Possessed

Jason Murdoch

Excision & Space Laces- Rumble 

    "These look brand new," Colton said spinning a CD on the tip of his middle finger. I reached over and snatched it from him. 

    "These aren't exactly the kind of CDs you put on to relax. It's a fan collection," 

    "Are you defending him?" he chuckled playfully. 

    "What is your deal? I invited your friend over and you spent the entire time being a weirdo like he was here sitting in the corner without saying a word to either of us," 

    "I was just watching," he shrugged. I sighed taking another CD out of his hand. 

    "I'm serious, Colton. What's your deal? You're the one who is always telling me to be nice to people and now you're acting like a jealous boyfriend," 

    "Jealous boyfriend?" he laughed. "That's not it. It's just that-" 

    "Just that what?" I tried to meet his eyes but he wouldn't let me. 

    "I've been friends with Rite since we were in kids. You know that right? He's never shown interest in you before. As a matter of fact, none of my friends so much as glanced at you and now suddenly he's interested? It's not a bad thing but you know it makes me wonder why. I just don't want him to hurt you. That's kind of my job. I'd throat check him if he makes you cry," 

I smiled shaking my head. "I get that you're just looking out for me. Somethings, I have to learn on my own. It's why I never get involved in what you stick your pork in," 

    "You have no f*****g filter. You know that? What the f**k, Baby?" I groaned.

    "Yeah, okay Mr. Please wax my lower back for me. You make me do weird s**t to you and I can't say certain things? Screw you," 

He laughed throwing a paper ball at me. 

    "Do you even like him?" I took a deep breath. "

    "All I can say is I don't not like him you know?" I shrugged. 

    "Yeah, just promise me one thing then," 

    "What?" I groaned. 

    "Don't do anything you don't feel comfortable doing. If you feel pressured or whatever. Don't do it. Yeah?" he's looking down at me with a weirdly concerned looked. I nodded. What does he think I'm going to do? 

    I went into my room and began to play different sounds listening for something that caught my attention. It's not that difficult for me. Knowing if I like someone or if I don't. However, this isn't the question at hand. Do I have feelings other than kindship towards Rite? 

    Rite Williams is a really handsome guy. He's funny, outgoing, and headstrong. I've seen him defend others who are bullied. It's kind of hard being one of the six other colored kids in the district with ass hole red necks who disapprove of the amount of pigment in someone else's skin. He's a fighter.

    When we were younger, Colton and a couple of other guys would fight in the halls constantly because Jason Murdoch and his band of trailer trash ass holes would try to hurt Rite. They called Colt and the others "traitors" because they stood up for him. I never got involved because I always figured that was a guy thing but as I am getting older and understand the unfairness, it does make me angry. 

    Jason is a prick and Rite is just a guy who has every right to be one of us. He's a better person than most people at school and that's the reason I've come to like him as a friend. I like people who genuinely want to be good despite the wrongs that have been done to them. He could easily be just as ignorant as Jason and fight back in the same manner. It shows strength and character to rise above that. 

    Walking into school after agreeing to be the DJ at a school event is tough. Principle Lang printed flyers and has the freshmen who get here extra early putting them up everywhere. People look at me longer. They try to talk to me. All of a sudden, they want to be my friends and I hate it.

    "Colin," I jumped at the sound of someone calling out my name behind me. 

    I turned to see Jason Murdoch and a few others coming towards me. I turned the music on my headset up and went back to get my things for first period out of my locker. Someone reached for headphones and pulled them off my head I turned around to see Alice Murdoch holding them.

    "What the f**k?" I asked annoyed. It's not unusual for me to talk to them like this. I talk to everyone like this so they could take a hint and leave me alone. 

    "The little baby bites," she chuckled. 

    "Just because I've never busted your face doesn't mean I won't," I snatched my headphones out of her hand making her flinch. 

    "She shouldn't have done that," Jason waved his sister off with a smirk on his face. "Right, Alice?" 

    "Whatever," she scoffed, looking away. 

    "What do you want?" I asked. 

    He shut my locker, stepping closer into me. He placed his hand over my head. I backed away from him as far as I could. I don't like people touching me or invading my personal space. Jason and I have never really ever had an actual conversation which is a clear indication of where we stand. This is crossing a line. A line my dad has made sure I know to control. 

    "I just wanted to tell you that I think it's great that you're going to be doing the thing at the Halloween dance," he took one step back, pulling a flyer from his back pocket. "Everyone is already talking about it," 

    "Thanks," I sighed, not understanding why he couldn't just keep away from me. I got a little more uncomfortable when they all surrounded me. 

    "I also wanted to tell you that the last time you were hired, you played some really inappropriate stuff," 

    "What?" I asked shaking my head. I made sure I hadn't played anything inappropriate I even ran some of my mixes for the Dean who approved them.

    "That weird Indian music. The n****r trash. That spic s**t. All of it has got to go,"

    "Are you f*****g kidding me?" I blurted out. He stepped away from my locker and I turned away from them to open it back up.

    Before I could do anything else someone shoved me against the locker chest first pressing me against it by using their forearm to hold me against the metal. I tried to push back to find whoever was pushing me was bigger and a lot stronger than I am. 

    "No, I am not f*****g kidding," Jason whispered tightly into my ear, leaning into me his warm breath brushed down my neck. My body trembled with anxiety as the person holding me pushed harder. "Play that s**t and you're not going to like what happens next," 

    "f**k you, Jason. You're not going to tell me what the f**k I need to be doing ass hole," I groaned. 

    I cried out when a fist connected against my back. I pushed back this time one of my arms getting lose from the hold the guy had on me. I pushed back with my elbow hitting someone in the face. Instantly, I spun around and swung connecting with someone's face. 

    "Grab her," Jason shouted. 

    "Hey," I heard someone else shout but I couldn't just stand here. 

    I pushed forward only to have Jason Murdoch f*****g kick me in the chest. My back hit the locker's knob knocking the wind out of me. A fist collided with Jason's face knocking him over. I tried to get up and get some air into my lungs but was kicked down again. 

    This time I held my breath and started kicking back. The guy I had hit on the face grabbed my hair pulling me up. I stumbled onto my feet and pushed myself towards him. The top of my head hit him right between his legs and he let go his hands automatically going to his groin. 

    "You stupid b***h," Alice Murdoch shouted. 

    I looked up at her panting only to be met with the heel of her combat boot. Pain shot through my entire body like she had stomped on me everywhere. I covered my face as she continued to kick me. Anger rose up in the pit of my belly and I pulled away stumbling to get to my feet. 

    "You f*****g racist trailer trash w***e," I shouted rushing her. 

    My shoulder connected with her stomach. I wrapped my arms around her thighs lifting her off the ground and then pushing her down slamming her body on the floor. I stood over her lifting myself to get a better angle. My fist connected with her face twice before I was pulled away. My legs shot out kicking her and one of the guys who was in the group who assaulted me. 

    "You f*****g n****r lovers," Jason shouted from somewhere in the crowd. "You black piece of s**t,"

    Simply breathing became a burden as I tried to pull away. I struggled in the arms of whoever was holding me until the let me go. I fell on the floor feeling the pain along my face and my back where they had kicked me. Alice and Jason continued to threaten me as they were pulled away. I couldn't take it anymore. I took a deep breath and screamed my lungs out. The pain taking over pulsing everywhere like steadily with no relief. 

    "Baby," I heard Colton shout coming over to me. 

    "Don't touch me," I cried out curling into myself the entire hall went silent. "You f*****g people are s**t. I f*****g hate all of you!" 

    "Baby, look at me. It's me. It's Colton," he said pushing my hair up out of my face. "s**t, she's hurt really bad," 

    "Don't move her," someone else instructed. "Everyone, go to class. Clear the hallway out. Now," 

    I wrapped my arms around me tightly before letting out a sob. Everything in my body hurts. What the hell is wrong with these people? How can they be so hateful? It's music. Music doesn't have a race. Music comes from the soul its supposed to bring us together. It's meant to inspire. This isn't supposed to happen. This is way too ugly. 

    The nurse came over to me and asked me to lay down. She asked me a few questions and I'm not sure how I responded but I think I was helpful. After a while, she let Colton and Rite help me up. I couldn't stand up straight just getting up on my feet was a little too much. Just breathing was really painful. 

    "My headphones," I remembered as we slowly began to walk towards the office. 

    "They broke them," Rite whispered. I groaned when they helped me into a chair. 

    "They broke my headphones?" I asked looking up at Colton. He nodded putting them in front of me. "Who?" 

    "Austin," Rite answered. "He was the one holding you against the locker," 

    "Baby?" my dad barged into the office looking around until his eyes landed on me. On the other side of the office Jason, his sister, Austin, and two others who look like they had taken a pretty bad beating. "Who did this to you?" 

    "I did," Alice called out proudly. 

    "She did and those two other guys," 

    "Guys?" my dad asked his tone got deeper, angrier as he turned to look at the five of them. 

    "Dad," I said grabbing his arm. 

    "Lance Murdoch's kids am I right?" he asked them. Alice looked away but Jason stood up meeting my dad's challenge. 

    "Dad, no," I said reaching for him this time. I groaned retreating back into myself. 

    "What happened?" he asked. 

    "The usual," I groaned, looking away. 

    "No, this is more than the usual. Tell me what happened," he demanded now turning his anger at me. "Baby, answer me," 

    "He doesn't like the diversity of my music. He told me not to play it at the dance," 

    "Neil," we all looked over at the Dean as he walked out of his office. 

    Lance Murdoch walked in a few of his brothers and his trashy ass wife. She went straight for Jason and Alice before she started shouting at me for what I had done to her daughter. My dad's back up showed up and set up a barrier between them and us. 

    By the time we got out of there, I couldn't close my fist. It's swollen and is turning an angry red color. My dad gave my keys to one of his officers so that he can take me to the E.R. I looked down at my headphones. Tears filled my eyes seeing them broken in half. The earmuffs are falling apart. 

    "After all that, you're crying over your headphones?" dad asked. 

    "Mom gave me these," I whispered. He sighed placing his hand on my knee. 

    "I'll buy you new ones, sweety. I know it's not the same thing. I'm sorry you had to be a part of something like that," 

    "Dad, they attacked me," I whispered, looking at him. "They hurt me because I wasn't going to stop playing what I wanted," 

    "Some people are just hateful like that, Baby. The Murdoch family is like that. All of them. Stay away from those kids," 

    "Dad, they're not going to let up. Did you see what I did to that girl? What Rite did to her brother? Kicking them out of the school isn't going to be enough. It just made them angrier. The way they see it is the n****r running the school just kicked their kids out in favor of the n****r lovers," 

He sighed. "Don't say that word," 

    "That's what they called me. What they call Colton. Can you imagine what Rite and Jamal feel when they get called that?" 

    "What do you want me to do? I can't get them out of town. These people are dangerous, Baby. They own half the town. Just stay close to Colt and Rite. Don't do anything stupid. They aren't going to come at you again the way they did. They know you fight back now,"