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invisionaryThis is another entry in a favorite series I started writing last Idol season. I love these characters and couldn't resist bringing them back. I do my best to make these entries stand on their own, but if you like them, feel free to go back and read my prior stories about the Suicide Kings - the Original, Revenge, and Epilogue.
This is the Crowning of a Suicide King.
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“Next time, if you don’t learn to shut your mouth, I’ll do it myself.” Amy picked her younger brother up off the floor after having rescued him from being stuffed in his locker. The classic middle school prank may never go out of style, she thought. But brothers are brothers, and she wouldn’t just let him spend the day in there.
“It’s not what you think it is. They...”
“Yeah, it is what I think it is. You ran your mouth again, they stuffed you in your locker, and the school doesn’t really care because they’re sick of hearing it from you too. You’re gonna have to get a spine one of these days.”
Yeah, that’s what they call it, he thought to himself. He threw his books back in his locker, but didn’t have time to shove every last paper in. The bell had rung and he was already late, again.
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The note was simple, although battered from lots of use and abuse. It was a chart with a list of names. She recognized some of them. Some had last names. Then a description of what they did – they read like “called me a faggot”, or “tripped me in the hall”, or “stole my lunch money”. There were also tally marks on the sheet. Brian had about thirty marks next to his name. At the very bottom of the note was Davey’s name, with the description – “for being a faggot” – and a single mark.
Davey was lucky Amanda had Amy’s back. That’s what the Suicide Kings did, after all.
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The bell rang again. Amanda found Davey. A locker was waiting for him. A four years older and a soon-to-be varsity volleyball player was no match for a runt of her best friend’s little brother. She picked him up and promptly stuffed him and locked him in.
“What is that note?” She demanded to know.
“What note?”
“Don’t play stupid. You know what note.” He banged on the locker. “Just keep banging if you want. It’s not like the teachers are going to help, and even if they did, I’ll just show them the note.” He realized she had a point.
“What do you want from me? How can you make it worse?”
“You didn’t answer my question. What. Is. This?”
“What do you think it is? It’s a hit list.”
“WHAT? How’d you ever come up with that?”
“You get shoved in a locker a few too many times and you’d come up with it too.” He mumbled. “So now what?”
“Your sister’s treehouse, 5 tonight, bring this, or else.” She slid a King of Diamonds through the side of the locker. “And I’m keeping the note.” She unlocked the locker and left. He stood there and looked at the card, bewildered.
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Someone said yes. The door opened.
Davey stood there among a bunch of his older sister’s friends, looking about as confused as he did a few hours ago in school. All eyes were on the little snot that banged on the door whining outside for months. It was all the more ironic given he’d fought for so long to get in there, now he wanted to run out of there so badly. The door was locked behind him just like it was for everyone else behind him their first night.
“Alright, little brother, I see you have a card. Who has his note?”
Without a word Amanda passed it over. Amy unfolded it and scanned it over, showing little emotion or surprise. She added it to the stack. His eyes grew; he realized everyone in the room had one.
“I’m doing you a huge favor in telling you this, something most of the people here didn’t get, and only because you’re my brother. Don’t expect anything that happens here to make sense. Sit down. End point of order.” She handed him five cards from the deck.
He sat down. “So... you don’t want to know about that note?”
“Penalty for talking out of turn!”, Amy snapped, thrusting two more cards at him.
The game went on around him. Just like every new player, Davey got a full stack of cards in his hands from a whole bunch of penalties.
This is the Crowning of a Suicide King.
----------
“Next time, if you don’t learn to shut your mouth, I’ll do it myself.” Amy picked her younger brother up off the floor after having rescued him from being stuffed in his locker. The classic middle school prank may never go out of style, she thought. But brothers are brothers, and she wouldn’t just let him spend the day in there.
“It’s not what you think it is. They...”
“Yeah, it is what I think it is. You ran your mouth again, they stuffed you in your locker, and the school doesn’t really care because they’re sick of hearing it from you too. You’re gonna have to get a spine one of these days.”
Yeah, that’s what they call it, he thought to himself. He threw his books back in his locker, but didn’t have time to shove every last paper in. The bell had rung and he was already late, again.
----------
The note was simple, although battered from lots of use and abuse. It was a chart with a list of names. She recognized some of them. Some had last names. Then a description of what they did – they read like “called me a faggot”, or “tripped me in the hall”, or “stole my lunch money”. There were also tally marks on the sheet. Brian had about thirty marks next to his name. At the very bottom of the note was Davey’s name, with the description – “for being a faggot” – and a single mark.
Davey was lucky Amanda had Amy’s back. That’s what the Suicide Kings did, after all.
----------
The bell rang again. Amanda found Davey. A locker was waiting for him. A four years older and a soon-to-be varsity volleyball player was no match for a runt of her best friend’s little brother. She picked him up and promptly stuffed him and locked him in.
“What is that note?” She demanded to know.
“What note?”
“Don’t play stupid. You know what note.” He banged on the locker. “Just keep banging if you want. It’s not like the teachers are going to help, and even if they did, I’ll just show them the note.” He realized she had a point.
“What do you want from me? How can you make it worse?”
“You didn’t answer my question. What. Is. This?”
“What do you think it is? It’s a hit list.”
“WHAT? How’d you ever come up with that?”
“You get shoved in a locker a few too many times and you’d come up with it too.” He mumbled. “So now what?”
“Your sister’s treehouse, 5 tonight, bring this, or else.” She slid a King of Diamonds through the side of the locker. “And I’m keeping the note.” She unlocked the locker and left. He stood there and looked at the card, bewildered.
----------
Someone said yes. The door opened.
Davey stood there among a bunch of his older sister’s friends, looking about as confused as he did a few hours ago in school. All eyes were on the little snot that banged on the door whining outside for months. It was all the more ironic given he’d fought for so long to get in there, now he wanted to run out of there so badly. The door was locked behind him just like it was for everyone else behind him their first night.
“Alright, little brother, I see you have a card. Who has his note?”
Without a word Amanda passed it over. Amy unfolded it and scanned it over, showing little emotion or surprise. She added it to the stack. His eyes grew; he realized everyone in the room had one.
“I’m doing you a huge favor in telling you this, something most of the people here didn’t get, and only because you’re my brother. Don’t expect anything that happens here to make sense. Sit down. End point of order.” She handed him five cards from the deck.
He sat down. “So... you don’t want to know about that note?”
“Penalty for talking out of turn!”, Amy snapped, thrusting two more cards at him.
The game went on around him. Just like every new player, Davey got a full stack of cards in his hands from a whole bunch of penalties.