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"Noise Gate"

 Payback, otherwise known as revenge, is dish best served cold. Alongside the delicacies such as suffering with a dash of distain. All coming together in a full course meal of misery. The only question is, how much spice do you want to add to the dish before it becomes too painful to consume?


***


Riding the bus was always a miserable time. The noise of the kids babbling in the back, the fact there's always that one person that tries talking to you, even the occasional paper wad being thrown at your head. I wish I could walk to school rather than ride this dumb bus.


We made our next to last stop at this kid's house that lives literally two blocks from the school. Apparently his parents are too overprotective to let them walk so they ride the bus.  It annoyed the hell out of me.


The guy sat right next to me, as it was the only open seat. He annoyed me so much because he's dumb to the point of thinking everyone is his friend, even if they are blatantly bullying him. I can't tell you how many times I told him to stop talking to me but he never let up.


"Good morning bud," he said, slipping of his backpack and setting it in his lap.


I was turned toward the window, pretending not to hear him. He repeated himself, a little louder and tapping my shoulder. I grabbed his arm and pushed it away.


"Someone is in a crabby mood." He slouched over his bag and stared straight ahead.


I rolled my eyes. We do the same thing every morning, why is this still a surprise to him?


***


After we got to school, I sat down at the breakfast table next to my best friend Tommy.


"What's up dude?" he asked as I sat down. "Kevin sit next to you on the bus again?"


I nodded. "I wish there was some way to get him away from me. He smells so bad."


"I mean, I've got an idea. It's a little messed up." he said.


"What do you got for me?" I asked.


He pulled out a tube of super glue from his pocket.


"Where'd you get that?" I asked.


"My parents let me use it," he replied. "I told them it was for an art project."


"So, what's your idea?" I asked him. "Do you want me to super glue his pants to the bus seat?"


"No, that'd get you in trouble with the school." he replied. "I've got something even darker."


***


When we got on the bus after school, I looked around to see where my best friend, Tyler, was sitting. I felt bad for the guy, he had so much pent up anger inside that he takes it out on me. I don't mind because I wanna try to break through to him. Today, he seemed almost eager for me to sit next to him. 


"Hey buddy," he said. "I've got a song I want you to listen to."


I was skeptical at first. He's never this nice to me. Something is up. Maybe he finally decided to be nice to me for a change. He pulled out his earbuds and handed them to me. I put them in my ears. They were a little cold but I didn't mind. He began to play his music.


"Can you turn it down a little?" I asked, barely able to hear my own voice.


He turned it up higher in response. I asked him again to turn it down but he refused to. I went to pull the earbuds out of my ears but in return, pain shot through my head as they wouldn't budge.


I pulled harder. I looked over to Tyler, he was laughing. I pulled as hard as I could but as he kept laughing, he turned the volume up louder and louder. Finally, through the pain, I felt them start to give way. They finally came out. I looked down at them, they were covered in blood.

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