Nemesis — Hive

Things every person should have:
•A nemesis. •An evil twin. •A secret headquarters.
•An escape hatch. •A partner in crime. •A secret identity.
—Wil Wheaton

There are givens in life—commonplace happenings we all take for granted and accept as part of our daily routine

But what happens when your comfortable life is suddenly turned upside down, and the usual order of things is turned into chaos?

I know the answer to that question, because of the disaster that happened to me.

It was a normal day on campus and it was raining.

Instead of making the trek across campus to Psych class, a bunch of us elected to spend our time over coffee in The Human Bean—the Victoria College coffee shop.

I was sketching profiles of girls at our table—something I often did to pass the time and flatter Kenzie’s friends.

Kenz never got jealous. I think she knew I was simply trying to fit in with her crowd.

But my artistic efforts were interrupted by an angry blonde girl.

She strode right over to our table and stood over me, glowering.

“So, still getting your jollies by flirting with women?”

She grabbed my sketch paper, crumpled it and tossed the balled up paper at me.

“I can’t believe you’re still trying to seduce women with your schizophrenic drawings.”

We were all frozen in shock. Before I could react or say anything, she turned on her heel and stomped off.

“Whoa, dude! Way to piss off a lady. Man, she was ticked.”

Tim Morton was in tears laughing. He was a member of the Varsity football squad, and his remarks only heaped coals on my head.

I looked helplessly at Kenzie who had turned ashen and seemed on the verge of tears.

But the day was saved by Janice Turner who happened to be sitting at our table.

“Hyper down, Tim. You know as well as I Crissy drinks a lot and over-dramatizes. She’s probably confused poor Jude here with one of her one-night stands.”

She reached out and touched my arm to console me. “Don’t worry, Jude, I’ll have a talk with Crissy and straighten her out.”

Tim was suitably chastened. He sobered instantly, using the sleeve of his shirt to dry his eyes. “Yeah. Man—that chick is seriously whacked.”

So, the crisis passed, as far as the gang was concerned, and in fact, boredom seeped in until eventually, everyone drifted back to class.

But Kenzie stayed behind, and I knew the inquisition was about to begin.

There was a long silence between us, as she just stared out the window at the rain.

And then she began, her voice just above the level of a whisper.

“I know what Janice said, Jude, but it was pretty clear to me that blonde girl recognized you, and she knew all about your habit of sketching girls.”

“Yeah, I know, but I swear I never had anything to do with her.”

“Well then, maybe you can explain how she knows anything about you, if as you say, you had nothing to do with her.

I rubbed my forehead, trying to focus, but feeling a migraine begin.

“I can explain—somewhat, but I’m coming down with a migraine, Kenz—must be this rain—the change of weather, and all.”

“Oh, you’ll have to do better than that Darling, or there will be a real storm.”

The sparks in her eyes were proof of that.

I wasn’t afraid to tell her the truth, but the explanation I was about to give her would no doubt turn her world upside down, and change forever the way she saw me.

To be continued

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