The blinds were thrown up away from the classroom windows, allowing the evening light to pour in and cascade itself over desks and chairs, and illuminating everyone's hair like a halo.

"In the graveyard,

in the graveyard."

The class was sitting around the small room, singing Halloween songs. The teacher, a young, naive woman, was sitting on her desk, singing along with them. Her bell earrings were tinkling, almost too softly to hear over the singing, in time with her head nods.

"When the moon,

begins to shine."

Coraline was sitting in the desk closest to the window with her feet propped up against the table top and leaning far back into her chair, balancing on the two back legs, with her arms slung over it's back. She was moving her lips the barest amount; pretending to sing, her eyes half closed as she stared out the window.

"There's a doctor,

a crazy doctor."

This was retarded. What was the point of music class? No one was going on to be the next Britney Spears or anything, thank god. There were better things Coraline was interested in than being stuck in a classroom full of people she didn't like being sung to by a woman who's voice made her want to stab small children with dull, rusted objects, and the only thing separating her from those things was a quarter inch of glass. There was a scarcely used road, aside from for school use, across the court yard; with its nasty yellowing grass, and across from that the forest that wove itself through a good chunk of her Oregon town. The maple trees that it was made of were orange and red at this time of year. The many pointed leaves floated down like flakes in a snow globe where they covered the ground and spread onto the outskirts of the road, flying up in swirls of amber color whenever a car drove through them.

"And his monster,

Frankenstein."

And that was precisely where she saw him, in the same spot that he was at every day at this time. He was standing in the shade of two large trees, yellow leaves falling to the ground in front of him every few moments as he gazed unblinkingly at her. His black and ultra violet white fireman's jacket opened up, revealing a fishnet undershirt, and his black goggles tangled on the top of his head by messy brown hair.

Wybourne.

"Oh my monster,

oh my monster."

He had become skinny over the years since they had been eleven. So much so that whenever he came over Mel cooked extra fatty foods and wouldn't let him leave until he had had at least two helpings. His jeans were baggy and bleach spotted and barely held onto his narrow hips by an old, leather belt that had supposedly been his fathers. He lifted his bone patterned, fingerless gloves to his forehead in a lazy salute.

Heeey Jonsey.

Coraline loosened the tie around her neck and held the end of it above her head, lolling her head to the side and sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth. Something deep inside stirred in it's sleep.

Dying of boredom.

He stood there for a second looking constipated, before grabbing his stomach and doubling over with over dramatic laughter. She couldn't hear him from the classroom but the point was made. Wybie grabbed the tree to his right for support, gaining control of himself, and wiped his index finger under his left eye. Coraline squished her middle finger against the glass.

"Oh my monster,

Frankenstein."

He grinned at her, tilting his head like a puppy caught peeing on the carpet. Coraline loved his grin, it was the staple in every childhood memory she had with him. Too bad if he knew that she would have to kill him. He grinned harder and jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the west. As he did so throwing one leg over the seat of his motorbike and starting it up.

See you at my house?

Coraline crossed her arms, pointed her nose towards the ceiling, and turned the other way.

You'd be so honored.

She moved her head the smallest amount back in his direction and subtlety opened her left eye a crack. But he was already gone, racing through the forest towards wherever.

"Don't come near me,

Frankenstein."

The song ended, after several verses, and Coraline faced the front of the class again. Mrs. Dingbol was rising from her desk, telling the class to wait until the bell rang. Coraline saw movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed the kid in the desk next to her for the first time. He was looking at her like she just grew a third head and she realized that he had probably been watching her the whole time. Coraline turned back to the window, hoping to see a glimpse of a teenage boy on a black spray painted motorbike riding between the trees.

She almost couldn't hear the sound of the kid's desk scraping slowly across the linoleum away from her.