Hate Every Beautiful Day
Chapter 6
By: Makena
Makena sat down at one of the long, white tables next to a girl her age with plaid bondage pants and a black Anti-Flag t-shirt. It was 3rd period art, and Makena had become good friends with the punk girl.
"Did you bring any magazines in for the collage project?" Makena asked, sitting down in time as the bell rang. Nicole - the punk girl - shook her head.
"I don't have any." She paused and grabbed one of Makena's magazines. "Never mind - I have one magazine."
Makena laughed. Mr. Tompkins - the art teacher - showed them some examples and set them to work on cutting clippings out for their own collages. Nicole started to flip through the magazine she had taken from Makena and stopped to scoff at some of the pictures and articles portrayed.
"So dumb," she spat. "Where and why do you get these magazines?"
Makena laughed and shrugged, flipping through a Teen Magazine. "I took them from my sister," she replied honestly. "I only get MAD. Check this article out..." She shoved a magazine under Nicole's nose. She began to read and burst out laughing.
"They can't be serious," she laughed.
The art room doors opened and a boy with dreadlocks stepped inside. He waved a yellow slip for Mr. Tompkins to see before he took a seat across the table from Nicole and Makena. Nicole looked up at him and grinned.
"It's little Billy," she announced, nudging Makena. "What are you in trouble for this time?"
Billy shrugged and took out a pen and blank piece of paper. "I got caught smoking in the back," he replied. "I have three days in-school."
"Again?" Nicole asked. "You're in there more than you're in class. You should consider making it a permanent settlement and call it good."
Billy shrugged. He began to draw on his slip of paper, but paused and looked back up at Nicole. "Hey, do you know a Benji Combs?"
"I know him," Makena spoke up. "He's an ass. Don't talk to him."
Billy looked over at the new girl. "He's an ass or he's punk?"
Makena groaned and rolled her eyes. "He's an ass. I tried to attempt contact with him, but he didn't seem interested. I have no problem with "punk" people..."
"ANYWAY," Nicole broke in. "She knows him. Why?"
Billy shrugged and chewed on the end of his pen for a moment. "I saw him in the office when I was in there," he explained. "He's in there more than I am. I was just wondering what his deal was."
"He has this thing with fighting," Makena explained with a sigh. "I've been here three days and I've already seen him pick three fights - one with his brother Joel and two with Aaron."
"That football jock?" Billy asked curiously.
"My BOYFRIEND," she replied. "But... I've heard he's an alcoholic... that might have something to do with something."
"That's so sad!" Nicole spoke up. "He's, what - 17? - and he's a drinker."
Makena shrugged and continued. "I'd prefer neither of you telling anyone - that was personal information that probably shouldn't have come up."
"Who told you?" Billy questioned.
Makena sighed. "His brother."
-----
Despite Makena's please for the topic of Benji's alcoholism to drop, it was all Nicole and Billy's group could talk about. Billy wandered over to one of the round tables in the cafeteria with a soda and a bag of chips - the popular lunch choice among high schoolers - and sat down between Paul and a kid with short brown hair, spiked and green at the tips.
"Hey, did you know that Benji kid is an alcoholic?" he asked, looking around the table.
"He's two years older than you," the green haired boy reminded Billy. "Don't call him a kid."
"Thank you, Brian," Billy said, rolling his eyes. "But the guy is seriously an alcoholic."
"No he's not," Paul said.
"It's true," Nicole jumped in, who was sitting between Paul and Makena. "Makena heard it." All eyes fell on the new girl, who coughed and looked over at Nicole.
"You know nothing," Paul said. "I know Joel..."
"That's who told her!" Nicole said. "Right?"
Makena sighed, but nodded. Paul's expression softened and he began to drum his fingers on the table top.
"That's kind of sad," a girl with dark dyed-red hair said, watching Benji from their table. "I mean - look at him, sitting at his table all alone. It's a wonder he hasn't killed himself yet."
Everyone at the table looked around at Benji, half way across the cafeteria, sitting by himself at the table and eating his school provided lunch. He took a bite of his grilled cheese and took a sip of the milk from the white and pink carton that sat in front of him, oblivious that seven people half a cafeteria away were watching him.
"Poor guy!" Nicole whined. "Maybe all he wants is a friend?"
"He must get made fun of more than we do," the red haired girl - Shannon - said, returning to her lunch.
"Has anyone actually ever talked to him?" a boy with natural blond hair and a red t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off asked.
"Besides the principal?" Paul asked. "I sort of did once."
"I did," Makena said. "He's really... not social."
"Maybe he just needs a friend?" Shannon. "We should try to make friends with him this year?"
"Like I said," Makena repeated. "He's not a social person. I'm sure he could get a friend if he really wanted one."
"I wonder why he doesn't hang out with his brother and his friends?" Nicole wondered out loud.
Makena looked around the cafeteria for Joel. He was sitting at a table with some baseball players, a couple of slightly punkish looking kids, and a couple of the "smart" kids. She sighed, suddenly felling sorry for Benji.
"Hey..." some one said, putting their hands on her shoulders. She turned around and saw Aaron. "I'm gonna go to the gym... see you when you're done?"
Makena smiled and nodded. Aaron smiled and left.
"I can't believe you're dating that jock head," Paul scoffed.
"Shut up," Makena said. "I'm dating him because he's nice and he's open to different things - not because he's on the football team."
She sighed. Today was not turning out to be a good day.