The Garden of Eden || Canis Canem Edit / Bully [ #WATTYS2018 ]

Chapter Nine: This is Halloween

An exasperated groan fluttered out of Eden's rosy lips. She fell gracefully onto the bed, her aching back crashing against the beat-up mattress. Dust particles plumed up into the stale room, inciting a cough from the short girl. Springs poked and prodded against her skin. 

"I hate this." She whined like a child, kicking her feet against the sheets.

The sudden explosion of dust wafted into Pete's nostrils, as he let out an adorable sneeze. "H-hate what exactly?"

A pout spread across her lips and she sat up, crossing her legs. "Hate Gary. Or rather, I hate the way that he treats me. He's insufferable."

"Eden, he's a sociopath off his meds, what more can you really do about it?" A lopsided smile played on his lips. "Maybe he's bullying you because he likes you?"

She raised an eyebrow at this. "Isn't that just for little kids?"

"You are a little kid." He rolled his eyes, playfully shoving her.

A sweet melodic giggle erupted from her throat, and she kicked him. "Likewise, dork."

The distant sound of creaking floorboards grew louder and louder, thunderous footsteps stomping on the ancient planks, as a certain teenager approached the bedroom. Jimmy flounced into his door room, flinging his jacket onto the bed which landed on Pete's head.

"Stupid school, stupid homework, stupid everything," He grumbled before his eyes met his friends. "What are you two losers doing here?"

"They're not doing what they should be doing..." A voice answered for them.

Gary stood in the doorway, dressed handsomely in what could only be described as a dictatorial soldier costume. The dim lights of Jimmy's bedroom illuminated his glistening umber eyes, peering out from underneath his ebony cap. In his hands, was a matching riding crop, which he twirled in between his fingertips. His eyes trailed over to Eden's very obvious stare and he smirked cockily, sending her a wink. The teenager cursed her reddening cheeks, looking away from him.

"...getting ready for Halloween tonight."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "And?"

"I, being the amazing friend I am, got you all costumes!" He stepped briefly outside the door and grabbed two small bags. "See, I can be nice! I took the liberty to put yours in the closet Jimmy."

Jimmy grumbled, complaining in a slur of curse words as he stomped over to his closet. He ripped the creaky doors open, fumbling between the racks of shirts he had hung up. 'Bad day much?'

"These two bags are for you, friends." He threw the bags at Eden and Pete.

"Oh, uh, no thanks. I don't celebrate Halloween."

"It's a Bullworth tradition dork." Gary waved his hand dismissively. "Just do it. You can get changed in my room, it's next door."

It wasn't the mystery costume that lay in the bag that unnerved Eden - it was the size of it. She didn't want to face the shame of having to explain to Gary that the outfit was a size or two, too small. Eden glanced over at Pete with desperate eyes, hoping he could offer her an escape. He was instead glaring at his own costume in the bag but was still pulling it out to put on. She sighed deeply and hopped off the bed, skipping over to Gary's room wordlessly.  As the door flung open with a resounding groan, Eden entered his dungeon.

'I hope I don't see anything untoward.'

It was an ordinary room, pretty similar to Jimmy's. Gary's bedroom was just tidy enough to show he cared about the space but just messy enough to show that he was a teenage boy. The faint scent of manly cologne washed over her body as Eden stepped in. Through his bedroom window came the brightness of the setting sun, the rays of glimmering streamers trailing over her body. The room held an odd warmth to it.