Page 54 of Unhinged Kallie

The water slides seemed like a good place to go and have a reason to scream. The line for the tallest slide was short and I made my way toward it and started climbing the stairs. I wasn’t a fan of heights. Scared was the wrong word, but I definitely preferred not walking up a tower with the wind blowing my hair and a towel wrapped around my waist. When I reached the top, about twenty people were waiting, and I could hear a group of guys acting like idiots coming up behind me.

“Great,” I mumbled under my breath as they thumped up the stairs causing vibrations to travel up the tower. I gripped the railing a little tighter.

“Stop pushing, you fuck,” one of them yelled, but it was followed by laughter.

I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this kind of bullshit because I knew what was coming. I could feel it like a sixth sense.

“What do we have here?” And there it was, the sexual innuendo comment, just like fucking clockwork.

I knew that voice. My back stiffened as memories of having my milk poured over my head, and my lunch flipped off the table into my lap flooded my mind. The last time I saw Chester was the day my mom was killed, and he’d grabbed me by my backpack and dragged me into the girl’s bathroom, where he hit me across the face and took the five bucks I had in my pack for emergencies. All my books had gotten wet from landing in water from a flooded toilet.

He’d laughed and called me Shit Stick. I’d replayed every moment and interaction I ever had with this guy over and over, hoping that one day I would see him again. This was not the day or the way I’d envisioned.

“Nice ass.”

I didn’t bother to turn around. I needed to keep my cool, and engaging with him would not accomplish that. But guys like him couldn’t leave well enough alone.

“I gave you a compliment, bitch. You should say thank you,” he said softly, his voice close to my ear. Unlike most people who might be intimidated by this walking dick for brains, I dreamed of throwing him over the railing and watching him fall just to be sure he landed on his head and it exploded on impact.

“And that will be why you haven’t fucked anything that’s not tied up, so it can’t run away,” I said and glared over my shoulder at Chester.

“Oh damn, Ches…,” his friend said and proceeded to laugh as Chester glared.

“You would only be so lucky,” he said.

“Thanks, but I’d rather have my dog lick my kitty. He doesn’t look like a pimple on a toad’s asshole. Besides, I don’t do shriveled-up raisins for cocks. Thanks anyway.”

“Damn, dude, she burned you good.”

Chester’s face flamed red, and he clenched his hands before his eyes went wide, and I knew it had dawned on him who I was.

“Shit Stick?”

The line moved, and I stepped up but whipped around when my towel was pulled off. I watched it sail over the railing and flutter away in the wind as my hand balled into a fist.

“What are you going to do, Shit Stick? Nothing, because you’re just as pathetic as the day you ran away from school like a little baby.” He made crying noises, and it was the first time I was simultaneously furious and completely calm.

Was this what my dad felt like? Unemotional all the time? I didn’t know how I could feel the two opposing emotions at the same time, but I did.

“No stupid comeback?”

“No, I’m just amazed that so much shit can come out of your mouth in one breath.” I stepped onto the top platform and followed behind the guy in front of me. He kept looking back at Chester, and I knew it wasn’t just me who thought he was a loser.

“You should watch that bitch mouth of yours.”

“Ches man, maybe just leave her alone,” Chester’s friend said and grabbed his arm, but Chester shrugged him off. He looked like a giant road cone with his fluorescent orange and black striped shorts and matching towel.

“Shut up and get off me.”

“You really should listen to your friend Chester, but then again, you didn’t listen to anyone about purchasing those shorts you’re wearing. You look like you’re trying to audition for a B-rated version of Tony the Tiger.” I smirked. “Then again, I doubt even a fictional character would want you to play them. How did you get guys to hang out with your ignorant and bullying ass? Did you threaten them or pay them.” I looked at his friend. “Whatever he’s paying you, it’s not enough.”

Chester looked like an angry tomato same as he did the day he dragged me into the bathroom.

“Now, if you’re done spewing garbage, I’d like to get back to enjoying my day before you came along and sprinkled your obvious internal unhappiness on the rest of us.” The person in front of me stepped up to the mouth of the steep slide as the lifeguard demonstrated how to go down feet first and keep your arms crossed.

“You’ll regret saying that.”

“Oh, I’m scared,” I said, but I didn’t bother to turn around and face him.