Punkbabii!

by HelloPussy

Crash!

I’m at my locker. There’s stickers all over the inside of it from, like, ten years back. I didn’t place any of them there, but after my first day I did draw a cloud with a lightning bolt through it. I don’t know why, but I feel like the symbol really speaks to me. AJ drew in my locker too with her own little logo, and we both put our initials in it so in ten years whoever has my locker next will know we were the bestest of friends. I shut the door.

Rarity is standing right next to me with a huge smile on her face. I nearly jump out of my skin when I see her. “Good morning,” she waves.

I wave back. “Good morning.” She has a black and white shopping bag in her hands. I stare at it waiting for her to tell me what she wants me to do with it. I’m not the fucking janitor.

Rarity is blinking like there’s something in her eye. “The foundation for the concert tonight.” And she’s still holding that smile of hers. It’s super strained, and I can tell by how the corners slightly twitch. I wonder if she has any friends. Almost everyone’s seen her Ponygram—like most teens don’t have over 10k followers—and she always looks so rich and put together in her pictures. There’s hardly ever anyone else in them though. I think I saw a cat a few times, but that was about it.

I take the bag. “Thanks,” I don’t tell her I’m not going to the concert anymore. I don’t tell her Mac and I aren't dating anymore. I don’t tell her I’m super grounded—or maybe not? Bow and Windy didn’t say anything about my punishment this morning. The both of them just acted like things were normal, like extra normal, like before Windy took me to the doctors and my life ended. “And hey,” I pat at my pockets for any loose change. My parents tend to give me lunch money whenever I don’t pack one.

Rarity shakes her head. “Oh, no. Honestly, no need.” To ease my mind, she adds, “it wasn’t that expensive, and I needed to pick up a few lipglosses anyway,” she digs in her purse and retrieves them to prove it. “Blossom Pink is so in this season.” I shrug because I wouldn’t know, and I wouldn’t really care even if I did. She tucks her hair behind her ears. There’s a bit of lipstick in her teeth, but I don’t say anything. “Do you want to eat lunch together—“

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack is at the end of the hall with her fists balled up. It’s practically only the three of us out here this early except for a couple of the nerds that think getting to school on time will make them smarter. They are staring at her and we don’t really get stares, not as much as Rarity who’s showing. AJ’s usually really subconscious about the gawking, but right now her eyes are super honed in on me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I watch her stomp right up to my locker. There are thunderclouds over her head, I swear it. I can just see the blood boiling beneath her macaroon skin, and boy, is she so about to explode. She doesn’t even have her hair in its usual braid.

She jabs a finger into my chest. “Did you make your parents beat my brother up!?” A bit of spit sprays on my cheek. She’s asking but she probably knows the answer.

“I didn’t make them do anything—“

“The cops came and arrested him last night, Rainbow! My granny damn near had a heart attack!” She jabs me again and I shove her back into Rarity. Not on purpose, or course not. I’m expecting AJ to quickly apologize since she’s raised right and that’s what a well mannered girl does, but she keeps screaming at me like everyone else. “He’s still in there cause of something you done said! You lie on him!?” I know she has a sensitive spot about law enforcement and prison in general because of her dad. Honestly, I didn’t think my parents would call the cops on Mac. If they thought I was gonna talk to any detective they’ll have another thing coming.

“I didn’t!” People are staring at us. “I wouldn’t! My parents are crazy, you know this.”

“When they got him they mentioned funny charges, Dash.” She winces like the thought hurts. “Mac’s truck was busted up along with his knee!? We should be the ones to call the cops on y’all!”

When she says that I kinda feel this betrayal because, well, my parents were overreacting, but Mac was a real jerk. Maybe he deserved it. Maybe they weren’t wrong. Maybe I don’t know, but I definitely wouldn’t intentionally try to hurt AJ.

“You tell them people the truth right now! Mac ain’t did shit to ya!” She steps in my face. She tells the world our business, and maybe I’m mad. Maybe I’m just scared, and hurt, and frustrated.

“Yeah, and what about that picture of you!?” I don’t stand down despite AJ being way taller than me, and I mean I saw her bend a fork before, and she’s got this look in her eyes like she wants to bend me like that fork.

“What did you just say?” Her drawl is intimidating right now. She’s got blonde strands just loosely dancing to the beat of their own drum, just everywhere like bedhead. There’s smoke practically blowing from her nose. Right now she’s one of her cousin’s bulls.

I don’t back down, and mainly because I want to know what’s going on, and I’m stubborn, and I want her to realize how ridiculous and awful it is for her own flesh and blood to have such a picture of her. I can see the pain in her eyes, though. We really are the same.

“I saw it. I know what Braeburn has in his bathroom—“ before I can finish, she punches me like Bow punched Mac. My nose is split open and it’s just pouring blood. I hold it, shocked, but then upset because I shouldn’t be the one she’s mad at. So I tackle her and we both slam against the lockers.

I’m pulling on her hair. “Oww..you bitch!” She shoves my head back and I go for her scalp. Rarity is like flapping her arms around. She’s this dumb flightless chicken, and I’m tugging on AJ’s hair to get her to let go of my hair, and we both don’t. My grip on hers is stronger, so strong I’m bringing her head down to my level. We both twirl like a pair of interlocked bucks, just swinging our arms hoping a punch or two will land.

“Girls!” We’re torn apart by Ms. Luna. She has a stern grip on me making the spot we’re Bow grabbed me hurt worse. “What are you doing!?” Despite it sounding like a question, it’s not. She doesn’t scream at me, like my parents or AJ, she just sort of raises her voice. She’s just sort of disappointed, I guess.

Neither one of us gives her a response, and we don’t have to since she’s hauling us down the hall as the bell rings.