The Family Legacy

I come from a long line of folks with mental health issues. It's in the genes, you know? Luckily, I got diagnosed early, and with my meds and keeping my emotions in check, I could pass for normal. So normal, in fact, that I even did a Tai Chi demo at the freshman welcome show. I was feeling pretty good about myself that night… until I got back to my dorm room.

My bed was covered in paint, my stuff was in the trash, and I knew things were about to get messy.

"Well, well, look who it is, the little show-off from the welcome event," a girl with long, dark hair drawled, stepping into my room with two of her little sidekicks. She surveyed the scene like she was Picasso admiring his work. "Looks like someone had a little accident. How's the bed situation lookin'?"

One of her flunkies snickered, kicking at my blanket. "Maybe she doesn’t need a blanket tonight, huh?" Then, she yanked it up to reveal… a dead rat. "Eww, looks like a dead rat went to bed before you did," she fake-gagged. The other two started laughing at me. They were practically losing it, but I just stared them down.

"What’s the deal, little miss good-looking, can't take a joke?" one of them sneered, getting right up in my face.

The other one gave me a little shove. "Just because you’re pretty doesn't mean you're untouchable, princess."

I could feel my temper start to simmer. It was like the family craziness was trying to break out. "So you guys were the ones who messed up my stuff, huh?" I asked, trying to keep it calm, because I didn't wanna go off on the wrong people.

The main chick, she just up and kicked me, all smug. "Yeah, so what? Whatcha gonna do about it?" Then she went to kick me again, sneering, "This is a little lesson for you. Next time, keep your pretty face out of the spotlight."

I had enough. I wasn’t gonna stand there and take her crap. Not this time.

Turning the Tables

Before she could land that second kick, I grabbed her leg and yanked, dropping her on her butt with a nasty thud. She let out a yelp, and before she could even get her bearings, I stomped on her inner thigh.

The girl let out another, louder scream.

I popped my ears, then turned to the next one, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and started banging her head against the doorframe, HARD. Blood started splattering everywhere, bright red against the dingy wood. It was pretty messed up.

I licked a bit of the blood off my finger. "Tastes kinda metallic, don't you think?" I said, my voice flat.

She stared at me, wide-eyed and scared, but she was still trying to act tough. "You little bi—, you know who my dad is? You lay a finger on me and he’ll have you taken out."

“Oh really?” I chuckled, a bit too loudly, and pinched her cheeks. "How will he do that?"

She just started hitting me, trying to break free, but I had a grip like a vise. "You're a psycho, a total psycho," she spat, struggling like a trapped animal.

I laughed until tears were running down my face, and then I dragged her over to my paint-c...