Chapter Four
Morals
The teacher's mouth moved but Zach Dryer couldn't hear the words that were spoken. He had zoned out about ten minutes into the class, leaning back in his chair and putting on the well trained expression of 'I'm listening, but not really listening.' He spun a pen back and forth between his fingers, thinking that he had gotten quite good in the hour-long lesson. If only he could become a pro in pen-spinning; things wouldn't nearly be as complicated.
When the bell rang, Zach didn't wait around. He hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and joined the throng of classmates leaving into the corridor. It was the last lesson of the day and the students were clearly ready to start their weekends. As Zach walked through the crowd he could hear conversations about going to parties, having a study session, heading down to the lake, going to the beach… He remembered when he used to be like that.
But nearly all of his friends had gone. Well, gone may have been the wrong word. They had changed themselves when Bobby Yates transferred into Sussex Downs College.
Bobby Yates…
That name still caused a pinch in Zach's heart. Bobby had come in with rumours swirling around him about how he was violent at his last school and nearly killed another student who dared stand up to him. Then he started hosting his infamous parties. It wasn't just underage drinking that Bobby provided, but also soft – and occasionally hard – drugs. He had kicked Zach and his friends off the top and Zach's so-called friends had decided to go back to Bobby.
Zach could never do that. He could never break the rules like that. Drinking? Drugs? Sex? It was just far too much. They were meant to be students! They were meant to be enjoying this part of their life, not screwing up their future.
"Don't get too lost in your thoughts," a voice said as a hand slapped Zach on the back, nearly throwing him to the floor. Zach grinned and spun around to greet the last remaining friend of their group. Neil McKnoll was built like a brick and about as stubborn as one. But he was friendly and would often help out the less fortunate kids in dealing with hard lessons and bullies.
However, when Zach turned to look at Neil he saw that he was sporting a horrid-looking black eye and looked like he may have been missing a tooth as well. "What happened?!"
Neil grinned but Zach knew his friend well enough that the smile didn't reach all the way to his eyes. "Nothing, nothing. Look, you got any plans today?"
"...Not in particular. And don't think I'm just going to brush that off." Zach was confused. There was no one who would dare stand up to Neil. He could become a very scary dude when he so deemed it fit.
"Can you come with me?" Neil asked, completely dodging the question. "I've got something to ask you."
"Sure," Zach didn't want to let Neil's appearance go but it was clear the big guy didn't want to talk about it. Maybe that was what he wanted to talk to Zach about – just somewhere more private than a corridor bustling with other students. It couldn't be his dad? No… Zach threw away that notion immediately. Neil's dad was about half his son's size and was as scrawny as they could come. A lovely guy but not someone who could do this kind of damage.
Neil was unnaturally quiet as he led Zach out of the building, not even keeping up a pretence of a good mood. He moved past the science building and up a small incline which led to the 500 metre race track, which also acted as a place for other sports such as hammer throwing, the long jump and pole vault. Another field west of the racing track held the football court which also doubled up as a tennis court. Finally a field north of the college held the rugby pitch. Sussex Downs College was known for its variance in its sports programs.
Neil ended up at the bleachers which overlooked the track and came to a stop, looking conflicted. Zach didn't say a word. Instead he put his bag down and waited for Neil to start talking.
"Look…" Neil finally said. He took a deep breath. "I know we've been through the wringer. And I know that we've always promised ourselves that we wouldn't fall to Bobby Yates' level."
This set off alarm bells. "Neil…"
"I can't keep this up, Zach!" Neil shook his head, at least having the decency to look ashamed. "My scores aren't amazing. I don't have much of a future after college so this is all I have for now. I can't be at the bottom anymore. We used to be popular. We used to be at the top of the totem pole." Neil took a deep breath. He motioned towards his face. "Bobby and his thugs paid me a visit. Beat me up. Me. They held me down and… and…" Neil closed his eyes and took a moment. "I can't let that happen again. I won't let my school-life be ruined. If I get onto Bobby's good side, I can be on the top again."
Zach closed his eyes. So this was it. With Neil gone, that meant he was alone at this school. Jokes and laughter replaced by drugs and anger. "I didn't realise your ego meant that much to you."
"Zach…"
"We promised! We promised that we wouldn't break our morals… You don't have to do this. If Bobby did that to you then you ought to go to the police-"
"The police!?" Neil laughed bitterly. "Look… Things have changed around here. Sussex Downs ain't innocent anymore. Bobby Yates is practically a gang leader. I'm… I'm scared, Zach, of what he'll do if I dared to speak against him. I can't risk that. I can't risk him going after my father… or my sister… I can't do that to them."
"Neil…"
"I've made up my mind! Now… You can come as well. You don't have to be at the bottom anymore."
"I can't do that. My integrity means too much to me." It pained Zach to speak like this to who he thought was his closest friend. "Please, think this through…"
"Fine." Neil took a deep breath. "Sorry, Zach. I… I really appreciate everything you've done for me. But things have changed. You gotta change as well if you want any kind of a future."
"This is college, Neil. This isn't the future. What are you going to do in two years or so? You're not going to hang around Bobby forever. You're gonna find a job and then what will this have achieved? A whole lot of nothing for temporary relief. Come on… don't be stupid—"
"Don't call me stupid!" Something snapped in Neil and he shoved Zach with full force. Zach fell backwards and landed hard on the concrete floor, scraping up his elbows. Neil was breathing hard, no remnants of the happy go-lucky big man. All Zach saw now was a thug. Neil looked to Zach for a moment before turning around and storming away, leaving Zach on the floor.
Zach sighed and dropped to his back, lying spread-out on the floor. He stared up at the blue sky and wondered – when did it become so bad to be good?
Dressed in a dark purple pleated skirt that reached her ankles, a pair of thick black leather boots and an expensive cotton jacket with golden buttons, Naomi Collado certainly drew the eye in a crowd. It wasn't only her clothes. It was her looks as well – olive skin prominent from her Spanish heritage and glossy black hair that matched her deep blue eyes perfectly. She walked down the corridor with confidence, having gotten used to the looks a long time ago. Naomi had only one person she had to worry about: herself.
Naomi walked through the crowd, perfectly aware of the gazes upon her, until she came to one of the female restrooms. Pushing her way inside, she glanced around to make sure the coast was clear and, confirming this, she leaned against a sink and let out a long breath.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Naomi let herself relax. It took a look of effort to keep her composure at school. With the stares, the comments, and the rumours that always swirled around the unusual, it made her shoulders and her back tense up. She had known a number of people who had one rumour spread about them which ruined their school lives. While Naomi told herself that if that ever happened to her she wouldn't let it affect her in that way, she knew that it wouldn't quite be that simple.
School was a constant game of chess, Naomi had concluded early on. You had to tread carefully and make just the right moves, looking ahead to ensure everything would go smoothly. One wrong move – one wrong decision – and that was that. Your school life was made for you.
After her accident, Naomi had managed to keep the specifics of what had happened a secret. Everyone knew she had been in a crash. They knew she had gone to hospital. But no-one knew the physical toll it had taken on her, not even the teachers. Just that she had to be put back a year because she missed most of the school year.
The door swung open again and three girls waltzed in. Naomi recognised them immediately. Nothing but wannabe skanks. Emily, Izzy, and Samantha. All of them wore hoodies and liked to sneak around the back of college to smoke. There were the kind of girls who couldn't make it up to the top of the school but weren't willing to be their true selves so decided to just mimic the popular ones and pretend to be just like them.
Naomi kept her concentration on the mirror as the three of them walked further into the restroom, talking to themselves. She wouldn't leave straight away – that would just tick them off. Their paranoid selves would think she left because of them.
It was just poor fortune that Izzy, the de facto leader of the trio, connected eyes with Naomi through the mirror.
"What are you looking at?" She demanded, face screwed up in a scowl.
Damn… "Just taking a breather," Naomi replied carefully.
"Always acting so high and mighty," Izzy snorted. "You think we don't see you walking down the corridors like you own the place?"
"I do not want any trouble," Naomi tried but knew that it wouldn't be enough to appease Izzy. Once they latched on they were as hard to get off as leeches.
"Well, you got trouble…" Izzy walked forward threateningly. Her two goons backed her up. "I don't like you, Colleen—"
"It's Collado."
"Whatever. You're nothing but a dumb bitch who was held back for being too dumb for college."
"It was because I was in the hospital."
"So you say but I don't see any proof." Izzy glanced to Samantha and Emily. "Have you two seen anything to back that up?"
"Nuh-uh."
"No way."
"I reckon you just can't get anything in that Mexican brain of yours—"
"I am Spanish." Naomi tried not to roll her eyes. That would only exacerbate them further.
"See!?" Izzy's nostrils flared. She was never the brightest of bulbs at the best of times. "You always have this know-it-all attitude about you! I reckon we ought to knock you down a few pegs. Sam, Em, hold her! I reckon we'll give little miss Mexican a make-up job."
As Emily and Samantha made a move, Naomi stepped forward herself, her expression forcing the two goons to stop. "No. You will not do anything. I am disappointed in you two." Naomi looked at Samantha, a girl who would be pretty had she not covered it up in ugly amounts of make-up. "Samantha, you think this is something that is worth doing? I have seen your drawings in art – the one's you do not like showing to people. You have a talent there. Do you not think it would be more efficient to work on that talent rather than corner girls in the bathroom?"
Samantha went to open her mouth but Naomi had already turned to Emily, "and Emily, I know you have a brilliant voice. I have heard you singing in the music room at lunch when the music club meets on Tuesdays and Fridays."
"So that's where you were," Izzy looked at Emily accusingly.
"You have a real talent," Naomi continued as if Izzy hadn't spoken. "And I really mean that. Not many have a voice like yours."
A faint red blush grew to Emily's cheeks at the compliments. "…Thank you…" It was quiet but Naomi heard it nevertheless.
"Don't thank her! Christ, you two are useless… If you want something done—"
"And Isabella," Naomi prodded a finger against Izzy's chest. "You write amazing stories."
"W-What?"
"Online. I read a lot online, you know, and I have seen the stories you write. You have amazing ideas. You should not cover it up under a pseudonym. You ought to change your username to something more honest. You should not have to hide a talent like that." Naomi shook her head. "All three of you… you waste your time. We are barely children and already you three have amazing gifts. Gifts that you continue to ignore and squander. Give it a year and those talents will dissolve into nothing. I would heavily suggest you change your tone a little bit. You could become something great instead of something pathetic."
For a moment a tense silence passed over the restroom. Finally Izzy looked away and stomped back over to the door. "Em. Sam. Come on. We don't need to waste our time with this." Izzy left the room. Emily and Samantha looked to each other for a moment and then at Naomi. They nodded lightly and followed after their friend.
With the three of them gone Naomi let out a breath and felt that old familiar pain just under her knees. She quickly pushed that feeling away and ran a hand through her hair, giving it a few moments before leaving the restroom herself.
A/N:- Naomi Collado (Formerly Naomi Kache) is credited to FDSaviour while Zach Dryer is credited to MentosgoBoom.