Bridge

(Monday Morning, September 23rd)

Chad tightens his grip on Dino as he approaches the teacher. Hawthorne smiles at him. "Yes, Chad. How might I help you?"

"I," Chad starts, before he notices Doug lingering by the doorway. He returns his attention to the professor. "I finished that research you told me to do." Why is his heart pounding? His tongue's wet, but his throat's dry. "I think I'm ready for an extra credit assignment, if we're still doing that."

He clasps his hands and rests his chin over them. "Now, Chad. I'd hate to give you something you can't handle. Are you sure, you're ready for this?"

Chad glances down. "I need it."

"Yes." He inquires, "But are you prepared for it?"

"Yes," Chad affirms, before he gulps.

"I'm delighted to hear that." Chad glances down, and the professor hands him a sticky note. "Same chapter as before. Different page." Chad reads the note: pg. 135, questions 9-30. Room 135 at 9:30. Chad starts to leave, and the professor interrupts, "Chad."

He turns back around and sees his raised eyebrows. "Thank you, Professor." He strides away, and Doug walks alongside him before nudging his arm.

"Hey." Chad faces him, and Doug questions, "What did he really give you?"

Chad shakes his head. "What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't born yesterday." He pushes his glasses back to the brim of his nose. "There is no extra credit assignment, is there?"

Chad holds up the note with wide eyes before handing it to him. "You mean, this extra credit assignment?"

"Yeah." Doug argues, "What kind of science book has thirty questions on one page?"

Chad snatches it back. "A workbook. That's what."

"Chad," he seriously says. "If something's going on—"

"Like what, huh?" he angers, and Doug's head lowers. "You don't know the fuck you're talking about, because you only socialize when you need to."

Doug frowns at him. "That just makes me even more observant." Chad hugs the dinosaur, and Doug shakes his head. "You keep calling him an ass. Just tell me why."

"Because he is," Chad emphasizes. "He just is."

"I know what your question is." Audrey twirls around, and the boy halts. She places her hands on her hips. "Go ahead. Ask."

The boy shakes his head. "I don't—"

"You're waiting for the right time to ask me out," Audrey assumes. "So, go ahead, so I can reject you and get on with my life."

"Audrey," he whispers. "All I want is to talk to you."

She raises her eyebrows. "So, you don't want to date me?"

He smiles. "I mean, you are pretty." She turns around, and he strides after her. "But this isn't about that."

She turns around again, and he gives her some space. "Then what is it about?"

"Please," he urges. "You need to help me."

"Help you what?" she spats.

"I don't know." He glances down before meeting her eyes. "But whatever it is, I have this feeling that you're meant to help me with it."

"I don't believe this for one second," she asserts.

"You don't have to." He pleads, "Just listen. No one's ever listened to me like you do."

"Your life can't be that pathetic," she disagrees.

"You're the only one who sees me," he affirms. "No one else knows who I am."

"I don't know who you are." She crosses her arms, and he looks down. "And what about your parents? I mean, you have parents, right?"

His green eyes meet her. "I didn't live up to their expectations."

"And what kind of expectations were those?" she asks.

His eyes shift. "I don't remember."

"Hey." Audrey turns and sees Jane run down the hallway. She stops dead in front of her, and Audrey holds her hand up.

"Woah." She gapes. "Isn't there a rule or something about running in the halls?"

"Sorry." She grins, "I'm just so excited. Aren't you?"

"Excited for what?" Audrey slowly says.

"The back-to-school lock-in," she squeals. "At the end of the month the gymnasium is going to be turned into an activity center with fortune telling, midnight snacks, and no curfew."

"Is that really a good idea?" Audrey skeptically comments. "Boys and girls spending the night together?"

"Don't worry about it," Jane reassures. "We've got it all worked out. It's not, like, a sleepover. Everyone still has access to the dorms. We're just calling it a lock-in, because the building has to be locked to keep the students from leaving campus."

"And the dorms?" she points out. "I mean, who's stopping him from following me back?" She nods beside her.

"Stop who?" Jane concerns.

"Him." Audrey accentuates her gesture, and she sees the boy's gone. "Jesus," she angers. "He was just here."

"Who?"

"You saw him, right?" Audrey widens her eyes at Jane. "The guy with white hair."

"No," she unsurely murmurs.

"Think," Audrey commands. "He was wearing all black—a hooded sweatshirt."

"I'm sorry," Jane apologizes. "I didn't see anyone."

"But you had to have," she disagrees. "He was here when you were running towards me."

"No. I'm sorry." Jane excuses, "I must have been too excited." Audrey takes a frustrated breath, and Jane asks, "Why? Who is he?"

"Well, he claims he wasn't trying to stalk me." Audrey sighs. "But he won't even give me his name."

"Audrey," she sympathizes. "How long?"

"A few years." Audrey recalls, "At first it was glances in the hall, but I started to see him more and more, and… Fairy Godmother said she can't do anything without a name."

Jane's face scrunches. "What about the cameras?"

"That's what I said," Audrey's voice raises. "She said it's not that simple."

"The entire school has cameras." Jane points overhead. "There's one there."

Audrey grins. "We got him." She hugs her. "Thank you."

Jane carefully lays a hand on Audrey's back. "I'll look into it for you."

When the door opens, Chad's eyes widen. "Xander?"

The man frowns. "What are you doing here?"

Chad takes a moment. "I think I was supposed to meet Hawthorne here."

Xander rolls his eyes. "All that money, and he can't pay for a second room." He falters when he sees the red t-rex. "What's that?"

"Dino." Chad clings to the plush toy. "He protects me."

"Right." Xander opens the door and moves aside. "Come in."

Chad steps inside, and he watches Xander close the door. He seems worn out—no. "You're disappointed."

He turns around. "You're afraid of him, and you came anyway."

"I'm not afraid," Chad denies.

"Then what's with the stuffed animal?" he disproves. Chad hugs Dino harder, and there's a knock at the door. Xander takes a deep breath. "I told you to get out if you needed to."

Chad's eyebrows furrow. "When did you say that?"

Xander runs a hand down his face, and there's another knock. He opens the door wide, and Hawthorne strides inside. "Great. Everybody's here." He grins at him. "Good evening, Chad. Evening, Dino." Chad takes a step back, and Xander pulls the professor aside.

"He has a stuffed animal," he furiously whispers.

"Why, he's morning the loss of his guard," Hawthorne reasons, before he places his hands on Xander's arms. "It's nothing to get shook up over. I made a promise, and I fully intend to keep it." He walks back over to Chad. "Go on. You both have a seat." They sit on the edge of the bed, and the professor eyes between them. "I understand you have some concerns, so let me put your minds at ease." He takes a baggie out of his coat pocket, and Chad snatches the drugs from his fingers. "Yes. You said you were having a hard time focusing. I've designed this batch as capsules, so if you choose an unconventional path of consumption…" Chad breaks one of the capsules apart and brings it to his nose. "Uh, yes. Like that. No crushing, no mess, and the complete inability to trace the ingredients."

"You were going to say something," Xander points out.

"Yes." Chad coughs, and once he stops Hawthorne continues, "Aside from the drugs as your short-term reward, I will make clear now that if you remain my submissive until you graduate, you will have my highest recommendation for your college choices, and I will use my contacts to make sure your dreams come true."

"You just can't wake Ben up," Chad reminds him.

Hawthorne purses his lips. "Of course, I mean this in regard to your career plans of which I know you have a very long journey ahead of you. I want to help you get there." Chad blankly stares at him. "And don't worry about throwing up. I won't make you get on your knees again—at least, not in that way."

"So, what will I be doing?" Chad tiredly says.

"Well, intercourse, of course." He looks at Xander. "But tonight I plan on taking it slow." He returns his dark eyes to Chad. "Give you some time to process all of this."

He raises an eyebrow. "So, you won't be hurting me?"

"I see Xander filled you in." He smiles. "No. Not tonight. Later on will be a different story, but so long as you can convince me you're in pain, the amount you will receive could be quite minimal. Especially with those pain killers you're taking."

Chad stands up, moves to the side of the bed, and places the drugs and dinosaur on the nightstand so that Dino is turned away from the bed. Chad faces the professor and takes off his shirt. "Let's get this over with."

Xander stands from the bed. "I'm going to take a walk."

The door slams behind him, and Chad looks back at the professor. "How do you want me?" Chad undoes his pants and kicks his feet out of them. "Like this?"

The professor walks up to him, kneels down, and feels the leather. "What a lovely belt." He stands back up, and Chad gulps. "We'll save it for next time." He twirls his finger, and Chad turns around, clutching the edge of the bed, as he feels the air on his extremities.

"Your phone was off," his father angers.

"I know," Chad whispers. "I'm sorry."

"If you're sorry, then tell me where you were." Chad lays on his bed, and his father's eyes scan him. "Chad. What happened?"

"Nothing," Chad denies. "Why does something have to have happened?"

"You're sad about something." He mentions, "I can hear it in your voice."

"I miss Ben." He tears up. "I wish I could talk to him."

"You know," his father informs, "the doctors say he should be able to hear you."

Chad glances at the clock. Somehow, it's already after midnight. "Please," Chad whines. "I just want to sleep."

"You worry me, you know."

Chad closes his eyes. "I know." He drops the phone and pulls Dino closer.

"I did something," Chad confesses, as he sits at Ben's bedside. "Something that I don't think you'd like, like, now that you told me how you feel." He holds his breath. "What a jackass I'd be if I tried to wreck all your relationships for you to notice me to just… do what I did." Ben seems so lifeless. Maybe he shouldn't be putting this on him, while he's recovering. "I cheated. You told me you loved me, and I cheated on you before we could even start." Chad shakes his head. "What I'd give to hear your thoughts, yell at me, and go all beast… not that you'd want to. I'm just saying, it's how you react sometimes." He inches closer. "And I'd deserve it, because I know what I'm doing is really stupid, but—" He takes his hand and stares him in the face. "But I need you here to tell me it is." He squeezes his hand. "Please. Say something."

"He can't talk," Doug says, and Chad jumps in his seat.

"How long have you been standing there?" he accuses.

"Long enough to question if you and Ben dated last year."

"That dragon was dating him last year," Chad points out, before he shakes his head. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Doug readjusts his glasses. "Well, the internet said you were here."

Chad rolls his eyes. "Fucking paparazzi."

"More like a bunch of girls who have a crush on you," Doug corrects, before he takes a seat in the chair next to him. "You could probably do a vlog on, you know, your interests now that the law is being repealed."

"What am I supposed to say?" Chad asks. "That I can't connect to girls but that if they want to hook up sometime, that's fine?" He shakes his head. "No. Besides, my father said it's going to take another few months to finetune it for all the homophobes out there." Ben still looks lifeless. He crosses his arms. "I don't know if I can do this, watching him just be like this. I mean, it's not a sleeping curse. Even if we were meant to be, it's not like I can wake him up."

"He needs something to come back to," Doug disagrees. "Sitting here, talking, it's enough. He'll want to come back."

"Not to me." Chad stands from his seat. "Hawthorne was right. I'm too messed up to be in a committed relationship right now."

"Whoa." Doug gets to his feet, and Chad turns back to him. "You both have problems. Okay? But the fact is, is when the people you love need you, you're there for them. You can't just not be there for them, because you're separated or working through your own issues."

Chad walks backward and places his hand on the doorframe. "Watch me." He swiftly turns and exits the room.

"Hey. Jane." The black-haired girl looks over her shoulder but continues down the hall at a steady pace. "Jane," Audrey shouts, but she catches up with her. "Hey. I was calling for you."

"Sorry." Jane excuses, "I'm really busy."

"Just tell me." Audrey grins. "Did you find him? He's gone, right?"

"Audrey." Jane hesitates, "There was no one on the video feed."

"What?" She questions, "So, it was broken."

"No. I mean—" Jane flusters, turning towards her. "You were there. The guy, he wasn't."

Audrey strains a smile. "Are you saying he has magic?"

She unsurely answers, "I guess, anything's possible."

Audrey's eyes shift. "He did say he had a past."

"Audrey." She regains her attention. "Maybe you should take a vacation."

"A vacation." Audrey huffs. "School just started."

"From life." Jane sadly says, "You're always so busy with your reputation, charities, and out-of-school activities. Maybe you should take a break and rest."

"I don't need rest," Audrey rejects. "What I need is a consistent schedule, which I'd be doing a whole lot better at if this guy could just leave me alone."

"Maybe if you took a vacation, you wouldn't have to deal with him anymore," Jane hopefully suggests.

"Uh, yeah," Audrey scathes. "But then when I come back, he'd still be here. I need a real solution. I need him out of my life."

"I'm sorry." Jane whispers, "I can't help you with that."

"Why not?" Audrey angers.

"Talk to your aunts," Jane requests. "Maybe they can help you."

"My aunts?" she disbelieves.

"Those fairies who raised your mother."

"I know who my aunts are," Audrey shouts. "I would think your mother is far more capable of taking care of a problem at the school than three wood-dwelling hermits."

"And what problem might that be?" William steps in.

Audrey glares at him. "I don't need some guy to protect me from my stalker." She furrows her eyebrows at Jane. "Did you even tell your mother what you found?"

"I would have, if I'd found anything." Jane widens her eyes at William. "Her stalker didn't even show up on camera."

"Because he has magic," Audrey finishes. "Your mother needs to help me."

"Then talk to her," Jane exasperates. "There's nothing else I can do for you."

She strides away and William inquires, "This stalker. Can I help?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You want to help me?"

"Yeah," he answers. "So, then, if he tries to hurt you, I can bite him."

"Bite him?"

"Well." He ruffles his blond curls. "It would be a good excuse to eat someone."

Her frown deepens. "How noble of you."

"Come on." He complains, "I eat the same thing every week. It's not fair."

"You're getting greedy," she mutters. "Do you know how hard it is to be a donor? Brendan's always going to have low energy levels. His immune system will be lower, not to mention all the nutrients you're stealing from his blood. And you're complaining, because the blood tastes the same every week?" She narrows her eyes at him. "Try fasting for a week. Maybe you'll be more grateful for what you do receive." He fails to respond, and she strides away.

Audrey strides into the office. "He has magic."

Fairy Godmother sighs. "Good afternoon, Audrey."

"He has magic," she repeats, and Fairy Godmother stands from her seat.

"Who has magic."

"My stalker." Audrey explains, "Jane went through the camera footage, and she said it didn't show him on it." Fairy Godmother strolls to the front of the office and closes the door. "It's magic." She concludes, "That would explain how he disappears so fast."

The headmistress turns towards her. "My dear, there's any number of explanations as to why this boy wouldn't show up on camera."

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Audrey's voice lowers. "That's why you kept telling me it wasn't so simple."

"Yes." Fairy Godmother steps towards her. "I was aware."

She huffs. "Well, don't you think I had a right to know about this? I mean, not only do I have a stalker, but he has magic too? Do you realize how dangerous that makes him?" Fairy Godmother clears her throat, and Audrey backtracks, "I obviously don't mean your magic. I'm talking about dark magic."

"Magic is not good nor evil." Fairy Godmother frowns. "It's how it's used."

"Okay," Audrey bypasses, "and he's using it so that he can't get caught." The headmistress's eyes lower, and Audrey asserts, "You have to help me."

Fairy Godmother looks her in the eyes. "I told you what to do. Get his name and help him with whatever it is he needs help for."

"He won't give me his name," Audrey angers. "And he doesn't know what he wants my help with."

"Then I suggest you help him figure out what it is," she seriously says.

"That's it?" Audrey gapes. "You're not even going to try to help me."

Her frown deepens. "As a royal, people look to you for help. This boy sees you as a symbol of hope, and I'm sure he won't be the last."

"You're saying I need to renounce my title," Audrey interprets.

"I'm saying you need to help him," she says again.

"I already feed the homeless. I've read to the blind," Audrey retorts. "Haven't I helped enough people? I don't want to help him."

"I'm afraid you have to."

"Why?" Audrey shouts. "Why?"

"Because it's who you are," Fairy Godmother voices, and Audrey silences. She steps towards her and softens her tone. "I'm sorry, but you're the only one who can help him."

"But I don't want to help him," Audrey says again. "Okay? I help people when I have time to help them." She lifts her hand. "He—he's ruining my life."

"My dear, you can't plan when you want to help someone," she softly speaks. "You need to make yourself available for when they're ready to be helped."

"Well, clearly, he isn't," she counters. "He doesn't know what he wants. All he does is keep saying that he wants to talk to me, but he doesn't have anything to say."

"So, give him a voice," she suggests. "Ask him whatever questions you need to, to get to the bottom of this, and let him answer when he's ready."

"You mean, like what you do for students," Audrey points out. "Why can't you do it?"

"I don't have the ability." She returns to her seat behind the desk. "I'm afraid all I can offer you is my wisdom."

Audrey takes the seat across from her. "I'll tell my parents. I'll tell them you won't help me, that you're letting this guy stalk me."

"You can do that if you like," she evenly expresses, "but I highly recommend you don't."

"But he has magic," Audrey restates. "He could be a witch for all we know."

"Audrey." She takes a moment. "Do you know where witches come from?"

"Witches?" Audrey answers, "They're evil. They come from evil."

"Nothing—no one—is born evil." She asks, "What do you think a witch is?"

"A Satanist." Audrey folds her arms. "Someone who sold their soul for power."

"A witch," Fairy Godmother informs, "is the bridge between life and death. They live in both worlds, but they exist in neither. They are manifestations of pure energy."

"That doesn't even make sense." She shakes her head. "And what does this have to do with that guy?"

"I do not believe he has magic." Fairy Godmother frowns. "I think you see him, because you want to help him."

"Haven't you been listening," Audrey disagrees. "I don't want to help him."

"But you do." Fairy Godmother disproves, "You want the world to be at peace. You want to help everyone in it." Audrey glances down. "And that happens one person at a time."

- Posted: 05/05/2021