After Crista easily agreed to Kole’s plan, another ten minutes passed as he looked between Sky and Star, waiting for their decisions. Star didn’t seem to want to say anything either for or against the plan until she knew what Sky thought about it. But as broken as Sky had already been by the events of the last month, he was not entirely convinced that any plan would work at all.

Kole finally spoke up, “so two yes’s and two not saying anything. Does that mean yes wins?”

Sky simply sighed, “I need to go get smokes and fill up the car.”

Kole narrowed his eyes at him, “still not sure if that was a yes or a no” he pressed.

Sky just shook his head, “so are the two of you coming to the gas station with us then, or?”

Kole gave Sky another look of frustration after glancing at where Star remained silent, dark eyes on the floor of the car. “Fine, I need smokes too. Let’s go.”

Sky then looked at Crista, “guess that means you’re coming too?”

“I believe someone told me once that we should never be alone” Crista offered her answer with a slight sigh of frustration as well. Sky then just let out a long breath and started the car, still refusing to pass his vote on Kole’s plan, which therefore kept Star silent about what she thought as well.

When they arrived at the gas station a few minutes later, Kole pumped the gas while Sky went in after the cigarettes. It was true that he was not old enough to buy said cigarettes, but as long as Star was at least as close as the parking lot, he rarely seemed to have trouble ‘convincing’ the cashier not to card him.

Inside the car, Crista turned in her seat to look back at Star, “well?”

“Well what?” Star said softly, still not looking up.

“Um, still waiting to hear your vote on the ‘drive Curt so insane that he blows his head off just like his friend across the street from me did’ plan” Crista pressed. After all, none of them honestly had had much love for Tim either, regardless of that tragedy.

“Isn’t Curt already insane?” Star mumbled.

“Yes, but this is a better insane... for all of us and all those other girls, anyway” Crista prodded.

“I don’t know Crista, I mean, if it doesn’t work, or it just makes him come after us again?” Star just shook her head, still not looking up at the younger girl.

“And if he doesn’t go to jail, he’ll come after us anyway. Maybe before he even has his trial. We gotta do something” Crista pleaded.

“I don’t know” Star mumbled again.

“But that wasn’t a no” Crista stated with an attempt at hope.

“Let’s just think about it for at least another day or so, ok?” Star attempted.

“In other words, you won’t agree unless Sky does” Crista replied, narrowing her eyes at Star knowingly.

“Well, Sky is the victim, isn’t he?” Star stated sadly.

“Think we all are; just not in the same way” Crista sighed as she turned back around to stare at the store awaiting Sky’s return then.

Inside the store, Sky had made his way to the coolers at the back to peruse the drink selection. He was then startled from his browsing when a man who looked more like a soccer dad than anyone that would speak to Sky then cleared his throat to get his attention.

When Sky turned to face the man who looked to be around forty, he didn’t recognize him and began mentally sorting through the three lives of memories he had locked in that pretty head of his to try to decide if he should know who this man was. But before he could grasp onto any memory of him, the older man spoke, “don’t take this wrong, but you’re a guy, right?”

Sky was a little caught by that greeting from a virtual stranger, and wasn’t really sure if it was a compliment or not. After all, Sky did try his best to look like a pretty girl, but that was to attract those with similar tastes; like the club kids and other fellow outcasts like Kole and Crista; it wasn’t ever meant to impress or attract so-called ‘normal’ folks, like this man appeared to be. And usually when those sort of people noticed him, it was never a good encounter.

“I suppose that would be a yes” Sky answered warily.

“Do you go to Richmond?” the older man asked then, referring to their high school.

Still remaining tense about what sort of conversation this would turn out to be, Sky warily answered, “for now.”

“So, are you the one who messed up Curt Spencer’s arm? Heard that it was... someone like you” the man asked, his eyes darkening.

“I’m gonna just go check out” Sky mumbled as he turned to reach for the drinks he had been eyeing before the interruption.

“You didn’t answer me, boy” he stated the last word as more of an insult as he stepped closer, nearly pinning Sky between himself and the open cooler door.

“No, it wasn’t me. Now will you please get out of my way?” Sky replied, trying desperately to force his voice to remain even.

“Oh, so you’re the other one?” the man growled, “heard one of the two fairies at the school broke his arm and the other got him arrested for teaching him a lesson in the locker room. Guess you’re that one” he sneered.

“You need to move” Sky replied as he tried to get around the rather large man, and had no luck doing so.

“You know, we’ve lost every fucking game since Curt got kicked off the team. No championships this year because of you and your little boyfriend. Tell me how the fuck it is that you freaks are getting away with destroying the entire school year for every other kid and parent in this district? That just don’t seem right” he spoke angrily into Sky’s face then, speaking so close that Sky could feel his breath on his face.

“Neither was what Curt did to me and at least seven other people! Now move!” Sky managed.

That was when the store clerk finally noticed the confrontation happening at the back of the store, “is there a problem?” he called back to them.

Still not moving back from Sky, the older man called over his shoulder, “just saying hello to the little queer that helped his boyfriend destroy the entire football season for Richmond this year.”

The store clerk sighed with what seemed more like annoyance than any actual concern, “well let him pay for his gas and shit first, then you can say hi to him outside” he grumbled.

Sky just glared at the clerk and finally was able to duck under the other man’s arm and quickly moved to the front of the store, where he tossed money for the drinks and gas to the counter before leaving the store without his cigarettes or his change, as the older man’s eyes continued to burn into him as he left.

“Get in the car” he bit out to Kole who was just finishing with the gas.

“Hmm?” Kole responded, a little thrown by Sky’s brevity.

“Now” was all Sky said as Kole narrowed his eyes but moved to get into the car behind Sky who was already starting the engine.

“Problem?” Kole asked as the tires squealed slightly as Sky pulled out of the lot.

“Didn’t get the cigarettes” Sky mumbled as he turned back onto the street.

“Get carded?” Kole replied.

“No, ran into a fucking football fan” Sky responded in the same bitter mumble, which caused them all to sigh slightly. But before elaborating any more than that, Sky continued, “where should I drop you all off? Back at the school, with Kole’s car?”

All of them looked rather confused by the question, but Star spoke first, “wait, you’re dropping us off?”

“Yeah, you all don’t need to be in the car when I find a fucking brick wall to drive it into at a hundred miles an hour” he muttered angrily.

“Sky!” Star scolded him as the other two just looked at him with more than a bit of worry at the possibility that he could actually be serious, considering their earlier conversation.

Sky just shook his head as he turned back toward the school, “other than the people in this car, every motherfucking piece of shit in this town wants me dead because Curt fucking raped me and I actually was dumb enough to admit it. I’m just giving them all what they want” he returned in the same angry mutter.

“Sky, come on. Who gives a fuck what they want?” Star continued with desperation.

“Well, it’s never gonna stop. Not now, not ever. Maybe this is how it all should have ended anyway” he replied, though his volume made the words nearly inaudible.

That was when Kole spoke up, “fine, we’re all fucked anyway. They’ll all keep hating all of us after you splatter yourself and the car into that wall. So, we may as well come along for the ride, right?”

“Kole” Sky scolded him.

“What? It’s true. Yeah, you got it the worst, but we’re all getting shit on too. So, fuck it. Let’s all just go out in a blaze of glory. The whole town can throw a party. All the freaks gone in one nice, big fireball. The party’ll last for days. Let’s go for it” Kole retorted with a bitter sarcasm.

“Kole” Star scolded him as well, though she did understand what he was trying to do.

“Remember, I came to this school planning to kill Curt the second he fucked with me. I was already ready to end it” he reminded Sky, “then I decided to stick around for the three of you. But hey, if Sky’s checkin out, the rest of his soul-mates may as well go too. I mean, what works for him should work for all of us, right?” Kole pressed, his anger and sarcasm both dripping from his words.

“Reverse psychology, huh?” Sky mumbled as they pulled back into the school.

“Decide on a wall yet?” Kole scoffed as Sky pulled in next to the little red car again just as the bell for eighth period rang.

Sky sighed heavily and was silent a long moment as none of them made a move to leave the car as he had requested. Finally, he had to say something, “I can’t deal with this place one more day” was all he said.

After they all tried to think of anything they could say to help convince Sky that it would get better, and failed, Crista finally spoke again, “can we at least just try Kole’s plan?”

Sky shook his head as he went back to his earlier activity of staring out the window, “I don’t even know how it would even work. Not like I ever used this shit to drive someone to kill themselves before. It was always just kill them or defend myself; not anything any more subtle or complicated.”

Star finally spoke up about the idea at last, “but we can see into people’s heads when we want” she reminded, causing Kole and Crista both to look her way with a bit of shock.

“Seeing into someone’s head is a little different than driving them to kill themselves” Sky scoffed.

“Is it though?” Star stated thoughtfully, “what drives people mad is what’s in their own heads, and Curt’s got plenty of dark twisted shit in his. All we have to do is turn it against him. We already know we can mess with what people see and hear. All we have to know is what to make him see and hear to really get him to the point where he can’t take it anymore.”

Kole then allowed a small smile over at Star, “is that you casting a yes vote?”

Star just scowled at Kole before turning her attention back to see Sky’s reaction to her theory. Sky sighed once more, “do any of us really wanna see into Curt’s head though? The shit in there could drive us to kill ourselves too; short trip for some of us” he scoffed.

Star sighed, “well, it definitely shouldn’t be you or Kole looking into his head. I doubt we want either of you having to be inside the mind of a rapist” she offered, trying not to notice Sky’s slight flinch as he did consider himself to be that as well, deep down, even if they both knew better. “And I doubt Crista is ready for that either. I’ve already had enough dark shit in my head, I can do the seeing. Then I’ll just relay pertinent facts to the rest of you. Then we can all work together to cause that psychotic break of his.”

“Not sure I want you in his head either, Star” Sky stated with concern, finally looking back at her.

“I can take a hell of a lot. Remember?” Star told him softly.

Crista then spoke up, “but how close would you have to be to Curt to see into his head? I think I’m more worried about that right now.”

Star then smiled, which caused Kole and Crista to both look slightly confused. She then offered an explanation, “when we first had to see into their heads to erase our parents’ memories of what we were, we weren’t even on the same planet.”

Kole and Crista then smiled over at her again as Kole added, “once he’s gone; you’ve got so much shit to teach us.”

Star couldn’t help her own slight smile then before teasing, “I have a feeling you’ll be good students.”