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Picture of Corbyn →

Grenade by Bruno Mars

🎻🎻🎻

Tuesday rehearsals were unexpectedly fun, if I ignored the fact that Corbyn was trying to dominate everything. I couldn't understand what the guy's problem was. We had three perfectly capable directing teachers, including the already uptight Mr. Price, and we had Tiana who was the creator of our play. Her vision mattered the most.

But, as he claimed, he was 'president of the drama club for a reason.'

"Well, if you're president, why'd I manage to get the part you wanted?" I murmured underneath my breath. Kris, sitting on the ground next to me, snickered despite his will to repress it. I was happy I could make him laugh, and at Corbyn no less. It was no small feat.

"Corbyn, you're understudy," Tiana reminded. He shot her a nasty look.

"Yeah, I'm aware. You guys are making a huge mistake, by the way. He's not anywhere near as talented or dedicated as I am!" He pointed at me briefly.

"Corbyn-" the uptight teacher began to speak.

"Mr. Price," he acknowledged back, glaring at the man, making the teacher stop short and swallow quite thickly. Of course! Even the teachers feared him, no surprise there.

"With any luck, he'll be kicked out," Nico whispered. He was standing behind me with his arms folded as he leaned against a prop.

I lifted my head all the way up so I could look at him and he glanced down at me. "What? I hate the guy." He sighed, sitting down next to me. "What I hate even more is that I understand him."

"What's there to understand? That he's an obnoxious jerk who makes everyone wanna jump in front of a moving train? No offense," I quickly added when I remembered Kris was in earshot.

"He's trying to take control," Nico pointed out. "It's no secret he's a bully, and what's the main reason a person bullies other people?"

"Insecurity?" I guessed, though it was difficult to believe. What in the world could make Corbyn Starr, the boy who had everything, insecure? "Or maybe to feed his or her inflated ego?"

"Something in his past, most likely his childhood, must have been traumatic for him. Something that was completely out of his hands."

Kris was listening intently, as I knew he would. He more than anybody wanted to get to the bottom of Corbyn's appalling behavior. "So he's compensating by controlling anything and anyone that he can?"

"Yeah. Think about it. He made you the lead, Kris. He wanted to be your character's love interest, tried to stop Jaden from auditioning, turned this into a musical, bosses us around, recycles his friends... It's probably abuse of some kind, someone domineering in his life."

"If it is, it doesn't warrant being an asshole. Again, no offense." I flicked a smile at Kris. He just looked concerned.

"No, it doesn't," he agreed with me. "I doubt it's abuse, but... I'll try to talk to his mom. She's fond of me and she's friends with my parents. His mom... she's so fragile and sweet; I can't imagine she'd ever abuse Corbyn."

"His dad?" I asked. "I know I overheard Ivy at the party talking about how their dad didn't care much about Corbyn. I thought she might've been joking. He's our mayor. It's unlikely that he'd be abusive, if only for fear that word might get out."

"We need a plan," Kris said. "If you guys are willing to help, then we gotta find out what's going on. We can start by trying to rule out his parents and see if there's someone in my boyfriend's life causing him pain."

"Wait, Nico... how would you even know if anything you're suspecting is true?" I inquired. He didn't look at me, just kept his arms propped on his knees.

"I just know, okay? Look, I-I can relate to him. Yeah, I don't go out my way to piss off everyone but it sure makes me feel better to make people miserable. To see that I'm not the only one who can hurt."

"Nico," I sympathized, holding his hand. As much as he joked about it, it was more than clear that he really did have his demons. I may never know the extent of his pain, but I considered us friends. I wanted to be there for him. I looked back at Kris, who snapped his beautiful green eyes from our locked hands to my own eyes.

"We'll help you," I reassured him. I was doing it for the wrong reasons though. Helping him 'rescue' Corbyn meant getting closer to him, spending time together, sharing a secret with him. I didn't care much for the stuck-up snob who didn't deserve Kris.

One of the teachers, Ms. Barringer, clapped her hands and her loud voice boomed. "Alright, everyone, find a partner. We're going to do some physical and vocal warm ups."

We all stood up and I wiped my hands on my jeans, awkwardly waiting for anyone (preferably my crush) to ask to pair up with me. In the back of my mind, I knew Corbyn would come snatch him away and give me the look of death for even considering his boyfriend as a partner.

Except that didn't happen.

No, in fact, he pushed past me to hold onto Nico, nothing but a sweet smile on his face. "Be my partner?"

It was the kindest I'd ever heard him be, and I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't being delusional. Nico's face was set tight, but he nodded subtly anyway.

"Sure."

I turned around to see that someone had grabbed Kris before I could, so my eyes darted around for anyone else. I paired with Gisela, the girl who played the role of Aurora de Guille, princess of Austrius, betrothed to Kris's character.

She was also a part of Corbyn's inner circle, but unlike the dominating populars in this school, she was a genuine sweetheart. Though I knew better than to trust anyone who'd been tainted with the poison of that dreadful boy.

"It's nice to actually speak to you, Jaden," she giggled as we did some mirroring exercises. I followed her smooth gestures.

"Y-you too," I returned. "Have you always been in the drama club?"

"Oh yeah, I love acting. I bond better with people here than on the cheer team."

"Really? I mean, if everyone is a great actor, aren't you ever worried they're just faking?"

She smiled, shaking her head. "Not really, no."

"How well do you know Ivy Starr?" I abruptly asked.

She shrugged. "I see her around whenever I go to her house. She likes to stay in her room though since most of her friends are from her private school."

"She goes here now, as I'm sure everyone's aware. Do I need to look out for her more than her brother? They both creep me out."

I kept eye contact as I mirrored her steady movements.

"I'll admit, Ivy's a bit snaky."

"A bit?" I doubted.

"Okay, very. But she usually just goes after people who have done something to her, and you haven't so... I wouldn't be too worried if I were you."

"Gisela, I think she's going after me for fun and something tells me that's worse. But tell me, her or her brother? Who should I be more afraid of?"

Gisela pouted with worry, but without hesitation, I got my answer from her. "Corbyn."

🎻🎻🎻

~Kris's POV~

I lifted my hand to ring the doorbell to the Starr residence twice before knocking. A short moment later, the door was opened by a familiar face, Mr. Kantor. He was their right-hand man, a trusted servant of the mayor and his family.

"Kristopher, it's good to see you again." He invited me inside by opening the door wider, and I gladly stepped into the large house.

"Thanks, Mr. Kantor."

"I'm afraid Corbyn isn't here right now; I believe he's still in school."

"I know," I nodded. I had to leave football practice early to come here so I knew Corbyn would either be in dance or, most likely, theater. "I came to talk to his mom... is she here?"

"You're lucky; she just came back home. I think she's in the kitchen."

"Alright, thank you." I smiled at him before moving to that part of the house, knowing this place as well as my own name. I found Corbyn's mom rummaging through the fridge before she sighed and shut its door. That's when she saw me walk in and was startled.

"Kris!"

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

A warm smile crossed her face. "Don't worry about it. Where's Corbyn and Ivy, dear?"

"Probably in theater practice still. As for Ivy, I'm not sure. With friends maybe."

I studied her in those next seconds of silence. She was wary of something, that much was clear. Mrs. Starr seemed to be in a constant state of worry, and the look in her brown eyes told me she hadn't experienced a calm sleep in days. So she was stressed about something, obviously. What was it?

I was being nosy.

"So, what's up?" she asked, moving to the pantry to grab herself a snack. "Want anything to eat or drink?"

"No thank you. I-I wanted to um... talk."

"Okay. What about?" She moved toward the lounge to find a seat, gesturing for me to follow.

"Your son," I said honestly as we sat down. "My boyfriend, I'm worried about him."

She chuckled. "Oh, what kind of trouble is he getting himself into this time around?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I think someone's giving him trouble, and he's taking his anger out on people at school. He's always been a bit high maintenance, but recently..."

"My dear, that's just the way Corbyn is. He's high strung and verbal about whatever comes to his mind. Some may not be able to handle it but I don't think it's cause for worry. He's okay." She patted my hand, as if her words were supposed to reassure me. "But I'll definitely tell him to tone it down."

"I just think there's more to it." I rubbed my hands over my lap.

She stared at her box of vegetable crackers before grabbing one of the square-shaped pieces and eating it. "I don't know... Then again, I don't see him when he's in school so I can only go by his behavior at home. And he's fine."

Right. Fine. That word was such a lie, so false. We heard voices floating in the air, coming closer, and I could distinctly identify one as my boyfriend's.

Mrs. Starr looked alleviated, but not for long.

We watched as her son walked into the lounge with none other than Nico in tow. I was a little surprised by that. What was he doing here? Since when did they become... well, what were they, friends?

"Mother," Corbyn called in a musical voice, almost as if he was taunting the poor woman. "I have a new friend..." His eyes met mine and he stopped short. "Oh, I didn't know you were here!"

I nodded slowly and glanced over at his mom, who was now staring warily at her child. I didn't understand that.

"What's going on?" He questioned.

"We were just talking." Mrs. Starr stood up and I watched them interact.

"About what?" A look of suspicion crossed his face as he folded his arms and frowned. He cut a disapproving look to me for a brief second.

"Nothing important. So, who's your new friend?" She smiled at Nico and he introduced himself, shaking her hand.

"I wanted him to stay for dinner. And, Kris, since you're here then you should stay as well. Is um... is Dad coming home?"

"No, he's staying late at a meeting."

Corbyn smiled. "What a shame," he said while showing nothing but relief. "Oh well! He can have our leftovers." He walked over to me and bent to kiss my cheek. I didn't even realize he'd done that until he straightened up and put a hand on my shoulder. "You've met Nico, right? Maybe you can keep him out of trouble while I go get freshened up, hm?"

"Sure," I agreed. I needed to talk to him anyway. When he and I were both alone, he took a seat next to me and I partially faced him, an inquiring expression on my face.

"Don't ask," he murmured, leaning back against the sofa. "And no, we're not friends. I don't care about him. Man, this couch is comfortable as hell."

"Nico!" Mrs. Starr called, walking back through the threshold. "I forgot to ask. Anything you'd like to eat or drink? I make the best smoothies!"

His eyes sparkled with interest. "Ooh, yes, I'd love one."

"Gotcha. I'll make you one too, Kris." She pointed at me then said, "You can't escape my berry smoothie!" before disappearing again.

"I'm not a bull shitter, which is the only reason I'm about to tell you this," Nico began in a quiet voice. "Corbyn wants my help to make you jealous."

"You're kidding, right?" I gaped at him and he pursed his lips.

"Yes, because sharing a genuine friendship is the only reason why he'd wanna be caught dead with the likes of me."

Sadly, he was kind of right about that. I should've known better, that the only reason Corbyn would associate himself with someone like Nico was for a hidden motive.

"That's disappointing to hear. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" He squinted. "Especially for him?"

I shrugged and sighed. "I guess I should thank you instead, for being honest. I think he's gone too far."

"Don't tell him I said anything though. I want him to think he's got the reins so that I can milk him for all he has to offer."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"This!" He gestured all around him. "If he's using me, I don't care. As long as I get to come to this paradise called a house and eat real food. Relax, sit on a comfortable chair, watch a modern TV, breathe fresh air..."

"You consider those things luxury?" I calmly asked and he seemed surprised.

"Well, isn't it?"

I thought about that for a second, realizing that the things most people took for granted were the exact things he probably lacked. And for that reason, I couldn't confront Corbyn as much as I wanted to. In fact, the time to officially end things with him had come.

But I couldn't for Nico's sake.

"I'll keep my mouth shut," I promised him. "But you do know that he's getting out of hand, right? I'm afraid he's changed."

"You keep saying that, Kris. Let me tell you something that I've heard before, something that's so true in this case. Most times, it's not the person that changes; it's the mask that falls off."

The quote hit me so hard that I to look elsewhere. We were silent until Mrs. Starr came back with our smoothies.

"Thank you," I appreciated with a half smile.

"I should get started on dinner."

"Would you like some help?" I offered, but she stopped me before I could stand.

"No, no. Cooking is sort of my... alone time. Helps me think. You two keep each other company, and you can turn on the TV if you'd like." She clasped her hands together, moving back toward the kitchen.

Nico sipped feverishly at his smoothie as he grabbed the remote and turned on the television. He even reclined the sofa and sighed in contentment. "I can get used to this. Hey, you talked to his mom, right? What did she tell you?"

I shrugged. "Just that nothing's wrong, basically."

Nico snorted in disbelief, laughing to himself. He gazed to the side as if he were talking to someone invisible. "What's that? Oh, yes I agree." He looked back at me and smirked. "Lucifer thinks she's full of shit."

I rolled my eyes at that. "What if my boyfriend's antisocial?"

He hiked up his eyebrows in doubt. "Seriously?"

"It would make sense. Maybe he's not the one being abused--maybe he's the abuser. An antisocial individual is averse to society, has little to no empathy or guilt, uses people for personal gain. They're also highly egocentric and manipulative. I mean, did you see his mother? She was practically trembling in his presence and he was taunting her like it was fun. Poor woman, she's probably scared to death of her own kid."

"I doubt that's true. He's head over heels for you, isn't he?"

"Sociopaths mimic emotions," I explained away. "Plus he's in drama; he can fake cry in two seconds. And it doesn't feel like he loves me anymore. Not like before anyway."

"Yeah, I guess I can see why you'd think that. But Corbyn's not... he isn't a sociopath, Kris."

"And how would we know?"

I could see gears turning in his head as he tried to refute that, but he ultimately couldn't. "We can't," he conceded instead.

"Exactly."

"Doesn't mean we can't push his buttons. Maybe something will cause him to snap, we just need to find out what that is."

"I wouldn't wanna be around when that happens, if I had to be honest. I don't think it'll be pretty."

"That's the point." He continued to sip up his smoothie without a care in the world.

🎗🎗🎗🎗🎗

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