I sat at lunch in school quietly for once in my life. Mom had forced me to go to school while the police and her searched for Cody. I wanted more then anything to be there too, I could have been a great help, but yet, she still made me come to school. While she drove to the police station, I had to sit through long classes with question nodding at my head. How I was supposed to live with myself that day? Was it because of me? I asked myself continuously. I don't know why I was so certain that this whole ordeal was my fault, but I felt an undeniable guilt flushed over myself. And there was something else bugging me. It beat at me with a grieving pulse. What if he died? Would it be my fault?
"Zack!" I turned over to look at who was calling my name. It was Max. She plopped down on the empty seat on the bus beside me. I could feel my heart speed up. No, my feelings were over for Max. I didn't like her for anything more then a friend. Did I? I remembered the horrible news she had told me last night, and suddenly I felt very nervous. What was I going to tell her? That I had caused Cody to run away and perhaps never come back? What would she think of me then? But I had to tell her. I couldn't keep something like that from her. I sighed and looked at Max, and I could tell she sensed the emotion in my eyes.
"Zack, are you ok? What's wrong?"
"Max, something happened…to Cody."
I saw her facial expression change to worry. I felt myself lost in her shiny brown eyes. Max had changed a lot since middle school. She had grown taller, and developed a slender figure. Her layered straight hair dropped to her mid back, and she had finally began wearing clothes that favored her newly acquired figure, and she had begun to wear a little bit of makeup. Though she still acted like her tomboy self, I defiantly would not have mistaken her for a guy seeing her the first time. She was too beautiful for that. But I couldn't like Max. We had agreed on it. And she liked Cody. I felt a lump in my throat trying to push itself up, and I coughed to prevent unwanted tears from springing.
"He ran away Max. I don't know exactly where he went, but he's gone. All he left was some poem, and his blankie. He left Blankie Max, I don't know what was wrong with him, I don't know I just don't know" I could feel myself breaking off. It wasn't fair that Cody was gone. It wasn't fair that Max liked Cody. Why did Cody have to screw everything up? I looked at Max, who hadn't said a word. She looked so sad and forlorn, just staring off. I don't know what overcame me, but I wanted to make her feel better. I breathed hard, because what I was about to do took courage. I hated rejection more then anything. After getting over myself, I turned my head to Max in the seat next to me. I reached out a hand to catch the teardrop falling from her face, then reached over and kissed her gently on the lips.
Cody's POVAfter Lola left, and night had finally fallen. I was lost in a sea of confusion and fear. I was being forced to help sell drugs and illegal merchandise. How hard could it be to sneak bags of pot to someone, then ask for money in return. And it doesn't take reading skills to test people's merchandise then giving them as much money as they need. The back of my mind told me they don't really need you, its just Lola trying to protect you. I smiled to myself, at the idea that they might actually think I fell for this. But this was no time to smile. There had to be some way to escape. I crept up to the door and tried the doorknob. It was still locked. There were no windows in the room, other then a small vent window at the floor that I could barely fit my hand through. I sat on the floor and put my head in my hands. Tears started to flow from my face. I missed Mom, and as hard as it was to admit, I missed Zack. Hugging my knees with my arms, I rocked myself back and forth, singing to myself the song "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson. Normally, I would think this song to be annoying and stupid. But I had heard it last during my depression and had developed a love for it. The door opening interrupted my song. I turned, expecting it to be Lola. My facial expression immediately changed though, because staggering though the door was Andrew.
"If it isn't the little boy whose supposed to be helping us." I could tell by the way his voice swung and his staggering walk that he was very drunk. A drunken murderer is not someone you want to be around. I backed closer to the wall as he came in the room. I could feel the fear from the previous day coming back upon me. Andrew came closer and closer to me, and I could see his bloodshot eyes full of hate and anger. He still wanted me to die, and now that he was drunk and Lola wasn't here, there was nothing stopping him.
"You damn kid, you should be dead. You're lucky I didn't send your damn ass too the grave the other day! In fact, you don't deserve to still be living!" I backed down and cowered into the corner. If this was the good hearted guy Lola had told me about, a real criminal would probably scare me to literal death. Like I had when the gun had been pointed at me, I covered my head with my hands and curled into a ball. I had no defense against this huge man.
"Get the hell up!" Andrew screamed. He reared his leg back and smashed it into my ribs. Pain rippled through my chest like fires set free as he continued to kick me with all his strength. I hugged my legs to myself even tighter, hoping the pressure would lower the pain spreading and throbbing through my body.
Andrew reached his hand out grabbed a handful of my blonde hair, lifting me off the ground. Little knives stabbed my head as I heard the hair strands breaking. I screamed and tried to find a place to support my feet dangling in the air. He took his free hand and smacked the side of my face. It felt like a steaming fire being thrown at my cheeks. He continued to smack in the same place which was a large area considering how large his hand was, and I could feel blood starting to trickle down my cheeks. The flames engulfed my face quickly and stung to where tears were falling down my face fast. I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone kind would find him and give me a rest. Andrew continued smacking me, and then he dropped me. Actually he didn't drop me, my hair ripped out of his hand finally leaving him with a huge clump of my blonde hair. He used his strong knee to knee me in the stomach. I doubled over, this pain topping the fire burning on my cheeks and the knives still throbbing on my head. He really wanted to kill me. I tried again to scream, but choked on my own voice. I lay on the ground, writhing in pain that I could never begin to describe. Andrew continued hitting me in various places, causing blood to flow in all over my body. He finished off with a low punch in the face, which I could barely feel because of the other parts of me throbbing. I felt blood rushing down my face, mixing with tears falling from my eyes. With that Andrew left the room, cussing about something I couldn't hear because I was in my own world.
I could feel my life dangling from the end of a string. I tried harder and harder to lift the string up, but it continued slipping out of my grasp. I breathed harder, and was practically forcing my heart to beat. I had to stay alive until someone came to get me. I just had to. I couldn't die. I had barely missed death already before. How many times would I have to face it before it finally took me into its clutches?
Zack's POVFire was in every direction. But they weren't around me; they were closing in on Cody who stood alone in an alleyway, curled in a ball whimpering. I called out to Cody," Cody! I'll get you out! Just stand up! Don't be afraid!" I could feel fear pushing at my heart for my brother. I couldn't stand there and let him die. Then, a short figure in a baseball cap pulled over its head appeared and began blowing at the fire. The fire disappeared more with each breath but the figure seemed to get weaker, like it was killing itself saving Cody. I looked at Cody who was standing with a strange girl I had never seen before in his arms. They both seemed happy, until they saw the baseball cap person. On it's hands and knees now; it turned to look at me. Slowly it fell, to the ground unmoving and the baseball cap tumbled off. I could see a glimpse of its face, but I wanted to know who it was. I ran over to it and started to turn it over.
I awoke suddenly from that dream. There it was again. Only this time, I started to cry to myself as I thought about how true it might end up being. In order to take my mind off Cody, I switched my thoughts too lunch today. Lunch had been the candle for me in a dark room when you can't find the light switch.
After getting over myself, I turned my head to Max in the seat next to me. I reached out a hand to catch the teardrop falling from her face, then reached over and kissed her gently on the lips. She seemed surprised at first, but then relaxed and wrapped her arms around me. We both closed our eyes and I held my arms around her waist. Finally, we pulled apart and looked at each other.
"Zack, I that was amazing."
"Max, if you still like Cody, then its ok. But I want to let you know that I love you. There I said it. I love you, and never really did get over you after basketball. To me Max, you're perfect. You are the most amazing person I've ever met." I had had plenty of girlfriends before; I knew what to say to them. But Max was the first one that when I said this, I really meant it.
"Zack…" Max didn't paused. "I do like Cody. I see him, and I like him. But I feel differently with you. When I see you…I can't even describe what I feel. Yes Zack, I love you too."
Woah, I didn't even see some of that coming. I never intended for Cody and Max to get together, I was going to do something else with their crushes But sometimes, things change lol. Like, INEVER was thinking aboutmaking Zack like maxuntilnow lol.As for Cody and Andrew...your just gonna have to wait to see what happens! And don't you love my wonderful use of cliff hangers lol. And you gusy are gonna be even more mad when I say we have family coming here from out of town tommorow, and I may not update until tuesday or wednesday. Sorry guys, but please review! Tell me exactly what you thought! Trust me, you don't know How excited I get to read your reviews lol.