Free Choking Game by Yveta Germano

don't you think?~
    "Ehm..."
    ~Okay, school. Are you failing any subjects?~
    "No, not really."
    ~You're not a genius, but you're not failing either. There are kids a lot closer to a failing grade then you've ever been. Good thing. How about friends? Do you have any?~
    "No."
    ~Well, at least no friends no drama. Teenage friends are not what you'd consider a reliable resource.~
    "Is that supposed to be a consolation?"
    ~At least you don't have the drama, that's a good thing. The fact that you have no friends is your fault. Don't blame others. You're the one who doesn't want to connect with anyone. You get what you give. Look in the mirror again. What word comes up?~
    "Shy."
    ~I think that's your number one problem. You tweeted it yourself. You're too shy, and you come across as stuck up. You project the wrong image. Unless you see yourself for who you really are, others won't see it either. I could go on and on about this good pile. I can assure you it would be almost as high as the bad one. Granted, nothing can possibly balance Stanley's death, but you need to look inside you for what it meant and what it taught you. You’ve got a lot of work to do before you can seriously say you did all of your homework and found no reason to stay. Promise me you'll do it.~
    "You think it's easy for people to look in the mirror and say all the stuff they don't want to hear?"
    ~Why wouldn't you want to hear the truth?~
    "Because it upsets me."
    ~Why does it upset you? It's the truth.~
    "I don't know."
    ~Of course you do. We went over this before. Truth hurts. Sometimes it shows the side of you that you are ashamed of. It prompts you to act; it changes you. You can't ignore it once you acknowledge it. This is not a question. This is the answer, it's all of the above. Check.~

TEN
    Teenage Revenge @TeenageRevenge
perks of being my friend: you'll be the only one
    ~If that's not desperation, I don't know what is.~
    "So what? You wanted me to be truthful, didn't you?"
    ~Truthful, yes; desperate, no.~
    "I'm not desperate. I am simply telling the truth. All I need right now is one real friend. Someone I can trust."
    ~Okay. Here, this will do.~
    Teenage Revenge @TeenageRevenge
perks of being my friend: you'll be the only one #friendship #realfriends #trust #honesty #follow
    ~Why do you need a friend if you're not planning to stick around, though?~
    "To make sure a friend won't make a difference even if there is one in my good pile."
    ~Makes sense. Hey, look over there. That kid, he's wrapping a locker.~
    "What's so interesting about it?"
    ~Don't you hear the other kids?~
    "Why are you wrapping your own locker, dude?" Ethan said with a mean smirk on his face.
    "It's not my locker," Luke said.
    "Like hell it's not. Open it," Ethan said.
    "It's not my locker," Luke said.
    "Open it." Ethan stepped closer and snatched Luke's cell phone.
    "Hey! Give me that!" Luke cried out.
    "Open that locker or I'll drop your phone and smash it with my foot," Ethan said.
    ~Why is that mean dude talking like that? What is it to him if that kid's wrapping his own locker? Do something!~
    "What do you want me to do?"
    ~Get that kid's phone or something.~
    "I can't do that. That shithead is huge. No one can fight him."
    ~You can't just stand here and do nothing!~
    "Your phone drops on the count of three. One, two..." Ethan said.
    "Give me that!"
    ~What? Who is she? I've never seen this girl in our school. Where did she come from?~
    "I've never seen her either. She appeared out of nowhere. I can't believe she walked over to Ethan and snatched Luke's phone out of his hand."
    ~Of course you've never seen her. If you did, I'd have seen her, too.~
    "Everybody's staring at her. They all look stunned."
    ~Why would they be stunned?~
    "Because she's stunning, duh! Tall, slim, dark hair almost to her waist and a face jerks like Ethan will be drooling over for weeks. I wonder who she is."
    ~We have to find out.~
    "Here's your phone," the girl said to Luke and then she turned to Ethan.