Chapter Nine - Elise
It was the first day. Everyone trudging back to our shared prison after an all too short summer liberation. Free not only of enforced authority, except on the part of our parents but, broadly speaking, responsibility in genera. A helicon period of lovely recklessness when we could truly be ourselves.
Amber and Throne were nowhere to be seen. Either on the bus, or marching into the school, like something from a Pink Floyd video. The entire scene had something off about it. Like someone forgot to turn on the color.
The halls echoed, as though empty, despite the throngs of bodies visible within them, most of them alive.
A shadow fell, cast from the sun shining in through the windows, plunging the world into dark. The smell was unmistakable. Expensive deodorant combined with too much cologne. A sickly strong choking stench invading my lungs. There was no way to run. They would just catch me even if I’d tried.
I yelped pitifully as the hand fell on my bony shoulder. Heavy and strong, it could pick me up easily. There was no way to fight. It was going to happen; the best thing was to just wait for it to be over.
The hand fell away, setting me free. Dropping to my knees with relief I looked to see the face of my hero.
He looked so stoic. Not seeming to notice the others trying to pull him off. Nate continued to hold the quarterback in an iron clad sleeper hold. Refusing to let go until I was safe. And slowly, Nate leaned closer until his lips were just inches from mine…
The alarm screamed like the legions of Hell. Ripping the earbuds out of position, I damn near threw my phone across the room, just to get it away from me, coming to my senses at the last possible second.
Taking the phone to its usual place on my desk, it beeped its happy bing as the charger clicked into place, the lightning bolt returning to the battery icon.
The office chair did a half turn of sheer momentum as I fell back into it. It was so real, even if my mental archives held no instance of such a thing happening. The way I remembered it; Nate had been part of the gang. As much a part of the teasing as the others.
Not the bullying though. He never stuffed me in a locker or played keep away with my backpack. Still, what was that about last night? Did he really love Terry Gilliam flicks? Or was there something else to it?
He’d been perfectly polite at dinner, which was easily put down to our parents being there. Except there was no tension. At least not for long. Far less than I’d expected, that was for damn sure.
We had one big thing in common for sure. We’d both had a parent die. It wasn’t quite the basis for a friendship, but certainly helped in understanding him better and, if I was honest, it was nice to have someone to watch with.
Mom was always too busy and kind of went off movies after what happened to Dad. Brenda and I would have film festivals in our dorm when we both had time, but that wasn’t going to be happening any time soon. The hate for Nate began to shrink, until there was almost nothing there at all.
I wasn’t exactly looking to form the relationship with him that our parents clearly wanted, no matter how sexy he was, but we could at least be friends. Keep each other company until school started again.
“Hey, Honey, good sleep?” Mom asked as I trudged into the kitchen.
“Satisfactory.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Filling up her travel mug with coffee, Mom headed to the closet-sized guest room she’d converted into an office, kissing me on the cheek as she passed. Even though she was working at home, Mom tried to keep up her usual schedule. It made things easier in all sorts of ways. I couldn’t help but feel a little lonely, left to my own devices, but knew she was doing what was for the best.
The stairs creaked under me as I returned to my room, taking my coffee with me. I didn’t have a safety mug but figured I would be okay if I were careful. Draining the cup like someone meant business, I put on my best, outdoor clothes, taking care to stuff a mask into my pocket, and headed out to see what I could see, without breaking the lockdown provisions.
Everything had its limits. The government was very clear about people going out in public. Something less well-defined was what exactly was meant but ‘public.’ Surely, they couldn’t stop people from going out into their own yards. As it turned out, the duplex, for all its issues, had a big one. Resolutely unmown, but pleasantly green just the same.