by Bailey Hull
They both shake their heads.
“Good, follow me.”
I lead them to a classroom that I know isn’t used and no one really walks in there for any reason. It’s the old abandoned music room. After we sit down Brandon is the first to speak up.
“So what’s up sis?”
“Don’t call me that…please.”
“What’s going on…sister?” He says with a smirk. I’m starting to wonder if I really want to talk to him after all.
“This club thing, the Eastside Pride club. Either of you know what its agenda is or will become in the near future?”
They shake their heads. No surprise there. I’m clueless too. Well…here goes.
“I wanna put a stop to it.” I watch closely for their reactions. Both are surprised, but Brandon more than Melissa.
“Why would you want to stop a club that caters to you and all your friends?” Brandon asks.
“How about because I’m no Hitler or Hitler’s protégé and I don’t believe in separating kids who live on the Eastside from the kids on the Westside of the river. It’s basically putting an even greater divide between the haves and the have-nots. No offense Melissa. That’s just how it is. I want to put a stop to it though.”
“That’s easy.” Brandon says. “The club has to be against the schools bylaws regarding student clubs and activities right?”
“Not if they meet after school or before school hours and off of school property; which is what they’re doing.”
“Great!” Melissa says. “So what can we do?”
“We bite the head off the snake.” Brandon says.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“Who is the driving force behind the Eastside Pride Club?” Brandon asks.
“Oh no I’m not going to hurt my best friend.” I reply. “I mean we may be on the outs right now but she is still my best friend.”
“What are you talking about sis?” Brandon asks.
“Megan. You were talking about Megan right? She is the organizer of the whole thing.”
“Yes but if Chase disappears there’s no club. He is the symbol of the Eastside Pride. You crush that symbol, that banner, and they won’t have anyone or anything to flock to. That should shut down the club.”
“What are you planning?” I ask.
“A rematch. I’ll tell your dad that I want revenge. I’ll hint that I could benefit from a new trainer and nutritionist, etc… I’ll tell him Chase has a whole team behind him and I need one too. He’ll spring for it. He won’t want to disappoint his new son or his new fiancée.”
“That’s a fight you can’t win.” Melissa says.
“Wow…thanks for the vote of confidence Mel.”
“That’s not what I meant Brandon. Of course you can win and I bet you will this time around. You’ll pay dearly for it at school though. You’ll be branded as public enemy number one and everyone will be gunning for you. You sure you can take that kind of heat?”
“Hell yes! But you guys and anyone else who publically supports me is going to feel the burn as well. Can you guys take it?”
“Are you kidding me?” Melissa asks. “I’ve been the school pariah since I was in school. I think I can handle being a social outcast for ten more months. I’m not so sure about your sister here.”
“I can handle it.” I say with more conviction than I really feel. Actually I won’t be feeling much heat at first because I’ll still be part of the Eastside’s inner circle.”
“Yeah, just how long are you going to keep up with that charade anyway?” Melissa asks.
“I don’t know actually. I haven’t really thought that far ahead.”
“Well start thinking sis, because it’s going to get to a point where you either sell your soul to the devil and stay involved or you break away and stand with us. Who knows what they’ll ask you to do in the name of the club. There’s something dark, something sinister about the whole thing.” Brandon continues. “It’s almost like there’s some adults behind it and if that’s the case things will get nasty fast.”
“He’s right Jordy.” Melissa replies. “You better be thinking of your exit strategy and soon. You really should be out by the time the second fight happens.”
“How am I going to keep tabs on what they’re planning? That’s the time when I have to appear to be the most committed. If there are adults pulling the strings in the club then it’s going to get really bad for Brandon and anyone who backs him. I need to be in the know so I can warn people.”
“At the risk of sounding a little nuts,” Melissa begins. “But people have died for less than that. You sure you’re willing to take on this much risk?”
“I’m not doing this for me.” I reply. “Think about the 240 plus kids that go here on scholarships from west of the river. I’m in it for them. They’re the next underprivileged group that is going to feel the heat. I’m in it for them. This Eastside Pride thing is wrong and I can’t believe no one else can see that.”
“Hey we’re on your side.” Melissa reminds me. “We can see that and that’s why we’re here.”
“She’s right.” Brandon says. “Tonight I’ll convince your dad to get another fight in the works. Maybe he can promote it and bring in some money for the winner. We can use it to help the people on scholarships.”
“I guess it’s decided then.” I reply.
“Alright… well I’m gonna get going sis. I’ll catch ya later.”
Brandon takes off and I turn to leave but Melissa catches my arm.
“Wait a second.” She says.
“What’s up?”
“What is it with you and Brandon?” Melissa asks.
“What do you mean? He’s my stepbrother.”
“Yeah but why are you so drawn to him and so conflicted about it afterwards.” She insists.
“We have a history Brandon and I. What I’m going to tell you, file it under ears only.”
“Okay…”
“We were in a foster home together until seven or eight years old when something went down and our foster father got sent to prison and we ended up getting separated then later adopted to separate homes. Until that time we were brother and sister as much as you and Derrick are brother and sister. Brandon got adopted by his mother Ms. Taylor but she was a single mom and unable to adopt both of us. Shortly after that Mr. Chouinard, my father adopted me. Five years later when I was twelve my adopted mother died of a brain tumor. Because of our age we weren’t allowed to search for one another until we turned eighteen and by then I really wasn’t that interested in finding him. I had no idea that he was living across the river not twenty miles from me. I lost him when we were seven and I didn’t see him until he came over for dinner last week, eleven years later.”
“Wow…that’s some intense shit Jordan.”
“We were super close as kids so imagine my confusion when we meet again and he’s a hottie!”
“Oh man you’re gonna need some serious psychotherapy.”
“Ya think?”
“So what are you gonna do?”
“Follow my heart I guess. I can’t imagine being with any other guy. It would be weird.”
“Oh my god, so you’re a virgin then.”
“What? You got that from what I just said?”
“Well yeah…you said it would be weird…oh…weird. So you’re not a virgin it’s just that no one compares to Brandon.”
“Nail on the head Mel.”
“Ha…that’s what my mom used to call me; Mel.”
“So…this stuff’s gotta stay in your head. At least until the fight this stupid club is destroyed.”
“Hey no problem. You already know you can trust me right?”
“I actually do trust you for some reason. I just get paranoid sometimes. Unless you got any more questions, let’s get to class.”
“I’m good. Later Jordy.”
Chapter Nine
Mary
Walking through the halls I’m keenly aware of
the flyers in my hands and that I may be making some new enemies with these things. Given that there are about eighteen hundred kids at Lincoln from grades nine through twelve and about fifteen percent are on scholarship, you’d think that those kids would be on the West side of the East vs West controversy. That means about two hundred twenty students should be on your my side. What I didn’t count on was the number of students who are loyal to the school because of the amazing opportunity it gave them by allowing them to go here. That would account for the unexpected dirty looks I’ve been getting from kids I don’t even know.
I think the scholarship program is a great idea and graduating from Lincoln high looks great on your high school transcripts and that alone can get you into some very good universities. On the other hand, a student graduating from Jefferson would have to score very high on a university’s placement test. In fact, very few graduates from Jefferson could hope to score high enough on that test. For that reason many choose to go to the local community college for two years. Somehow I have to get through to the kids on the fence that like Lincoln, but are still proud of where they live on the West side. And with my head swirling with those thoughts I fail to notice the signs of danger when I walk into an ambush in the girl’s bathroom.
I should have known from the furtive glances I got while walking down the hall towards the bathroom that something was going down. The whispered conversations, the pairs of eyes on me… But I’m not a fighter and the world of violence escapes me. I don’t think tactically and if I react at all it’s not always the right kind of reaction and that’s why it’s amazing that things didn’t turn out worse than they did.
Just before reaching the restroom Megan calls me for an update. She’s been doing that a lot.
“Tell me what I wanna hear.” She says by way of a greeting.
“Okay, you’re twice as smart and half as hot as they give you credit for and they’re half right two thirds of the time.”
“Oh my god you just got the Mr. Nickerson lecture didn’t you?”
“Yeah, is he nuts or is it just me?”
“Well you’re both from the same bag of snacks, but at least you admit it.” She says.
“Uh…thanks, I think.” I reply. I’m about to continue my harassment when Mary steps out from one of the stalls and she does not look happy. I glance back behind me as the door shuts. There’s another nasty looking girl standing in front with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Uh Megs, I gotta go.”
“What’s wrong Jordy?” She asks alarmed.
“I just gotta go.” I reply and hang up. Then I focus on the problem at hand.
“Two of you?” I ask Mary. This is really gonna take two of you? You have a far higher estimation of my skills than I do.”
Mary gestures to her companion. “Why don’t you watch the door from outside?” She instructs. “Skinny bitch is right. I don’t need any help in her kicking her scrawny ass.”
“What’s with all the skinny jokes Mary?”
“What’s with all the Eastside Pride bull shit Jordy? Rumor has it that you might have been born on the wrong side of the river. You know anything about that?”
“I know where I grew up Mary and it was east of the river so I don’t know where you got your information but I have to get to class.”
“Class can wait. She says with a sneer.
Frantically I look around the bathroom hoping to find anything I can use as a weapon; even the trashcan, but I don’t see a thing. Mary advances slowly like she’s relishing the moment. My heart is pounding in my chest and my knees are shaking as adrenaline surges through my body telling me it’s time for fight or flight.
“You look bigger than you did yesterday Mary. Have you been working out? Pumping iron maybe?”
“Very funny. I don’t imagine you’ve ever worked out a day in your life.”
“Probably not. Why are we here Mary?”
“Why’d you pull the fire alarm in the cafeteria yesterday?”
“What makes you think it was me?”
“Oh please, I was standing right there.” Mary says with a sneer.
“I wanted to stop the fight.”
“What do you care about some stupid fight?”
“I care that my brother doesn’t get his ass kicked again and right in front of everyone.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re full of contradictions Jordan. You barely know the kid yet you don’t want him to get his ass kicked? And now you’re handing out fliers for the Eastside Pride club and then I find out you’re the Sargent or something like that.”
“Yeah that wasn’t my doing. Megan is the driving force behind the club and the Eastside movement.”
“I don’t believe you…but it really doesn’t matter. You and I, we got a score to settle here.”
Mary takes a couple menacing steps in my direction as she clenches and unclenches her fists. I wonder if there’s a way to appeal to the more human side of the beast I see in front of me.
“What do you want from me?” I ask her.
“What’s your blood type?” She asks me, oddly enough
“I don’t know…AB positive I think.”
“Great, then I want about two pints of it…right now!”
And she steps one more step, closing the distance between the two of us and swings. When her closed fist strikes my jaw on my left side I could almost feel it coming unhinged as my head whips around, half spinning my body with it. Any thoughts I had of defending myself previous to that first blow quickly evaporate. I put my hands up in a feeble attempt to protect myself but her other fist just crashes through my hands and crushes my nose. My knees start to buckle and I can feel myself falling backwards as the hard tile floor rushes up to meet the back of my head. This is gonna sting a little. I say to myself before the lights go out.
My head aches. In fact it feels like a truck ran over my head then backed over it for good measure…three times! One more time I have that familiar taste of blood dripping down the back of my throat. As for my nose, I can’t begin to breathe through it and this mouth breathing is making me dreadfully thirsty. I open my eyes and look around me. I’m in the nurse’s recovery room. I start to sit up but the room starts spinning so I lie back down. The door opens and in walks the nurse along with Megan and Melissa. Megan kneels down beside me and takes my hand.
“What happened?” She asks.
“I tripped and fell in the bathroom.”
“Five times?” Megan asks.
“Yes?”
“Who did this to you?” She asks, her face full of concern…sort of concern.
“Just someone I had a disagreement with.” I reply.
“I know who it is.” Melissa says.
Megan turns around and glares. “Who let you in?”
“I did.” The nurse says. “I figured she could use some friends. She took quite a beating.”
“And she took it from one of this girl’s friends no doubt.” Megan replies.
“Hush up Megs, Melissa’s cool. She bailed me out the first time Mary and I tangled. Don-”
As if things aren’t weird enough Brandon walks in. Megan whirls around and turns on him. “What the hell are you doing here?” She asks.
He ignores her and kneels down beside me. I look into his beautiful blue-green eyes and suddenly everything is just okay. I can feel the pain in my face subsiding like the receding tide of the ocean. A hand takes mine. It’s warm, soft yet strong. Suddenly all the other voices and the sounds of the school just disappear and is replaced by a warm safe feeling that can only come from someone like Brandon. It takes me back to when we were kids all alone in the world. I would get so freaked out and he would just take my hand and look into my face and even at that young age, everything would be alright. And just now something occurs to me. Ever since losing Brandon I have been looking for something or someone to replace what I lost when he was taken away from me. The worst part of this whole thing now is that I finally have what I have been l
ooking for all my life and he might as well be a million miles away from me. And it hits me like a ton of bricks and bores deep into my soul. I have finally found my one true love and he just happens to be my brother! Tears come again and my face burns with the heat of my shame. I can’t look at anyone around me. I’m afraid they’ll be able to look inside my head and see my secret. Only Melissa knows the depth of my feelings for Brandon. Megan probably has some idea but she doesn’t know how deep those feelings run.
A few minutes later my homeroom teachers comes in to check on me and informs me that Mary has been suspended from school for a week. As part of the requirement for her return to school she will have to write an apology letter to me. I wonder what she’ll have to say. I am also told that given the severity of the attack they want me to just go home and get some rest. I can take tomorrow off as well if I feel the need to do so. I’ll consider it. As I walk through the halls to the parking lot I feel like there’s a thousand eyes on me. It’s like the whole school knows about the fight. Actually this wasn’t a fight, it was an attack. There was no fighting at all on my part. I was just a one hundred ten pound punching bag. I’m getting tired of being somebodies punching bag. Now I just have to face my father when I get home. He’s going to want to sue Mary’s parents and the school and anyone else he thinks he can connect to the crime. I just want to put it behind me and move on. As luck would have it, dad is gone when I get home so maybe he went to the store to get something for Ms. Taylor. I hurry up to my bedroom and lie down. No sooner than I finally get myself calmed down that Megan calls. I decide to let it go to voicemail. After she hangs up I listen in to her message. The gist of it is this. I am to have one…maybe two bodyguards around me all the time. Since I am the club’s Sargent at Arms she’ll leave it to me to pick the people guarding me. Then she leaves me with a long list of names of people she thinks should be guarding me. The deeper we get into this club thing the more ridiculous it all is getting. This is a high school club not the freaking CIA.
When I finally get tired of obsessing over the club I switch gears and turn my attention to my homework. I get three more calls and three more inane messages from Megan all before dinner. Not wanting to answer a long string of questions from my dad I beg off dinner and prevail upon Brandon to just tell him I am far too busy in a project and will eat later when I take a break. I manage to avoid my dad for the entire night but as I’m lying down for the night I remember something else I’ve been trying to desperately avoid; Brandon’s romantic life. That’s the last thing I need right now so I get my phone and my headphones out and start listening to the new U2 CD Songs of Innocence and I fall asleep to Bono crooning in my ears.