Running Scared

by Leslie McGill

  “I’ll try, but Corie already said she wasn’t coming in, so I may not have a choice.”

  “Carlos told me that he and Ferg and the others are going to be working on their project too. Maybe we can all get together for a study break,” Joss said. “And say, Miss Rainie,” she added in a teasing voice. “Don’t think we didn’t all see hot Mister Durand Butler kissing you this morning! Something you want to tell us about what’s going on with you two?”

  “Nothing to tell,” Rainie said. “I’ve known Durand forever. He just didn’t want me to feel left out since you and Eva were getting some action. So he went ahead and gave me a kiss.”

  Joss and Eva laughed.

  “So that was a mercy kiss?” Eva asked. “So kind of him!”

  “Trust me, that’s all it was,” Rainie said. She seemed a little uncomfortable with the teasing.

  “We should make sure he comes over Saturday night, don’t you think?” Joss said to Eva. “If you’re going to be there,” she said to Rainie.

  “I’ll do my best,” Rainie said. “Now can we talk about the project?”

  “All work, as always,” Eva grumbled. “But yeah. Let’s decide who’s doing what. I’ll paste all the stuff on the display board. I’m no good with graphs or research or whatever, so I’ll leave that to you geniuses.”

  For the rest of the period, they talked about science.

  CHAPTER 7

  Rainie

  When school ended, Rainie left Capital Central and began walking down Bladensburg Road toward FreeZees. From behind her, someone called her name. She turned and waited as Durand Butler caught up with her.

  “Hi!” she said. She was glad to see him. He looked good and smelled kind of sweaty—but in a good way.

  “Where you headed?” he asked.

  “H Street. I work at FreeZees,” she said.

  “Oh man, I could never work there. I love frozen yogurt so much. If I worked there, I’d never make weight, and I’d get kicked off the team. How do you resist it?”

  “I’m used to it now,” Rainie said. “At first it was hard, but now it doesn’t bother me.” She wouldn’t tell him that her self-control was an obsession. “How about you? What are you doing over here?”

  “I’m meeting the guys at Primo’s for pizza,” Durand said.

  “Now that’s a place I couldn’t work!” Rainie said with a laugh. “The smell of pepperoni would do me in.”

  “I used to see you there with your folks,” Durand said. “Does your family still eat there?”

  Rainie laughed bitterly. “Actually, my family’s not much of a family anymore,” she said. “My dad left about a year ago. And now my mom has this boyfriend…”

  “And?” Durand said, looking at her.

  “And he’s awful!” Rainie said louder than she meant to. “Really, really awful,” she added quietly, her voice cracking.

  “In what way?” Durand asked.

  “He, he …” her voice trailed off. She had been about to say, “He scares me,” but she caught herself just in time. She couldn’t let anyone know what was happening at the Burkette’s house.

  Durand waited a moment. “He’s that great, huh?” he chuckled.

  Rainie just shook her head, then she laughed too. “Know how sometimes people say ‘it’s better than nothing’? Well, compared to this guy, ‘nothing’ would be a relief.”

  “Well, maybe your mom will figure it out,” Durand said. “Meanwhile, why don’t you Google him to see if there’s anything you should know about him. Maybe you could persuade your mom that way.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Rainie said thoughtfully.

  They stopped at the door of FreeZees.

  “Here we are, I guess,” Durand said. “Do you wear a uniform?”

  “Yes,” Rainie groaned. “A white visor and a bright green apron. Very sophisticated.”

  “I can’t wait to see it. I’ll stop in when I’m leaving Primo’s. You running tonight?”

  “Probably not. I won’t get out of here until ten.”

  “Some other time, then. Don’t work too hard!”

  Rainie waved good-bye and opened the door to FreeZees. She put on her apron and visor and got to work.

  A little while later she heard the roar of a car’s engine. A black Escalade pulled up to the curb. Luther Ransome and Chance Ruffin came into the shop. They grabbed bowls and began filling them.

  “Whoops!” Luther said as the soft frozen yogurt spilled out over the top of the bowl. Leaving the mess, he walked over to the toppings. He scooped up M&Ms with his hand and began eating them.

  “Hey, you can’t eat from there!” Rainie called out from behind the cash register.

  “So what’d McArdle say?” Luther asked as he walked toward the scale. He picked up a plastic spoon and started eating the yogurt.

  “Same thing as to you,” Rainie answered. “Get my grades up or else.”

  “Well, girl, I got mine covered.” Luther laughed. “It’s all in who you know!”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rainie asked.

  “I got something going on. That Shakespeare assignment is being written while we speak.”

  “What? By who?” Rainie asked. Luther was one of those bad boys that some girls couldn’t resist. She had no doubt that one of them was writing his Shakespeare paper for him.

  “Don’t you worry about that,” Luther said. “And anyway, maybe I’m doing the assignment myself.”

  “Yeah, right!” Rainie said. “I just wonder who Chance is going to find to write his paper.”

  Chance tipped his yogurt cup upside down, and the sticky mess spilled on the floor. Luther laughed and refilled his own cup. He then headed for the door.

  “Hey! You have to pay for that,” she called.

  “Put it on my tab,” Luther said, laughing, as the little bell on the door tinkled. The two boys got into the Escalade and roared away with a squeal.

  Rainie sighed in disgust. Great. She’d have to replace the entire container of M&Ms after Luther stuck his grimy hand in them. She grabbed a mop to clean up Chance’s mess.

  CHAPTER 8

  Joss

  After school, Joss waited for Carlos by the trophy case. Her mother was a member of the D.C. City Council and often had evening meetings. Joss usually made herself something for dinner, but tonight she wanted to hang out at Primo’s.

  “Hey, hot thing!” Carlos said when he finally showed up. “Sorry, I had to talk to Mrs. Blackwell about that SAT course I might take. So how was the rest of your day?”

  Joss got up from where she was sitting on the floor doing her homework.

  “Okay, but I’m even more worried about Rainie,” Joss said.

  They left through the side door on Bladensburg Road and walked toward H Street.

  “What now?” Carlos asked.

  “She’s just acting weird,” Joss said. “She said she’d meet us at lunch but didn’t show up. She said she thought we were supposed to meet in Mrs. McArdle’s room. But we had made it really clear that we were going to meet in the cafeteria so we could get some food.”

  “So maybe she just has a lot on her mind,” Carlos said. “It’s not a big mistake, right?”

  “But that’s not all,” Joss said. “She said she ate her lunch on the way to Mrs. McArdle’s room. But I know she didn’t. I don’t know how, but I’m certain she didn’t eat anything. And she didn’t eat breakfast with us either. She said she ate at home. But I can’t believe she brought her lunch. Last year, she always ate a school lunch. And I’d put money on her family not having much to eat at home.”

  “Well, it does—” Carlos started.

  “Oh,” Joss added, “she’s wearing sweats and two T-shirts. In this heat. It’s so wrong.”

  “It does seem like a lot of little lies,” Carlos said thoughtfully. “What, exactly, do you think her problem is? You know her lots better than me, so I can’t see any change.”

  “My best guess?” Joss said. “She�
��s got some sort of eating disorder. I don’t know if she’s making herself throw up, but she’s lost a ton of weight. And she’s deliberately not eating with us. I started thinking, have you ever seen her in the cafeteria this year? Because I haven’t. Put that with the lying, and it tells me that something serious is going on.”

  “Is she better friends with Eva? Would Rainie say what was wrong if Eva asked?” Carlos asked.

  Joss was quiet for a moment. “I don’t see that happening,” she said finally. “You know I love Eva—she’s been my best friend forever. But she’s not always real observant. Or sensitive. She’s great, don’t get me wrong. But she hasn’t even noticed a problem. And if she asked Rainie if she was okay, and Rainie said yes, I think Eva would believe her. She doesn’t look into things too deeply.”

  “While you, on the other hand, are always suspecting that there’s more going on than meets the eye,” Carlos said kindly. “It’s one of the things I love about you. But sometimes …”

  “I know, I see things that aren’t even there,” Joss said. “Like when you were about to move, and I thought you were breaking up with me. Although I was right that something was wrong. I was wrong about what it was.”

  They walked into Primo’s. “So what are you going to do?” he asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Joss said. “She needs to talk to someone. But she won’t talk to me. I need to figure out who she will open up to.”

  “Hey! Joss. Carlos.” Ferg Ferguson was standing up in the farthest booth, waving them over. Primo’s was filled with its usual mixture of families, Gallaudet University students using sign language, young adults, and Cap Central students. Joss and Carlos sat down at a table with their friends.

  “You want pizza?” Carlos asked.

  “Not yet. Maybe just a Diet Coke,” Joss answered. She pulled out her cell phone to text Rainie to join them. She held it for a few minutes, waiting to see if Rainie responded. When she didn’t, Joss put the phone back in her purse.

  Unconsciously, she shook her head in exasperation.

  “Trouble?” Durand Butler asked as he sat down at the table.

  “I don’t know,” Joss said. “I hope not. I was texting Rainie to see if she could join us. But she’s not answering.”

  “You know she’s at work, right?” Durand said.

  “Oh! No, actually, I didn’t know that,” Joss answered. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I just walked her over there,” Durand said.

  “Really?” Joss said slowly with a smile. “Interesting.”

  “Is it?” Durand asked, looking amused.

  “How well do you know her?” Joss asked.

  “I’ve known her since we were kids,” Durand said. “We’ve always been in classes together.”

  “Does she seem different to you lately?” Joss asked.

  “Oh yeah!” Durand grinned. “She sure does!”

  “You’re hopeless,” Joss said, shaking her head. “I actually meant something more serious.”

  “Like what?” Durand asked, the smile gone.

  “Not sure yet. Just keep an eye on her, okay? I’ve been wondering if there’s something wrong.”

  Durand was quiet for a moment. Then he grinned again. “Oh, I can keep an eye on her.”

  “I hear that,” she said with a laugh. Just then, her cell phone signaled a text message.

  “Can’t get away—Freezee craze.”

  “She’s not coming,” Joss said.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure what you’re worried about. But I’ll pay attention,” Durand said more seriously.

  “Thanks,” Joss said. “She’s a good friend. And something’s not right.”

  “I’m gonna get a soda. Anybody need anything?” Durand asked, getting up from the table.

  Joss watched him leave. Hmm, Rainie and Durand. It makes sense in a lot of ways, she thought. And it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else watching over her.

  “I know that look,” Carlos said softly. “You’re plotting something!”

  “Rainie and Durand. What do you think?”

  “Works for me,” Carlos said with a laugh.

  CHAPTER 9

  Rainie

  FreeZees was busy all evening. Durand stuck his head in as he had promised, but Rainie was too busy to do anything more than wave. When the last customers finally left, it was after eleven. Rainie was glad to hang up her apron.

  “That was crazy!” Angie Stewart, the manager of FreeZees, said as she wiped up the last table. “I think we went through about a hundred pounds of toppings. I never even took a break. Did you get dinner tonight?”

  “Sure, I took a break,” Rainie said. She had taken a break but hadn’t eaten anything. Instead, she walked up and down H Street a few times, then came back in.

  “You want a ride?” Angie asked as she did most every night Rainie worked. Although just a few years out of school herself, she often acted like Rainie’s mother.

  “You know I’m okay with taking the bus,” Rainie said. “It’s not far.”

  “Well, I worry about you,” Angie said. “And you know what? Tonight I’m gonna insist on driving you. It’s late, girl. You don’t want to be out there by yourself.”

  Rainie was glad for the ride. Truth was, she hated the trip home. The street lights made long, spooky shadows. Sometimes when she was walking home from the bus stop, she saw men hanging around some of the empty storefronts that lined Bladensburg Road. She was always relieved when she reached her house.

  As Angie pulled up in front of her house, Rainie’s heart fell. Daymon’s beat-up old car was parked out front. The car was an ugly shade of green. It had one black fender.

  “Is that Daymon Jenkins’s car?” Angie asked, leaning forward to look out the front window.

  “Know anyone else with an ugly car like that?” Rainie asked angrily. “You know he dates my mother, though they never seem to go on any actual dates.”

  “He is bad news, sister,” Angie said. “I knew a woman he was dating. He borrowed money and stole from her. By the time she finally kicked him out, she was just so glad to be rid of him that she almost didn’t care.”

  “He scares me to death,” Rainie said. Something about sitting in the dark car with someone who knew Daymon made the words pour out of her. “My mother dresses really tacky now that he’s around. I hate him. He’s always looking at me as if he could see through my clothes.”

  “Is that why you wear long sleeves and stuff?” Angie asked. “I wondered what was going on. I actually wondered if … well, never mind.”

  “What?” Rainie asked. “What were you going to say?”

  “I wondered if you were maybe hurting yourself. Like cutting.”

  “He’s not worth the scars,” Rainie said with a bitter laugh. “I just don’t know how to get my mother to see what trash he is. She won’t talk about him. It’s like as soon as she started dating him, my sister and I quit mattering to her.”

  “Well, sweetie, if you ever want to talk or need a safe place to hang, you just give me a call, okay?” Angie said kindly. “Seriously. You have my cell phone number.”

  Rainie felt tears spring to her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “Thanks.”

  She opened the car door, and Angie said suddenly, “Wait! My gosh, what’s wrong with me? I can’t remember anything these days.” She banged her head on the steering wheel. “Corie decided she can work Saturday night after all. So you wanna just work ten to four? I know I told you that you could work that night too, but it being Saturday …”

  “Ten to four is good. Corie can have Saturday night,” Rainie said quickly. This way she could sleep over at Eva’s. And maybe see Durand Butler if the guys came over.

  “Sounds good. See you tomorrow,” Angie said.

  Rainie opened the door. “You’re the best,” she said. “Thanks for the ride.”

  She unlocked the door and walked in as quietly as she could. She put her backpack on the floor, walked upstairs, and went into the bathroom to
wash up. When she opened the door to leave, Daymon was standing directly in front of her. She screamed in fear, and he clapped a hand over her mouth.

  “Don’t make any noise. You don’t want to wake up baby sister,” he whispered. “Now where were you? It’s late.”

  “I was at FreeZees,” Rainie said. “Not that it’s any of your business. And where’s my mother?”

  “I’m making it my business,” he said. “Your mama’s still at work. I came over here to watch li’l sis until you got home. Thought you’d be home long before this. You think I don’t know that place closes at ten? Maybe your mama don’t care you be stayin’ out late, but I do.”

  He still had his hand over her mouth, but he moved it down so that he was stroking her chin.

  Rainie jerked her head away from him. “Don’t you dare touch me, you creep,” she said.

  “Or what?” Daymon asked with a sneer. “Who you gonna tell? Your mama? And what you gonna say? I surprised you. You were about to scream, and I hushed you up so Jesika wouldn’t wake up. Why you gonna make it something it ain’t?”

  “Get out of my way,” she said, trying to move around him.

  Instead, he blocked the door by leaning against one side of the jam with his arm on the other side. “Who’s stopping you?” he taunted her. “Move me out of the way, if you can.”

  “Sissy? Is that you?” Jesika called. The little girl came out of her room, squinting her eyes against the light. “I heard something.”

  Daymon turned at the sound of her voice, and Rainie used the opportunity to step around him.

  “I’m just getting home,” she said. “C’mon. Back to bed.” She led Jesika down the hall to her bedroom. Once inside, she locked the door and lay down beside her in the bed.

  “Are you sleeping in here tonight?” Jesika asked sleepily.

  “At least for a while,” Rainie whispered.

  “I hate Daymon,” Jesika said softly. “I wish Mom had never met him. I miss Dad, don’t you?”

  “I do, Jessie. I really do,” Rainie said. She put her arms around her sister and snuggled against her. Jesika soon fell asleep. A short time later, the front door closed. Rainie hoped that meant Daymon was gone, but she was too scared to go out and check. She spent the night locked in Jesika’s room, still wearing the clothes she’d worn to school.