I took a breath, then spoke.
"There's this...guy. Kel. Keldon, I guess. He..."
I stopped, suddenly uncomfortable talking about this in front of this strange white haired man. When I'd imagined coming here and getting a curse, or whatever kind of payback, I didn't think I'd have to tell him what had happened. I looked down, and went on.
"He outed me as...just before school got out, last year, he told everyone I was...that I was gay," I said the last word half under my breath, almost flinching at the sound of it, but pressed on, "I hadn't...I mean, before that he'd just been a regular bully. Cocky, aggressive, whatever, but after that...he didn't even know it was true. Him and his friends just started telling people I was a f-fairy, and then one of them stole my phone and found–"
I cut myself off, closing my eyes, and took a breath. The last month of school was still painful in my mind. I could remember the physical pain too, still, the bruises and the shoves against walls. More than that, though, it was the feeling of not being in control. Of watching my life fall apart and all my secrets spill out into the open and not being able to do anything about it.
"I don't want to talk about what they did," I said quietly, "But just...feeling like that, like I didn't even get to decide when I was...I don't know, ready or whatever. Feeling small and weak and not in control, and...watching how he didn't need to even care. I'll be back in school tomorrow morning, I'll have to look everyone in the eyes again, and if I can't go back to being invisible I want him to have to pay for ruining my life there."
I looked up defiantly, and met the man's unreadable eyes. Part of me knew I was taking this too personally, that no matter how much it hurt a bad year of high school didn't need to be the end of the world. But I didn't care. I guess I had a bit of a vindictive streak, or maybe I was projecting all my frustration with my life onto Kel, or any number of things. But I didn't give a shit. I wanted him to have to face consequences for once.
The man stared at me in silence for an agonizingly long time. Then, finally, he spoke.
"And you are serious about wanting this man to face consequences, Mr. Everett?"
"Yes," I said, not even hesitating.
The man smiled, and nodded. Carefully, never taking his eyes from mine, he reached into a drawer behind his desk and pulled out...a package. It was small, or at least seemed that way in the dim light of the shop, and it was wrapped in dark faded blue paper and tied with a glossy black string.
"Take your curse, Mr. Everett," he said, placing the parcel carefully in the middle of the table, "and you accept the trade. Do not open it until you return home."
I reached out, then hesitated a moment, hand hovering above the mysterious "curse." The word "trade" still worried me — none of the rumors had talked about what it was, or mentioned a trade at all. Still, I'd come this far. If I turned back now I'd always wonder what the curse even was. I picked it up.
"Then we have a deal," the man said, "You may see yourself out, Mr. Everett. And please, try not to look behind you as you when you leave. Customers have informed us that they find it...unsettling."
I gulped, and nodded my assent. Hands shaking slightly as they gripped the mysterious package, I turned, and walked out the door. I didn't dare look back, or even think of opening the curse before I got home. The walk home was a blur, my head filled with a mix of anticipation and dread, until I found myself in my bedroom, staring at the still unopened packaged wrapped in paper and string.
"Well," I said to myself, "Here goes nothing."