2. New Religion-Black Veil Brides

We’ll pray to all the wrong decisions, whoah oh oh

This time you’ll show all that you can be, whoah oh oh

Grab your weapons now, we’ll run against the crowd

And changing history…

        “Davis, what the hell, man!” Ty slapped Davis in the head with his binder as they walked out of Game Stop with McKenna, Kyle and Mickey.  “How do you offer to take us to Game Stop, and you don’t have any money?”

        “I could’ve sworn I had like thirty bucks in here,” Davis explained, searching through his wallet.

        “Do any of you have enough money to buy Bio Shock Infinite?” Kyle turned towards the girls.

        “I don’t get paid ‘til next week.” McKenna shrugged. “Too bad, though, I heard the graphics were supposed to be really awesome. What about you Ty? Weren’t you bragging about how you got like two-hundred dollars from your grandmother last weekend?”

        “Huh? What?” Ty looked up from his iPod. “Oh yeah, see, about that…I kinda spent most of it, and I only have like twenty bucks left.”

        “Well, since we’re already here, why don’t we go get something to eat?” Davis suggested, looking at Mickey. “You in, Mickey?”

        Mickey’s focus was stuck on her phone.

        “Hello, Earth to Mickey.” Ty nudged her. “You okay?”

        “Huh?” Ty got a glimpse of her phone’s screen; she had been reading a message from her mother. “Oh, yeah, I’m good. I’m with Davis; let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”

        “Guys, don’t look now, but the Birds are here.” McKenna pointed out, gesturing to the McDonald’s a few feet away from them.

        A group of girls sat in a back booth, laughing and talking loudly. Their hair was fresh from the salon, their nails freakishly long with complicated designs. Ty thought it was a miracle they hadn’t been kicked out of the restaurant yet with the noise they were making.

Kyle and Davis started making chicken noises.

        “Birds?” Mickey asked. “Why do you guys call them birds?”

        “Because those are the only animals that squawk as loudly as those girls do?” Ty explained. “Plus the way they move their necks makes them look like they have chicken heads.”

        Mickey laughed as they walked past them to the register.

        “Hey, you, in the grey hoodie.” They all turned around as one of the girls called out to Mickey.

        Mickey pointed to herself. “Me?”

 “Yeah, you.” It was a gum-snapping-leg crossing-loud talking-bossy-looking-caramel-skinned girl with black, curly hair. “Come over here, I wanna talk to you.”

        Mickey turned to Ty. “Should I go?”

        Ty thought for a moment. He knew the one that called Mickey over to them was Janice, head Bird. She made the rules. The other Birds feared her. And she only talked to non-birds for two reasons: A) She wanted to fight you, or B) she thought you were “worthy” of hanging out with them.

        “Hurry up.”  Janice called out.

        “Go on ahead.” Ty finally answered. “We’ll be on the line.”

        “Are you sure it’s a good idea to let her go over there on her own?” McKenna asked Ty as they watched Mickey walk over to them.

        “I’m sure she can handle herself,” Ty reassured them, finally reaching the register.

        “You b***h!” Janice screamed from the booth. Her hair soaking wet, ice slowly falling off her scalp. Her face had gone from caramel to tomato and you could feel the steam flowing rapidly off her. “Are you f*****g serious!!!!!”

        Everyone turned to the booth; Mickey stood above Janice, holding a turned over cup of soda. Mickey laughed slightly, dropping the cup and bolting towards the exit. Ty and the others laughed as they followed after her. The Birds chasing them until they reached the stairs, stopping while the group kept running until they reached the mall exit.

        “You poured soda on her?” Ty asked in astonishment as they all stopped to catch their breath, Mickey nodding. “Why?”

        “Well,” Mickey started. “When I declined… her offer to hang out with them…”

        “Whoa,” McKenna cut her off. “They… invited you to chill with them… and you turned them… down?”

        Mickey nodded. “Then she started… insulting you guys so… I poured soda on her.”

        “No one’s ever turned down an invitation from the Birds before.” McKenna was in shock. “And the Birds have never asked any of us to join them. You must be special.”

        “There’s no way I would join that group of snobs.” Mickey smiled. “I think I’d have much more fun hanging out with you guys.”

        “So you’re just gonna ignore the ultimate clique rule?” McKenna asked.

        “Screw the rules!” Ty butt in. “If Mickey wants to stay with us, then why the hell not?”

        “Yeah, Ty’s right.” Davis added. “We’ve always gone by our own rules.”

        “To the new high school religion?” Kyle put up a fist pump.

        “To the new religion!”

We are the unholy,

We are the b*****d sons of your media culture.

Our minds, eyes, and bodies were born of your exclusion

An illusion you hide behind…