by June Sproat
I decided the best thing to do was to completely avoid him at all cost. The real challenge was to actually follow through with it. I would be safe until lunch because that would be the next time I’d possibly see Steve. Jodi promised she’d help me avoid him. I was so glad she was my best friend again.
When Jodi and I walked into the caf for lunch, I immediately saw him at the jock table. He made eye contact with me. I knew he wanted to talk to me, so I pushed Jodi into the lunch line with the intention of never coming out.
“Jodi let’s eat at the benches by the back windows,” I said.
“Fine, I promised to help, but you know you have to face him eventually. I mean we still have what, like three months of school left?” she reminded me.
“I know, but maybe he’ll get the idea and stop trying to talk to me.” I could only hope.
“I just don’t get you. It’s so obvious that you like him and if he is interested in you, why not go for it?” Jodi said, balancing her tray on her lap.
“I…I, oh forget it.” I plopped my tray down and sat crossed legged on the bench. How could I explain it to her when I didn’t even get it myself? All I thought was that he’s so far out of my league that I’d just make a fool of myself. After Friday night, I pretty much think I’d filled my quota of foolishness!
I managed to escape lunch without talking to him, so I figured I was safe for the rest of the day.
The final bell rang and I rushed to my locker. I knew Bob would be out front and I didn’t want to make him wait. If I did, he might come inside and hunt me down. I turned the corner and stopped.
Steve was leaning against my locker.
Why did I ever show him which locker was mine?
Because you thought he trashed it you dope!
Oh, right.
I looked around, no way to avoid him this time. I took a deep breath, swallowed hard and moved on.
“Hi.” I tossed my hair back to one side and opened my locker. Steve faced me leaning against the locker door.
“Kate, I want to ask you,” he started,
Oh my God, he is going to ask me…what? To go out on a date?
Okay, stop jumping to conclusions. You know that is not possible.
My mouth went dry; my heart pounded so hard I swore everyone in the hall could hear it. He opened his mouth, but before he could finish, his eyes darted past me.
“Look out!” Steve hollered, then grabbed my shoulder and shoved me hard across the hallway. I flew, literally, to the other side of the hall and was on my hands and knees.
“What the…” I started, but when I looked up, I saw Steve on the floor with what looked like the janitor on top of him. He had a mop handle across Steve’s throat.
“Oh, my God, what are you doing?” I hollered. Didn’t this guy know Steve was just going to ask me something very important? I mean I could only guess it was important, well, I hoped it was important, and now it looked like I may never find out. I was not going to let that happen.
With all the power I had in my 5’2” 100 lb. frame, I lunged at Steve’s attacker, and to my surprise, as well as his apparently, knocked him over. Even more surprising, I was laying across Steve’s stomach! Okay, this is not how I ever expected to end up, but looking at the big picture, it really wasn’t so bad.
Before I could fully appreciate my new predicament, Mr. Janitor guy got up, hauled me off Steve, and started grabbing at my throat. I felt his fingers curl around my necklace and pull. He pulled the chain so hard that when it broke and came off, it felt like a knife sliced across the back of my neck. That is, I should say, what I guess it would feel like if a knife were slicing across my neck, since I have never actually had a knife slice across my neck. That’s when I finally got a look at the guy. He was not some janitor. Not a janitor at all.
It was Roger—Roger Dawson!
He wasn’t after Steve. He was after me!
He kicked out my legs and we hit the floor. I landed flat on my back and his hands went back to my throat; only this time it wasn’t to pull anything off, it was to squash it. I tried to think of all those self-defense moves they showed us in P.E.; but for the life of me, and it was my life that depended on it, all I could think of was to smash his nose into his face. I raised my right hand and tried with everything I had to smash his face. My arm felt like it weighed a ton, and I could barely lift it! I was staring at his face; it started to get fuzzy. I felt my arm drop to the floor, and it was like someone was turning down the lights. I saw Steve standing over Roger with the mop handle way above his shoulder like he was about to tee off, and then it went dark.
Chapter Twenty One
“I wish we didn’t have to make wishes. What are we fairies?” — Ben Cramer
Something cold and hard was on my throat. I pulled at it, but my fingers didn’t seem to work right. I opened my eyes and saw Steve. We were propped up against the lockers. One of his hands was on my shoulder, and the other held an ice pack against my throat.
“What…what happened?” The words scratched as they barely made it out of my throat.
“Welcome back, Wheels,” Steve took the ice pack from my throat.
I smiled. He was back to calling me Wheels. Then I saw the blood across his knuckles.
“Are…are you all right?” the words came out in a raspy whisper.
“I’m fine. It’s you we’re worried about,” he said.
Then I remembered. Roger! Oh my God, Roger was here, in my school!
“Steve, it was Roger. He was here, I recognized him before I passed out!” I tried to talk. I wasn’t even sure the words were making any sense.
“We know.” Steve actually sounded very calm which made me wonder if he believed me.
“Did they get him? Is he put away…for good?” I wished.
“Um, not exactly, Kate.” Only it wasn’t Steve who answered, it was Bob.
“He managed to get away. There must have been someone waiting for him. He was gone before I got outside.”
“Drink some water,” Steve said and held a cup toward me.
So I did. Only I really wasn’t thirsty. I was curious. Why would Roger come here? What did he want with me? And how did this all happen.
I guess I wasn’t the only one who wondered this, because I saw Officer Ramos, the school nark, talking with Mr. Haver, our principal. Ramos was waiving his hands around like he was trying to explain something. Mr. Haver had his hands on his hips and was shaking his head. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but whatever it was, I knew it wasn’t good.
“I’ll take you home,” Bob said, “Unless you think you need to go to the hospital?”
“No, I’m okay,” I said.
“Fine, I’ll get the car and be right back.” Bob said and walked over to talk to Ramos and Haver.
As soon as he was gone, I turned to Steve.
“Steve, what really happened?”
“Well, when I got up and saw that guy on you, I freaked and hit him with the mop. He got up, must have seen Bob and took off. I started to go after him, but you had passed out. I stayed with you and Bob took off after him.”
“You…you were worried about me?” What little voice I had squeaked slightly.
“Well, you got him off me, I figured I owed you. By the way, that was some tackle you threw. Ever think about going out for football?” he smiled.
I laughed at that, but it was his smile that warmed me to my toes.
Then his smile faded. “I don’t think Roger is going to try anything again anytime soon,” he said.
“I hope not,” only I wasn’t so sure about that. I mean I figured he wanted something; I just didn’t know what that was. There was no reason that I could think of for him to come here. It didn’t make any sense.
“Maybe he wants revenge. After all, he was trying to escape and you got in his way.” Steve shrugged his shoulders.
“No, I think it’s something more than that.” I realized too late I was thinking out loud.
“Why? Ka
te, what do you know?” Steve asked.
I could tell he was getting suspicious.
“Um, nothing. I’m just not thinking straight.”
“Ready to go, Kate?” Bob thankfully interrupted.
I looked over at Steve, “Are you going to be all right?”
“Yeah, I’ve had worse,” he said.
I stood up and the room swirled. I tried to take a step but my feet had other plans. I fell forward but Bob caught me before I hit the floor. Man was my head sore and my neck felt like it was on fire. I rubbed my neck, and when I looked at my hand, it was streaked with blood.
“What the hell?” Steve asked.
Bob moved my hair and saw a thin slice across the entire back of my neck.
“Did he cut you?” Steve asked
“Um, I don’t think so,” I said, but I couldn’t remember how it had happened.
“That needs to be looked at. We’re going to the hospital,” Bob said.
“Can’t I just have the school nurse look at it?” I was afraid that if I went to the hospital it would send my parents into cardiac arrest and they’d never let me leave the house again.
“I’m not going to argue with you.” Bob said.
“But I’m fine now,” I said, “I probably just got up too fast.”
“No. I’m taking you to the hospital,” Bob said.
“Kate, you should really go,” Steve added his two cents.
But I didn’t have to argue, because the matter was settled for me.
“Oh my!” the voice echoed in my head as the nurse came around the corner.
“The principal called me and said I should rush down here. What happened to you, hun?”
“Um, I was attacked, I think,” I said.
“Oh no. Let me have a look,” she said.
She looked at my neck and made that tsk tsk sound with her tongue.
“Come with me, I’ll fix you right up,” she instructed taking my arm.
She looked over at Bob, “Who this?”
“Um, he’s…” I wasn’t really sure how to introduce him.
“I’m Robert Marshall with the police, ma’am,” he said.
“Well, apparently you didn’t do a very good job. Just look at my girl!” she smirked at him.
“You,” she pointed at Steve, “come too.”
He followed in the ranks right behind her.
“Sit,” she instructed me when we got to her office. This time I listened and didn’t put up a fight.
She cleaned up my neck with some stuff that stunk and burned. She wrapped gauze around my neck. Jeez this woman loves to use gauze.
“You okay now?” she asked. I nodded yes.
“You,” she said to Steve. “Let me see your hand.” Steve held out his hand. She took his hand in hers and looked at it, turning it front to back.
“It looks fine to me,” she said and dropped it.
“Go home now,” she said to me, “and please, don’t get hurt anymore, understand?”
She looked at Steve, “watch her, will you?”
I smiled at her. She was really very sweet in a demanding kind of way.
Steve nodded yes and the three of us walked out.
****
“What do you mean it was nothing?” Mom blurted out when Bob brought me home.
“Well, I mean, I’m fine. Nothing happened,” I said.
“He came into your school and attacked you!” my mom said as if I didn’t know what happened even though I was there and it happened to me!
“Mrs. Sterns, we will have protection for her as before, only now we will be present in the school,” Bob said
“Well, why wasn’t that done before?” Mom asked.
“Because we didn’t know how much of a threat he was to your daughter. Now that we know, we will take further precautions.”
I didn’t think mom was going to accept his response, but then she just shook her head and turned away. As I went up to my room later, I heard my mom on the phone with her boss.
“No, it’s not that Tony. Yes, they are doing a good job, but he got into her school. You said…all right…I see. All right, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
And the conversation ended.
My parents whispered about something and then silence.
Well, at least now I know where Bob came from. Mr. Mulberry apparently arranged it. I guess it helps to have a lawyer as a boss!
I plopped down on my bed and pulled the gauze off from around my neck. Only a little bit of blood, but it looked dried. I felt my neck; it felt like a scab was already starting. I laid back and closed my eyes.
The image of Roger clawing at my throat flashed beneath my eyelids.
I sat straight up and felt my neck. That’s what cut me, he pulled of my necklace. Why did he want my necklace? It was just some cheap jewelry I picked up because it went well with my new sweaters. Maybe he thought it was worth more? Who knows, the guy’s crazy.
At least now I knew what happened to my neck.
Chapter Twenty Two
“I wish I was as good a friend to Sheri as she had been to me. I hope she never changes!”— Jenna Peters
I woke the next morning with the worst headache ever. It was worse than the one I had Saturday.
“Maybe you should stay home.” my mom said as she buttered her toast.
I sat at the kitchen table with my head in my hands and contemplated her suggestion. It really had been a very rough day yesterday and I could use the break. If she was willing to let me stay home, well…
My dad walked in and put the paper on the table. He kissed Mom and me good-bye, hollered for Stacy to hurry up so he could drop her off at school and went out the back door.
I grabbed the paper and was totally relieved. I hadn’t made the front page again. Certain that the rumors had already started at school, I was just about to agree with my mom to stay home. Then I saw it. Something that sent chills over my entire body.
It was on the front page.
It was a picture of a Mrs. Margaret Montgomery, the widow sponsoring the art exhibit being shown at the town hall.
It wasn’t so much the picture of her that caught my attention; it was what she had around her neck.
“I’ll call you out of school, Kate,” my mom said and got up from the table.
“No!” I jerked my head up, which was not the smartest move because now I felt like someone was using my head to kick field goals.
“Um, I’m feeling better, thanks. I’ve got to get dressed.” I still held the newspaper and ran upstairs. I dropped the paper on my bed and grabbed my jewelry box off the dresser. Opening the lid I picked through my jewelry until I found it. Holding my breath, I pulled out the chain the Coach had given me the day of the car accident. With all the commotion I forgot to drop it off at the school office, so I just stuck it in my box for safekeeping and forgot all about it. When I saw the picture in the paper, I remembered it. I draped the chain over the paper and compared it to the one in the picture. They were definitely similar, but not an exact match.
I pulled on my jeans and shirt and then brushed out my hair. The image of Roger grabbing my necklace still flashed in my head. Could this have been the necklace he was after?
If it was, why did he want it? And would he want to get Mrs. Montgomery’s necklace too?
I stared at the paper. I definitely had questions, just no answers. Before I made a fool of myself declaring something, like I did when I blamed Steve for trashing my locker, I needed facts first.
****
Bob drove me to school and followed me inside.
He had to stop at the office and do the proper clearance thing, which caused me to miss my first class. This would cause more rumors, so while he talked with the principal and got things straight, I was busy thinking. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to anyone who asked me about yesterday. I mean I totally didn’t want to repeat the story twenty times like with the car accident.
I was also extremely curious about what
Steve was going to ask me, because he never did get the chance to finish his question. It really aggravated me that I forgot to ask him, and what I was going to do about the woman whose picture was on the front page of the newspaper that I shoved into my backpack.
Bob followed me around to my locker, to class, to everywhere. It was his job after all, so I tried to be nice, but come on! It started to be a little much.
I spent my free time, studying the picture of Mrs. Margaret Montgomery and her necklace. The art exhibit was to open tonight, and I wanted to be there.
However, there was one major obstacle—Bob. I had to find a way to go without Bob.
I thought of Jodi first, but realized that that wouldn’t work. If I was going to get rid of Bob to try and get answers, I needed muscle not attitude.
I headed to the caf. Steve, per usual, was sitting at the jock table having lunch.
“Can I talk to you, in private?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said.
We walked out of the caf and over to the outside doors.
I turned to my shadow, Bob, “It’s ok, I just need a minute.”
I knew Bob wouldn’t like it, but I figured as long as he could see me it would be okay. Most of the day I just went into the girl’s restroom to ditch him for a minute to talk to Jodi or something, but I couldn’t do that with Steve.
Bob raised his eyebrow. I knew he was thinking about telling me no, but then he nodded and stepped back.
“What’s up? I thought you were avoiding me,” Steve said.
Okay, I deserved that. I ignored his sarcasm and said, “No, I wasn’t avoiding you. I was wondering though, would you mind…um, taking me someplace tonight?”
Now both his eyebrows shot up, then down really fast.
“Where?” he asked, his eyes squinted up.
“Oh, nowhere special; just the art exhibit.”
“What are you up to?”
I stared at him for a minute. Do I tell him or just make him think it’s nothing? I was asking him to get further involved; I guess it was only fair to tell him what I thought.
“Okay, sit down,” I said.
We moved over to the benches in front of the windows and sat down. They were oversized stone benches, and not very comfortable, but good enough for sitting a minute. Bob was still only a few steps behind.