The Prince’s brother let me in, nodded at me, seemed a bit nervous at it, and made sure I couldn’t see much of his face behind that curtain of greasy hair of his. He was about thirteen or whatever, at least about two years younger than The Prince and I, but he acted so shy around me you wouldn’t believe he was that age.

“Yo. Learned any new tricks?” He was leaning on his skateboard. I supposed he had been on his way out when I arrived.

He shrugged, then shook his hanging head with all that hair in front of it, but I could see him look at me through it.

“Whatever,” I replied with a similar shrug.

“Whatever,” he mumbled with a concealed smile.

I waved at him and climbed up the stairs.

Usually I didn’t knock before entering The Prince’s room, because if I had he’d only have ridiculed me for it. But this time, just as I was reading for the door handle, I had to pause, thinking of this ominous circle of his. Not having the first idea what that was about, and recalling from the phone call that he wasn’t alone in there, I thought it safest to knock this time. For all our sakes. There were a few things in The Prince’s most private private life that I really did not want to bear witness to. Like, ever.

So I knocked.

“Get the fuck out, brat!” His brother’s name was Bradley, by the way. It was pretty obvious he meant him, though I ditinctly heard the t at the end.

“Okay, then I’ll just go back home!” I called back. Then I heard him groan and someone else giggled.

“Don’t knock, you troll, come in.”

“You sure? You’re not naked or anything? Rolling around in the bed or whatever?” The giggling grew louder. I opened the door and stuck my head through the opening.

The Prince and two slags from school were sitting on the carpet around a – I never get this bullshit right – some sort of oracle-séance board with letters on it and a glass on top of it. It was something with an O, I’m sure.

One of the girls, who never spoke a word to me at school by the way, smiled at me and lilted: “It just works better with four people.”

My cheek sort of flinched in a sour half-smile.

As I sat down between the girls, albeit reluctantly, they explained to me what they were trying to do. It had to do with that Sue and Thomas, whoever the hell those people were, and with them being a couple or whatever. I won’t bore you with it and I don’t remember any of it anyway. So don’t worry. You’re spared. I wasn’t.

I had to place a finger on the glass and used my right middle finger. They didn’t seem to mind. After a  few seconds the glass started moving.

“Someone’s pushing it,” one of the girls whispered. I rolled my eyes and snorted.

“Der.” The Prince’s pointed glare shut me up.

They whispered some letters while they shoved the glass around, and when they were finished and started discussing their result, I gladly retrieved my finger and looked out the window. Someone poked my arm.

“Huh?”

“Do you have a question?”

“Huh?”

“For the board.”

I looked at the glass.

“Yeah, actually I do.”

“Aha, now that it’s your turn you’re all into it,” said one of them. I can’t for the life of me remember what their names were. We placed our fingers on the glass. They looked at me expectantly, all the of them. I was going to ask “Why do you believe in this bullshit”, but suddenly I didn’t have the heart to do it anymore.

“Should I fuck Derrick,” I said instead.

They all left the glass alone and glanced at each other.

“You’re not taking this seriously,” one of the girls accused me.

“No, of course not!” I said.

“I don’t feel we should have someone so neggediv in our circle,” whined the other one. She actually said neggediv. And feel. She doesn’t feel they should. I clutched my forehead.

“I hope you all get cancer,” I mumbled. When I looked up they stared at me in shock. Not The Prince, though, he just glowered.

“Her mother has cancer,” whispered one of them.

So? I didn’t know her fucking mother, why would I care? I didn’t say that, though.

“So?”

“You should really watch what you say,” said The Prince.

“Whatever.” I stood up. “Gonna do something useful now.”

They whispered among themselves when I left.