Beyond the Storm (9780758276995)

by Pittman, Joseph

“I think so. It’s nice to see how the gym looks—Jana and I worked on the committee that helped get it set up, but you never know what it’s going to look like until you see it with those nasty fluorescent lights off and the band playing and the way the dance balls gleam off the streamers. So, yeah, I’m glad I’m here. Thank you.”

  “Everyone is staring at us.”

  “At me,” she said. “Sorry, that sounds so self-centered, but usually the other kids look at me with envy, but now it’s definitely something else—like I’m part of a freak show.”

  “Welcome to my life,” he said.

  “How do you do it . . . being made fun of, people judging you when they don’t know you?”

  He shrugged. “I guess you put it out of your mind. You go to your classes, you study, you end up with straight As. And you get a scholarship to an Ivy League school that promises to take you away from all the petty things that high school seems to be about.”

  “Ivy League?”

  “Princeton.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know,” she said, sipping her drink. “Congratulations.”

  “That’s how I survived, knowing that once high school was over I could get the heck out of Danton Hill and away from all these people. College opens up a new life, new opportunities to find your real self, free from peer pressure and family expectations. I’ll be on my own and that’s just how I prefer it. The day after graduation, I’m outta here. I’m going to take a couple summer courses to get acclimated, and then in the fall I go full-time. I can’t see myself ever coming back to Danton Hill.”

  “What about your family?”

  “It’s just my folks, no siblings, and frankly they can’t wait to put the house on the market and move down to Florida. This dance is my swan song to Danton Hill, and frankly I’m honored that I get to leave on such a high note. Being here at the senior prom—being here with you.”

  “Adam Blackburn, I think you’re really special and I’m lucky to have you as my date,” Vanessa suddenly said, her hand touching his shoulder as she leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek.

  He didn’t have a chance to react to such an unexpected treat. Someone bumped him from behind and his punch glass went flying into the air, the red-colored beverage nearly threatening to splash against Vanessa’s dress. Adam reacted by pushing her out of the way, taking the brunt of the hit. Droplets of punch landed on his tuxedo jacket and shirt, the sugary juice settling in for a permanent stain.

  “Oh, gee, did I do that . . . how clumsy of me.”

  Adam didn’t even have to see the face to know the identity of who had slammed him.

  “A simple accident, I’m sure,” Adam said with more than a hint of sarcasm.

  “Danny, get the hell away from us,” Vanessa said.

  He did nothing of the kind. He just stood there with a disgusting smile on his face, his arm wrapped tight around his date’s waist. Lucy Walker’s blond hair was teased and curly, her dress low and revealing. Her makeup was overdone, and Adam thought she looked awful, like Danny had found her on some street corner. Comparatively, Vanessa looked the very picture of class, a vision in red and purple. And in the moment, he got it, that Danny Stoker wasn’t mad at Adam, or at Vanessa. He was angry with himself for being in this position in the first place; he’d overplayed his hand when Vanessa had rejected his advances. Adam had to believe Danny never envisioned attending this dance with anyone else. He was making trouble to lessen his own pain.

  “You look nice, Nessa, really nice,” Danny said.

  “Hey,” Lucy said, smacking him on his arm. “You barely said that to me!”

  He ignored his date. “So, Nessa, you wanna dance?” Danny asked.

  Adam watched Vanessa carefully, curious to see what she would do. Was this all she desired, to be suddenly respected by the boy she’d swooned over all through high school? He had a feeling deep down that she wanted to accept his invitation and be whisked onto the dance floor, with the crowd applauding the king and queen as crowns were placed ceremoniously upon their heads. He wondered if there was a bucket of pig’s blood awaiting him.

  “Danny, not if you were the last boy on earth,” she said. “Adam, shall we dance?”

  She took hold of his freshly sweaty palm. If she noticed, she didn’t let it show, and Adam tightened his grip that much more to let her know he was with her, that he appreciated her act of loyalty. But before they could make their way to the dance floor, Adam felt a hard tug on his arm. He turned to find Danny right up in his face.

  “Fifteen minutes,” he whispered, so only Adam could hear. “The gym office. Prepare to die.”

  So the two couples had endured their juvenile confrontation, they’d gone to separate corners of the gym, Adam and Vanessa reuniting on the dance floor while Danny and Lucy disappeared into the dense crowd. As they danced, Vanessa tried to get Adam to tell her what Danny had said, but he refused to speak about it, not wanting to spoil any more of their evening. With their friends once again surrounding them, comfort again set in, and the dance continued, even when the band switched tempo and a slow dance began. For a split second, Adam and Vanessa stood without moving, unsure what to do next. But then he took her hand, and he moved her once, twice, a third time around the floor, feeling the music, feeling a rush of emotion accompanying their clumsy elegance. He cautiously avoided eye contact, concentrating instead on the motion and movement of their bodies, letting the language of dance speak the words they were afraid to give voice to. Time meant nothing suddenly, the song seemed both endless and like it had just begun, allowing the two near strangers the chance to connect on a level neither of them expected. Nothing could spoil this unexpected moment.

  Except three large boys who walked out onto the dance floor and interrupted their dance. Danny’s entourage, football players, linebackers. The same jerks from yesterday.

  “Time’s up, kid. You had your fun,” one of them said.

  “Danny’s turn,” the second offered.

  The third kid just sniggered.

  Vanessa did her best to intervene, protesting to leave them alone, all while pulling on Adam’s arm to keep him from being dragged forward. Her efforts were fruitless, David had nothing on these dumb Goliaths; the weak would not prevail this time. As Adam found himself being led off, Vanessa followed behind, berating them, pleading that they let Adam go, her head swirling, looking for the useless chaperones. The music grew toward a crescendo, drowning out her requests. Danny’s friends wouldn’t have listened anyway, thugs that they were. Only their leader gave orders.

  Adam was thrust inside the small office located at the edge of the gym. Sounds filled the air, grunts, laughter, dirty words whispered only in private. Though the lights were off, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and he could see two bodies entwined, one of them lying flat on the desk, legs splayed in the air. The other figure hovered above, holding the legs with his hands as he moved, bucked, thrust.

  A light from behind suddenly shed illumination on the urgent sexual coupling of Danny Stoker and Lucy Walker, she lost amidst drunken passion, he staring straight ahead at Adam with a wide grin on his face. Adam realized this little show was being put on not just for his benefit, but for Vanessa . . . who stood behind him, her hand covering her mouth in disgust. Danny might be having his way with Lucy at this very second, but the message was more than clear—Danny was screwing with them all, most of all with Vanessa. With the three thugs standing guard on the other side of the door, Adam and Vanessa were trapped, laid witness to what was transpiring, and the only thing they could do was watch, wait, listen.

  Adam wrapped Vanessa in his arms, shielding her eyes. She covered her ears, but Adam doubted that would accomplish much, given the vocal performances emanating from the couple on the desk. Finally, the cruel scene came to a finish, with Danny practically tossing Lucy aside as he told her to get cleaned up. “And then get out of here, I don’t need you anymore.” She retreated out of sight without arguing, like she was accustomed to being di
scarded.

  “You’re disgusting, Danny.”

  “Jealous, Nessa?”

  “Don’t talk to her, Danny. You got a problem with me, let’s settle it. But how you could treat Vanessa this way . . . any girl . . . you’re beyond contempt. If you even know what that means. And I realize this little show was for her benefit, not mine. You just used me to hurt her even more.”

  “Oh, the valiant new boyfriend, standing up for the girl he could never have.”

  Adam felt a certain power rising within some hidden part of himself. He wanted to rush him, sack the quarterback to the point where he’d never get up and his career would be over, and he’d have to live his life with only this one victory. But it wasn’t to be, at least not coming from Adam. He’d hesitated too long.

  Vanessa rushed forward unexpectedly, surprising both Adam and Danny. She landed a hard smack to Danny’s smirking face, nearly knocking him to the floor. He stumbled back against the chair, and that’s when she landed another blow, a fierce kick right to his groin. Danny doubled over in howling pain as this time he did drop. Adam watched as he vomited a spew of red; it was only the punch, laced with vodka. Man, she must have landed quite a blow.

  She retreated, her breath coming fast and heavy.

  “Vanessa . . .”

  But she said nothing to Adam, just ran past him and back out into the dance, the crowd swallowing her up like she’d never existed. Adam realized he was still alone in the office with a doubled-over Danny Stoker, his goons still waiting on the outside. His feet moved forward until he hovered directly over the boy who had threatened his life, told him not to take Vanessa to the dance, who thought he could do anything he wanted. Adam knew this was his moment, control was on his side. Danny looked up at him, and Adam thought he detected fear in his eyes.

  “You know, Danny. High school, they call it a microcosm of life. You know what that means? I know, I know, it’s a big word but I think you’re smart enough to figure it out. So, this little contained world of ours, it throws us all these big issues. Life and death, friendship, love, all played out on a stage where the players are too young and stupid to understand what they are doing. About how their actions affect other people. Some go through these tortured years being told by everyone that they’re a loser and will never amount to anything. While others seem to be spun from gold, with the sun shining down on them every day, like they walk on water. They get the girl, they get the adulation. They can do no wrong, kings that they are. But in this moment, at a dance that represents the culmination of our high school lives, the tables have turned. Because I know that my life is just beginning, and the world is filled with possibility. I get to go out on the high note, with the pretty girl on my arm, able to walk with my head held high. For you, it’s over. You’ve peaked. You’re nothing but a fucking loser now. A fucking coward who treats women like objects. Look at you, lying on the floor in your own vomit, kicked in the balls by the best thing that ever happened to you. How the mighty have fallen.”

  “Fuck you,” Danny said.

  Adam couldn’t help it, he laughed. “Clever, to the end.”

  And then Adam Blackburn walked out, confidently striding past the three thugs who were too busy looking at their fallen leader, still green and sickly, lying on the cold gym floor. The last thing Adam saw before he left the gymnasium, home to the “Forever Yours” Senior Prom, was three linebackers running far away from the brutal sacking. Game over. Season done.

  Vanessa Massey, a flood of emotions running through her to the point she couldn’t settle on one, felt like she wanted to vomit up that sugary punch also. Instead she ran out of the gym and opted for fresh, lake-scented air, the comforting, briny breeze seemingly helping her recover from the awful scene she’d witnessed inside the coaches’ office. The sight of a nearly stripped-down Danny, forced to watch what he was doing with Lucy, to Lucy . . . it just sickened her. It cheapened what sex was supposed to be like between consenting partners, and for the first time since their breakup she was thankful she hadn’t given in to his pressures. Was that how he would have treated her? She shuddered now at the thought of his touch . . .

  With night encasing her in its warm breath, her senses heightened to the point she could still hear the pulsing music floating out from the prom, she felt a sudden graze of fingers against her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin, turned wildly, her body ready for fight. Like Danny had come seeking revenge. She softened when she saw who stood at her side.

  “Adam . . . God, you scared me.”

  “Sorry. You okay . . . I mean, I don’t even know where to begin. Danny . . .”

  “Don’t say that name. Ever. Again.”

  “Okay. Whatever you want, you’re the boss. This is your night.”

  “Not yours?”

  “I wasn’t even going to come.”

  “I think you’re the smart one. Come on, let’s just get out of here.”

  “You don’t want to return to the dance?”

  She wrapped her arms around herself, shook her head with sudden maturity, like she’d suddenly decided nothing mattered but tomorrow. “I’ve danced my last tango at Danton. The last four years of my life have been accentuated by everything that happened inside that building just now,” she said, with more than a taste of venom spitting forth. “I think I’m finally over high school, classes and proms and lousy ex-boyfriends. Just hand me my diploma and let me get on that plane.”

  “Plane? Where are you going?”

  “Not here,” she said. “Drive us somewhere and I’ll fill you in. You’re not the only one planning to ditch this water-soaked town.”

  Adam and Vanessa, bonding suddenly over dreams neither of them had spoken of before, before they could ditch the town, ditched the remainder of the “Forever Yours” dance, with Adam aimlessly, silently driving his father’s car on the black roads of Danton Hill. Vanessa just stared straight ahead through the darkened windshield, trying to force Danny Stoker from her mind. He kept creeping back in; she could hear him laugh, see his sneer. For a split second she gazed over at Adam, concentrating so hard on the driving he didn’t even notice she’d turned her attention to him. He was so sweet and caring, so well meaning and tonight acting the perfect gentleman. An ideal prom date, the boy she’d ignored for forever. She felt a tear seep out; she didn’t wipe it away. As her wet eyes settled back on the road, inspiration suddenly hit her.

  “Go to Danton’s Hill. To the water.”

  “Now. At this late hour?”

  “No one from the school should be there yet, we’ll be all alone. The gang was planning to rendezvous there later, you know, after the dance. For the real party.”

  Adam did as asked, turned off on the next road, doubling back toward the other end of town. They bypassed an old farmhouse, all dark against the moonlit night. At last they made the cutoff road that led toward Lake Ontario and the town’s famed landmark. It was really just a grassy hill found at the edge of the Danton State Park, but back years ago the so-named Danton’s Hill afforded visitors magnificent views of the lake on clear days, and on moonlit nights like tonight the stars twinkled down like golden confetti. People would wait for the ships to arrive back from their seafaring journeys, the mariners coming home to their families after months adrift. The drive took only a few minutes, and before long Adam had parked and Vanessa was already walking up the hill when he caught up beside her.

  “Hey, what’s the rush?”

  “Sorry, Adam, guess I’m anxious. The more distance we put between that stupid dance and us the better. I’m sorry I dragged you into the mess that my life’s become, and I’m sorry that Danny did what he did, and I’m sorry . . .”

  “Hey, enough apologizing. Okay? I knew what I was getting myself into . . . well, sort of.” He paused before speaking what was going through his brain. “Look, Vanessa, I don’t know why things happened like they did—you and Danny breaking up, your friends thinking I would be the perfect person to escort you to the dance, why you
accepted . . . actually, why you ended up asking me when I felt you had rejected my offer. It was just a big mistake from the start, and now we’re both paying the price. One more memory to add to our illustrious high school careers—and I’m not sure either of us can claim it as a high point. You especially, since you’ve had four years of high points. I’ve had—”

  “Adam,” she said, putting a finger to his lips. “Don’t you ever get tired of putting yourself down?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re a nice guy, you’re kinda cute, especially in that tux—it kind of transforms you and makes you look older. For you to take me to the prom like you did shows that you’ve got guts, character. You followed through on my impulse, which shows you’ve got integrity. That’s a rare characteristic of someone any age, much less a teenager. I’ve seen the real Adam Blackburn buried beneath that façade of yours, and he’s not the insecure, self-deprecating kid you portray him to be. So when are you going to start believing in yourself?”

  “As soon as I have that diploma in my hands and Danton Hill is in my rearview mirror.”

  “Guess what, Adam? It’s already in that mirror. The past, even the recent past, is where it belongs. You told me about Princeton, about how your future doesn’t include Danton Hill or anyone who lives here. Even your parents are ready to pack it in and say good-bye. So, tonight, take your first step. Right here on Danton’s Hill. Come on, take a look out on the water, it’s a beautiful, clear night, and who knows how far you can see. I bet your eyes can gaze out beyond the lake, but your mind can reach even further. Your mind always can, because what it sees is limitless. Mine is halfway across the Atlantic already. I’m ready to seek out new ventures to other places—distant places, aren’t you?”

  Adam took a deep breath, whether to fill his lungs with the refreshing air blowing off the lake or from her words, words that inspired him and challenged him all at the same time. “Wow, no one has ever spoken to me like that before, not my so-called friends and certainly not my parents. I’ve said it to myself, but only inwardly, I know what I’m capable of. But I’ve never heard those words said aloud.”