Casey! Are you in here? It was Nathaneal. Wait a second, this is the boy's bathroom. She shut the door behind her. Casey, if you're in here, speak up! She was looking for me, and she'd even go so far as to go into the guy's bathroom?
I'm….I'm here. I unlocked the stall door and went out to see her jump up slightly and hit her back against the door. She was obviously a bit disturbed by my current state of health. Okay, maybe a little more than a bit. All right, a lot more than a bit. She looked a little bit like when a bull sees red for a few seconds. I began to think she was angry with me. She wasn't.
Who the hell did that to you? her eyes narrowed as she said this. She can be pretty damn scary sometimes. I didn't want to get her all up on Gabe's case. That would just equal hell for me.
I turned to my only alternative. I lied. Straight to her face Ilied. It was no one…I fell in the locker room. My head slammed into the locker door. I'm fine now. I'm serious it was no one. Would she buy it?
She definitely wasn't buying it. Really? I'm sorry you did that. I'm really sorry you lied. Your excuse was flawed. Your nose is still bleeding, smart one. She wasn't buying one word. How could I forget my bloody nose? You can tell me to back off, if it's really that important to you to protect your enemies. Even though you just make more that way. I'll completely understand if you want me to leave you alone. She was doing it on purpose. Yet, there wasn't a bit of anger or regret in what she said. She really would understand, and I didn't want her to leave me alone. I've been alone all my school years, I don't want that again.
It was…Gabe…you know, the guy on the football team. I knew that I was going to get hurt tomorrow if Gabe found out I snitched on him. Especially to the girl who beat up, and scared off, his friends.
You won't hear from Gabe about this little conversation, all right? I know when a guy wants me to keep my mouth shut. She opened the bathroom door and started to leave. Come on! I'll walk you home. The busses already left. Oh, and you might want to take a lot of that tissue with you.
I think I would've gotten the same amount if I had just taken the roll. Hell, she said that it was necessary. And now she was the doctor, or she might just hurt me for all I knew. Now she knows where I live. I don't know why, but I wasn't completely bugged by that. What I was bugged by was what she did before leaving me on my doorstep. There was one of those uncomfortable silences, she cleared her throat awkwardly. When I finally broke the silence and said that I would see her tomorrow, she held my arm to keep me from going inside. She pulled me close to her suddenly, and kissed me on the lips. It was strange, what I felt, like every moment was passing so quickly that I couldn't control my mind racing. I knew this was like that morning when time slowed down when she kicked that guy. I realized, she was the one who controlled it, right in front of my eyes. She controlled time, with the little things she did.
It seemed like we were standing there, together, for an eternity. She reached up and touched my face and sent a thrill through me. Then it ended and I wanted all of it again, the thrill, the sensation. But I didn't say it. She looked straight at me, being that she was my height, looked into my eyes for the briefest moment, and hers seemed to be lost in a dream. Then she looked up at my forehead and came back to reality. She muttered an apology and quickly turned and walked away. I was still, standing on my front porch for at least a minute before I turned and went inside. I slept well that night now that I had something pleasant to think about.
I got to school that day, just as glum as any other day. I was still worried about Gabe some how finding out anything and the hurt I would be in for. I knew something was amiss when the usual kids weren't waiting for me by the bus. I walked around and soon heard the sounds of a fight-crowd. As I approached, I shoved my way through to see what was going on. I was very nearly horrified by what I saw.
There was the group of jocks that usually ram my nuts into the flagpole. They had a few friends with them as they struggled to hold down a thrashing person. This person I recognized as Nathaneal. They were taking turns getting hits at her, and a few other slightly inappropriate things. Apparently she can handle five jocks, but there were eight here. Eight guys against one girl, and no matter how many times I ran the numbers, none of it seemed fair. I saw Gabe just standing there watching, silent, unlike the rest of the crowd. He saw me then, and he drew attention to me.
Hey, look! he shouted, It's the boy who started it all. People all looked at me, and Gabe grabbed hold of me and dragged me over, into the middle of it. Something, told me I was in the middle of it before I even got here. Strange for the photographer to leave his camera at school. We're you too busy with the girl here to notice?
I had a bad feeling that I knew where this was going. He had my camera last night, he probably followed me home and saw Nathaneal kiss me. Or, worse…he took a picture. What the fuck are you talking about? I said, for some reason quite comfortable with talking loudly and forcefully.
Oh! Chicken-shit's got's some nerve in him today? He pulled a piece of stiff paper out of his large jacket pocket. I've got some discriminating evidence that tells me that you lied.
I looked at the picture in his hand and it was as I had feared. On that picture was the crisp image of my front porch and the two people on it, locked in a kiss. Me and Nathaneal. So what? I asked, feeling just a bit on my high-horse, Does that give you any fucking, goddamned right to touch her? I had been slowly raising my voice as I said it.
Gabe apparently didn't expect this from me--the piss wad in the locker room. Then again, I didn't expect it from me either. He scowled and some one grabbed my neck from behind. My hands shot up to my neck, that reflex, you remember. The guy picked me up about a foot off the ground by the neck. My first instinct was not to fight back. That's what I was used to. Now, I thought differently when Gabe drew a knife.
You picked the wrong, fucking day, he muttered. He pointed the knife at my stomach and I knew he might actually consider killing me. If there hadn't been an interruption, I would've had to find out.
You hurt the new girl! came another unfamiliar voice. Then a loud cackle and suddenly a loud crack was heard behind me. I fell to my feet, able to breathe again. I turned around and saw a skinny guy beating the shit out of the guy who used to have me by the neck. The big guy was already unconscious.
I tapped the skinny dude on the shoulder. You can stop now, he's out cold. He stopped and looked up at me with a look that didn't care one bit. Then he got distracted.
That is one nice-ass camera, he said, looking at the camera that now sat on Gabe's shoulder. I believe it is yours… he gestured to me and swiftly stole the camera and returned it.
In this moment of distraction, Nathaneal found it the right moment to break free of her captors. They were both unconscious when I looked over there. I also saw that her lip was bleeding. The person I thought was immortal and invincible has just shown me otherwise.
The skinny guy kicked Gabe in the stomach, and pushed him back so he fell on his butt. The guy looked to me and I nodded in a complete understanding. I walked up to Gabe and, with more strength than I thought I had, I sent a swift kick to his head and knocked him out cold. I was still holding the camera.
Casey, said Nathaneal, You did it. You stood up for yourself. And for me as well. Well…thanks. She offered a hand to shake, she still thought she needed to apologize for that kiss last night. I smiled and for once in my life I forgot about people watching, and I hugged her tightly. The crowd had not yet dispersed. The skinny dude rubbed his nose, not knowing what to do. He finally decided that it wasn't a movie, so he started to shoo away the crowd.
Come on, people! This is something personal between two lovebirds! Let's move it along! Everyone went by and returned to their normal morning festivities. Except the skinny dude of course.
He poked my side, then Nathaneal's. We both turned to him a little pissed off. Nathaneal was the first to say something to him. Look, who-ever-you-are, I appreciate you're helping and all, but don't you have something better to do? He just cackled strangely.
Nope! But I'm glad to inform you that I have come to the conclusion that you are not ghosts, or demons.
Nathaneal and I exchanged glances,then we looked back at him. Are you nuts? We asked in unison.
He gave us a large, mischievous smile, glancing at us both separately, back and forth. Completely, he said, as if he were proud of it.