Chapter 8: "Say WHAT?"

School was back on track now and the first four periods flew by quickly. I really want to see Pip. Stupid, I know. But I just do. Ever since yesterday. And I will use the drawing book as a start up topic. I'll be all, 'Pip thank you so much for the drawing book. I didn't thank you properly yesterday.' He'll be like, 'Well, your welcome, Kim.' And then the conversation will continue from there. Around the door to Hall, boys are crowding. Ugliest thing you'll ever see. A bunch of guys drooling over something. Wonder what. No I don't. I wonder if Pip is in there. That I do. I push my way past most of them; some of them see me coming and move out of the way. I get past the lot of them and walk into the classroom. There is a girl older than us, probably eighteen, leaning over Pip's desk, obviously flirting with him. Pip spots me, jumps out of his desk and runs over. My face gets warm, but I'm not shy or embarrassed. I'm pissed. If the whole 'Key' thing was some giant pick-up lie I'm gonna throttle him.

"Is that a 'Key' also, Pip?"

Pip looks back at his desk.

"No, silly, that's Padma."

I pause.

"Padma? Who is Padma?"

Pip looks back at me, leans forward and whispers in my ear,

"She's trying to get me to marry her."

I reach up. I grab his collar and pull his face closer to mine.

"You're sixteen, she's, like, twenty."

Pip shrugged.

"Pip, darling?"

Padma calls him 'darling'? She wiggles her fingers in a cute wave and blows a kiss to Pip. Whoa. Wait right there. What the hell are you thinking?

"Coming Padma."

He pries my hands off his shirt and leads me to Padma. Padma is obviously Indian, you can tell by the accent. She's wearing a sari and has a bindi on her forehead. She has evenly tanned skin and big, brown doe-y eyes. She's obviously rich, too. Along her arms half up to her elbow are small golden bracelets. They jingle as she moves her arms.

"Padma, this is Kim. She's the Key."

Padma glances up at me. She seems like she doesn't want to even have contact. She snaps her fingers. A big man, also Indian, steps up from behind. He has big sinewy arms and a scabbard at his side. He could kick the shit out of Hulk Hogan. He's wearing clothes like Aladdin- so sue me that was the last movie I saw (I was little). He just wore a vest, to showoff his strong chest-maybe, and pants that widened at the bottom but were sown inwardly, causing them to stay in one place. I suppress a laugh. His dark hair is all over his face. The oddest thing about this man though, was that he had a pierce in his upper earlobe. Not many people in India can afford earrings. Don't even ask how I know that. Padma snaps twice at the man. He nods and walks over to me. He's like three heads taller than me. He grabs me by the shoulder and twists me around. He proceeds to pat me down. I spin on my heel and look at his face; he's expressionless or maybe just stupid. He whirls me around again and continues. He finishes up with a quick pat on the butt. I circle and struggle to get at him but Pip has his hands under my arms in restraint. Padma says something to her thug.

"Violent isn't she Pip darling?"

I calm myself down to a growl. Pip lets me go and I sigh. I feel like ripping out that prissy little bitch's eyes...

"Pip. Why is she here?"

Pip smiles at me in a charming manner.

"She's going to stay with me."

"WHAT?"

That was a tad too loud Kimberly, great job. Pip smiles at me.

"Sorry, I'm embarrassing you again aren't I?"

I blush, it sucks.

"...No."

Padma frowns as I look at my tattered shoes.

"Kimmie," she says, "Darling and I need to talk to you."

"Don't call me 'Kimmie', Paddy."

"Padma!" she snarls.

I hate this hag already. She snaps her fingers twice. The big man steps forward again. Padma points at me. He cracks his massive knuckles. I glance up at his face. He's still vacant. He picks me up by the arms. Like, like... I dunno. But he pulls me off the ground. Off of it! Just by my arms. I kick him in the stomach. Nothing. I spit at him. Doesn't bother him. What the Hell? He says in a thick Indian accent,

"Key."

"Yeah, so what?"

He stays silent. Padma says something I don't understand. It sounds like some bullshit language she made up, but... yeah it probably is. The man looks at my face then throws me over his shoulder. Like I was a prize at a carnival. As he starts to walk out of the room Padma shouts back at me,

"Meet Sunder Lal!"

So that's this jerk's name.

"Sunder Lal, stop!"

He walks on. Shit. I look extremely foolish. I don't know any fighting techniques or any of the crap, so my outlook of this... I'm frickin' doomed. I pound my fist into his back. Nope. I take both of my hands and hold them together. I strike his spine as hard as I can. Still nothing? Jesus... I give in and just wait to be put down. Dumity-dumity dum. I wonder what kind of background music would go with this situation. Hmmm. Another question. When am I going to get down? Ugh... He walks out of the school building. There's a small commotion over at the corner of the school building. There is an ambulance and two cop cars. And a news truck. A small commotion. Sunder Lal passes the banner for the murdered guy. The principle and the rest of the staff made it in honor of the guy. It had pictures of him with his family, friends and the yearbook picture. It was the principle's son. That's why he looked familiar! He was always a jackass. Sunder Lal steps back into the building, having not found a place to dump me. He strides down the hall dutifully. He turns into the library. The librarian is out, per usual. She's never here. Sunder Lal goes to the back of the room. He throws me down on the bean-bags (they have them in the here to read on) and remains standing. He looks down on me with solid eyes. It angers me. Greatly. I jump up. I stare into his eyes fiercely. The asshole just smiles at me. Amazing, he can smile. He suddenly grabs me and pulls me to his chest. I mean, like, gross! He presses me closer to his chest (if possible). I can't believe this ass's audacity! I start to struggle,

"Get offa me!"

"Key!"

He replies gruffly. He throws me down onto the bean-bags again. He climbs on top of me. I shriek,

"Get off!"

He just covers my mouth with his massive hand. Then the grossest thing. He licks me. LICKS. ME. UGH! I try furiously to push him off of me. He's way to heavy. He kisses me on the neck. NO, NO, NO, NO! PIP! Pip...? Why...? Somebody! Help me! Please... Sunder Lal is, like, all over me. He is kissing my neck and all that sick stuff. I keep kicking. Nothing seems to get him off of me. He then takes his hand from my mouth to my jacket. He rips it wide open, I can see him smile with perverse pleasure. Why? Why me? Why all of a sudden... Why always me? Tears fall down my cheeks. I haven't cried in twelve years. It catches up to me now. I don't have any more energy, I feel totally drained. I stop kicking and struggling.

"Please... someone..."

He rips open my shirt.

"Kim!"

I open my eyes. Sam. He's here to help me. He drops his pass and runs over. Sunder Lal glares up at him snarling,

"Mine."

Sunder Lal dramatically rises. Sam blanches at how tall he is. Sunder Lal moves carefully in for the kill. A snap echoes through the hallway. Sunder Lal freezes. He seems reluctant, but he follows Padma's calling. Sam stands in surprise as manage to stand. I see him blush, probably because I don't have a shirt anymore, but two rags hanging on my arms. But I can't stop crying. I stumble over to him and I fall at his feet. He hesitantly kneels down and comforts me.

"Sam..." I choke, "thank god..."

I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly, crying into his shirt.

"... Kim..."

He puts his arms around me and I just keep crying. About everything. Everything I should have cried for in the past. Especially Greg. I find myself whispering,

"...Daddy..."

Sam shushes me and we sit there. In the back of the library. Alone. For ten minutes the only sound is my whimpering. The library door opens.

"Kim! Are you in here?"

I see kids filtering through the books. My whole class is here. Tether is the first to see me. He gives a sharp whistle. Everyone makes their way to the back of the library and they all see Sam and I. Tether is too shocked to laugh. Seeing me so defenseless: tear stains down my cheeks, shirt ripped open and me hugging Sam. Pip tries to get to the front of the, now, crowd.

"Kim? Kim!"

Like all he knows is how to say my name.

"Kim!"

I don't want him to see me like this. Pip can't see me like this! No one can! I bury my face deeper into Sam's shirt. What is happening to my life? I close my fist tightly, my knuckles cracking. I want to hurt someone. Pip gets through the melee and rushes to my side. He gives me a visual scan. I notice as he stops slightly at my breast. Sam moves his arm covering me. I feel so pathetic. Pip quickly rips off his jacket at wraps it around my shoulders. I feel really warm, a new train of tears roll down my cheek. I look up into those green eyes. They are clouded. He puts my arms around his neck. I can't even move; I'm exhausted. Pip carefully slips his hand under my knees and one on my back. He cautiously stands, holding me. I look down at Sam. I look up at Pip. I nestle up to his chest. Carefully, he lifts me up and starts to leave. He passes the students dutifully and carries me out of the library. He takes me outside the school building. He puts me down outside of the building and I follow him to a quiet spot on the curb. I sit down. Pip doesn't. He has his eyes set sternly on the sapling across the street. I pull the jacket closer to me. Damn, it's cold. What is he thinking about? He's mad, right? Mad at me? My life has become a soap opera. Oh the drama. Pip finally looks down to me. He's trying so hard to get the words out but he can't figure out what 'the words' are.

"...Kim...I-you-him...?"

Well, no idea what that meant. Pip sits next to me finally.

"Sam? Why?"

I look down. Whoa! I'm half naked! Awkward! I shove my arms through the sleeves and zip it up quickly. Pip blushes as he tears his eyes away, blushing hotly. Okay... calm... Why Sam?

"... He was the only one... who cared enough to come. You didn't come..."

I let my words fade so as to let Pip think about them. He looks at me with a plea in his eyes.

"Had I known... Sam would have been leading the search while you cried to me. I care!"

He snaps agitatedly. ...What...? Two small words... 'I care' to a person who is alone... He sees my surprise and my blush.

"You're my friend Kim... I can't leave you to a monster like that. I never would."

Ow. The first time I've been called friend... and... it hurts... My eyes tear up. The first time... friend... I wrap my arms around my knees and cry into them. Pip lays his hand on the nape of my neck and gently caresses my neck with his thumb. I don't want you to touch me! But I keep crying. Harder and harder.

"I don't want to be you friend!"

I shriek in between sobs. His arm wraps around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

I gradually stop the tears. We sit there 'til two o'clock. I walk home alone.