The silence of the cool morning darkness was broken by the sound of car tires pulling in the lot. James turned the key, immediately putting the obnoxiously loud stereo to a stop. There were multiple scents in the air, but he only smelled one today. The distinct essence of blood was on his mind this morning, and that’s what he was determined to have. He slammed the door of the vehicle shut as he walked past its branded hood. The name, in black letters, was spray painted on the white exterior. Everybody knew this car. It was the automobile known only as ‘White Trash’ due to its poor condition. He walked with a brisk pace through a maze of Fords and Buicks. Remembering his plot he felt the outside of his pocket. He found the same buldge in it as he had the night before. “Right where I left you.” James chuckled as his brain began to race through the steps of his plan. H could practically feel the vibrations of a corpse hit the floor as women shrieked and men fled the scene. “I’m coming for ya,” he murmured “so ya better run.” He put an evil smirk on his face. This was the kind of smirk that involved the eyes, while tilting his chin down and looking forward. He put a kick in his step as he began to walk unusually happily to the door. His aura of cruelty filled the black void with a deeper sense of morbidity. He grasped the cold metal handle of the double doors, making sure to let a young female step in before him. After all, he wasn’t an animal.

He skulked through the never ending corridors, hallway upon hallway. After he stepped down a flight of stairs, he turned and stopped around the corner to deposit his books. As he shut the door of the locker, he felt a presence of somebody watching him. His nerves jumped as his instincts kicked in. He pivoted on his heels, putting his fists up, ready to block an assault, but he recognized the face of his stalker. It was a young, pretty face with hazel eyes partially covered by long locks of blondish brown hair. His guards instantly shot down to his sides. This was Taylor, one of the few girls who actually recognized his existence.

“Hi.” She spoke, gesturing her hand towards him. She was his best friend and they had grown accustomed to locking eachothers pinkies together as they walked down the hall to the library in the morning. This was partially because she was intimidated by the seniors that lined the walk, and he had once promised to always escort her through it.

“So, how’s it goin’?” James offered his usual conversation starter.

“I’m good, but you’re scaring me. All that stuff you said on face book last night got me worried. I could barely sleep.” She began with a tone hinting at despair.

“Yeah,” he tried to defend himself from the trap he had already fallen into “I think I’m finally done with him though.” It was no use now. Her glare was even more powerful coming from behind her bangs. It was like they were in a war with his conscience, and had to take cover in order to avoid an attack. The two continued on, picking up their usual light tone of voice, as they moved on to brighter topics. She was very shy, and often quiet around others, so he led the conversation most of the way. He couldn’t understand why she mainly talked to him. She had other friends who were in her grade, but she would confide mostly in him. James was a junior at Roncalli High School, while she was a sophomore. Still, there was something magical that drew him to her. He talked to her more than any of his friends because she seemed to understand him completely. The rest of his classmates didn’t seem to get him, and some even mocked him. One recent bully was Alex, who had been James’s friend for years, but had recently decided to feud with James to impress a girl. James had more classes with the girl, o he saw her flirting with a senior, while Alex only saw her beauty. James didn’t want to tell his pal that he had no chance, but he also didn’t want to see him crushed. She was not his type anyway. She was extremely social, while Alex, along with James’s small group of other peers, was quiet. They were the complete antithesis of eachother, but Alex did not see it.

Taylor stopped short of the door they had both approached interrupting James’s train of thought.

“Why are we here?” she inquired, reading the sign that read ‘Cafeteria’. “We always just go up the back stairs and to the library, remember? We have been avoiding this place ever since…” her cautious speech was cut off by his deeply mellow tone.

“I just have to drop something off to a friend. He’s supposed to meet me here. I swear it will only take a few seconds and then we will be off to the library.” His eyes begged permission as he attempted to copy her glare. It didn’t work because she knew him all too well.

“I know what you’re doing.” She admitted. “Please don’t.” her heart rate increased as she began to panic.

“Trust me.” He finished the argument, ensuring hope through his body language. His charming stature always caught her off guard. She motioned for him to go as he turned and walked into the room. The scene was abundant with the usual social cliques, as a former attendant popped his head through the door way. James used to be a regular down here in the morning since his closest friends gathered here to chat before class. Nobody noticed him walk through the white room, which was usual. He made it a point to go unnoticed. The floor was made of white tile, with the occasional blue. The walls were bordered with a single red stripe colored the same as the doors. James headed toward the back right corner, targeting a boy in a red polo. He seemed to fit in nicely with that corner, covered in trash and crumbs which the mice drug down to their black abyss. Dust encased the floor, altering the tiles color to grey. Spiders were rarely spotted, but their webs covered the walls. The light fixtures above the hang out were never replaced, so it was constantly shrouded in the twilight of the dimming bulbs. The boy James had picked out had noticed his arrival, and didn’t look too thrilled to see him.

“Its you.” Alex spoke with a sudden eeriness that alerted the room to quiet down. “What do you want?”

“Yeah, it’s me, and I got something for ya.” James sputtered as his hand crawled for his pocket. This is exactly how he had imagined it. Alex hadn’t suspected a thing, but something was wrong. For whatever reason, James’s hand didn’t shoot out of his pocket as quickly as he had thought it would. In fact, it was still held up in the space, gripping a metal object with all his might. He felt a pair of hazel eyeballs burning in the back of his neck. He turned his head to observe a tear run down Taylor’s cheek. “I can’t do this.” James mumbled to himself.

“What did you just say?!” Alex yelled, standing up in an attempt to frighten him.

“I said” James sighed as his limb finally pulled free of his hip “here’s your knife back.” Something clattered on the table between the two. You could feel the tension in the air as Alex looked down seeing his folding pocket knife. He had loaned that to James months ago. “I don’t need it anymore, but thanks for letting me borrow it.” James spoke in an accepting voice. He may not have liked the outcome, but he was proud of himself. His triumphant exit was intercepted by a word.

“Wait,” the tomato pleaded as he hinted at forgiveness in his tone “I don’t want it. It’s probably got your emo aids all over it.” Those words reminded James of his reason for coming to the cafeteria that day. He had intended on killing the evil in his life. He was harassed everyday by this hex, and now, he had closure to the friendship that lay in pieces. James continued to walk, head held high as Alex continued to spit insults at him. He had more important things to worry about.

“I knew you couldn’t do it.” Taylor smiled as he trudged back to her. “It doesn’t make you weak, it makes you stronger.” She seemed to read his mind as he looked up, shocked at her insightful words. She quickly grabbed for his hand, waving at empty space until his palm met hers. Her grip seemed to inject joy into him, and they walked down the hall towards the library.