alice exhaled softly but didn’t speak. She seemed to not want to interrupt him and instead simply stared at him in clear interest, as if she genuinely wanted to know about what he was telling her. There didn’t seem to be any judgment in her eyes and that gave him the strength he needed to go on.

“Cause I was so small, I was easy prey to get my ass picked on,” he continued. “The big kids on the team were never openly violent but they always seemed to be trying to get me into trouble. They talked me into doing so many stupid ass things...most I don’t even want to talk about. But let's just say I was so desperate to be a part of their crowd that I shoved a stink bomb into a teacher’s desk. Got suspended for a week for that one.”

He took another deep breath, cringing at what was one of his most hated memories.

“I got suspended so many times in seventh grade because of these assholes,” he whispered, though still loud enough to be heard over the squeaking of the swings. “I got a reputation, you know? Everybody knew I was the dumbass getting into trouble and everybody thought I was just some attention whore. By eighth grade, I started wising up to my supposed friends’ shit. I knew they were trying to get me in trouble and so, I started challenging them more directly. Suffice to say, every time I got into a fight, I got my ass kicked and, due to my reputation, everybody always thought it was my fault. I just got angrier and angrier. I wanted to see these guys get what they deserved.”

He laughed to himself as the memories came flooding back.

“What got me to really snap was so pathetic,” he admitted. “All they did was take a measly little pencil from me but...I needed it for something that I don’t even remember anymore and...I just couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped the kid and beat the shit out of him right there in the middle of class. I don’t think he saw it coming so...it was and is the only fight I’ve ever won. For that one…” He sighed. “I’m lucky I didn’t get expelled. Hell, I almost did.”

“I’m...sorry,” Alice whispered, finally bringing herself to speak. “That sounds horrible.”

He nodded, trying his hardest to act like none of it bothered him anymore but he knew that wasn’t true. There were still days he found himself thinking back on middle school and how terrible life was back then. It only made him that much more grateful for the club.

“I...despise bullying,” he muttered. “The thought that people will pick on and go after others, belittling them and making them feel utterly worthless...I can’t fathom why somebody would ever do that outside of just being evil. That’s why I have no intention of just sitting by and putting up with this. Whoever is doing this to you...is going to stop. One way or another, they’ll stop.”

Alice managed a smile but he could tell it was almost more forced than her earlier ones.

“Just...don’t get yourself in trouble, okay?” she asked. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”

He grinned confidently. “Don’t worry about me, Alice. I’ll be fine.”

I have a plan, he thought to himself. As long as I can figure out who’s behind this, I think I have a way to stop them. So, all I need to do is identify the bastard doing this and we should be okay.

“Hey, Vinny?” Alice said softly. “W-what...happened after you almost got expelled? I mean, you’re nothing like how you say you used to be. What changed? How did you get past it all?”

The boy couldn’t help but to laugh at the one good memory he had of that era of his life.

“This tall, lanky jackass approached me about a week after my suspension ended,” he replied. “I was sitting by myself in the hallways, eating lunch alone, and he walked right up and sat his ass down next to me. He had this dopey grin on his face and I thought he was going to be just an annoying shit. So I told him to fuck off and he simply laughed. Then he said something...that I won’t ever forget.”

Alice was smiling and he knew that it was obvious to her who he was talking about.

“What’d he say?” she asked.

“He said, ‘You don’t seem like a bad guy but you’re always in trouble. It’s not your fault, is it?’” Vinny rolled his eyes in exasperation at the memory, realizing that his old friend hadn’t changed much over the years. “I was shocked, you see? This dumbass was smiling at me like we were best friends. Over the course of the next few weeks, he kept on meeting me in that hallway for lunch and I gradually warmed up to him despite his nonsensical ramblings about magic and witchcraft and the like. Then in high school, he invited me to join a club all about that stuff and...well, you know the rest. Best decision of my life, to be honest.”

Alice giggled sweetly as she looked down at the ground. “And? You sayhis name or are you just going to keep being vague?”

Vinny sighed, knowing she just wanted to hear him say it.

“Eric Reiner, who else?” he replied with a soft laugh. “He’s a persistent bastard, that’s for sure.”

Alice nodded as she slowed the push of her legs, bringing the swing to a slower pace.

“Yeah, I can imagine,” she said. “Even only knowing him for a short time, I can tell that he’s the kinda guy who wouldn’t leave somebody out to dry.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly him,” Vinny grumbled. “The guy does everything he can if there’s somebody that needs him, no matter how much of an asshole the person is. He claims he has some secret sixth sense that allows him to, and I quote, ‘discern their true nature’. I’m not sure how much I actually believe him but, then again, after seeing The Switch in action, who’s to say really.”

Alice chuckled, turning her head to gaze out at the silent park. When Vinny followed her stare, he saw two squirrels scampering around in the snow before running up the side of a nearby tree.

“It’s still so strange,” she whispered. “Magic. I just can’t wrap my head around it even after having experienced it. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Eric did have some magical ability or something. Might explain why he was always so into the supernatural.”

“Oh, that’s all thanks to his mother,” Vinny told her.

Alice frowned. “His mother? What do you mean?”

“Well, you see,” he began, part of him wondering if he shouldn’t tell her for Eric’s sake but then recalling that his old friend wouldn’t be embarrassed in the slightest. “He says his mother was from another world...one where magic is common and not the mythical concept it is here.”

Alice seemed to barely restrain a giggle. “Really? And why would he think that?”

“Well, because she told him she was, that’s why,” Vinny said. “And she—”

Before he could finish, there was what sounded like a bell coming from the pocket of Alice’s jacket. She seemed to jump in surprise before reaching into her pocket to grab her phone. Vinny paused in his story to let her check it but, when her eyes went wide, he felt a pit forming in his stomach.

“What?” he instantly demanded. “What is it?”

Without speaking a word, she slowly handed him the phone just before glancing around the park as if terrified they were being watched. He was confused at what could have her so paranoid but, when he looked down at her phone’s screen, anger instantly rushed through him so intensely that, had the sender been present, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hold himself back.

On her phone was a single message.

I’m gonna fuckin kill you, slut.