The Ogre 02 (Patreon)

Yesterday was one of the worst I had had in the while. I tried to be nice to that new girl… the ogre… but it just ended up with me on her “list.” I didn’t want to know what that entailed.

I thought maybe today could be a bit better but, I was already marked. She shoved me into my locker just for being in her path. I’ve spent the rest of the day running away from her in the halls and doing my best to avoid eye contact in the classroom.

I was outside eating my lunch when Matt approached me.

“Holy shit you’re still alive!” he said patting me on the back. “I thought the ogre would have eaten you by now.”

“I doubt she’s a cannibal Matt,” I said, drinking my yogurt.

“It’s a figure of speech Ty… or not, who knows!? You know I heard that other mutant girl with the wings tried to be her friend as a show of ‘mutant solidarity’ and she ripped her wings off and ate them like they were chicken wings!” Matt said, miming eating a sloppy order of buffalo wings.

“Matt, you know that’s-“

“Nom! Nom! SLURP! Belch!” Matt said, continuing his pantomime.

“Matt, she just tore off some feathers… I think… and yeah it made her run away crying but… it wasn’t cannibalism,” I said swallowing hard.

“You act like ripping out her feathers is much better. Imagine if she ripped out your hair. You couldn’t make the bald look work man.” Matt couldn’t help but laugh. I wasn’t amused. He could tell. “Eh whatever… Just start training to use your feet as hands. She might tear off your arms any day now.”

“Would you stop! This isn’t helping things. I’m already in deep shit as it is without you poking fun at me.” I sighed heavily. I didn’t need this drama in my life. “Do you think I could confront her about it? Maybe smooth things over?”

“Confront her? HAH! That worked so well last time. Face it, she wants to fight, and you aren’t going to win a fight. My little sister is stronger than you. That ogre could take your head off with a sneeze.”

“I appreciate your faith in me,” I said with a depressed groan. “God, she wants to kill me and I don’t even know her name.”

“Holly…” Matt chimed in. “Should’ve been Fiona, am I right?”

“Holly?” I said confused. “How the heck do you know that?”

Without missing a beat Matt pulled out a small notebook, flipping through a few pages. “Her name is Holly. She’s, a year older than us. She missed a year of studies due to the incident that caused her scar. Rumors say it was a brawl with a gang of Yakuza.”

“Matt… Ughh… I’m amazed at your ability to dig up dirt but I don’t think she-“

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY SPOT!” a loud and gruff voice called out from the distance. Holly was stomping toward up. I stood up Immediately choking down my sandwich.

“Nothing! I didn’t know this was your spot, we were just talking and- GACK!”

She had reached out and put one of her massive hands around my throat. “First of all, I didn’t ask for your opinion, worm. Second, from now on this is my spot, period. It’s far from all the other morons who like to gossip about me behind my back. Third, why the hell did you say we when there’s no one else here?”

I looked to Matt but saw just empty space and a dropped pen. Thanks man. Way to stick behind your friends.

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you!” She said pulling me closer. “Do you understand?” I nodded shakily and she released her grip. I gasped for air and picked up my stuff.

“Now shove off,” she said as I gathered my things. I started walking away, but I heard her stomach growl… it sounded like the roar of an angry animal.

“A-are you hungry?” I asked terrified.

“None of your goddamn business!” She said getting back in my face, “but if you are so concerned with my nutrition…” she grabbed my bag and started rifling through it, taking out the remnants of my lunch: the other half of my sandwich, an apple, a few candy bars. She shoved the whole sandwich half in her mouth and swallowed in in what I could only assume was one gulp. “Tasty. At least your mom knows how to cook… worm.”

“I… uh… I made it myself,” I said timidly. “I live with my dad and I do all the cooking.”

“Then be grateful that your culinary skills saved your life,” she said ripping open the candy bars and shoving them down her gullet.

“Thanks… I guess?” I replied with hesitancy. “I can bring some extra for you tomorrow if you like?”

She stopped chewing for a second and stared at me with her cold yellow eyes. I flinched instinctively. I felt like a beat down was coming… but it never did.

“If tomorrows sandwich isn’t as good as this one, I’ll give you a wedgie so big you’ll be picking the elastic of your briefs out of your teeth,” she said before turning away and stomping off.

“Phew that was close,” Matt said. Wait… where did he come from.

“Matt! What the hell man! You left me to die! Where did you even go!?”

“Gotta be quick to survive man. I’m like a ninja, a stealthy detective ninja,” he said miming chops with his notebook still out. “Besides, there’s no reason she should kill us both. So she’s holding your lunch hostage eh? What are you gonna do about it?”

I zipped up my bag and slung it around my back “Well, it looks like I’m going to make the best sandwich of my life.”