Chapter 20: Everyone's a Bitch When They're Eight...

"Damn it! I said don’t look! Now he saw me!" Julia tried hiding behind Chuck’s shoulder. Nothing is quite as inconspicuous as a woman quickly ducking behind a man’s shoulder.

"Who is this guy, anyway?" Gene asked.

"Mr. Sutkins," she answered. "My second grade teacher."

"He’s who?" Chuck stepped away from his position of protection. "You know, you’re officially insane."

"Shut-up!" Julia yelled quietly as she jumped behind Gene. "It’s totally him."

Gene looked down the train platform at the alleged Mr. Sutkins. The man was balding, but without a comb over. He was fairly well dressed, at least underneath his open trench coat. Who wears a trench coat in LA? A former second grade teacher, apparently. The alleged Mr. Sutkins brought his hand to his hip, moving the trench coat just enough so that Gene could see what he thought may be a gun.

"What’s he doing?" Julia asked.

"Um," Gene said, "I think he has a gun."

"Oh god, he’s come back to kill me for hitting Mary Benson when I was eight. It’s over. I’m dead."

"He’s not going to kill you," Chuck said. "Maybe he’ll just shoot you in the foot to even the score."

"Hey, no one is going to fault you for hitting Mary Benson," Gene said as if he actually knew her. "That girl was always a bitch."

"No one’s a bitch when they’re eight, Gene," Chuck said.

"Everyone’s a bitch when they’re eight," Gene responded. "Wait - he’s walking towards us. You think he spotted you? Oh, man, he spotted you."

Chuck sighed. It’s painful to realize that you’re the sane one in your group of friends, especially when you’re as crazy as Chuck. But it really was starting to look like this Sutkins guy was coming towards them. He was still 20 feet away when Chuck finally had a decent idea, beyond going to Frederick’s of Hollywood.

"Hey, why are we standing here? If you don’t want him to see you, why don’t we leave?"

"Because," Julie said, "then he’ll see me when I walk away."

"This guy knows what you look like from behind?" Gene asked. "That’s pretty sick."

"Okay, so maybe he won’t recognize me from behind," she said. "But I’m sure it’s him! He looks exactly the same."

"You know," Chuck countered, "just because he looks the same as he did when you were eight doesn’t mean that you do, too."

"Oh yeah," Julie said, standing up. "I used to have longer hair."

The three finally began walking towards the exit.

Julia jumped when she felt the hand on her shoulder. Officer Sutkins spoke up. "Excuse me, miss?" he said, holding up a badge. "Would you mind emptying your purse?"

Continue on to the next chapter, following Julia's plotline...
Continue on to the next chapter, following the original storyline...