“With all due respect, Sam, look around you. This is not Birmingham, Michigan, where you live. Detroit police have their hands full with triple murders, idiots shooting up income tax stores, busting drug houses, and violent rapes. They couldn’t be bothered with just another stalker case.”
“Don’t remind me of where I stay, please. I know Detroit is dangerous. As if I don’t hear that enough from my father. I told you last year why I attend Coleman High and the reason hasn’t changed: the dance program. The program here is better than any other high school I know.”
“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, Samantha.”
Samantha argued, “This is not just another stalker case, Xavier. Jesus—the girl tried to run you over with—of all cars—a Ford Edge.”
“Can we stick to the script? I almost got run over by a maniac driving a Ford Edge, for Christ’s sake. Show me some respect.”
Samantha started laughing and shaking her head at how silly he could be.
“Can you be serious?” Samantha asked, still laughing a bit. “I’ve never met a guy like you before. How do you manage to get yourself into trouble like this? You have killers, and now a car-wielding, crazy psycho chick on your butt. I mean—how does all this happen?”
Xavier stared Samantha directly in the eyes. “I don’t know. Do you know I have to be the only guy in the world with killers and a girl stalker trying to whack him?”
Samantha thought about it for a second. “Yeah, I know, right.”
Xavier detected the slight change of tone in her voice. “Sam, I’m not the safest dude in the world to be hanging out with right now. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you bust up and never look back. I would die if anything happened to you because of me, you feel me?”
Samantha looked tenderly at Xavier. “So what did you get on your report card today?”
Xavier put a hand over his mouth and ran his fingers over his jaw. As long as he lived he’d never understand women. His backpack was pretty dirty after he’d used it as a weapon. He retrieved it from the far corner of the bedroom, dusted the thing off, and looked through it. He found the report card and handed it to her.
“I’m not surprised by your grades, Xavier. But I am surprised by how you managed six As with all the drama you got going on.”
“It damn sure wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that right now.”
She examined his report card closely. “I see you have Nathan McGillicuddy as your art history teacher.”
“I’ve never seen a white man with a nappy beard before.” He laughed.
“You’re so silly, but you’re right. I have him for art history also. He’s funny to me. I can’t seem to figure out his wardrobe. I swear, either the man wears the same clothes every day or has a closet filled with tan corduroys and burgundy sweater-vests.”
“Look who’s being silly now. People think that his class is hard because the old buzzard drops a ton of notes on us before the test. The trick is to memorize all the notes. It’ll be pretty easy to ace the test.”
Samantha arched her left eyebrow in admiration of her ex. “My friend, you have to be the first nerdy bad boy I’ve ever laid eyes on. And you wonder why you’re having trouble with the girls at Coleman. Those heifers love what you are.”
Xavier blurted out, “Will there ever be a chance we get back together?”
Samantha looked off. “You were about to have a baby on me, Xavier. How can I forget about that and try to have anything with you?”
“We didn’t know if that was my baby or not.”
“I guess we’ll never know because Brenda doesn’t go to school anymore—unless she shows up on the Maury show later, claiming you as the baby’s father later on in life.”
“Will you get serious?”
“I suggest you put your mind on other things. You have more important stuff to worry about.”
Xavier softly smiled. “I guess I’m pushing my luck. I should consider myself fortunate that you still want to be my friend. But you sitting there looking all good, I couldn’t do anything but give it a shot, you feel me?”
Samantha cracked up. “Yeah, I feel you.”
Xavier laughed a little and stuck out his chest. “Don’t mess up a brotha’s line.”
Samantha confessed, “I still love you, my gangsta-nerd. . . but just as friends. Okay?”
Xavier already knew what time it was with her. He cracked a smile. “I can dig it. Just as a friend. It all sounds good to me.” He scooted closer to Samantha. “Can a friend get a kiss? Because with everybody out to get me, I don’t know if I’ll get another chance to kiss a beautiful lady like you.”
Samantha gestured talk to the hand. “Cut your crap. You are indeed a smooth talker, but friends don’t kiss each other on the lips. So here.” She leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek.
His face wrinkled up. “What’s up with the grandma kiss?”
She smiled at him and wagged her index finger. “Just friends, remember?”
“So you expect me never to feel your lips again—is that how it’s laying?”
“I’m afraid so, just-a-friend,” Samantha teased. “Have patience.”
Xavier rubbed a frustrated hand over his head. “But if I get bumped off tomorrow . . .”
Samantha laughed. “Then I’d lean over in your casket and give you a final kiss.”
“Not funny at all.”
Samantha couldn’t stop laughing.
“Okay. Since you wanna go there, I hope my corpse rises up, pulls you in, closes and locks the lid, and shows how us zombies get busy.” Xavier devilishly smiled. “In all the zombie movies, has that ever been done before, a corpse getting busy with a live woman?”
Samantha was wearing a look of disgust. “You’re gross.”
“You started it, talking about kissing me while I’m not there. I hope my dead body does come back and take you. It’ll be just what you get for trying to play with me.”
The two of them went on like that, laughing and joking, until Samantha had to go home.
After she left, Xavier took a minute to relax and think about the day. He kept going back to Samantha’s question as to how he’d gotten himself involved in a world filled with this much drama. Before Samantha arrived, Xavier had been thinking about multiple ways of getting rid of Heather. But thank God, Samantha’s presence had a calming effect. Xavier loved her, and if he ever made it out of his dangerous situation, he planned on making everything up to her.
It was nine o’clock at night.
Time to hit the books! He said to himself.
But first he needed to freshen up. Xavier peeled out of his clothes and took a fifteen-minute hot shower. Out and dripping wet, feeling refreshed, he heard his cell phone ringing. He wrapped a towel around his waist and went to answer it. When he saw whose number appeared on the caller ID screen, Xavier had a good mind to send the caller straight to voice mail. After almost being squished like roadkill today, he wasn’t in any mood for no religious mumbo-jumbo from Noah. Xavier hadn’t talked to the old man in weeks, and as far as he was concerned, he didn’t care if he ever communicated with his father again.
But Xavier quickly thought better and answered. As soon as he did he was glad that he hadn’t ignored the call. There was sniffling on the other end of the phone and he knew who the noise belonged to.
“What’s the matter with you, Alfonso?”
The kid didn’t have a cell phone anymore, so he had to sometimes sneak Noah’s. And this was one of those times, but if Noah had heard him sniffling he would’ve intruded on their conversation.
Alfonso still didn’t say anything. Just kept on sniffling.
“Alfonso, did Noah hit you?”
The boy finally responded. “No.”
“Alfonso, let’s try this again. What’s wrong?”
The next line out of the kid’s mouth would envelop Xavier’s body in pure rage.
“Dog Boy at school hit me.”
Damn. He had been so consumed with his
own issues he’d forgotten about the bully that was terrorizing his little brother after school. Again.
He felt like a bad brother for having forgotten about something so important.
Xavier wanted to find the tallest building and fling himself off for forgetting his first priority, which was the health and welfare of his baby brother. To go up to that school and handle his business with that pit-bull-walking punk. Xavier not showing up at the school had given Dog Boy the balls to take his taunts and teasing to the next level by getting physical with Alfonso. But it was about to change. Nobody put their hands on his brother.
Xavier had a question. “Did you tell Noah?”
The tears started flowing and Alfonso choked up. “Yes.”
“What did he say? Did he do anything?”
“He made it worse. He went up to the school and talked to the principal. Now kids are calling me a snitch. The principal said he would look into it. But since Dog Boy doesn’t go to our school, I don’t think the principal can do anything.”
Xavier knew how his brother was feeling about being labeled a snitch. The only difference was that the epithet had been spray-painted on Xavier’s lockers. Nobody at Coleman had a big enough set to approach Xavier and pop that junk to his face like they were doing to his younger brother.
“Don’t worry, little brother. I gotcha back. I’ll be up there tomorrow.”
“I haven’t seen you in a while. When are you coming home?” The boy’s small voice sounded desperate.
The question stopped Xavier dead in his tracks. The truth was that he never wanted to come back again. Noah was a religious psycho and the two of them would never see eye to eye.
“Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s see what we can do about your little situation first. Relax your mind. Don’t worry about anything. Big brother’s got this. Now take your butt to bed.”
“I love you, big brother.”
“I love you too, baby brother.”
After he hung up, Xavier bit down on his bottom lip to suppress the angry urge to throw his cell phone against the wall. He was pissed at himself for letting this happen. Too busy dealing with his own demons to check on Alfonso.
He removed the towel and wiped himself off. He slid into his boxers and had his head through the neck of a wifebeater when his cell phone went off again. No name or number registered on the caller ID—just “private.” It hadn’t been his practice to answer those kinds of calls, but this time, for some reason, he pressed the Answer key.
“Hello, Hunter,” Heather said in a playful voice. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”
Xavier wanted to go the hell off, but he played it cool. “I haven’t seen you around school lately. Where have you been keeping yourself these days—a mental institution, I hope?”
Heather giggled like a teenage sociopath. “I see you still tripping ’bout me slipping you that roofie?”
Xavier ignored her. “Girl, you are testing my patience.”
“Have you gone to the police yet?”
“I’m not a punk. I can handle my own. Don’t need five-o in my business, you dig?”
She laughed, and it sounded creepy to Xavier.
“Good,” she said. “Real good, Hunter. I plan on painfully loving you the hard way. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me and I want to personally show you my appreciation.”
“Yeah. I can tell. You almost appreciated me to death today.”
Heather laughed so hard that she started snorting. “Hunter, I love your sense of humor. The way you make me laugh is heartwarming. Nobody has ever been able to do that for me before.”
“Sorry, but I guess you’ve been hanging out in all the wrong mental hospitals. The next one they put you in, I’m sure you’ll be able to find Mr. Right.”
Heather laughed again, but stopped abruptly. “I told you that I would make you sorry for leaving me, didn’t I? You messed over the wrong one this time. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about that prissy bimbo. Samantha will have her day too, and I hope I get to see the stupid look on her face before I run her over.”
Xavier went off. “You better pray that that crazy mind of yours tells you not to harm one hair on that girl’s head. You think you’re crazy now? Homegirl, you ain’t seen no parts of crazy. What I do to you will be the stuff of nightmares. Leave Samantha out of our beef. This thing is between me and you.”
Heather mocked him. “Did I hurt him’s itty-bitty feelings? So sorry, Hunter, but it’s too late. You put her in this—remember in the lunchroom that day? Now she has a debt to pay also. Oh, darling, it’s going to be so fun—all of us in this thing together. I promise you that we’re going to have great times.”
“You’re sick and need help.”
“I’m going to make you wish you were dead.”
“Stand in line. I got others wanting the same thing.”
“My dear Hunter,” she said, laughing. “I’m a lady and we’re always first, remember that!”
The line went dead. It seemed like everything was falling out of the sky at once and landing right on top of his head. At this point Xavier didn’t know who would be responsible for bodying him first—Tall and Husky, the GMC SUV boys . . . or Heather.
21
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
11:03 A.M.
Xavier and Dexter stood in front of their lockers before third period class, kicking it.
The hallway was alive with bustling students en route to their next class.
Xavier brought Dexter up to speed on Heather.
“Yo, dog,” Dex said, “I really think you should tell somebody about Heather’s craziness.”
Xavier explained in a low voice, “That’s why I’m telling you not to say anything. I got this handled, guy.”
“Got it handled? Man, the crazy piece almost ran you down yesterday. What you mean, you got it handled?”
“I’m not about to be punked out by no girl,” said Xavier. “This junk gets out about this trick trying to run me over, next thing you know every cat in the school will grow a pair and try to step to me, thinking I’m soft.”
Dexter made some stupid-looking face. “Dude, you already have problems with cats trying to mow you down. Doesn’t matter, though. I still think you need to tell somebody. Have you told Samantha about Heather threatening her?”
“Nah. Didn’t have a chance to yet. Heather called after Samantha left my crib last night. Haven’t spoken to her since. I’ll holler at Samantha during lunch.”
“Have you seen Linus?”
Xavier shook his head. “Haven’t seen him. He might be out hustling up to get his engine rebuilt.” Xavier removed his lab biology book from the locker.
“Did you hear that Ray Taylor is out of the hospital and at home?”
“Nope. That one got by me. When did he get out?”
“Ran into Bigstick earlier and he told me that Ray hit him up on the cell a little after eight this morning and said he’d been released from the hospital. His mother picked him up.”
“What about Clyde?”
“Ray said that Clyde was doing good. Said homeboy has to wear one of those colostomy bags for a while.”
“Boy, those two were pretty lucky.”
“Lucky? How you figure that? The boy has to wear a doo-doo bag. Don’t see anything lucky about that.”
“Fool. Surviving that attack. Getting hit like that ain’t no joke.”
Dexter examined Xavier’s face. The dark rings underneath his eyes were probably from lack of sleep. Stress. Worry. Pressure. “Homeboy, are you all right? I mean it looks like you gonna face-plant the floor any moment. I’m starting to think that you should transfer to another school. Just get away from it all.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like Doug. I’m cool, mother. Thanks for your concern.”
Dexter shook his head. “Maybe you should listen. Look, I understand about your pride, and your reputation for being hard. But, dude, you’re up against it. Slick Eddie is never going t
o stop sending cats after you until you’re out of this piece. Now you’ve gone and gotten yourself mixed up with a psychotic female. I think you should cut your losses, man, and go to another school.”
Xavier’s reply was simple. “Nope.”
“Why?”
“I plan on graduating from Coleman High, you feel me?”
Dexter scratched his head. “I feel you, but if all those cats that are trying to body you get their way, you’ll be graduating all right—just not in a cap and gown from Coleman High, though. Instead you’ll be dressed in a pair of wings, a white gown, a harp, and a halo.”
Xavier laughed at Dex. “You got jokes, chump. Get to class, fool. I’ll holler at you at lunch, homeboy.”
Dexter also laughed. “My moms be watching how psycho stalkers be chopping up people on that Investigation Discovery channel. I hope I don’t see your story on there, player.”
As he walked away, Xavier couldn’t help but acknowledge that Dexter was right. Xavier was completely exhausted–both mentally and physically. He couldn’t front any longer. The stress was wearing on his young body. Didn’t know how much more he could take. Between trying to keep his grades up and his head from being blown off, sleep was rare. And then there was that thing of Billy supporting him. The old man had gone out of his way to put Xavier up at his rental property until he and his father could come to some type of understanding.
Xavier had started to feel guilty about throwing an extra burden on Billy’s wallet. The old man had a young girlfriend and a baby to think about. Xavier didn’t want to come between Billy and his family responsibilities. But for right now he would have to postpone the talk with his father. Xavier had too much on his plate and needed a chunk of time to figure things out.
Linus Flip had finally shown up to school and was sitting at the lunch table with Xavier, Dex, and Bigstick. The boys were clowning him about having to take the city bus to school.
“Say, man,” Dex joked, looking at his watch. “You’re about three hours late. I know you know this is fourth period, right?”
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