by Jay Argent
Chapter 6
It was Saturday, the fifth of January and Alex’s seventeenth birthday. His mother had baked him a big cake, which was quite unusual for her. First and foremost, she was a lawyer, not a housewife, but today, she had made an exception. She hugged her son, who felt so strongly that his sins were finally forgiven that his eyes became moist.
Mrs. Wesley cut a big slice of the cake and put it on the table in front of him. “Happy birthday, my dear,” she said, smiling.
Alex smiled back. “Thanks, Mom.”
On that day, almost a month ago, when Alex had arrived home in a police car, Mr. Wesley had been furious to see his son with the officers. But that was nothing compared to how furious he had been when he heard that a young high school student had died in the same collision.
Paul Wesley had made it clear that Alex was not to leave the house, except for school and swimming practice, until his seventeenth birthday. No friends were allowed the visit the Wesleys’ house.
Alex looked at his father, who smiled lightly and wished him a happy birthday. It was the first time that he had seen Mr. Wesley smile since the crash. Even Christmas Eve had been very silent in the house, and Alex had spent most of the day in his room, playing video games. On Christmas morning, his parents had taken him to church, something that Alex couldn’t remember them doing ever before.
“I can’t eat this much cake! What would Coach Hanson say?” Alex protested, but he ate it gratefully. It was delicious, and Alex’s eyes moistened again when he thought about how much his parents loved him and how lucky he was to still be alive.
“Thanks, Mom. This is so good,” he said. He looked at his mother, and now they were both crying.
“Alex, I am so thankful that I didn’t lose you that night,” Mrs. Wesley said and wiped her eyes.
“The court agreed with the prosecutor,” Mr. Wesley said, reading from the newspaper. “They found the act to be intentional. Sam will get a long sentence. Most likely three years, at least.”
“Alex, I hope you understand…,” Sara Wesley started but stopped when she saw the sad, pained expression on her son’s face. Alex still had occasional nightmares about being in the truck with Sam that night.
The police had questioned Alex a couple of times, but the prosecutor decided to drop the charges against him. Alex had helped the police by giving a thorough description of the events, and eventually, his testimony had left Sam behind bars. The legal system had decided that Alex was innocent, but Alex wasn’t sure that he agreed.
Paul Wesley put down his coffee cup and folded the newspaper. “Alex, you’re going to be a senior in high school soon. You need to start thinking about your future,” he said. His tone was exceptionally conciliatorily as he continued, “It would make your mother and me happy if you started putting more of a focus on your studies.”
“You might be lucky enough to get an athletic scholarship, but you should take care of your grades, too, just in case,” his mother added.
Alex looked at both of them and didn’t know whether he was more confused or irritated. “But I’ve got good grades!” he said.
It was true. He was one of the best in his class at math, and he was doing pretty well in physics and chemistry. With a small additional investment, he would be pretty great in most subjects.
His mother patted his back. “We know. We just want the best possible future for our only child,” she said. Alex smiled and felt embarrassed for being irritated that his parents cared about him.
“We know that the death of your schoolmate is still bothering you. Just remember that it wasn’t your fault,” his mother said and looked at her son with sadness and worry in her eyes. Alex sighed heavily.
“Is it okay if I see Rick later today?” he asked cautiously. Since the accident, he had seen his friends only at school. His father had made sure that Alex spent the evenings and weekends at home.
“We agreed that you would be grounded until today,” his father replied. Alex was about to say that they hadn’t “agreed” on anything but decided to keep silent.
“Your punishment is over,” his father said, smiling.
“Thanks,” Alex replied.
Later in the afternoon, Alex met Rick at Ed’s Diner. They sat at the table by the window and ordered big cheeseburgers with chips and drinks. Alex was drinking Diet Coke to compensate for his unhealthy meal.
“Look at you. Like you need to worry about getting fat,” Rick said, laughing. Alex, who was indeed slim, blushed a little.
“Can’t I have some principles?” he protested.
“So, how is it with Sofia?” Rick asked after they had eaten their burgers. Alex dipped a chip in the mayo and started to eat it. Rick continued, teasing, “Going to spend some time with her today, birthday boy?”
Alex felt uncomfortable. His relationship with Sofia, if there was one, had ended when his parents had grounded him. He was sure that she hadn’t been especially happy to celebrate New Year’s Eve without him, and he didn’t even know what to think about her.
“Yeah, I guess I’ll see her later today,” Alex finally replied.
“Remember to lock your bedroom door. You don’t want your parents to surprise you, do you?” Rick said. He was perfectly unaware that Alex’s relationship with Sofia hadn’t reached that level yet.
“I will,” Alex replied unenthusiastically.
Rick looked at his watch and jumped. “Shit, I need to run. I promised to meet Rosa at her house. Her parents are still away visiting some relatives,” he said and winked. “Maybe we are both going to get lucky today.”
“Maybe,” Alex said, smiling at his friend’s eagerness.
The sun was shining, which was rare at this time of the year. It was freezing outside, and the light snowfall made Fairmont look beautiful. Alex admired the snow-white scenery as he drove Rick back to his home. He looked at his friend and felt a spike of jealousy in his heart. Had Rick been free, Alex would have asked him to hang out and play some video games. That wasn’t an option, though, as Rick had made plans with Rosa.
“Be gentle with Sofia,” Rick advised when he left Alex’s car.
“Yes, sir,” Alex muttered, and he rolled his eyes.
It was a short drive from Rick’s home to his own, and Alex spent the entire trip thinking about Sofia. She, for sure, still liked him, and she was pretty and popular. Maybe he should ask her on a date—or, even better, on a double date with Rick and Rosa.
When he got home, he thought about calling Sofia but decided to eat some cake first. Then he realized that his room was a mess and that he had to clean it. After that, he had to make sure that he had clean clothes to wear at school the next day. Two hours later, he was still intending to call Sofia, but he couldn’t make his finger hit her number in his smartphone. Finally, he decided that it was his birthday, and he could do whatever he wanted.
Still, spending his birthday alone at home didn’t sound like the best choice, and Alex decided that he needed some exercise. He had always felt that he was too slightly built for ice hockey. However, there was a river close to his home that was frozen for several months every winter. The city cleared the snow to form a skating route that was several miles long and circled the countryside. Alex loved to skate there.
Half an hour later, he was on the ice with his skates. The thick ice rustled under him as he scudded toward the forest, where the river narrowed. He often had his iPod with him, but today he had decided to leave it at home. He wanted to hear the sounds of nature. It was pure and beautiful. The river had always been his place to calm down after arguments with his parents.
Finally, he reached the point where he typically turned back. He took a chocolate bar from his pocket and ate it even though it was a bit frosty. Then he decided to head home as it was getting dark, and there were no streetlights on the route. He had a flashlight with him, but it was easier to skate when one could see the way without it.
On his way home, he thought about what his parents
had said about improving his grades. He had to admit that it made sense. Maybe it was because of the fresh air in the forest, but Alex made a decision then that he should have made months ago. He decided to focus on school, which meant that he wouldn’t have time for girlfriends, at least not yet. Feeling content and free, he was still smiling when he opened the front door of his home.
That Monday, the spring semester started at Fairmont High School. Mr. Timothy, the history teacher, looked more excited than ever when he explained his plan for the class to his students. The topic of the course was the Second World War, and Mr. Timothy wanted the students to work in pairs and prepare a presentation for the class on a given topic. He had already decided on the pairs, but before he disclosed them, he wanted to give some general instructions.
Mr. Timothy was thirty-five years old, and in addition to being a history teacher, he was also the school’s vice principal. He typically wore neat jeans, a black polo shirt, and a jacket, and due to his rather formal clothes and bland haircut, he looked older than he was. There was a rumor that he was still single.
The students sat silently until Mr. Timothy finished explaining the project. “Everything clear?” he asked and answered a couple of questions.
The class was pretty peaceful now that Sam was gone. Alex hadn’t realized until now how much of a disturbance Sam had caused. He scanned the class and wondered who his partner would be.
“Rick and Rosa, you are a team, and your topic is the invasion of Normandy,” Mr. Timothy said.
Rick accepted a stack of papers from Mr. Timothy. Alex was disappointed because he would have wanted to prepare the presentation with Rick. Rick, on the other hand, looked very pleased to be paired with Rosa. The couple was looking at each other, totally ignoring everybody else in the classroom.
Sofia put her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Maybe Mr. Timothy has chosen you to be my partner,” she whispered softly.
“Sofia, you will work with Jacob,” Mr. Timothy said, almost as if he had heard her. She sighed and glared at the teacher, who completely ignored her reaction.
“We still have a couple of pairs left,” Mr. Timothy announced, trying to sound dramatic.
Alex tried to remember who still needed a partner, hoping to be paired with someone who would show at least some interest in the work. History wasn’t his strongest subject, and he was determined to improve his grade. Hence, he wanted to work with someone who shared the same ambition.
“And finally, the last team will be Alex and Liam,” Mr. Timothy said. Alex’s face went pale.