BeautifulyBlue: I am not dead everyone! So sorry I haven't updated in a while, I promise the next couple of chapters will make up for it! Along with tons of other stories awaiting!
Joe stood outside of the main office as transitioning students pushed him out of the way as they crossed his path. He had the note in his pocket…but his first time lying, why did he have to be raised as a goody-goody?
He finally opened up the doors and walked up to the desk where a woman was working on files. He cleared his throat humbly hoping she'd look up. Nothing. He 'coughed'. She raised her head, she was quite frightening,
"Can I help you?"
He pulled the note from his pocket, "Yes…I have a scheduled doctors appointment." it felt as if his hand was shaking when he held it out. She took the note from him, reading it to herself. His heart was beating faster the longer she took to read it. She looked at him with her eyes,
"Name?"
"J-Joseph Lamb."
She held the note up to him, "Go on." he was confused, he watched as she scrolled through a long packet of names to sign him out,
"Really?"
"Get out." she waved an irritated hand. He smiled, a nervous laugh,
"Thanks." He whirled around exiting the building.
Cary was at his locker, consistently looking to his left and right to make sure Richard was no where in sight. He quickly shoved his supplies for gym in the locker making a grab for his binder. He closed his locker door, expecting another surprise appearance from Richard but nope. He sighed in relief and turned around…to find Richard standing there. He jumped back, but stopped himself from running,
He couldn't let him know he was intimidated….be a man he thought.
"You know your not supposed to be here!"
"Think again chompers!" he fought, mocking him with a cruel nickname Cary had already been introduced with, "I had a long talk with my mom and the principal and it looks like I'm staying with only a few consequences for 'my actions." he continued using air quotes.
"Your fucking kidding me!" Cary had no other choice at this point, it was the only way he'd get him off of his and Charles's back…let him be someone else's problem, "Look," he shut his eyes, "I'm sorry. Ok?" he tucked his binder under his arm, Richard sighed,
"I thought we were friends."
"We could've been!" He may as well be honest with his not-friend, "But the thing with the bugs-"
"I can stop!"
"But why do you do that? What's up with that?" Cary knew why…but he couldn't get Sonia involved again.
Richard stood there, no response. Cary breathed in, "I just wanted to help with…whatever may be wrong with you."
"Nothing is wrong!"
Nothing is wrong? Cary wanted to laugh…he did for a second,
"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?"
Cary stopped, forcing himself to hold it in… "I'm sorry," he did not like the look in his eyes, "But do you even listen to yourself? You have problems-"
Suddenly Richard shoved Cary backwards, walking up to him and leaning over him, cornering him against a door, "Listen up here you stupid little shit, my problems are none of your business." he hissed through his teeth, Cary violently shoved him away,
"GET OFF!"
People in the hall were staring… and Richard wasn't liking that. He could see hell rising in Cary's eyes,
"FOR THE RECORD, I WAS JUST BEING NICE! EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING I JUST FELT SORRY FOR YOU! BUT YOU REALLY NEED HELP!" He forcefully swallowed everything else he wanted to say and stormed away.
And that was something Cary shouldn't have said. All his life the one thing everyone told him was he needed help. But he'd been denying this since the age of eight. And he wasn't going to admit to some kid that he needed it…he'd be seeing him after school…
Joe made it back to Alice's house who was already on her bike. She smiled when she saw him pulling up, he put his foot on the ground to balance the bike,
"How was turning in the note?"
"Easier than I thought…" he smirked with a small laugh. She joined in.
"So, do you know where this rehab center is?"
She nodded, "Looked at a map…memorized all the directions."
"Alright…so lets go." They started to bring they're bikes out on the sidewalk before Alice stopped at the end of the driveway, Joe didn't notice until he was halfway down the path, "What's wrong?"
He hated the solemn look she had on her face, "My dad's going to hate me when he finds out where that taxi's taking him."
Joe threw his bike down and walked back over, "Don't say that. He'll know your trying to help him."
"But that's what he can't stand…that he can't help himself. That someone has to baby him all the time he feels like."
Joe had to pause and think about that…he really didn't know what the situation was like for her…especially someone she cared about that much. He tried to think of his mother…what would it have been like if he knew what was going to happen that day…he'd do anything to make it stop. Anything.
And Alice felt the same about her dad. She knows what path lies ahead and she was putting their relationship on the line to keep her father healthy and alive.
"Listen…" he stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder, "Your not doing anything wrong…so stop beating yourself up like that. Ok that's what's not going to help." He didn't even realize it but his hand was on her cheek. Her expression was slowly changing from sadness, to hopefulness as he looked right into her eyes.
…Then he realized what was happening. He quickly slid his hand away, "Uh-so…you feel ok now?" he backed away…being 'romantic' never felt so…different. But she smiled,
"Yes…much." She smiled at him as she walked passed him pushing her bike onto the sidewalk. He smiled to himself before grabbing his and pedaling off.
Martin found the jocks at their usual lunch table later in the day. He threw down his bag and sat next to David,
"So how was having a hangover?"
David had his head down on the table, "Fucking painful."
Martin observed all of the jocks, they all looked either dull, exhausted or had their heads buried in the table. He pushed his glasses up and kept in high spirits, "So you know what tomorrow is…the event?"
He rose his head, smirking "Yeah…your in?"
Martin nodded, but David became suspicious, "That big-headed kid isn't here is he?"
He faked a scoff, "Nah, ditched him. So what's the plan?"
David looked around to make sure Preston wasn't in sight and leaned in, "We're hanging that kid on the bleachers by his feet…you'll see how tonight. But that's what the little devil gets for being 'smart'."
Martin smirked back at him, "So where are we meeting?"
"Out on the football field, behind the north set of bleachers."
Martin nodded. Preston was at another table not too far from them, he had been watching them the whole time waiting for the signal… behind his own back, Martin snuck him an 'ok' symbol. Preston smiled and went back to digging into his food.
Cary was not in a good mood. Charles could tell by his violent pushing of the buttons on his game. When he was mad he did everything angry. 'Angry' talking, 'angry' reading…and angry playing. It was quite entertaining for Charles with the facial expressions he was making. Cary played better when he was mad, but Charles had to know,
"You tackling them hard enough?" he joked, Cary finally put his game down by throwing it onto the table and buried his face into the table,
"I've got such a headache."
"What's wrong?"
He lifted his head, "Richard's a psycho! That's what's wrong!" Charles's expression grew concerned, "Little f….." he caught himself, not being aloud to curse at school. He remembered what his mom did when he got caught doing so last year…he pounded his fist on the table with the first three words of his scentence, "Little freaking IDIOT is out of trouble!" he slammed his fist on the table one last time to let the anger out. Or at least some. Charles had never been so scared of Cary in his life, not counting the time when he first saw him in his zombie makeup, but he knew Richard had to have done something bad to make Cary this upset. He knew better then to mess with Cary's temper. If one knew what buttons to push, Cary was TNT waiting to explode.
"So wait, the lunatics out of suspension?"
"Yes Charles,", he hissed, "I just told you."
"Fucking shit!" he bared through his teeth…he hoped he could make Cary feel better by cursing for him. Cary just stared and unconvinced look, "Sorry." but he got Cary to smile. However he was gripping onto his hair, which really meant the situation was bothering him.
"Cary, we'll go to the principal and see if we can get a locker or class change. Better?"
The cafeteria monitors began dismissing tables, Cary pushed his bangs back out of his face, "No."
-X-
Alice and Joe were in the waiting room in the front entrance of the building. They had been sitting watching the news on the small television for an hour until Alice got on the phone at the desk. After five minutes she sat back down next to him,
"Doctor said he was checked out a few minutes ago." She looked at the floor, Joe sat up,
"So he'll be here any minute!" he tried to sound enthusiastic to cheer her up, which wasn't working when he saw her foot rapidly tapping on the floor, "You ok?"
"I'd be lying if I said yes." she pulled her hair back as it was constantly getting in her face, "My god I'm a horrible daughter."
That's when he scooted closer, "You're not. No daughter would go this far to help her dad."
"Then why do I feel like dirt?"
He had to say it, the tears in her eyes weren't going to make him feel better that he did, "…Because you let yourself feel that way." She gave him a stern look, which was (thankfully) interrupted when Joe saw a taxi outside.
"A-Alice?"
She turned around, "Oh god…" She watched as the officer she had talked to the day before helped him out. She wasn't liking the look on his face when he saw where he was. She looked back at Joe, "Promise you won't leave?" She grabbed his hand, he nodded,
"I promise."
She jumped when she heard the door open, she stood up straight and waited for him to look at her, he had only three stitches on his head, nothing as bad as she thought, but hell was he shocked to see her,
"Ali?"
She bit her lip, Joe stayed seated, waiting to join in when necessary, "Hi dad."
He was still shocked, "Why are you here-" it came to him when he saw her 'guilty eyes', "You planned this?"
She had to stay strong, although her heart was beating a mile a minute, she simply nodded. Joe was looking back and forth between the two with his eyes, not sure what to say or when. He saw Louis walk up to her,
"Ali-"
"Dad!" she exclaimed, the woman at the desk looked at them, she ignored her, "We're doing this whether you like it or not." Joe decided to step in, especially when Louis began to look angry,
"She just wants to help you." he stepped up next to Alice, "So please don't be mad at her. It's for your own good!" The woman at the desk pretended to ignore the two as she filed some papers as Louis stared in surprise,
"There really is no way out of this is there?"
Alice nodded a 'no'.
He sighed, he knew he couldn't do it anymore. He didn't want to do it anymore. He didn't want to hurt anyone anymore…he accepted it,
"So how does this work?"
Alice and Joe suddenly lit up in surprise, he looked at her, hinting her to speak, she couldn't help but smile,
"We'll…find out in a second."
The final bell rang, Preston and Martin were exiting the building, "So tomorrow at seven they're planning to hang you upside down by your feet by the bleachers."
Preston laughed, "Damn, that creative huh?" he joked, "So wait…" he lost his smile, "What are we going to do?" Martin stopped Preston by putting a hand on his shoulder, he liked the smirk Martin on his face, it was his 'I have an idea' smirk he had before. He patted his back and laughed, unable to wait of what he had in store.
Cary was emptying his locker, he had it moved all the way to the other side of the building (not by choice) and was shoving everything to his bag, not looking forward to lugging everything including seven pounds of fireworks home and then back. He slung it over his shoulder struggling to keep an upright position and slammed his locker door, to find Richard standing there, he didn't gasp, becoming used to it,
"What do you want?" he asked calmly. He just wanted to get their last exchange of words over with but then he looked down…
There was a small knife in Richard's hand.
