Chapter 9:
A week later I had found out something. Something huge. I was hesitant to bring it up with Eyeball. I wasn't sure how he'd react. My eye was still bruised badly as was my back, and stomach, and I hadn't seen anyone but Kathy since I had gotten them. But my back was clearing away a lot faster. Chris stopped by on Friday, which was perfect, because he was my best friend when I was here about five years ago. Of course you can guess what the first thing he said to me was.
"What happened to your eye?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Eyeball didn't hit you right?"
"Of course not." (cough) Liar (cough)
"So what happened? It looks pretty messed up, did you just get it?"
"I got it a week ago. Eyeball, Vince, Charlie and I were playing football and I got kneed in the eye. It hurt like hell too." I hoped and prayed he bought it.
"That's why girls don't play football." He patted me on my back. And I flinched in pain.
"Sore back." I explained.
Chris and I caught up and he spent some time with Melanie. I told him that we'd be fighting the Scorpions tomorrow night. He didn't seem too thrilled to hear about it. Then again, I wasn't too pumped for it either. I wasn't ready to put my life in danger.
All day, Saturday I played with Melanie, telling her how much I love her. Eyeball called Kathy and asked if she could tutor him here so that he could be with Mel. She agreed and tutored him quickly. Eyeball was finishing up twice as fast as a senior year would take. Saturday night, Eyeball said he was going out to get supplies and that he'd come pick me up later. I got Melanie ready to stay over with Gordie and gave her a huge hug and kiss. Then I waited at my house for Eyeball to pick me up. It was like 12:00 when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Jess?"
"Chris? Whats up?"
"The Cobras just left to fight the Scorpions and said they weren't picking you up."
"Please tell me your joking."
"Nope. I just heard them."
"Shit! Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I heard Billy ask, and Eyeball said he couldn't. Then Ace and Eyeball had a short, 'argument' on it, and they decided not to pick you up, then they left."
"Shit, thanks Chris." I said, and hung up. I ran outside and Vince's car was gone. They had left without me. Shit! I looked down the block both ways, and saw Teddy's house. I ran down the three or four blocks and started banging on the door. Teddy came to answer it, in nothing but boxers.
"Nice boxers." I said.
"Well, I wasn't expecting any company." I looked at the dirty, navy blue pick up truck.
"Is this your truck?" I asked,
"My dad's, yeah."
"Give me the keys."
"What?"
"Teddy don't fuck around, just give me the damn keys."
"No Jess, what the hell?"
"Teddy, I'm really sorry about this." I went into his house and looked all over for the keys. I found a pair on the kitchen counter, grabbed them and ran outside to the truck. Teddy followed, putting on jeans over his boxers. I got into the driver's seat while Teddy hopped into the passenger's side."
"Jess give me the keys."
"No Teddy this is a matter of life and death."
"Jess, I'm going to get my ass kicked."
"Does it look like I care at the moment?"
I started the car. Teddy put on his seatbelt in fear of careless driving. I drove fast, making skid marks with every turn. Our heads jerked every time I stepped on the gas. I drove to the park, making sharp turns. I drove through the pavement-walking path and shrieked to a stop, at a huge water fountain in the center of the park. Teddy stayed in the truck as I ran out. I ran in front of the Cobras, as both gangs watched me.
"Jess, what are you doing here?" Eyeball said.
There were eleven Scorpions and eight Cobras. Each gang was equipped with knives.
"Is that it? Where's the rest of you?" I asked the leader of the Scorpions, Eric. He laughed.
"Cute. Very cute." He said looking me up and down with a smirk, and implying more then thinking my comment was 'cute'. Ten more Scorpions came out of the brush, those ten had guns.
"Whoa, Eric what the hell is this?" Ace said walking up to him.
"Your funeral." Eric said pulling out a gun and shooting toward Ace. I jumped onto of Ace's back as we slowly fell to the ground, missing the bullet.
"Shit Eric!" Eyeball yelled. Eric pointed his gun again, as Ace and I stood up. I suddenly recognized one of the Scorpions.
"Michael?" I asked. They all turned back to look at the boy with ashy brown hair.
"Mike, you know this slut?" Eric said.
"Hey." Eyeball said walking forward, but I stopped him, not taking my eyes of Mike. He walked up to me.
"Jess." He said.
"Jess who is this?" Ace asked as Eyeball stood there stunned.
"It's Michael. Her old boyfriend." He said sounding upset and uncomfortable, as everyone looked at him.
"This is why you came back to Castle Rock?" He asked me.
"Hell no. Is this why you came with me? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was on a need-to-know basis."
"And you didn't think I needed to know numbnuts?"
Eric pointed his gun at me, and Michael told him to put it down. We walked up closely to each other. All the feelings I once had for him came rushing back into my mind while my husband stood uncomfortably behind me. I looked into his eyes. Hypnotized by the swirling colors of blue and light brown. Without thinking, I stood on my toes and kissed him softly, as memories came flowing back.
Eyeball came at us angry, but was held back by Vince and Billy. When we release I gazed into his eyes again. I couldn't hear a thing. I felt my face light up and a shine in my eye. Everyone just stood there silently watching us. His eyes started to tear, as he kissed me once more. When he let go a tear streamed down his face. I concentrated on it and watched it roll off smoothly. I looked up at him in a confused way.
"I'm sorry Jess."
Mike said, raising his gun to my forehead. I hadn't noticed it at all since I was so distracted by his tears. Everyone was blown away and couldn't move. Then, the sound of a gun shot pierced through the air.
A week later I had found out something. Something huge. I was hesitant to bring it up with Eyeball. I wasn't sure how he'd react. My eye was still bruised badly as was my back, and stomach, and I hadn't seen anyone but Kathy since I had gotten them. But my back was clearing away a lot faster. Chris stopped by on Friday, which was perfect, because he was my best friend when I was here about five years ago. Of course you can guess what the first thing he said to me was.
"What happened to your eye?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Eyeball didn't hit you right?"
"Of course not." (cough) Liar (cough)
"So what happened? It looks pretty messed up, did you just get it?"
"I got it a week ago. Eyeball, Vince, Charlie and I were playing football and I got kneed in the eye. It hurt like hell too." I hoped and prayed he bought it.
"That's why girls don't play football." He patted me on my back. And I flinched in pain.
"Sore back." I explained.
Chris and I caught up and he spent some time with Melanie. I told him that we'd be fighting the Scorpions tomorrow night. He didn't seem too thrilled to hear about it. Then again, I wasn't too pumped for it either. I wasn't ready to put my life in danger.
All day, Saturday I played with Melanie, telling her how much I love her. Eyeball called Kathy and asked if she could tutor him here so that he could be with Mel. She agreed and tutored him quickly. Eyeball was finishing up twice as fast as a senior year would take. Saturday night, Eyeball said he was going out to get supplies and that he'd come pick me up later. I got Melanie ready to stay over with Gordie and gave her a huge hug and kiss. Then I waited at my house for Eyeball to pick me up. It was like 12:00 when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Jess?"
"Chris? Whats up?"
"The Cobras just left to fight the Scorpions and said they weren't picking you up."
"Please tell me your joking."
"Nope. I just heard them."
"Shit! Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I heard Billy ask, and Eyeball said he couldn't. Then Ace and Eyeball had a short, 'argument' on it, and they decided not to pick you up, then they left."
"Shit, thanks Chris." I said, and hung up. I ran outside and Vince's car was gone. They had left without me. Shit! I looked down the block both ways, and saw Teddy's house. I ran down the three or four blocks and started banging on the door. Teddy came to answer it, in nothing but boxers.
"Nice boxers." I said.
"Well, I wasn't expecting any company." I looked at the dirty, navy blue pick up truck.
"Is this your truck?" I asked,
"My dad's, yeah."
"Give me the keys."
"What?"
"Teddy don't fuck around, just give me the damn keys."
"No Jess, what the hell?"
"Teddy, I'm really sorry about this." I went into his house and looked all over for the keys. I found a pair on the kitchen counter, grabbed them and ran outside to the truck. Teddy followed, putting on jeans over his boxers. I got into the driver's seat while Teddy hopped into the passenger's side."
"Jess give me the keys."
"No Teddy this is a matter of life and death."
"Jess, I'm going to get my ass kicked."
"Does it look like I care at the moment?"
I started the car. Teddy put on his seatbelt in fear of careless driving. I drove fast, making skid marks with every turn. Our heads jerked every time I stepped on the gas. I drove to the park, making sharp turns. I drove through the pavement-walking path and shrieked to a stop, at a huge water fountain in the center of the park. Teddy stayed in the truck as I ran out. I ran in front of the Cobras, as both gangs watched me.
"Jess, what are you doing here?" Eyeball said.
There were eleven Scorpions and eight Cobras. Each gang was equipped with knives.
"Is that it? Where's the rest of you?" I asked the leader of the Scorpions, Eric. He laughed.
"Cute. Very cute." He said looking me up and down with a smirk, and implying more then thinking my comment was 'cute'. Ten more Scorpions came out of the brush, those ten had guns.
"Whoa, Eric what the hell is this?" Ace said walking up to him.
"Your funeral." Eric said pulling out a gun and shooting toward Ace. I jumped onto of Ace's back as we slowly fell to the ground, missing the bullet.
"Shit Eric!" Eyeball yelled. Eric pointed his gun again, as Ace and I stood up. I suddenly recognized one of the Scorpions.
"Michael?" I asked. They all turned back to look at the boy with ashy brown hair.
"Mike, you know this slut?" Eric said.
"Hey." Eyeball said walking forward, but I stopped him, not taking my eyes of Mike. He walked up to me.
"Jess." He said.
"Jess who is this?" Ace asked as Eyeball stood there stunned.
"It's Michael. Her old boyfriend." He said sounding upset and uncomfortable, as everyone looked at him.
"This is why you came back to Castle Rock?" He asked me.
"Hell no. Is this why you came with me? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was on a need-to-know basis."
"And you didn't think I needed to know numbnuts?"
Eric pointed his gun at me, and Michael told him to put it down. We walked up closely to each other. All the feelings I once had for him came rushing back into my mind while my husband stood uncomfortably behind me. I looked into his eyes. Hypnotized by the swirling colors of blue and light brown. Without thinking, I stood on my toes and kissed him softly, as memories came flowing back.
Eyeball came at us angry, but was held back by Vince and Billy. When we release I gazed into his eyes again. I couldn't hear a thing. I felt my face light up and a shine in my eye. Everyone just stood there silently watching us. His eyes started to tear, as he kissed me once more. When he let go a tear streamed down his face. I concentrated on it and watched it roll off smoothly. I looked up at him in a confused way.
"I'm sorry Jess."
Mike said, raising his gun to my forehead. I hadn't noticed it at all since I was so distracted by his tears. Everyone was blown away and couldn't move. Then, the sound of a gun shot pierced through the air.