Free Among You by Jack Wallen Page B

could compare to what we saw last night. If I don’t get a peek behind that particular curtain, the questions will gnaw at my brain for the rest of my life.”
    Sally knew that to be true. She’d been on the ugly end of my obsessions and had no desire to be part and parcel to another.
    Before Sally could answer, a large hand shot around me and slammed down on the table. I didn’t have to turn around or look up.
    “ What do you want, Sloan?” the question spilled from my lips before I had a chance to filter my frustration.
    Cody Sloan took the seat next to mine and put his phone in front of me. On the screen was a picture.
    “ Where did you get that?”
    “ Oh, I think you know where I got this,” Cody mocked. “But they do get better. Take a look at this little beauty.” Cody swiped the images until a close up of me filled the screen. “Wh…what is that? Does Miss Maskey have on makeup? A bit of eyeliner and mascara? Did your mommy or your daddy paint you up like a prostitue, faggot?”
    Cody grabbed my hand in his. “Please, Spooky, tell me this isn’t so? Surely you wouldn’t give me this much ammunition so easily. These pictures could ruin you at this school, and I would hardly have to lift a finger for it to happen.”
    Sally’s hand was temporarily possessed by a ninja and shot out to snatch Cody’s phone away from his monkey-paw grip.
    What she did next nearly sent me into apoplectic fits. Sally stood, held the phone between her legs so the camera faced up her skirt, and snapped a photo.
    A slimy grin traced itself around Cody’s lips. That same grin was slapped off Cody’s face the second Sally screamed.
    “ I can’t believe you did this, Cody Sloan.”
    Every head in the cafeteria turned to look at Sally.
    The horrific look on Cody’s face was worth every moment of hell he and his gang of morons put me through.
    Sally raced out of the cafeteria and returned, with the Vice Principle of the school, phone held high. The VP scanned the room until his eyes locked on to Cody. He pointed, and shouted, “In my office, now. ”
    Sloan turned to me. When he spoke, his voice was a venomous whisper.
    “ I will kill both of you, Maskey. You and your fag hag are dead meat.”
    Without another word, Cody sped out of the cafeteria and slammed the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, the room filled with applause and cheers for Sally, who took a bow and raced back to my side.
    “ Oh my God,” Sally whispered in near-panic mode. “Can you believe what I just did?”
    “ You mean snap an upskirt selfie? What would we call that? A muffie?”
    Sally slapped me.
    “ Okay, Spooky, that was just wrong. I don’t care how rude we are with one another, there are still lines that should never be crossed.”
    “ I take it I crossed one?”
    “ Big time,” Sally smiled. When finally Sally winked my way, I knew everything was going to be okay. “I’m just jealous you thought of ‘muffie’ before me.
    “ Did you really…” I started to ask.
    “ I did,” Sally answered.
    “ Girl, you are way beyond description. I’m going to have to come up with a new word to describe your level of awesomeness.”
    “ Oh my God,” Sally hit panic in an instant. “Do you think the VP is going to look at that picture?”
    “ Oh gross. The idea of Vice Principle Cooley seeing an up-skirt of you makes me want to choke myself – and not in the good way.”
    Sally slapped me.
    “ What was that for?”
    “ I don’t know,” answered Sally.
    “ I think you’ve slapped me enough for one lifetime now.”
    Sally leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I’m sorry.”
    I couldn’t stop the cheesy grin from racing across my face.
    “ You could slap me a million times and I probably couldn’t be mad at you.”
    Sally returned the smile. I forced the topic into a tail spin.
    “ By the way…about tonight.”
    “ I already told you, Scott –”
    “ You can’t take me,” I interrupted. “I know. There’s no reason