Page 140 of Deviant

“God, you cheerleading chicks are all sorts of dumb.” Ruby shakes her head.

“Hey! Don’t fucking talk to my girlfriend like that. I would never lay a hand on a woman, but don’t fucking try me! Not where Harper’s concerned,” Andy defends passionately, looking ready to give Ruby a piece of his mind.

“I’m your girlfriend?” Harper swoons beside him, not even caring that Ruby called her dumb.

“Yeah…. well… that is, if you’ll have me?”

“Oh, Andy!” she cries out in utter glee, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You two are going to make me barf,” Big Mike says before putting two fingers in his mouth and pretending to gag.

“Okay, so dipshit number one over there is the arsonist. That still leaves eleven more fucked-up shitty things that haven’t been accounted for yet,” David interrupts, eyeing all of us suspiciously.

“Actually, I think you did the math wrong on that one. By my count, we only need to find out who the other ten are, since we already established that you’re dipshit number two—the narcissist.”

“Fuck you. Who says I’m not the psychopath?” David counters, as if psychopath is a step up from being labeled a narcissist.

“You just proved my point. You’re too dumb to be a psychopath. That takes brains,” Lucas antagonizes by pointing at his head, gaining David’s middle finger for his troubles. “But he’s right. As much as I hate to agree with David, there was somepretty fucked up shit on that wall. Killer… murderer… that is pretty goddamn heavy if you ask me.”

“Don’t forget fucking rapist,” Harper says, purposely lowering her gaze to the floor, so she doesn’t make eye contact with anyone. “I think that one might top all of the others. I’m sure the rest of the girls will agree with me.”

“Okay, I admit it.” Chris steps into the small circle we’ve created.

“The fuck? You raped someone?” Andy asks, completely bewildered by Chris owning up to it so cavalierly.

“What? Me? No, no, no.God, no. I’d never do that to a woman. Never.” Chris shakes his head like the very thought of harming a woman churns his stomach. “No, what I meant to say is that… well, how should I start this?”

“Take your time, Chris. Just tell us what you meant,” I try to encourage him. It’s clear that whatever he’s hiding has been weighing on him for quite some time. I, more than anyone, understand what it’s like to keep a secret you’re ashamed of.

He gives me a thankful nod and takes a fortifying breath.

“The first thing you need to know is that sometimesThe Scourgemoney my folks get isn’t enough for us to live on. My pops loves to play cards. I’m pretty sure he loves it more than my mom, me, and my little brothers. It wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t so bad at it. He loses more than he wins, which means most times, money is tight around our house.”

“We get it. Your old man has a gambling problem. Just get on with it, Chris. We don’t need to hear your whole life story. Just tell us what you’ve done,” Ruby says with a roll of her eyes.

“Will you give him a minute, Ruby? Can’t you see he’s having a hard enough time as it is?” Lucy comes to his defense.

“Thanks.” Chris smiles at her. “When my granddad was still alive, he taught me a lot about plants and shit. He was known for his green thumb back at Blackwater Falls. And though I neverreally did well in school except for playing football, I soaked up everything he taught me like a sponge. Looking after flowers, herbs, or any other type of plants felt like child’s play compared to the classes we had in school.” There’s real pride in his voice and demeanor as he confesses his love for botany, but all too quickly is that pride replaced by shame. “When things got so tight that we no longer had enough to put food on the table, I used my grandfather’s cabin up in the woods to plant… weed.”

“Did he say weeds?” Abbie whispers, confused.

“What I think the idiot is trying to say is that he’s the drug dealer.” Big Mike smiles like he’s actually prouder that his friend sold pot than he is that Chris found something he actually enjoyed doing.

“I know it’s bad, but I got desperate,” he says, staring at me for some reason. “Please don’t tell your dad, Rowen. My parents would lose their minds if I got locked up. I mean, how would they even survive? My whole family depends on that money to get by. I know it’s a crime, and that I should be punished for it, but if you could keep my secret just between us, I’d be forever grateful. So please, don’t tell the sheriff on me.”

“Jesus,” Elias mumbles, forcing me to elbow him in the gut to keep his mouth shut.

“I promise. My father won’t hear a peep from me. I’ll give you my word.” I smile at him, Chris’ face lighting up instantly.

I try to keep my smile intact, while inside I’m sobbing for him. It’s like he’s either refused to accept that he might die here in this house, or is too naive to even realize the predicament he’s in. The other alternative is that Chris found a way to completely extract himself out of the situation, allowing his mind to lie to him and feed into the illusion that he’s safe. That this is just an adventure he’s on with his friends, and nothing else.

When Chris turns his back to me, I stare everyone down with a menacing glower, not wanting them to say a word that mightburst his happy bubble. If this is the way Chris has decided to cope with the games, then who are we to deny him that small ounce of comfort?

“Do you feel better now, buddy?” Lucas asks him, patting his shoulder.

“I really do.” He lets out an exaggerated exhale. “I feel lighter. You guys should try it.” He grins widely.

And with that, Harper raises her hand, announcing that she wants to go next.

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