---Chapter 21---
Monday at school, Michael didn't show up for Lit. class. Victoria looked over at an empty seat and almost sighed. Where was he? She wondered.
--
Michael didn't go to school all day and Kyle, Max, and Liz sat at lunch scarcely talking.
Kyle looked up and everyone else followed suit shortly to see Isabel rushing over to their table.
"Isabel? You're not at the college." -Max.
But he stopped talking when he saw her face. She was pale and frantic.
"It's Jesse." She blurted out. "He's at the hospital."
"What happened?" Max asked, hesitantly. "He was found yesterday outside of the hospital! He'd been shot - and, he's in ICU."
"You've gotta help him, Max." -Isabel.
Max hesitated and then he said, "Isabel, you know the risk-"
"I don't care, Max! Jesse just has to be okay!" -Isabel.
"Let's go." Max stood up. Liz, along with Isabel followed him.
Kyle stayed behind.
--
Everyone else had gone to the hospital but Kyle hadn't wanted to intrude. He saw Victoria walking over to a table, so he decided to go over to her.
Victoria looked up when she saw Kyle standing above her.
"Can I sit?" -Kyle.
She nodded.
"So, how did you like the ball?" -Victoria.
"It was cool. Of course I'd never been to one before. I can't believe you live in that place." -Kyle.
"Why hadn't you come up and said hello before last night?" -Victoria.
"It was an opportunity I guess. Couldn't resist. Besides, here you're usually enveloped with a herd." -Kyle.
Victoria smiled briefly, "Yes, well."
Then she thought of something. "You're a friend of Michael Guerin's, right?"
"Yeah." Kyle said, looking up. "Why?"
"Well. I was just wondering why he wasn't here today." -Victoria.
"I - don't know. Probably because he's mad at Max and everyone." -Kyle.
Victoria's first instinct was to ask "why?" but she didn't. Besides, she may have a bit of an idea.
"Do you think he'll come tomorrow?" -Victoria.
Kyle shrugged. "One never knows about him."
Kyle looked up at her, a question surfacing. "Are you and Michael - seeing each other?"
Surprised, Victoria said. "No. We're just. we're not."
"Uh huh." Kyle said, looking at her. Then he continued, "Well in that case, do you want to go to lunch?
--
Maria came to the doorstep of Michael's apartment bearing food. She had decided one thing. She was not going to lose Michael to some other girl. No way. No how.
She knocked on the door and waited. No answer, so she did so again. Finally Michael came to the door. At seeing her, he said, "I'm not going to get into it with you again."
He started to close the door when Maria put a hand on it.
"I'm not here for that, Michael. You didn't come to school today. I just thought I would bring a truce bribe." She held up the bag. "Fried chicken, fried green tomatoes -oh, and tobasco sauce of course. Some of your favorites."
Michael looked at her haltingly before he opened the door for her.
Maria walked in and set the food down. Looking at her askance, Michael all the while walked around her and looked at the food.
"Do I have to feed you too?" Maria smiled. "Go ahead and eat. It won't bite and neither will I."
He looked askance at her again, when she said that, "Yeah. Right."
He took a bite of the chicken.
Michael wasn't making it easy for her to get on his good side again. She stood up and walked over to him.
"I shouldn't be giving you a hard time. I admit it. It's just that I don't want---" She stopped and said instead, "I'm worried about you hanging around with-" Again, Maria stopped when she was about to say something about Victoria. She had to choose her words carefully. "I worry about you." She said simply.
"Don't." -Michael.
"We do have a problem, though. Whatever is going on is serious." -Maria.
"I know that. But let's just not discuss this, okay?" -Michael.
Maria stood up. "Okay, space boy. But - I want to know that we're okay."
He looked at her a long moment then said, "Don't worry about us, Maria."
"Does that mean we are." -Maria.
Michael nodded enigmatically. Maria walked over to him and kissed him. Michael let her kiss him deeper and then he gave in and attempted to lose what was on his mind.
---End of Chapter 21---
Monday at school, Michael didn't show up for Lit. class. Victoria looked over at an empty seat and almost sighed. Where was he? She wondered.
--
Michael didn't go to school all day and Kyle, Max, and Liz sat at lunch scarcely talking.
Kyle looked up and everyone else followed suit shortly to see Isabel rushing over to their table.
"Isabel? You're not at the college." -Max.
But he stopped talking when he saw her face. She was pale and frantic.
"It's Jesse." She blurted out. "He's at the hospital."
"What happened?" Max asked, hesitantly. "He was found yesterday outside of the hospital! He'd been shot - and, he's in ICU."
"You've gotta help him, Max." -Isabel.
Max hesitated and then he said, "Isabel, you know the risk-"
"I don't care, Max! Jesse just has to be okay!" -Isabel.
"Let's go." Max stood up. Liz, along with Isabel followed him.
Kyle stayed behind.
--
Everyone else had gone to the hospital but Kyle hadn't wanted to intrude. He saw Victoria walking over to a table, so he decided to go over to her.
Victoria looked up when she saw Kyle standing above her.
"Can I sit?" -Kyle.
She nodded.
"So, how did you like the ball?" -Victoria.
"It was cool. Of course I'd never been to one before. I can't believe you live in that place." -Kyle.
"Why hadn't you come up and said hello before last night?" -Victoria.
"It was an opportunity I guess. Couldn't resist. Besides, here you're usually enveloped with a herd." -Kyle.
Victoria smiled briefly, "Yes, well."
Then she thought of something. "You're a friend of Michael Guerin's, right?"
"Yeah." Kyle said, looking up. "Why?"
"Well. I was just wondering why he wasn't here today." -Victoria.
"I - don't know. Probably because he's mad at Max and everyone." -Kyle.
Victoria's first instinct was to ask "why?" but she didn't. Besides, she may have a bit of an idea.
"Do you think he'll come tomorrow?" -Victoria.
Kyle shrugged. "One never knows about him."
Kyle looked up at her, a question surfacing. "Are you and Michael - seeing each other?"
Surprised, Victoria said. "No. We're just. we're not."
"Uh huh." Kyle said, looking at her. Then he continued, "Well in that case, do you want to go to lunch?
--
Maria came to the doorstep of Michael's apartment bearing food. She had decided one thing. She was not going to lose Michael to some other girl. No way. No how.
She knocked on the door and waited. No answer, so she did so again. Finally Michael came to the door. At seeing her, he said, "I'm not going to get into it with you again."
He started to close the door when Maria put a hand on it.
"I'm not here for that, Michael. You didn't come to school today. I just thought I would bring a truce bribe." She held up the bag. "Fried chicken, fried green tomatoes -oh, and tobasco sauce of course. Some of your favorites."
Michael looked at her haltingly before he opened the door for her.
Maria walked in and set the food down. Looking at her askance, Michael all the while walked around her and looked at the food.
"Do I have to feed you too?" Maria smiled. "Go ahead and eat. It won't bite and neither will I."
He looked askance at her again, when she said that, "Yeah. Right."
He took a bite of the chicken.
Michael wasn't making it easy for her to get on his good side again. She stood up and walked over to him.
"I shouldn't be giving you a hard time. I admit it. It's just that I don't want---" She stopped and said instead, "I'm worried about you hanging around with-" Again, Maria stopped when she was about to say something about Victoria. She had to choose her words carefully. "I worry about you." She said simply.
"Don't." -Michael.
"We do have a problem, though. Whatever is going on is serious." -Maria.
"I know that. But let's just not discuss this, okay?" -Michael.
Maria stood up. "Okay, space boy. But - I want to know that we're okay."
He looked at her a long moment then said, "Don't worry about us, Maria."
"Does that mean we are." -Maria.
Michael nodded enigmatically. Maria walked over to him and kissed him. Michael let her kiss him deeper and then he gave in and attempted to lose what was on his mind.
---End of Chapter 21---