Chapter 2: Pig

“How dare you cut me off!” I growled.

He scoffed. “Oh, I wouldn’t have to if you could get your damn bike into gear, Princess.”

“I was letting pedestrians go. Haven’t you heard? They have the right of way, butt face!”

“Butt face?”

Okay, admittedly, his face was far too angelic to be compared to a butt. However, at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to stomp his perfect face into the ground.

“That’s right, butt face.” I crossed my arms which were nearly touching his rib cage. I didn’t scare easily, especially not by size.

He laughed. “Okay. What are you like, five?”

I did the only sensible thing I could. I stuck my tongue out at him. “Next time, watch where you’re going.” I turned halfway, but his voice stopped me.

“Accidents happen.”

The statement came out so quietly that I was sure he didn’t mean for me to hear it, but I turned back to him. With the calmest expression and tone I could muster, I said, “They sure do.”

We were still glaring at each other when someone yelled. “Yo, Silas!”

His gaze left mine and searched the parking lot. I followed his line of sight and saw a guy coming toward us. Others were still staring at us in wonder. Some of them watched me with worried eyes, but I wasn’t afraid. I could take care of myself.

A guy that almost resembled Silas approached us.

Silas? That must be his name. That’s an interesting name—I physically shook the thought out of my head.

“Zayn,” Silas greeted.

Zayn and two other guys were approaching us.

Four more guys were walking across the schoolyard—watching us. One of them spoke, “Picking fights with girls again, Silas?” He had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Almost all of them had dark skin. It could have possibly been tan from the summer sun, but they were so dark I was sure they were Native American.

One of the guys that walked beside the guy who spoke said, “That’s the only kind of fight he can win.” All four of them laughed but continued walking.

Silas looked at the first guy who spoke. “Why don’t you mind your own damn business, Tanner.”

Tanner and his friends laughed but continued walking away.

“Making new friends?” one of the guys behind Zayn said, and he gave me a flirtatious smile. “Sup, redhead?”

“Hardly, and the name is Katrina,” I said. I slung my duffel bag across my shoulders, shoved past the group of boys, and ignored the bystanders who were eavesdropping on our conversation.

I ignored the “Ohs” from the other guys who were obviously friends with Silas.

“What was that about?” Zayn asked Silas before I was out of earshot.

“Typical female. Pissy about nothing,” Silas answered.

The guys all started cackling like lunatics. It made me want to turn around, but I decided it wasn’t worth it. It was my first day at a new school. I promised myself and Grams that I wouldn’t draw attention to myself here so we could live peacefully. Obviously, that is easier said than done, but I would do my best. I was always a loner, so it shouldn’t be a hard promise. Even in Salem, I never truly desired to have friends.

A couple of girls often wanted to sit by me and talk to me to get to know me. They claimed me as a friend, but I can’t say I ever had any actual attachment to them. When I left Salem, I told them out of politeness that I was leaving, and they told me to stay in touch. I said I would, but if I’m being honest, I probably won’t.

The dorm room was about what I expected. There were two twin-size beds and two wooden computer desks with a few drawers and a couple of shelves. There was a large window between the bathroom door and my desk. I dropped my duffel bag on the bed; that was obviously mine because there wasn’t anything on it.

My roommate had already gotten settled in. Her bed was made up of a matching purple and black sheet set. A laptop and a few accessories sat on her desk. Between the bathroom door and closet was a small flat screen with a basic loveseat across from it. Just below the window was a little fridge and microwave.

By the time I finished unpacking what I had, my roommate had shown up. She stumbled into the bedroom on her phone, giggling, and closed the door behind her. “Oh my god, Mom. Relax. I’ll be back in Deadwood this weekend. Okay. I love you too. Buh-bye.” She hung up her phone and shook her head.

It was as if I was invisible when she first walked in because she suddenly realized I was in the room, even though I had been staring at her from the moment she opened the door.

“Oh, hello. You must be my new roomie!” she said, bouncing slightly on her toes. “My name is Elizabeth. Oh, but you can call me Liz. Everyone does.”

Wow. She is bubbly. “My name is Katrina,” I said awkwardly and grimaced. I turned around to busy myself with organizing my desk, which I had already organized, but I didn’t want things to get any weirder.

“Like Kat?” she asked.

“Katrina,” I said stiffly. It sounded too kiddish for my taste. I hated being called Kat.

“Oh, well, it’s a beautiful name.”

“Thanks.”

“So, what are you in for?”

“Creative writing.”

“Oh, cool! Me too.”

“Cool.” I didn’t sound the least bit convincing. “So, uh, you’re from Deadwood too?”

“Wait, too? As in, you are from there?” she asked doubtfully.

I turned around and explained, “Not exactly. My grandma and I just moved to Deadwood. I came from Salem, Massachusetts.”

“Wow, a place even creepier than Deadwood.” Her laugh was genuine, not teasing, so I didn’t get rude.

“I guess so,” I said and let out a little chuckle. Not that I found it all that funny.

“I grew up in Deadwood. Oh, so did the guys you talked to in the parking lot.”

Surprise colored my tone, “You saw me in the parking lot?”

“Yep. You were talking with Silas Parker. Or. . . actually, it seemed like you two weren’t being very friendly.” She sat down on her bed and stared at me curiously.

I sighed and sat down across from her on my bed. “He cut me off into the parking lot.”

“Oh.” Realization swept over her, giving me an understanding smile and nod. “Yes. Silas can be difficult. He usually just keeps to himself, though.”

“What about the other group of guys? Um. . . Tanner or something?”

“Ah, yes, Tanner Crow. He and Silas tear each other apart on a daily. I never understood it. I’ve asked Zayn about it, but he shrugs it off and says it’s a guy thing.” She threw one hand in the air, rolled her eyes, and her hand fell back down onto the mattress.

“Zayn? Silas’s friend?”

“Zayn Hart is my boyfriend, and he is Silas’s best friend,” she said.

Great. Does that mean I’m going to run into that butt face again?—I wondered. “I don’t know how you deal with them boys.”

“Sometimes I don’t either,” she said and laughed.

Liz seemed genuine enough, and I liked that about her, but we would probably never be more than roommates. I wasn’t the bubbly, giddy, girly type.

Without knocking, Zayn entered the room with Silas right behind him.

“Don’t you knock?” I asked coldly.

“Someone is a little bitter, huh? Give her the D, Silas,” Zayn said and wiggled his eyebrows at Silas.

Silas scrunched his face up and shook his head. “F*ck, no. I don’t do crazy chicks. They’ll bite your d*ck off.”

Liz stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Really, you two? Knock it off. She’s new. Give her a break. Also, you could knock. What if we were naked?”

Zayn’s eyes swept over her and me. “Uh, d*mn. I’m never knocking again.” His eyes flickered from mine to Liz’s. He wrapped his arms around Liz and buried his face in her neck, making growling sounds.

My face twisted as my stomach did. “That’s disgusting.”

“Pig,” Liz said and giggled.

“Okay, could you two please stop? You’re making me sick. Let’s go,” Silas said.