Page 16 of Mayhem

Midas glares at me with so much malice that I should be scared. They won’t intimidate me. They won’t take me down. I am not dealing with them. Not anymore. I shake my head and close my curtains before heading back to bed.

Not much later, I hear the loud revving from their motorcycles. A rumble of excitement washes over me before I tamp it down. It doesn’t take long before they fade away into the distance, finally leaving.

It’s only eight o’clock, but I suddenly feel so exhausted. I quickly take a picture of me in bed before sending it to Evan with the caption saying I am going to bed early.

I don't wait for him to respond. I turn my phone off and put it on my bedside table. I turn the lights off and crawl under the covers. Sleep claims me quickly. Dreams of snakes, poison, and death fill my night.

Zeus

I stay at the window and stare into the darkness that is her room, wildly fitting for how I feel. Darkness is something I have become accustomed to and revel in. It is the only thing in this world that I truly understand.

Emotions are not something that has ever been easy for me, and they became even more difficult after my accident as a kid. After that, it was like they were shocked from my system. Darkness and anger were the only things that I could deal with. That made my dad happy. I was turning into the son he always wanted.

The longer I stare, the more my chest constricts. A feeling I don’t know is warring in me. Anger twining with it. The rage mixed with whatever was coursing through me. I need to do something to get it out.

I see a glass on Midas’s desk beside me. I grab it and throw it across the room, shattering it against the wall.Not enough. I need something more.I look around his room, wanting to destroy it but knowing I can’t.

Serena is dangerous and not like the usual danger we deal with. She makes me feel things I can’t explain and want to do things I have never done before. She makes me want to feel.

When we saw her last night- and she smiled while leaving her house- I knew I would do anything to see her smile like that. At school today, she didn’t smile once, and it hurt me in a way I never expected. I also saw how she covered her cheek when she ran into me today. She was in pain. If I had to bet, her boyfriend did that to her. I was ready to beat any mother fucker in my way today. Some poor freshman almost got my rage turned on him when he bumped into me in the cafeteria today. The only thing that saved him was me looking over at Serena and seeing her starting to smile with her new friends.

I want her to smile like that with me, more importantly, at me.

I have done cruel things; most would call me a monster, but I want to be better for her. Become more than just this shell of a person I am and be her monster if needed.

A fucking boyfriend, though. Of course, a girl like her is already with someone. It doesn’t make me any less pissed. I need to figure out how to get him out of the picture and get her all to myself.

I don’t care what I need to do to get her. I will do anything. Lie, steal, kill. Anything.

With that thought, my anger slowly started to seep away. I just need to create a plan that will guarantee what I want, and I already think I know the perfect one.

“A fucking boyfriend!” Midas roars, breaking me out of my trance.

Midas is pacing back and forth, his body tense. Odin is lying on Midas’s bed with a crazed look in his eyes. I know both of them want her just as much as I do, but I don’t think they want her for the same reasons. Midas is eager to win the bet and claim the new girl. He always has liked shiny new things, and poor Serena is his current obsession. Odin is more difficult to read about what he wants. I can’t tell if he only wants to win the bet or if there is something more there.

“Oh, come on, man. It wouldn’t be the first time you fucked a girl with a boyfriend.” Odin chuckles, but the muscle in his jaw is thrumming. He is angry about this. Odin has always hidden behind his sarcasm, always been the comedic relief between us, trying to lighten the mood no matter how dark it gets.

I learned a long time ago how to read people. It made it easier to figure out how to act around them. Most people are easy to read. They keep their emotions close to the surface. Midas and Odin are ordinarily a brick wall and don’t let anyone know what is happening to them. We learned the hard way a long time ago to hide any weakness.

“Fuck you, Odin,” Midas yells.

“This isn’t the end of the world. A boyfriend makes it a little more challenging, but not impossible.” Odin shrugs his shoulders, acting like he doesn’t care. I can tell he already has a crazy idea.

“I will own her. I don’t care what I have to do.” Midas pointedly looks at us.

He wants her, but he isn’t the only one.

I watch as she walks to her car. She looks so perfect. Her blonde hair is down and flowing in the wind. She is wearing a pale blue sundress that hugs her curves, showing her exquisite body off. I have to continuously tell myself not to go over there, throw her over my shoulder, and leave with her. If I could, I would put her on the back of my bike and drive off into the sunset with her.

I don’t know what it is about her that makes me want to act like that, but I need to know. I need to figure out what is so special about her.

I’m sitting on my bike, a black 1996 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail, in my father’s laneway, waiting for her to leave. She applies her lip gloss before turning her car on and pulling out. I wait a bit before starting my bike and following her. I try to stay back, hoping she doesn’t notice me.

Instead of going straight to school, she pulls into the café. I park a little down the road and walk back to the café to sneak in. It’s moderately busy this morning, but it usually is. The Hot Cup Café has been around for as long as I can remember. Mr. and Mrs. Jones opened this place almost forty years ago.

I stand in the corner and watch Serena stand in line. She stares at her phone, frowning at what she is looking for. Whatever is upsetting her is pissing me off. I want to make it better. When she finally gets to the counter to order, I move closer.

I need to get as much information on her as I can. Nothing is too small. The more I know her, the better chance of getting her to be mine.

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