With Bated Breath

“What do you think the freakshow is going to wear today?”

“Hmmm… something black?”

“I heard she’s an absolute freak in bed, too.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

“No, I’m serious. My brother knows a guy who dated her at her old school. He says to get her going she needs to be… *gak*” The boy made a funny face pretending to choke himself.

“What the fuuuuck…”

Noelle walked into the room at the perfect time to see her new classmate simulating self-asphyxiation and a group of boys and girls laughing about it. Even though the gang stared at her as she walked between the desks, she figured they couldn’t have been talking about her. There was no way they’d know. She just blushed and kept her head down.

To answer the preppy girl’s question, today’s freakshow was black and white striped leggings and a death metal tank top over some black fishnet. She was slim but taller than any boy in class without even factoring her bulky platform boots covered in buckles that let her tower over all these bitches and assholes. None of this was about seeking attention, it just spoke to her, and it was a nice bonus that it made most people want to leave her alone.

It seemed her unapproachable facade was not on point today; not enough mascara perhaps. Three particularly insufferable boys surrounded her as she sat down. Maybe these idiots wanted to whine about her essay again. She didn’t ask for the teacher to use it as a shining example of what effort actually looked like.

“Hi, Noelle, is it?”

She tried her best to ignore him.

“There’s a rumor going around, I’m sure it’s nothing but we wanted to see for ourselves…”

They know… thought Noelle. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! They know.



“If I was to, say, take this hand and put it around your throat, you would stop me, right? You’d tell me not to.” The boy was moving his claw-shaped hand in slow-motion toward her neck, giving Noelle plenty of time to react accordingly.

Come on, Noelle. Just tell him to go fuck himself. Break his fucking wrist. Do something! Too many seconds had passed, and the hand was now loosely wrapped around her neck.