Lucky Me
Chapter 103
Stupid! I was so dumb! As Bobby stared at me disbelieving I knew I made a mistake.
"That's a surprise."
I sat there, on the couch, gaping like a road killed frog. If what I said was stupid, then there was no word to describe how he had just answered me. He smiled sheepishly. Maybe he realized what he did was so completely stupid that he reached a whole new level of stupid!
I clenched my teeth, whirled up and off the couch and broke into a run as soon as I was out of his sight. My feet didn't stop until I was safe in my room, leaning against the slammed closed door and breathing like I had just run from that nightmare voice living inside my head.
Clamping my eyes shut, I tried to make the heat from my cheeks go down, but the only thing I did was start to cry. How could I have been so dumb as to say that of all things to him.
It started a week ago, after I told Chris about my nightmare and Bobby returned home in all his goofy glory. Scott harped on me to make sure I stayed on top of my studies and Bobby (without Dad knowing) happily elected to help me with math. As with the previous tutoring times when I was in his class (which Alexis said that they switched Mr. Poovey from history to math since everyone was complaining about him teaching history. While the grades in history sky-rocketed, the math grades…actually stayed pretty much the same.) we got distracted and ended up talking too much and er, well, making out the rest of the time (Bobby and me, not Alexis-ick).
Jean walked in on one of these times and chased him out of the room by pointing every sharp object (we were in the library study with apparently a lot of pencils, pens, etc. D-M was doing her scrap booking in there at some point) and told him, rather dangerously, to 'leave.' So after I was able to prove I actually got my homework done, she let me go.
A day later, Dad and mom were called away and I was messing around in the forest. Don't ask me, I wasn't looking for freaky not-really-a-dream dream eyes with a hand and voice man. I ran into Mr. Bishop who was making his rounds. This was the point where my IQ started to slump apparently because I asked who would attack us in broad daylight that he felt like he had to patrol the area now.
He answered that anyone who wanted to catch us by surprise.
I pointed out that we'd be able to see them before they hit us. Shrugging I continued to let my mouth move and saidthat the best time to attack (to me at least) would be a Saturday because if they attacked on a Monday (which it was) they'd get a lot of hacked off people. Why? Because who in their right minds actually liked Mondays? It's the start of a new week and therefore the start of another time chart that we had to make sure to get in at least 6 hours worth of time in the Danger Room.
Mr. Bishop left half way through my lecture. I followed him, I only left after I thought I saw his trigger finger itch closer to his gun.
In my wanderings, I saw Mr. Logan. After seeing him, I wondered if the ladies were on the 'does-this-uniform-make-me-look-fat' rampage since all the males seemed to have relocated to 'nature'. Mr. Logan puffed on his cigar and didn't say much so I was going to walk away but then he asked what was wrong.
Slightly confused, "What do you mean?"
"You've been scared spitless the past coupla weeks." Tapping the side of his nose, he smirked. "Wanna tell me what's it about?"
I didn't like the super sniffer. He got about as much information as the mind leeches did without actually invading my personal space. My guard went sky high as I tried to laugh it off like it was nothing. Mr. Logan apparently got a degree in psychiatry because he told me to cut the crap.
"It's nothing, really." I scratched the back of my neck in nervousness. Getting a steady stare from someone who usually hunts with those same eyes kinda made me a wee bit anxious. "Well," I mumbled, "it might be something."
"Does it have something to do with the new scent I caught on you?" His voice dropped an octave and considering how deep his voice was already, that took a lot of talent. Or rage, but since I was out here alone and he probably knew all the great places to hide a body, I decided to believe it was talent instead.
"I-I wouldn't know."
"You stutter when you lie, kid." He puffed on his cigar some more before turning to me with a smile and adding, "And you don't lie well."
I stuttered when I lie—or when I was scared, nervous, freaked out or trying to make people believe I have a brain the size of an under grown pea. "Well, I best better go, uhm, guess I better go! Better than hearing a liar, right?" I chuckled nervously.
"Stay away from whatever it is." His voice had that 'boogie-man' edge to it that caused me to swallow hard.
I kept my eyes steady, but when I spoke, my voice cracked. "From what?"
"I don't know but the scent is similar to those that we fight."
I nodded and slowly walked off into the woods, aiming to the house.
Then, on Wednesday, I was punched in the stomach by something I hadn't even considered a possible problem. Okay, that's not right, I thought it was possible, but not with me. When pigs flew (probably mutated kittens or something knowing this day and age) would I have ever thought this was going to be my problem.
With all the crap going on in my life, with all the hardships and hard knocks, I was pretty sure I had solidified myself to the world.
But, as I found out on that day, I guess not!
Bobby and I were goofing off at one of the many small creeks in the back of the property. We never got much time together without a suspicious person always present and when we did get time together we ran off. I know this probably caused those suspicious minds to raise an eyebrow and feel frustrated that they hadn't a clue what's going on, but it's hard to enjoy company with a untrusting (unwanted) chaperon.
Hmm, well, anyway, Bobby and I ran off in the afternoon when Jean wasn't looking and dad was buried into a computer file. The others had lives, were sleeping or had been absorbed into some actions flick.
Or they had "gone Wolvie" as my team likes to put it which translates into: someone has left and hasn't told anyone why, where, and so on.
Anyway, we were goofing off back there as I said and having a good time. I rambled on about whatever came to mind. I mentioned my sister and how I thought I should call but lacked the backbone to actually eat my pride and talk to her. He smiled and pointed out she probably had already forgiven me.
I laughed, unsure and feeling awkward talking about emotions. Anything dealing with "feelings" always made me want to shut myself into a little metal box, complete with ten million locks that was then placed into an airtight coffin in the center of the earth with demon guards lurking and bumbling about. Yes, for some reason I had a 'guy' factor of being weirded out by "let's talk about what we feel". I was more of a "let's not and say we tried".
Okay, another rabbit trail. So back on topic.
Bobby was in the creek, following my example and standing still. The rocks hurt his feet and he was slightly pouting because of it. We made quite the picture, jeans rolled up to prevent them from getting wet and trying to balance on somewhat pointy rocks.
I turned away from him, and wadded to shallower water, trying to not slip on the green stuff growing on the rocks. I was somewhat succeeding.
"You like that don't, you?" He asked. I could only guess he meant the current and I turned around, squinted against the sun with a smile and then got the knock out of my life. If I had any photographic skills (or a camera at that) I so would have wanted a picture of him at that moment.
Though the rolled up jeans still made him look slightly silly, the light from behind him, coming through the trees and shimmering off the water made me lose my breath.
"You okay?" I will be I thought, as soon as my brain decided to stop doing the little pink hearts thing.
I laughed a bit too nervously for my own liking and simply nodded.
Yeah, never better.
I was sure I was going to puke.
On Thursday, my parents and extended 'family' (except for Julie because she was in a really bad mood) never saw me more dedicated or elusive. I was trying to recover from what I realized by focusing on my homework and playing catch up so that I could 'graduate' in May along with all the other homeschoolers we currently had there.
I was battling down the nasty mountain of English assignments when I finally got to one that sorta had me stumped. It was an essay (much grumbling and whining there) and it was "Where I Plan to Be In Ten Years" so I decided to put that away and try something else.
"Write a letter to your family which you need to save and read at the end of ten years…"
Well, that sucked.
I pinched my eyes and rubbed my temples.
I had to face it, there was no way I was going to get very far with this letter if I didn't gush out now.
Keeping my eyes closed, I felt around for my keyboard and began to type. I have no idea if it was a jumble of words or even if I had my fingers on the right keys, but this would never been seen by anyone who wouldn't get slaughtered ten seconds later.
A solid week after Bobby came home, he was being everything else but adorable.
We had been watching a movie when he popped off about the main actresses wearing too much clothes, I glared, and he shrugged and smirked. If he would have stopped there, I wouldn't have wanted to hurt him. But did he stop? Oh, no.
He was a boy and therefore didn't know when it was too much.
Did Bobby leave it off? Nope. He had to remind me that he preferred my old uniform because it had even less than my new uniform.
I started to growl, "What?"
Bobby's grin became even more unbearable. "It's the truth. Did you keep that uniform by the way?" He winked but you shouldn't wink at an angry girl. In fact, you shouldn't breathe in the room of an angry girl. Especially if you were proving just how male you were.
"You-! You-!" I picked up a pillow and shoved it into his face. I scooted away and crossed my arms.
"What'd I say?" He feigned innocence, after removing the pillow. "I thought girls appreciated honesty."
I gave him a nasty look over my arms and knees. "Only smart honesty, not dumb honesty." I turned my nose slightly up in the air. "If you think it was a smart thing to say it was dumb honesty, if a girl asks you to say something and you do, then its smart honesty."
"Oh brother…" He flipped his eyes and smashed the pillow into my face for emphasis.
"Hmm ohhruddeeer!" I shouted in the pillow. Once pillow free, I looked him straight in the eye, "Why do you always have to think like that?"
"It was a joke, Kerry." He had a sharper edge to his voice but that didn't stop me.
Turning away from him, I muttered (loudly), "Chris wouldn't have acted that way."
That snapped his already (obviously) tried patience.
"Why aren't you with Chris if the two of you seem to be such good friends?" He was jealous and just acting out on the anger it induced. I knew this! I did! I knew it then and I knew it now! And yet, and yet I was a complete idiot. Did I just choke him or punch a new dent in his ribs? Noooo. That would have been the more violent, yes, but it would have been something I could have held my head up high with later. Not saying I lied, but it sorta came out before I could stop, think, or do anything that a wiser person would do.
"I'm not with Chris because I don't love Chris. I love you, you moron." I then smacked him. Two seconds after this, my brain asked 'why is he looking at me like that?' Then my memory came back to me. Oh. My. Claws.
"Uh-"
"What did you say?" Bobby asked slowly, leaning off the back of the couch to look at me closer in the eye.
"Uh…" I slipped it once, so if I faced up to it now, it would hurt a lot less later. "I—I—oh you heard!"
"That's a surprise," Those weren't the three words I thought I'd hear.
