Lex Thomas - Quaranteen

“Get that guy!” A mob of Geeks burst into the workshop.

“You get him, I’m trying to work!” the shirtless guy snapped back.

Will was already out of the room. As he sprinted down the hall and rounded the corner, the Geeks’ shouts faded. A minute later he skidded into the foyer of the school. It was empty.

He couldn’t run anymore; he wasn’t out of breath, he was heartbroken. He dragged himself to an out of the way corner and sat underneath a shattered window. Will gritted his teeth so hard he thought they would crumble.

David knew how Will felt, and he’d stabbed him in the heart anyway. It was revenge, pure and simple, cold and calculated.

Will’s eyes overflowed. He tried to wipe the tears away, but more kept dripping out.

Will could finally see how much his brother hated him.

David had held it in for so long, but now it was all out in the open. And the worst was that Lucy meant nothing to David either. He’d just led her on with his quarterback bullshit act, so she could never, ever really consider Will. That’s what happened at the pool, when Lucy pulled away from him. She just saw David’s little brother in front of her, the virgin from the trail. David just had to have it all. He always got it all. He was the star. Will kicked the window frame.

He wished Smudge had never told him to go.

An hour before, Will had been stationed at the third-floor door to the Stairs. Everyone had gone to the show, mostly everyone anyway, just Will and a skeleton crew of kids remained in the Stairs, guarding the exits. He was in the middle of telling himself how unfair it all was when he heard a whisper echo in from the other side of the door.

“It’s Smudge.”

Will stayed quiet. He trotted over to the stairs and leaned over the railing to make sure the guards below didn’t hear. He didn’t see anyone. He hurried back to the door.

“It’s about Lucy. Lemme in,” Smudge said.

Will narrowed his eyes. He was curious. He pushed the barricade back just enough so that he could pull the door open a crack. Smudge was right outside, staring back at him.

Smudge’s nose was plagued with blackheads. Smudge looked grave. It didn’t suit him. It only made him look uglier.

“I saw something tonight. Something I thought you should know about.”

Smudge told him that he had seen David with Lucy at the Geek show. He said they were all over each other, for everyone to see. Will didn’t believe him, but the longer Smudge talked and the more details he supplied, the more afraid Will got.

“Trust me, Will. I’ve watched a lot of people make out. I know what it looks like when two people are about to mash lips.

This was, like, a half step away. Who knows what they’re doing now?”

The thought of David and Lucy kissing made Will even more ill than realizing that Smudge probably spent hours watching the Pretty Ones from that air vent in the pool room. Probably jerking off.

“He ain’t your friend,” Smudge continued, “I’m your friend, man. What pisses me off is that you’ve been so loyal to that asshole. I mean, you could’ve come with me the day of that food drop, but you didn’t. You stuck with him because you guys are brothers.”

Will punched the door.

“I’m sorry, man, I shouldn’t have told you.”

“No,” Will said. “You did the right thing.” That’s when Smudge offered to cover for him on guard duty for ten minutes. And Will ran all the way to the auditorium.

And then he saw them. All over each other. Licking inside each other’s mouths. He wanted to die.

Will stood up. His tears were dry now. He knew what he needed to do.

He was going to kick David’s ass.

Lucy knew she wasn’t in love yet. This was just the beginning, but it felt tremendous. She felt so full with joy that it lifted her off her feet. She’d seen the same joy bubbling up in David too. He’d unleashed his inner goofball. She spent half the night with her mouth hanging open. She couldn’t believe David’s silly voices or the imitation of a drunk giraffe he did to make her laugh. She wished she could peek into his ear and see everything inside his head.

Lucy ran around a corner and crouched down next to the stripped skeleton of a water fountain. David was chasing her.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling, but she couldn’t stop. She was breathing hard, her whole body tingled. She poked her head past the water fountain and peered down the hall. There was no sign of David. He could’ve been anywhere.

She popped up and ran. She’d get to the Stairs eventually, but she was having fun. She looked around every corner. Still, no David. Her heart drumrolled from the anticipation.

She couldn’t wait for David to catch her.

She should have been afraid, but she wasn’t. She was with David, and David would never let anything happen to her.

She raced around another dark corner. Something collided with her. Unseen arms lifted her off her feet. She tried to scream, but pure fright kicked the air out of Lucy’s chest.

Her attacker took her down to the floor quickly, but a hand slipped behind her head to soften the impact. It was David’s hand. His lips were on hers. The first kiss was soft and gentle, like they were sharing a whispered conversation. But then his body pressed heavy into hers. His lips were firm and hungry, and he made a deep humming noise that made Lucy sweat.

She lost track of time. She felt small and delicate. David pulled away and stared into her eyes. He said nothing. She didn’t look away. She didn’t dare risk losing the power of the moment. She felt connected to him, bonded to him, vulnerable to him. It overwhelmed her. She was completely lost in him.

David stood and pulled her gently to her feet. They walked back to the Stairs without saying anything. Some of the time he had his arm around her, and the rest of the time he held

her hand. She thought he was pretty good at both. Everything was so right.

When they passed through the guards and the barricades of the Stairs, they paused by the armory. They were jolted from their dream state by the racket of three floors’ worth of conversations, arguments, and gossip. The Stairs sucked the life right out of her.

She grimaced at David, and he grimaced back. Lucy didn’t want to deal with the rest of the gang. She didn’t want to walk up there and have to declare themselves an item, but she also didn’t want to walk up there and pretend like nothing was going on. And then there was Will. Guilt reached its hands out at her. She pushed Will out of her mind.

“Do you want to go hang out in the elevator?” David said.

Lucy turned to David, filled with relief. She squeezed his hand.

“Yes.”

“Wait here. I’m gonna grab some candles. I’ll be quick.” David bounded up the stairs. The elevator sounded wonderful. She couldn’t think of a more romantic place to hide.

Just them, and no one else. Her perfect night didn’t have to end just yet.

Behind the curtains of David’s quarters, the noise of the gang was softer and more distant. David fished three candles out of a tin can that was nailed to the wall. He rooted around in

other cans until he found a condom. Just in case. It wasn’t like he had a plan. He’d stopped planning when he kissed Lucy in the auditorium. Lucy didn’t need him to be a hero. He didn’t have to act like everything would turn out all right. And he didn’t have to be on guard. He just had to be himself. That’s all Lucy wanted. It made him happy.

And then there was Will.

David thought he would have passed him on the way up to his room, sulking at his post. But he didn’t, and he didn’t care.

He’d deal with Will tomorrow. Not that there was anything to deal with. Lucy had told David plainly that she wasn’t interested in Will. That was that, and everything afterward just happened. Nothing more to say.