Drift (Drift Series)

by Dean, Michael

  I remained motionless. Then, with a frustrated grunt, Christian rifled into the air and faded into the well-lit sky in seconds.

  I lay in my hole for a minute, looking into the beautiful blue sky. “Why me? What did I do to deserve a destiny such as this?” I asked an empty forest. Where did I go so wrong in life that I deserved to pay for it a million times over? Now that I’m here, why can’t I fall in line like the others of my kind? Why do I still have human-like emotions?

  After debating with myself for a few moments, I clawed my weary self out of the ground. I sighed when the hole in the ground reminded me of a snow angel without the wings. It was a perfect imprint of my body. I couldn’t help but shake my head in despair. I hated what I was, and I knew I was in very deep trouble.

  Something else. Christian told me not to go back to the school. This probably meant it was the last time I would see Shade. The thought completely leveled me. I cared for her too much. I wanted to be near her. She made me feel relevant, like I’m part of something that evaded me. I wasn’t sure if I could stay away from her. I would indeed be a stupid fool if I disobeyed him again. For now, I thought it best that I just hung around home with my cat to keep me company. I didn’t need to pile any more misfortune on my already dire circumstances.

  CHAPTER 8

  DECIDE

  While waiting to hear from Christian and his council, I stayed around home for the most part. I have to admit, all this thinking and worrying really had me in a downspin. I kept busy playing with Shadow. We developed a little game between us where I would go up in a tree as quick as I could and Shadow would follow me. I laughed frequently at my adorable cat because of the noise his scurrying claws made snagging onto the tree. He was so enthusiastic trying to catch up. His ears are always plastered firmly against his head instead of standing up. It’s another sign he’s enjoying our little game of “catch me if you can.” Leaping from tree to tree, he follows what I do. There has been a couple of times my little buddy has fallen and I’ve had to soar to catch him before he hits ground. Although Shadow is very good company, goofing off with him can get kind of dull and repetitive. Imagine that.

  So, on one particular day, after chilling out with Shadow, boredom got the better of me and I took my life in my own hands and ventured into town. I wasn’t going to meet up with Scruffy, Shade, or anyone else. I was going for a much darker purpose, Darryl’s funeral. I knew I was under strict guidelines to stay put, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know what, exactly, happened to Darryl. That is, if I could get close enough to figure something out.

  This is how I justified this short trip to myself. In reality, I didn’t give a damn about Darryl or what happened to him. I really wanted to see Shade, see how she was doing.

  Holding true to my convictions and disobeying Christian again, I headed across town to Clover Cemetery. I stayed well hidden, far enough in the background so even the most curious wouldn’t get a glimpse of me. I observed a large gathering of sympathizers sitting idly by, listening to a preacher speak over an open Bible under a large tent. It looked as if the entire town of Mountainside was in attendance. Now, one thing I knew for certain was that the majority of the people weren’t there because they were close to Darryl, or even because they liked him. Everyone was quite aware of how much of a pain in the butt Darryl truly was; their attendance was a sign of sympathy to Darryl’s loving parents.

  Soon, the preacher finished up his services and each of the well-wishers walked by Darryl’s closed casket, one by one they bid him a final farewell. Some people merely touched his casket and said a few words, some just looked at it, others left mementos like flowers or some kind of keepsake on top of it. It was during this time I noticed my bro Scruffy was one of the folks in the mix. He stopped to lightly pat the top of the casket. I was certain he couldn’t care less about Darryl. If anything, way deep down inside, he probably was flipping cartwheels. I realize that sounds cold, but what can I say, Darryl tended to rub people the wrong way.

  Eventually, amongst the crowd paying their respects, was the radiant Shade. Even after what the deceased did to her, she was there and gave him the respect he in no way whatsoever deserved. Time after time, she continued to astonish me with how big her heart was. Tearing up, she placed a white rose upon his casket, bidding him a genuine, heart-felt farewell.

  She brushed her hair into her face, almost as if she was trying not to be noticed, and walked away. I couldn’t really blame her for keeping a low profile. I could hear whispers, even at my safe distance, and see suspicious looks being hurled at her. In an ironic twist, there was a rumor that Shade may have been responsible for Darryl’s death. This caused her to scamper away. Somehow, Darryl had become the victim in all this; it was disgusting.

  Keeping her head low, Shade reached her car and drove off. I kept vigil, even watching Scruffy doing the opposite of what Shade did, making sure he was noticed by everyone at the event. That guy can make a social event out of anything; it was amazing. I had to give him props. He was unrelenting in the elevation of his popularity.

  Eventually everyone departed, leaving only Darryl’s mother and father standing alongside his lowering casket. Their tears echoed inside me, I could understand their pain. Although Darryl deserved what he received, his parents did not. No parent deserves to lose a child this way. Husband gave wife a loving rub across her arm as he embraced her in a side hug. He tugged at her to walk away as they both took one last look into the ground where their son’s body would now permanently remain. They walked away slowly, stopping a few times so his mother could sob as his father rubbed her back. When they reached their car, they both took one last look back towards the grave, where two gravediggers were now covering his coffin with dirt by use of a backhoe. This visual was much more than his mother could handle at the moment; she broke down so hard that she almost buckled over, causing his father to pretty much have to force her into the car.

  It was indeed a sad sight to behold, two loving parents grieving so drastically for a child not worthy of a single tear. But when his parents finally left, I hung around and watched the workers finish up.

  Afterward, the stillness screamed. I thought maybe I too should send some well-wishes to the newly departed. Making sure the coast was clear, I ventured out of hiding and approached his freshly covered grave.

  The dirt was wet and packed firmly, perfectly level where the base of the headstone would go. I couldn’t help notice that something written on paper was left behind, lying on the dirt. It could have been something the priest read during the ceremony, but I couldn’t be sure. I was nosy and picked it up to read. It was obvious it was from Darryl’s parents:

  “Here lies our beloved Darryl, taken from us before his glorious light of love and untapped talent could shine upon us all. His light must have been so bright that Heaven decided to keep it for itself. We miss you and love you, our precious son.”

  I couldn’t help but scoff at how pleasant the message made Darryl seem. The occasional passerby would actually think an angel lay beneath their feet. I guess in his parents’ eyes, as with all children, he was an angel. If only they knew the real beast that lay below…maybe it was a blessing that he committed suicide before his father and mother found out what he really was.

  I chuckled egotistically and bid my foe a farewell, “I know you’re out there somewhere, but I have a feeling it’s nowhere near Heaven. Maybe we’ll see each other again, but hopefully…we won’t. Good luck.”

  I kicked a little dirt up from the packed mound and took a quick look around to make sure no one was near . A noise in the distance—like something rapidly cutting through the still mountain air—caught my attention briefly. I scanned the area. Not seeing anything, I shrugged off the odd sound. Confident of my solitude, I figured I’d better go. Without delay, I dashed into the sky and made my way home.

  I wanted to go back to school this coming Monday. I was tired of being alone (no disrespect intended towards my furry feline friend). If I went
through with this deliberately disobedient action, this would for sure spell the end for me when it came to the council.

  Though, I didn’t really care about what might happen, I cared about helping Shade and maybe hoping to clear her name.

  Before I knew it, the next morning rolled in like a freight train. I was still debating on whether or not I should attend school. While I tossed the decision around a few more times, even going as far as to get into my car and start it, only to get back out again and ponder some more, I came to realize that I had missed the first few periods and it was close to lunch time. Everyone would be hanging out in the courtyard and parking lot, making it easier to slip in instead of strutting into an in-progress classroom.

  “What the hell,” I said to myself, finally crossing the line by jumping back into my car.

  As I approached Mountain View, I was astonished at the feeling of a certain growing sensation resonating in my gut, a nervousness rolling around deep within my core, yet another human-like trait taking place within me. Once school was fully in view, my hesitancy was at its peak. Probably fifty kids stood around their cars and sat on the many picnic tables scattered around the entire school. I pulled into the parking lot. There were larger crowds gathered in the courtyard just inside the entrance. When I parked, I sat briefly inside the car for a moment, deciding whether or not I should go in now that I was here. I was a little reluctant to face the multiple, “Hey, where have you been(s)?” that would surely bombard me.

  I would never hear the end of it from Scruffy and I just didn’t want to deal with making up some bogus explanation. So, on that note, I decided to remain in my car and wait until the end of lunch period, and hope I wasn’t noticed by anyone.

  After a little while, the bell rang and everyone shuffled off to their next class. I grabbed my duffle bag full of books and papers and hopped out of my car, following the rest of my peers. While zigzagging through the corridors, I saw Scruffy off in the distance talking to a couple of his other friends. I ducked into the nearest hallway in an effort not to be noticed yet. I stayed low until I finally got where I needed to be.

  Just as I was about to enter, something tugged at my insides, a feeling like I was being watched. I stopped dead in my tracks and suspiciously looked over my shoulder. My instincts were correct; Shade stood at the entrance to her next class, grasping her button-covered backpack that was dangling over one of her shoulders. To my surprise, she was looking at me. Her lips parted like she might speak, but was unsure of what exactly to say. She looked relaxed, like she was relieved to see me. Since I didn’t know what to do or say next, I did nothing, and ducked into my classroom.

  I had a strong feeling she might try to approach me after class. Maybe she suspected it was me that saved her from Darryl’s fury the other night. I did what I needed to in order to disguise myself, but there was still a chance she knew it was me. My head swirled and I fidgeted in my seat the entire class. All my worrying was probably unwarranted, but nonetheless...

  As the time ticked ever so slowly towards the end of class, I devised a plan to evade Shade, even though I really didn’t want to. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come back to school after all, but as usual, I seemed to come to my senses a little after the fact.

  When the bell rang, I sucked in a nervous breath and stacked my books into my duffle bag. I sat in my seat until everyone left, so that if Shade was looking for me outside, she’d think I had already hauled butt to my next class.

  After a minute, I approached the classroom door and slyly peeked out the door’s glass window. I scanned the hallway through all the hustling bodies hurrying to their next class and didn’t see her anywhere.

  “Problem, Mr. Cutler?” Mr. Miller asked.

  “No sir, just avoiding an ex-girlfriend.” It was the only thing I could think of.

  “Well, you better hurry or you’ll be late to your next class.”

  “Yes, sir.” I sighed in momentary relief and walked out the door, feeling secure that I had dodged a social bullet in avoiding Shade.

  But just as I got outside the room, a familiar, but oh-so sexy voice called out to me from behind. “Hey, Leo.”

  Standing just outside the door was Shade. She was hanging out behind it against the wall, the one place where someone could stand and not be noticed by staring out of the door’s window. She, too, was trying to go unnoticed.

  “Hey…hey, girl,” I spoke, trying to act as normal as possible. I smiled. “What’cha up to?”

  Smiling back, she answered, “Nothing much. Where have you been?”

  There it was. I knew that question was coming. I also knew she wouldn’t be the only one I’d have to answer to on this issue so I kept my story plain and simple in order to remember it and stick by it.

  “Well, I was real sick all week long. I’m still feeling a little under the weather, but I figured I better get in gear and come back to school before I missed out on all the great educational slop being served up here daily for free,” I replied with a nervous laugh. As soon as I giggled, she answered my lame joke with some laughter and a joke of her own.

  “Yeah, you probably learned more while you were out than you did since you’ve been back.” We both giggled, breaking the ice. We walked side by side together down the hallway.

  Gripping her backpack strap firmly in a nervous tug, she looked at the floor in front of us. She seemed to be struggling to get something out . “Um, I was wondering…I mean, since everyone has been treating me different since the Darryl thing happened…were you still wanting to…?”

  Before she could finish, I wanted to put her troubled heart at ease. Not only that, I wanted to redirect her if she was going to ask me something about her “dark rescuer” that showed up the other night, even though it didn’t sound like she was going there. “So, are we still gonna go out sometime?”

  Her look of confusion and doubt gave way to joy as a big bright smile overtook her demeanor. “Yes, of course. I’m glad you still want to.”

  “Still want to? Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Well, you know what happened to Darryl, right?”

  “Yeah, I think everyone knows. It’s the main topic of discussion around here.”

  “Maybe you know what happened between Darryl and I prior to him jumping to his death?”

  “Without getting into your private business, I did hear that you two had a small disagreement. Nothing more. Besides, it’s none of my business, anyway. No big deal to me.” I tried to put her at ease.

  Shade met my eyes with hers and gave me another smile of relief. “Yeah, well, it seems everyone these days has an opinion on my private life.”

  “Well, as far as I’m concerned, others’ opinions worry me as much as a cloudy day. Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t cast stones, ya know?”

  Shade flashed me her beautiful smile again without saying a word. I was the recipient of her precious smile three times already, well worth the risk taken for showing up to school today.

  In an effort to change the stressful subject, I reiterated to her about our upcoming date. “So, how about this Friday or Saturday we get together?”

  “Sounds good to me. Can I call you?”

  “I would say sure if I actually had a cell phone.”

  Taking a humorous shot at my expense, she called me out. “Way to get into the twenty-first century there, Leo.” She started to giggle and added to the insult. “Have you heard of Google, or do you still use a thick paper phone book?”

  Shade struggled to hold in her laughter as I laughed, too. “Ha. Ha. Very funny. Are you finished?” I grinned.

  Shade blasted her head backwards and blurted out some buoyant laughter. “Yes, I think I am. Here, let me give you my cell number. You can call me from your rotary phone, caveman, whenever you want to set up our date. You can call me anytime, actually.” She smiled once more after taking her last blow at me.

  “Man, something jumped into your Kool-Aid this morning, you’re feisty today,” I jo
ked.

  “Yeah, I have to admit, right now, this is the best I’ve felt in awhile.”

  I grinned at her adoringly. “Glad I could help lift your spirits, Shade.”

  Her face turned flush, and just as she was about to reply, the late bell rang and suddenly we realized we were the only two left standing in the hallways, well, give or take the one or two students rushing to get into classrooms, slamming the doors in a mad rush.

  “Oh crap, I gotta go. Call me later, Leo.” Shade jogged backwards. Then she faced forward and hit a dead sprint down the hallway, only to stop before going fully outside to shout at me again, “Buy a cell phone!”

  “Okay!” I answered as she waved at me and steamrolled out the hallway doors. I was just as late as she was, but I didn’t care. I strutted to my next class high on sweet emotion.

  For the rest of the day, all I could think about was my conversation with her and what may become of our weekend date coming up. I didn’t even consider that Christian could show and quash any plans I had.

  Since all I could do was fantasize about Shade the rest of the day, while dodging Scruffy, the rest of the afternoon flew by in record time. Quick as a hiccup, school ended and I was hurrying out to my car, being sure to stay on the down low when it came to searching eyes. But, much to my surprise yet again, a soft, but upbeat voice almost drowned out the sound of pattering footsteps catching up to me.

  “I’m serious about that cell phone, Leo.” Shade placed her hand on my shoulder to get me to face her. Here she was again, touching me, acknowledging me. For so long I desired this kind of attention from her and now she was tracking me down to give it to me. I loved it.

  “Okay, okay, okay. Do you have to keep busting my chops, chick?”