Trapped with a Way Out

by Jeffery Martinez

  After all of this had been settled out, Rodriguez drove them both to school.

  It wasn't raining during the car ride, and the sky was clear with only the threat of another storm rolling in from the grey mess of clouds in the distance. But it was cold. Vincent's nose was frozen as the two walked up the steps from the parking lot to reach the main campus, and his nose was beginning to run. Damn. Today was not a good day to be wearing someone else's grey sweatshirt. The clothes were relatively warm and definitely pleasantly clean, but he knew that it was not a good day for him to be wearing them. His goddamn nose just refused to cooperate.

  Rodriguez noticed as Vincent sniffed a few times, but he was ignorant of the teen's dilemma. "Are you sick?"

  "No." Returned a growl, and the pale face turned away from Rodriguez, pretending to look around. Then the boy realized that he did have a reason to look away. He was searching for a spot where he could waste the fifteen minutes that were left before classes were going to start. He sniffed and warmed his hands in the sweatshirt's pouch, touching the soft interior thoughtfully, though he refused to let it displace his stubborn scowl. "I'm wearing rich boy clothes today… People are going to think I stole them from some unlucky bastard." He chuckled a little as he played a likely scenario of him actually stealing someone else's clothes right off their backs. This could be a little fun… But then the fleeting feeling of amusement left Vincent and he frowned as he realized that he was letting Rodriguez lead him away from the picnic tables he usually occupied. They were moving to a line of benches, weighted down with several teenagers, a mixture of boys and girls, mostly Seniors by the looks of them. A big looking guy hollered to Rodriguez, who chuckled as if the appearance of this individual was funny. He lifted a tan hand in recognition and then dropped it into his letterman jacket's pocket. Others greeted him, made hyper and talkative by the Christmas two week break that would begin after the last bell for the day rang. None of them even noticed the skinny teen that was trailing behind Rodriguez, wary of their presences. Someone clapped Rodriguez on the shoulder with a spreading, impish grin.

  "You know, Alex, we've been dying to ask you about your new friend…" His teasing eyes deadened upon seeing Vincent's narrowed red gaze, over his friend's shoulder. Panicking, the boy coughed and quickly backed away from Rodriguez, maneuvering around so that he was behind a bench now. This sudden change grabbed the others' attention and they gazed at Rodriguez for a while, to see what was wrong. Then, slowly, they saw the person standing behind Rodriguez, acting more as his shadow than as another presence. Vincent remained where he was, set on keeping his distance from the other teens, but he was not against speaking to them, and he opened his mouth with a badly concealed sneer of contempt.

  "What about his new friend? I would like to hear about this as well."

  "Hey!" Rodriguez shot back at the unpleasant, and rather provoking, tone. "Don't cause trouble, Vincent. You just got here."

  The teen snorted, glaring at the others as he took in the remark with a different meaning. I did just get here. I am the new friend that these bastards want to use for their own entertainment…to satisfy their own damned curiosity. They can all just go to Hell. With this thought, Vincent turned on his heel and began to stride away, passing the picnic tables because they were within seeing distance of the benches. He chose to hide in the Art Building instead, sniffing and rolling his shoulders on the way.

  Rodriguez called after him, but gave up. He could feel the cold welcome coming from his friends, and their sharp stares that stalked Vincent across the quad. They turned those stares onto him when Vincent was too far away to be interesting to watch anymore. "What the hell was that, Alex?" Someone demanded, confused by what they had just seen. "Why was he with you?" "Why are you hanging out with him?" "Bad crowds aren't good to meddle with, Alex." The tone of his friends' voices were containing more concern for him now, and Rodriguez sighed, fixing his glasses and rubbing the back of his head as he postponed his explanation. It felt like he didn't have the right to tell them, and that it was none of their business, but they were just worried about him and didn't understand what was going on. One female voice rang out, spiking through his nerves.

  "Why are you with that First freak?"

  "Yumie!" Rodriguez said loudly, aghast. "He is not a freak. How can you say something like that?"

  The others were quiet. They had been thinking the same thing, Rodriguez realized with a start. He frowned at the group, disappointed. "Really now. He's not that bad."

  "Were those your clothes?" Heinkel's question brought turmoil to the group and they chattered incoherent things while Rodriguez's body froze up, frustrating himself. He growled in his throat, hoping no one would hear him as he tried to gain control of his temper.

  "Well, yeah, they were. A lot of things happened yesterday and I had to lend him some clothes."

  Heinkel's eyes narrowed and her lips turned down into a sharp frown. "A lot of things…? What are you talking about? Why are you getting yourself involved with someone like him? What good can come from it?" Rodriguez tried to speak but the girl just raised her voice to cover his interruption. "We all know you're a great guy, Alex, so you probably want to help him out or something. That's understandable, for you, but it's not good. It's not worth it, Alex. It's flat out stupid and dangerous! You stay away from sinking ships like him. They'll only drag you down with them."

  Rodriguez's green eyes were wide and blinking, trying to expel his shock as quickly as possible. He hated her logic. But it was a logic that sung true in his ears, but felt so wrong when he tried to swallow it. It was like a cold stone in his gut. "He's not bad, I tell you. And…it was my mom yesterday. She actually took him into our house and made him stay over." Oh God this was coming out all wrong, but after he had said it, he couldn't bring himself to take it back. Because, none of it was a lie. He would never have dreamed of making Vincent sleep over at their house. Maybe feed him and clean him up, but not invite him to stay there, though he had no objections to it. There was nothing wrong with it, really, in his opinion. He just wouldn't have had the guts to think of it. They weren't that close yet, though, their relationship was tightening quickly now. He could consider Vincent as a friend, and he trusted the boy. Vincent wouldn't hurt him or his family. He wasn't dangerous…those around him might be, but not Vincent. Vincent was a good kid.

  "Alex." Yumie shook her head from where she was standing with her arms crossed, her bangs in her eyes. "He's one of those people who aren't going to go anywhere in life. He probably can't and won't get into a college, he'll be waiting tables until he dies or overdoses or does something stupid that get's himself killed. Get away from him, Alex. We're your friends…we just want what's good for you."

  "And you're mom should know that too, she's a smart woman. She must have had a really…" Heinkel paused, her eyes twitching in disgust. "…REALLY good reason for bringing that guy into your house." Her brow furrowed as her eyes darted to the ground, perturbed by the concept. "Are you sure he didn't steal anything?"

  "No! I mean, yes. He didn't steal anything, Heinkel. You're being ridiculous. He wouldn't steal anything! I mean, God." Rodriguez's hand gripped his hair viciously, drowning in disbelief at the moment. "You should have just seen what a nervous wreck he was at my house, freaking out about messing up the littlest things, terrified of his stuff breaking my washing machine! He isn't like how you imagine him at all. He's just all alone, his uncle's in the hospital, and you should see just how skinny he is. It's scary! I mean…" Horror descended slowly upon Rodriguez's mind, and his eyes widened and hit the floor, shock and shame freezing up his body.

  The others were staring at him, not seeing his sudden inner conflict, but astonished by what he had said. Another voice spoke up, drawing Rodriguez back to the surface of his thoughts.

  "You know…Andy…you should really just let some adults handle this, then. You don't know what you could be getting yourself involved in. You have to be trained, probably, or know things, study, a
bout this kind of stuff before you get in too deep. Let your mom take care of it. She'll probably help him out by getting him some, you know, professional guidance or help him enroll with some kind of government program that can provide financial aid for him and his…his uncle, you said? It's not really for someone like you. I mean, you have college to look forward to next year, for Christ's sake! What are you going to do? Hurt your chances at that for a guy like this? It's insane! We're telling you to drop out of this as soon as you can. Get him some real help and then get out of it as fast as you can. He's bad news…a sinking ship like Heinkel said."

  "Yeah." A few quiet voices echoed behind the words. Rodriguez's head hung, his face directed towards the sun bleached concrete and its rugged texture. Compassionate friends offered to give him a seat, and he accepted, sheepishly, unsure about what he was going to do now. But abandoning Vincent was not an option. Never, in his mind, did he consider it. He was not a coward.

  Rodriguez walked in with the rest of the arriving students, and his eyes wandered up to Vincent's table. As he drew near, with the choice of going to his own table or to the lower one, Rodriguez heard the boy cough into his sleeve and sniffle with his blocked nose, stuffing his hands back into his pockets again as he slouched in his seat. Sadness weighed down the tan features, composing a piece of misery on Rodriguez's face, and his feet forced him to go to the lower, emptier table. Vincent saw his face, and flung out his hands in an attempt to get rid of the germs that had accumulated on the borrowed sleeves.

  He paused at the sad expression. "What did they do to you? You look like somebody just killed your pet hamster or something, Rodriguez. You were happy this morning."

  God, he felt terrible. He felt like a terrible person too, as he sat down next to the boy he felt like he had betrayed only minutes ago. His posture was grossly decomposing by the second until Rodriguez sighed and buried his face in his arms on the table, turning his head so he could look at the pale teen and speak to him. "Are you sure you aren't sick?"

  Vincent's eyes shot to the other side of the room, avoiding Rodriguez's gaze. "No. I just have a cough…and I'm sorry about your clothes. The germs will come out in the wash, right? But because of me you still have to wash them again…and I don't mean to make you sick… Not that I'm sick, that is."

  The awkwardness actually brought a faint smile to Rodriguez's lips and he laughed softly, making Vincent growl and damn him.

  "Shut up, fat ass. I am not sick. I'm just going to snot up your sleeves and the rest of your clothes just to spite you, you fuckin' creep." He snarled as the laughter got louder and Rodriguez had to stifle it with his arm.

  "Stop cussing, fluffy runt." Rodriguez chuckled, a knot in his chest making him feel a little nauseous.

  "Oi. You can't call me that at school, fat ass. It's not funny either, bastard. How about I knock you on the head to get rid of that fat smirk of yours?"

  "Go right ahead." I deserve it.

  "Hey, Rodriguez." Vincent's volume and anger fell as the other boy continued to act strangely, never moving his head from his arms. "Aren't you supposed to be saying stuff like 'I'm not fat'? Oi. Rodriguez…" Vincent leaned closer to the blonde head. "Get up. The teacher's here. She's not going to see you if you're like that and then you'll be marked absent. Do you hear me in there? Sit up, you stupid bastard. This isn't funny anymore."

  "I'm tired." Rodriguez lied with a hidden wince. "You should've let me sleep for five more minutes this morning, runt. And I am not fat, and stop cussing. I hate hearing it so early in the morning."

  Vincent poked the head angrily, causing the bent body to start, and he fell back into his chair and crossed his arms with a grumble. "You fat rich boys are too pampered. You need too much sleep."

  Rodriguez chuckled in his arms and then bit his lip until he thought it was going to burst. He felt like shit. That's what he felt like. Shit.

  "Come on Rodriguez. Sit up now. The teacher's explaining something. You care about your grades, right? Well, you're not going to be able to do squat if you don't sit up and listen. I'm not going to help you out later when you're whining about missing the instructions like a dick. Get up, fat ass." Rodriguez didn't respond to the aggravated teen, cutting Vincent's frustration down with worry. "Hey, Rodriguez…?" Vincent ventured quietly, looking at the lowered head. He licked his lips and glanced at the teacher and the other students as people began to chatter and get up to get their supplies. He nudged the head with his fist. "Hey? Are you sick? I didn't mean to get you sick too. It was an accident."

  So you are sick. Rodriguez's chest rose and fell with a breath and a sigh. He didn't sit up. "Why won't you go to college?"

  Vincent started and sat back with an unpleasant scowl. "Because my grades are crap and I don't have the money, Rodriguez. And, on top of it all, it'd be a waste. I'm naturally stupid."

  "You're not stupid."

  Vincent scoffed, a warped grin on his face sparking a dancing light in his eyes. He laughed at the statement, deriding it with an intended passion. "Oh, God Rodriguez. You're just as funny as ever. You haven't seen my grades. You've never tried to teach me anything. I'm a bona fide idiot when it comes to school stuff. I swear, it goes in one ear and right out the other." His hand rose to cut through the air, miming his words after he had said them. Vincent shivered a little and pulled on his borrowed sweatshirt to try and make himself warmer. His body was freezing while his head pounded with the heat of an inferno. He was getting a headache too. The boy cursed his bad luck.

  "You're not stupid, Vincent. The only stupid thing about you…" Rodriguez sighed as he got up and he rubbed the deep impressions the pads on his glasses left on his nose. "…is that you think you're stupid."

  Vincent crossed his arms irritably and muttered. "You should join the circus, Rodriguez. You'd make a great, fat ass clown. I'd laugh at you, for sure."

  Rodriguez blinked at the other teen and scowled, pointing a finger at the pale face. "Okay…that one kinda hurt. Stop it with the fat jokes or else I'm going to have to go on a diet... And the next thing you know, I'll be anorexic just like you." Rodriguez moved away to get his piece of paper, while Vincent huffed.

  "Fat rich ass bastard." Vincent got up and shoved his chair away as he followed Rodriguez. "What's your problem today? You're as moody as hell."

  They sat back down. Rodriguez watched as Vincent's pencil stabbed into his paper, drawing something already. His glasses glinted in the light as his face fell with shame once more. He twirled his pencil anxiously in his fingers. A confession…he needed a confession, like at Church. He sighed, and then swallowed, turning his ankle under the table. "I said some stuff I shouldn't have said…earlier, with my friends." Vincent was rigid, and his hand dropped his pencil as his eyes rose, wide, to stare at Rodriguez. "I was only trying to defend you…because, well…they were saying stuff, and someone said that you might've stolen stuff from my house. So, I said that my mom had taken you to our house and forced you to sleep there…and that you wouldn't have done anything like that. I only meant to defend you. I…"

  "Did…" Vincent cut in loudly, and then cleared his throat and eyed his paper. "Did you tell them about…you know." His hands rose and he moved his fingers quickly, like he was playing a piano.

  Rodriguez, who had seen this, shook his head hurriedly. "No. Nothing about that. But I mentioned it that you…had trouble with the washing machine. You thought you were going to break it…" Rodriguez waved his hands to ward off any anger he imagined was rising up. "But I wasn't making fun of you or anything like that at all. I was only trying to explain how I knew that you wouldn't steal from my house."

  To Rodriguez's surprise, Vincent snickered and began to draw again. Red went to Rodriguez's blank paper. "We're doing free-draw, or whatever you want to call it, 'Christmas stuff'." He continued to draw.

  "You…you…" Rodriguez stammered, gawking at the other teen, amazed by his indifference. "You don't care? You aren't mad or anything?"

  "I don't care if you make fu
n of me or stuff like that Rodriguez." Vincent shrugged without looking up. "Just don't tell them personal stuff like the piano, but other than that, you can tell them that I'm a freak or whatever. I really don't care."

  Rodriguez's face contorted, as if pained. "Hey. I didn't do that."

  "I know. You said you defended me…thanks, I guess. But don't go out of your way for me. It makes us even. I always make fun of you for being fat anyway."

  "Hey! But I'm not fat!"

  Vincent laughed at Rodriguez's angered expression, enjoying himself now, and he coughed a few times, then laughed again. "Fat ass. Damn it, you should be a clown."

  "Shut up Vincent. You're a jerk, you know that? A real jerk in the neck."

  "A royal pain in the ass, eh?" Vincent chuckled and drew a few lines as Rodriguez's pencil descended upon his own paper. "Fine by me."

  Rodriguez just scowled and went on drawing his picture. When Vincent saw what it was, he frowned.

  "Hey." His pencil's eraser jabbed at the white paper, scuffing it with a pink mark. "That's not a lady bug. I demand that you draw a lady bug, not…whatever the hell you're trying to draw. It looks like crap. Draw the lady bug."

  "I don't want to." Rodriguez growled back, and then chewed on his lip as he saw the snowy forest that Vincent was drawing. He paused and then smirked when he came up with a way to make fun of it. "Looks like Narnia."

  Vincent stared at Rodriguez until the teen looked up with a smug grin. "What the hell is Narnia?"

  After watching the name 'Rodriguez' stitched into the back of the black jacket, fade into the crowds of teenagers moving about the campus, Vincent's stolid face moved with a sharp jerk to see the direction he would take to go to his next class. His feet moved stiffly as thoughts forced him to go back in time, to return to the moment Rodriguez had confessed to having guilt for what he had said about Vincent to his friends. A scowl would not come to the pale lips. There was no emotion as the boy moved through the crowds, never becoming a part of them, just passing through like a shadow.