Episode 5: Beware The Sheeple

“That movie was horrifying,” Kai shuddered as he put his car keys down on the kitchen counter. “And the scariest part was, I was so thirsty,” he added with mock horror.

I tossed him a can of cola from the refrigerator. “Well if you let me I could have gone to the concession,” I replied as I gave him a very pointed look.

“Trust me,” he said before he popped the can open and took a swig, “if you don’t have to be around Ann, you shouldn’t inflict her upon yourself.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cold, Kai.”

“No, it’s not. She’s...,” he trailed off, taking a minute to think. He seemed to space out, staring off into the distance as he looked for the right words to say. “The best way I can think to describe her is to say that she’s a sociopath.”

I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off.

“Let’s go sit down, it’ll take me a while to elaborate.”

I followed him to the living room and sat on the plush carpeted floor, while he took a seat on the couch.

He took a deep breath before speaking. “Ann has, or at least had, a thing for me. I don’t know if she still does.”

“How long ago did you find out?”

“It was close to the beginning of this semester.”

“How does the fact that she likes you make her a sociopath, and why didn’t you tell me?” I frowned slightly. It wasn’t like Kai to say something so unkind about anyone. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement; Kai always made an effort to see the best that was in everyone. It was one of his character traits that I admired the most.

“It’s not the fact that she liked or likes me—I’m not sure which it is—that makes me think she’s a sociopath. It’s the way she is that makes me believe that. This is the second semester in a row that we’ve had classes together. Last semester it was just Japanese class, this semester it’s Japanese, Graphic Design, and English.”

“Taking the same classes as you doesn’t make her a sociopath, Kai,” I said, exasperated. A stalker maybe, I thought, but not a sociopath. I sighed internally. Why were things so complicated? Of course, it was always possible that she’d ended up in the same classes as him through sheer coincidence. It’s doubtful, though, my inner thoughts said.

“Are you through interrupting?” He raised an eyebrow, obviously annoyed with me.

“Yes,” I said sullenly, embarrassed by my poor display of manners.

“Don’t be like that, I didn’t mean to sound like I was scolding you.” He reached out to pat my head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt so many times. I was just curious. Anyway, continue.” I nodded, encouraging him to pick up where he’d left off.

He nodded back at me, acknowledging my apology. “She was really sweet when I first met her and very friendly. She’d find me in the library between classes, asking for help with her homework. I didn’t mind helping her out, you know? But this semester she tried to be near me all the time. One of my friends, Eden—you know Eden, right?”

I nodded.

“Eden gave me a heads up that she’d heard Ann had been telling people that we got together over the summer and that we were so serious that I was getting ready to propose to her,” he said, his voice laced with disgust. “I mean, how could people believe that?” As he asked that question, his face was a question mark—he was truly perplexed.

“That’s not the worst part,” he continued, “I made the mistake of waiting too long to confront her, and Ann spread all kinds of terrible rumors about Eden. She saw Eden as impeding on her territory because she saw us hanging out at school and leaving campus together for lunch.”

I raised my hand slightly, not wanting to interject but worried I’d forget my question if I didn’t.

He inclined his head toward me, indicating that I could interrupt.

“What did she say about Eden? Did you ever confront her?”

“I’d rather not repeat what she said about Eden. The things that were said were terrible, and none of them were true. And yes, I did confront Ann, but she denied everything.”

I frowned. “That’s... appalling. How could college-aged students get caught up in such middle school drama?”

Kai frowned. “Eden is shy. She tends to keep to herself. On the flip side, Ann comes across as very charismatic and friendly. I don’t suppose it was too difficult for her to convince her friends to believe whatever she said. People are like sheep, they like the safety of the herd, so they’ll agree with the masses for fear of being left out.”

He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he continued and said, “Yes, it’s true that we’re out of high school now, but the people who were immature in high school graduated with us. They are out in society with us now—working, going to college, whatever. When they graduated, they didn’t leave their high school mentality behind. And as for her conscience, well, I did say she was a sociopath.”

“I don’t mean to sound naive, but how could someone so pretty be so ugly?” I wrinkled my nose in disdain. I understood Ann being jealous of other girls being around Kai because he was so handsome but to take it that far—I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“I don’t know,” Kai shrugged.

“Is she still telling people that you’re together?”

He shrugged again, “I really don’t know. I don’t want to know. I don’t care. I don’t want to associate with her in any way. That’s why I was so brusque at the theater today, and I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t know she worked there—otherwise, we would’ve gone to a different theater or done something else instead.”

I nodded to indicate that I understood. “That’s why you didn’t want me to go to the concession by myself during the movie.”

“I don’t want her spreading venomous lies about you like she did with Eden.” He rubbed his forehead, looking frustrated.

“I’ll avoid her as best I can,” I said solemnly, “but why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

“You were still going through things.” He gave me a meaningful look to let me know that he wasn’t trying to guilt me with his words, that he was genuinely trying to be considerate of my feelings. “I didn’t want to burden your mind. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a non-issue since Ann doesn’t exist to me anymore.”

I had a thought and decided to ask, “How is Eden holding up?” I didn’t know Eden very well, but I liked her. I was concerned for her because no one deserved to deal with having their reputation dragged through the mud.

“At first she was really upset but then she realized that the people who matter knew the truth and that was all she cared about.”

I nodded, not knowing what else to say. I was proud of Eden for being able to keep her chin up. I didn’t know if I would have been able to do the same and I had a newfound respect for her. I’d have to give her a call sometime, and hopefully, we could get to know each other better. I could always use another friend. Though I should probably focus on reconnecting with the ones I already have, I admitted to no one else but myself.

“Just be careful, okay? Ann’s really unstable.” Kai held my chin gently and tilted my face upward so that we were looking at one another. “You’re my best friend and one of the most important people in my life. I don’t want you to get put through any unnecessary drama.”

I felt my face grow hot—not just at the intimacy of the gesture because Kai and I had always been pretty tactile with each other, but because of the sincerity of his words. I must have been bright red.

Kai stood abruptly and cleared his throat. “You have to get ready for work soon. Just let me know when you’re ready.” He gave me a small smile before he left the room.

I heard his footsteps grow distant as he ascended the stairs, then nothing.

I was stumped by his sudden outpouring of affection toward me and saddened that I had been so unaware that he had been dealing with so much drama on his own without my support. I sat there for a few minutes as I thought about everything I’d heard and experienced over the last several hours. I was overloaded with information and felt pretty overwhelmed by it. I laid myself out on the carpet and stretched while I thought.

Kai was probably being extra affectionate because he was excited that I was making an effort to rejoin the living. He hadn’t told me about the drama in his life because he knew I was going through things. He was being considerate. Even though he tried to play it off like he was unaffected, in some way I knew my depression messed him up, but that he’d never say so.

After a few more minutes of reflection, I got up and went to change for work. Sometimes it wasn’t good to think too hard about things.

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“Kai, I’m ready to leave when you are,” I said, standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

“I’ll meet you downstairs in a minute.”

“Okay.”

The drive to work was filled with an awkward silence until we arrived at the mall. Kai reminded me to text him when I was closing the store so that by the time I got out of work he could be in the parking lot waiting for me. If I had my license and a car I could avoid awkward situations like this but the idea of driving scared me. I’m lucky to live in a time where there are so many transportation options available. Foot mobile, taxis, ridesharing apps, and an awesome best friend who is willing to chauffeur me around—talk about being spoiled for choice, I thought.

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