The Geek Revolution ✓

38 | print

THE TATTERED COVER I THROW over the piano sends billows of dust waltzing through the air.

Callum tosses a similar sheet over the drum kit while the rest of our band get our things ready to leave Music class. Despite Derek disappearing upon hearing the first chime of the bell, Madison is still here. As I'm about to leave, she coos my name like she would a dog's. Automatically, my jaw tenses and I turn to glare at her.

"What?"

Yesterday is still seared and stinging in my brain. Thoughts of Kyler and the newspaper have been seamlessly on replay for the whole day. I'm lucky our teacher doesn't care whether his lessons are noticed, or I would have landed a detention for being so inattentive. My bandmates noticed my attitude but once I explained what Terrence, Madison and Brittany had done, they looked like they understood bitterly.

"Did you and your friend see the little surprise Brittany left you?"

I honestly can't believe how she could speak so lightly about the destruction of years' worth of work. But then again, all that screen time must have numbed her sympathies. My right hand twitches at my side, overwhelmed with the urge to slap the fake eyelashes off her face.

When I begin to advance on her, walking slowly, casually towards her, Madison startles backwards. Watched by my bandmates, she stumbles out into the hallway. Madison's perfect, plucked eyebrows shoot upwards.

"No need to be touchy," she says shakily. I think she's apprehensive of both my silence and my steady steps towards her. In truth, I don't talk only because I don't trust myself to. Losing my temper won't be a good look, because she'll see that she's gotten to me.

Since the last time I saw it, Madison's bedazzled phone has acquired even more rhinestones, which wasn't that long ago as she's always swiping away in class. Hurriedly, she shoves a photo in my face.

A photo of Kyler and I hugging the press room. Madison swipes right, and another photo comes up. This time, Kyler kneeling on the floor. One more: a panorama of the full disaster site, presumably before we discovered it.

Now, I simply have to defend Kyler. I've calmed down enough from yesterday to not go looking for all five Monarchs and doing something stupid. But knowing that Madison had come back to take pictures of us while Kyler was breaking down and I was comforting him makes the rage flare up again, renewed and magnified.

"You're heartless. You and your friends have the nerve to steal the print machines, try to take all the money we earned and then you want to sneak photos of someone else's grief?" Madison takes shuffling steps backwards in her pastel pumps while I rage like chaos itself. "For what? To spread rumours with? Leverage?"

Her phone is still held defensively at her chest, like it can protect her. Ha! Did she think she could get me lashing out on camera? It's just too bad that what I'll say next has been thought over and purposefully created. These words can go all over social media, and I would give it my blessing.

"Do you have any idea how much that newspaper meant to Kyler? It means as much to him as all your Instagram followers probably do to you, despite most of them not actually giving a shit about a callous, desperate airhead like yourself. But what's more unbelievable is that Brittany clicks her fingers and you just mindlessly rip it all to shreds. Have you heard of a conscience, Madison?"

Madison stops videoing and lowers her phone when I say, "If that was meant to be a warning, then consider me warned. Take that and put it on your social media sites. God knows it's the only thing you'll ever be wanted for — by Brittany, or anyone else."

Relentlessly, I hold her gaze until her forehead is shiny despite the powder, and eyes quivering from discomfort. Madison is a strange creature. Cunningly articulate online, yet always the first of the Monarchy to be struck speechless when confronted in public. Maybe she doesn't have as much nerve as she makes out.