Chapter 9
Chloe spent that whole morning in English class, her science teacher having given her a break for working so hard and skipping five lessons ahead of the rest of the class. In English, she wrote an essay on the influence that religion has on people, mainly high school kids. The teacher was quite impressed and wanted her to stay behind for a conference.
Meanwhile, Mimi and Belle bounced around the hallways when everyone else changed periods and handed out the flyers that they had created that morning. Soon, every member of the student body had one floating around with them.
***
When the bell rang for lunch, Chloe stepped slowly out of the English room and walked to her locker. She sensed a strange vibe in the hallway, but nothing she could quite make out. By the time she reached the cafeteria, everyone was already in there. Mimi bounced up to her casually.
"Oh, hey Chloe." She said, smiling sweetly. "I'm sorry for what I said before ok? No hard feelings."
Chloe started at her for a moment then smiled and shook her head, forgiveness was the quality of a saint. She wasn't planning on becoming a saint, but she chose not to have a reason for God to be angry with her in any way.
Mimi laughed lightly and led Chloe to her table.
"Come and eat with us please?" She asked excitedly. The three people sitting at her table all smiled at her when she reached it. Before they sat down, Mimi picked up a strategically placed flyer on the table.
"Oh my, what's this?" She said, picking it up and examining it, holding it towards her so that Chloe couldn't see. The lunchroom went dead quiet.
"Oh, oh my…" She said in mock surprise, biting her lip. "What do we have here…"
"What is it?" Chloe asked curiously. Mimi dropped the flyer; it landed face down on the floor. Chloe looked at the expression on Mimi's face then bent down to pick it up. Standing back up, she flipped the flyer over and gasped in shock.
Plastered on a bright pink sheet was her head, her hair curled like it was the night of the play. That wasn't what shocked her though. Beneath her head was the body of some slut with a really big chest in a black leather string bikini. In black block letters beneath the picture it read: 'God's Servant?', red lipstick marks underneath the words.
Chloe dropped the flyer as the lunchroom erupted in laughter. She could feel the tears welling up in the back of her eyes. Soon all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. Mimi was laughing it up with the rest of them. But there were no sharp retorts left. She just wanted to escape. She turned and bumped into Brady as he entered the lunchroom. She moved back, looking up at him.
"Chloe…" He said softly, "This isn't about you, it's about me. I'm so sorry…"
Then he walked past her, as she stood stunned in the doorway of the cafeteria.
He stepped angrily up to his little group of 'friends' and picked up the flyer, looking at it disgustedly. He averted his eyes and glared at Mimi and Belle, who both cowered under his powerful gaze. Phillip was howling with laughter, waving his flyer up in the air.
"Now this is what I'm talking about…" He yelled, laughter still erupting from him in great bursts.
Brady turned his head towards him. Then in one quick motion, Phillip was down on the floor, clutching his stomach from a painful blow compliments of Brady's fist.
Belle gasped and tried to pull Phillip back up to his feet, but he waved her off and got up himself. He glared at Brady, then made for him with a left jab, but Brady being too quick, ducked and caught him in the face as he drew his arm back.
Phillip stepped back and wiped the trickle of blood from his lip.
"Maybe we were all wrong about you Brady…" He said in a low voice. Brady just shook his head and walked back to Chloe. "Come on, let's get out of here." They both disappeared from the school for the rest of the day.
Mimi stared after them then looked over at Belle. "This was supposed to be the end of them! I thought you said Brady cared too much about his image!"
"I guess we all underestimated him…" Belle replied, baffled.
***
Chloe sat frozen in the circle of willow trees, staring out at the cemetery. Brady watched her, not wanting to disturb her peace as she was still in a state of shock. The tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Brady had never seen Chloe cry. At least not really. He thought he had heard her that one time when he had been up at Lookout Point, and then she had been able to make herself cry during the play. But never had he actually seen her, in all the years he had known her, shed a real tear. Strong, independent Chloe was now no better emotion-wise than a baby.
Chloe lifted her head and looked over at Brady.
"Hold me please?" She said quietly, her bottom lip quivering. Brady nodded his head silently and held her for the rest of the afternoon, the inviting sunlight basking them in a blanket of warmth.
Chloe spent that whole morning in English class, her science teacher having given her a break for working so hard and skipping five lessons ahead of the rest of the class. In English, she wrote an essay on the influence that religion has on people, mainly high school kids. The teacher was quite impressed and wanted her to stay behind for a conference.
Meanwhile, Mimi and Belle bounced around the hallways when everyone else changed periods and handed out the flyers that they had created that morning. Soon, every member of the student body had one floating around with them.
***
When the bell rang for lunch, Chloe stepped slowly out of the English room and walked to her locker. She sensed a strange vibe in the hallway, but nothing she could quite make out. By the time she reached the cafeteria, everyone was already in there. Mimi bounced up to her casually.
"Oh, hey Chloe." She said, smiling sweetly. "I'm sorry for what I said before ok? No hard feelings."
Chloe started at her for a moment then smiled and shook her head, forgiveness was the quality of a saint. She wasn't planning on becoming a saint, but she chose not to have a reason for God to be angry with her in any way.
Mimi laughed lightly and led Chloe to her table.
"Come and eat with us please?" She asked excitedly. The three people sitting at her table all smiled at her when she reached it. Before they sat down, Mimi picked up a strategically placed flyer on the table.
"Oh my, what's this?" She said, picking it up and examining it, holding it towards her so that Chloe couldn't see. The lunchroom went dead quiet.
"Oh, oh my…" She said in mock surprise, biting her lip. "What do we have here…"
"What is it?" Chloe asked curiously. Mimi dropped the flyer; it landed face down on the floor. Chloe looked at the expression on Mimi's face then bent down to pick it up. Standing back up, she flipped the flyer over and gasped in shock.
Plastered on a bright pink sheet was her head, her hair curled like it was the night of the play. That wasn't what shocked her though. Beneath her head was the body of some slut with a really big chest in a black leather string bikini. In black block letters beneath the picture it read: 'God's Servant?', red lipstick marks underneath the words.
Chloe dropped the flyer as the lunchroom erupted in laughter. She could feel the tears welling up in the back of her eyes. Soon all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. Mimi was laughing it up with the rest of them. But there were no sharp retorts left. She just wanted to escape. She turned and bumped into Brady as he entered the lunchroom. She moved back, looking up at him.
"Chloe…" He said softly, "This isn't about you, it's about me. I'm so sorry…"
Then he walked past her, as she stood stunned in the doorway of the cafeteria.
He stepped angrily up to his little group of 'friends' and picked up the flyer, looking at it disgustedly. He averted his eyes and glared at Mimi and Belle, who both cowered under his powerful gaze. Phillip was howling with laughter, waving his flyer up in the air.
"Now this is what I'm talking about…" He yelled, laughter still erupting from him in great bursts.
Brady turned his head towards him. Then in one quick motion, Phillip was down on the floor, clutching his stomach from a painful blow compliments of Brady's fist.
Belle gasped and tried to pull Phillip back up to his feet, but he waved her off and got up himself. He glared at Brady, then made for him with a left jab, but Brady being too quick, ducked and caught him in the face as he drew his arm back.
Phillip stepped back and wiped the trickle of blood from his lip.
"Maybe we were all wrong about you Brady…" He said in a low voice. Brady just shook his head and walked back to Chloe. "Come on, let's get out of here." They both disappeared from the school for the rest of the day.
Mimi stared after them then looked over at Belle. "This was supposed to be the end of them! I thought you said Brady cared too much about his image!"
"I guess we all underestimated him…" Belle replied, baffled.
***
Chloe sat frozen in the circle of willow trees, staring out at the cemetery. Brady watched her, not wanting to disturb her peace as she was still in a state of shock. The tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Brady had never seen Chloe cry. At least not really. He thought he had heard her that one time when he had been up at Lookout Point, and then she had been able to make herself cry during the play. But never had he actually seen her, in all the years he had known her, shed a real tear. Strong, independent Chloe was now no better emotion-wise than a baby.
Chloe lifted her head and looked over at Brady.
"Hold me please?" She said quietly, her bottom lip quivering. Brady nodded his head silently and held her for the rest of the afternoon, the inviting sunlight basking them in a blanket of warmth.