The air was thick with unmentioned discomfort as I sat at the desk typing away at the computer, one of several in the school’s computer lab. The source of the tension was beside me, a girl. Her name was Madison Chandler, and whilst we had known each other since we were five, I wouldn’t and she definitely would agree with me, say we were friends.

At least, not anymore.

Madison was an attractive girl, with a smooth and symmetrical face. Her eyes were large, soft, and were light brown. Almost like caramel. Accenting her face was her golden blond hair, accents of brown streaming in long straight locks around her head. Coupled with her, curvaceous and fit body along with her easygoing and kind personality (Though not to myself), she was an extremely popular student at Eastwell high.

Unfortunately, we were forced to be together, partnered by a teacher to work on a project discussing the history of the aluminum can. Yep, that’s right. The aluminum can. We had been given two weeks to complete the work, and the deadline was tomorrow. Yeah, you can probably already see the problem here. After several failed attempts to get her to actually work on the project, I had decided enough was enough and cornered her in the classroom before she could escape to whatever social activities she had otherwise planned. She reluctantly, very much so, agreed to come to the labs.

I glanced at the computer’s clock in the bottom right corner. 6:44 pm. The labs closed at 7 pm, and yet Madison had yet to even start her portion of the work. I sighed.

“Madison. You...uh, gonna start any time soon?” I asked her, still tapping away at the plastic keys.

“No, Cooper. Just like the previous time you asked. Gimme a sec.” She responded. Her reply was offhanded and distant, and once more a chime sound filled the space. It was her phones notification indicator, and she had received a lot since school ended.

“Come on, Maddie. Let’s just get this over with so we can both go home and escape this unfortunate situation. I don’t want to be here, you don’t want to be here and we especially don’t want to be here together. So come on, please?” I pleaded, using reason and the memories of our past to try and motivate her into doing some work.

Me and “Maddie”, that’s what I used to call her when we were friends, had fallen out five years earlier in a huge way. In fact, it wasn’t just her I had fallen out with. That summer I had lost all my friends, my best friends, over some stupid misunderstanding. At first, it was awkward, and there was definitely tension in the air, but as time passed we grew to generally ignore each other’s existence. The difference between me and them now, in terms of social status was huge, however. My former friends had risen to be the “popular kids” of the school, whilst I had largely kept to myself since then, having a few acquaintances and people who I was on good terms with.

“Listen” she responded, for the first time turning towards me and giving her full attention. Her gaze was steely and her beautiful, symmetrical face did not have a friendly expression upon it.

“Your right, I don’t want to be here. You're a jerk Clay Cooper, a nasty human being. You have the audacity to call my Maddie? I don’t want to even hear my name exit your mouth. Just get on with what you have to do, and I’ll sort my end of the project. There’s no need for us to work together any longer.”

“Wai..”

But before I could finish my sentence, Madison stood up, grabbing her bag before stomping out of the room leaving me alone with the silence and my thoughts.

I sighed. Did I deserve that? Probably. I never really understood what we fell out over, even now, I don’t really have an idea. I had tried to speak to them, any of them, but they just served with glares and cold, icy shoulders. They no longer responded to my texts, my calls and would actively seek to avoid and demean me in public. I tried to figure it out, observing mentally my recent past interactions with any of them, but no result came of that. It was extremely sudden too. One day we were as close as family, the next they were strangers. Angry strangers. Regardless, from what I experienced after, it must have been a pretty monumental thing. I was beaten to a pulp by my former best friends Mark and James, the week after the falling out, then there was the minor trend of bullying that followed.

I had never been the type to be so invested in people though, so as soon as I lost those connections, It became pretty easy to navigate that. It also helped that I paid back what was dealt.

I got Mark when he walking home alone, after late night track practice. I came from behind, shoved him down the hill and into the ditch which lay next to a small stream that snaked its way through the town. While he was disoriented I slid down the heal and gave him a beatdown that rivaled my own. James got his own humbling the next day when he confronted me over the incident in school. He was a tougher target, muscled and built even back then from playing various contact sports, so I struck first. Chopping at his neck with one hand, pulling him close with other before smashing my forehead into his nose. I left him on the ground, walking away quite calmly to my next class. I passed Lisa and Madison in the hallway and gave them a small smile.

All incidents stopped after that, and I was left to my own devices. It was a strange transition at first, but I soon grew to enjoy the peace it gave me.

Now, I’m not saying what I did was right. In fact, it was the opposite in my mind. I shouldn't have reacted like that. It was quite erratic and extremely unusual of me to do so, but it definitely served the purpose. I often think back to those times, wondering if I had acted differently, would I have had the chance to be friends with them again. But these thoughts always came with the revelation that I would. I was not a normal person and had a hard time blending with the crowd. Quite honestly it was only a matter of time until we grew apart anyway.

I stretched at the desk, glancing at the screen. I was no longer in any sort of mood to continue working. My temper and patience had never been great, and after Madison stormed out, it was all I could do to not punch a hole through the monitor in front of me. I breathed in and out, deeply, to calm myself. I did this for several minutes until the red tinges in my vision faded and I returned to a sense of normalcy. I stretched at the desk, glancing at the screen. I was no longer in any sort of mood to continue working. I logged off of the computer, pushing myself back on the swivel office chair and standing. I gave one last glance back to where Madison had sat before turning off the light and leaving the room.