“Sorry, freaks, we couldn't find any champagne, so we decided to toast you with toilet water,” Rhianna said in her most condescending voice. “What's the matter, you don't like it?”
We just stood there, face-to-face with Alexis and her friends, like we were Old West gunfighters about to shoot it out. I looked around to see if there were any teachers who might have seen us get soaked, but I saw none.
What I did see, however, was a crowd of kids on both sides of the incident, watching the scene unfold. I half-expected them to immediately join Rhianna in mocking us, but they didn't. They all stood, frozen in indecision, wondering whose side to take.
Then one of them, a tall, freckle-faced girl named Delainey, spoke up. “Not cool, Rhianna.”
A few yards away, a muscular guy named Ben from my P.E. class added, “Yeah, so not cool.” He turned to me. “You okay, dude?”
“Yeah.” I nodded thanks.
Off to the side, a Filipino girl with long brown hair named Lyka reached into her purse and pulled out a Kleenex. Stepping forward, she offered it to Sophie. “Here you go, Sophie.”
Taking the tissue, Sophie began dabbing at her eyes. “Thanks.”
One at a time, several other kids joined our side of the confrontation, staring at Rhianna and Alexis in obvious disapproval.
Sweet jeepers. is this really happening?
The look on Alexis and Rhianna's faces was priceless as more kids moved to stand behind us. Rhianna's jaw dropped open in pure disbelief.
I again looked at Sophie, who had folded her arms and struck a defiant pose, and was smiling back at her adversary. “Is that all you got?” A few of our new supporters murmured their assent.
Rhianna stared in pure anger at Sophie, at me, and at the crowd that now faced her. “What's the matter with you all?” She was practically screaming now. “These people are freaks! How can you side with them?”
No one seemed willing to respond, so Rhianna continued her tirade. “They're losers! That's what they are! They're scum! That's all they'll ever be!”
“Shut. Up.” Sophie said it so softly, I'm surprised I even heard it. But everyone heard it.
She took a step toward Rhianna, still glaring at her. “I don't know what your deal is, Rhianna, but I am freakin' SICK OF IT!” She screamed the last three words, and all Rhianna could do was ball up her fists and return her incensed glare.
Undaunted, Sophie continued, “Just leave us alone, okay, Rhianna? Take yourself, and your girlfriend,” she gestured at Alexis, “and your boyfriend,” she gestured at Drew, “and get the hell out of our faces.”
Alexis stepped forward, her brow furrowing in puzzlement. “What do you mean, 'boyfriend'?”
Marissa also stepped forward, standing at Sophie's side. “Oh, you mean you didn't know, Alexis? Rhianna and Drew have been making out behind the storage sheds for weeks now.”
She gawked at us for a few seconds, then at Rhianna, and then back at us. “Bullcrap,” she said flatly.
“Show her, Sophie,” Marissa said.
Knowing exactly what she meant, Sophie pulled her cell from the pocket of her jeans, pushed a few buttons and then showed Alexis what I assumed was the video we took two days ago of Rhianna and Drew swapping spit.
I shot a glance at Drew in time to see all the blood drain from his face. Serves you right, douche bag. Here comes Hurricane Alexis.
After confirming that we were, in fact, telling the truth, Alexis whipped around to face her soon-to-be-ex-BFF. “You little skank!”
“Oh, my God, you are such an idiot,” Rhianna retorted, rolling her eyes dramatically. “It's a wonder you can even tie your own shoes in the morning.”
I could almost see steam coming out of Alexis's ears. “How dare you –”
Rhianna laughed cruelly at her. “You're nothing. You think you're such a princess, but you're nothing but trash. You'd be nowhere if it wasn't for me.”
Alexis was practically gibbering with rage. “You little troll!” Turning to Drew, she sputtered, “You two deserve each other.”
Before Drew could respond, Sophie piped up, “Look, can you three lovebirds take this argument somewhere else? The rest of us have better things to do than watch you peck each other to death.”
A few of the assembled crowd actually chuckled. I couldn't help but smile.
And then, Rhianna fixated Sophie with the most hateful look I'd ever seen on anyone before. Not on Ron, not on Kim, not even on Alexis. “You goddamn freak! You've ruined everything!”
She tore her eyes away from Sophie's, scanning the ground near her feet. Taking a step backward onto the main parking lot, she bent down and scooped something off the ground. I couldn't see what it was, but when she reared her arm back in a throwing motion, I didn't stop to think about it. I just reacted.
I moved quickly to the side, stepping in front of Sophie and Marissa just as Rhianna threw whatever it was in our direction. I raised my arms to block it, but I was too slow, and I felt something round and hard hit me in the forehead. A rock.
The girl threw a rock. A ROCK! At Sophie!
A wave of intense pain immediately flooded my brain. I dropped to one knee, covering the spot of impact with my hand. As I tried to regain my focus, I heard Marissa shout, “Ayden!” and she knelt beside me, putting her arm around my shoulder in concern.
Sophie knelt down on my other side. “You okay, Ayden?”
I couldn't respond. The pain was too great. I had to clamp my jaw together to keep from crying out. Seconds went by, though, and, very gradually, I felt the pain recede. I opened my eyes and looked at my hand, and was alarmed to see a few drops of blood on it. Horrified, I put my hand back over my wound, hoping my brain wasn't going to slide out.
Alexis, meanwhile, had backed a few paces away from Rhianna. “You psycho!”
Even Drew looked shocked. “What the hell, Rhianna? This isn't what we planned!”
I was instantly irate. “What you planned?”
For the first time ever, Drew actually looked scared. “Hey, man, we were just gonna throw toilet water on you, that's it, okay?”
“Well, isn't that interesting,” said a mature voice from behind Drew. “Keep talking, Mr. Seeley.”
As one, the crowd turned to see Principal Marquez, flanked by a couple of teachers as well as Mr. Wallace, the custodian. “Mr. Seeley, Miss Kosto, Miss Metcalf, in my office, right now!”
Oh, man, she is PISSED.
If there was one person in this school, heck, in this universe, that you didn't want to piss off, it was Principal Marquez. I knew it, and so did everyone else.
Sophie whispered in my ear, “You okay?”
Thankfully, the pain had diminished to a dull throb. Marissa got another tissue from Lyka and pressed it against my head, trying to stop the bleeding. “Yeah, I think so,” I said, gritting my teeth.
Sophie stood up and affixed Rhianna with a smug smile. “Busted,” she teased.
Drew and Alexis had lowered their heads, sheepishly making their death-march toward the waiting principal Marquez, but Rhianna didn't move. She continued to glare at Sophie with white-hot hatred. Her breath was ragged, and her face was scary.
And then a million things seemed to happen at once.
Rhianna let out a horrible screech and ran at Sophie.
Sophie backed up in alarm.
Marissa made a move to stand up, to get in her way. So did I, but I knew we weren't going to be in time.
And then, out of nowhere, Michelle rushed forward and slammed into Rhianna, using her body weight to disrupt the enraged girl's forward momentum. Both girls fell to the ground, with Rhianna landing on her side and Michelle on top of her.
“Get off me, you freak!” Rhianna spat.
Michelle didn't respond. She simply took Rhianna's left hand and twisted it, pinning it against the small of her own back while simultaneously rolling her onto her stomach. Rhianna continued to thrash with her legs, but they caught nothing but air. Michelle then used her other h
and to press hard against Rhianna's shoulder blade, effectively immobilizing her.
“Chill. Out,” Michelle said simply.
Wow. It's true. Michelle Jameson is a BADASS.
After a few seconds, Rhianna ceased her thrashing. By then, Mr. Wallace and Coach Randall had moved forward to take control of the situation. Michelle released her grip, stood up and stepped back.
The crowd parted to let Principal Marquez through. “Please take Miss Kosto to my office, and make sure she stays there,” she instructed the adults. Hauling Rhianna to her feet, they escorted her down the sidewalk and into the main office.
Principal Marquez took a few more steps forward, looking down at me. I was still crouched on one knee. “Is he all right, Miss Ramos?” she asked.
Marissa removed the tissue from my head, which still hurt like a mother. “He's not bleeding anymore, but there's a nasty bump.”
The principal nodded. “Would you and Miss Devereaux please take Mr. Saunders to the nurse's office?”
The nurse's office was right around the corner from the main office, only about fifty yards away. “Yes ma'am,” Marissa replied. Sophie just nodded.
“Thank you.” To the rest of the crowd, she commanded, “Go home, everyone. Show's over.” And then she turned and walked back to the main office, where Drew, Alexis and Rhianna would hopefully, finally get what was coming to them.
Chapter 28
~ Day 80 (Wed.) ~
SOPHIE
Marissa and I had to support Ayden between us as we walked him the short distance to the nurse's office. Nurse Hollis immediately applied an ice-pack to Ayden's forehead. After a few minutes, she placed a Band-aid over the cut as well as the skin around it, which had turned a very ugly shade of purple.
We'd all missed our bus so, using Ayden's cell, I called Mrs. Saunders at work. After assuring her Ayden was fine, she told me she would clock out of work and pick us up within half an hour. Nurse Hollis said we could stay in her office until our ride showed up.
We waited it out on a long bench that ran along one wall of the office. Ayden was leaning back, his head against the wall and his eyes closed. Marissa, ever the devoted girlfriend, had her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder. I just had to smile a little. They are SO adorable together.
“Ayden?” I asked.
He cracked open his eyelids, facing me. “Yeah?”
I smiled. “You are nuts, you know that?”
He gingerly traced the outline of the bandage with his fingers, wincing with pain as he made contact with his bruise. “You may be right.”
I slid closer to him, laying my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. I can't believe you did that.”
“Hey, once a superhero …” Somehow, he managed a weak smile. I just had to giggle a little.
Marissa straightened up, staring at the opposite wall. “What do you think will happen to them?”
“I don't know,” I said. “But you know Principal Marquez. She does not mess around when it comes to bullying. Hopefully, those three jerks will be off our backs for good.”
“I hope so,” Ayden said. “Being a hero is cool and all, but … I've found something I love more.”
“Acting?”
He nodded, and I saw a teardrop forming at the corner of his eye. “Yeah. And you guys.”
Marissa looked at me, and then back at Ayden. Exhaling, she put her arms back around his waist and her head back on his shoulder. Not wanting to be left out, I wrapped my own arms around him, leaning on his other shoulder. Ayden then put his arms around both of us, holding us close. Then, emotionally exhausted, we all closed our eyes.
It would be about twenty more minutes before Mrs. Saunders showed up to drive us home. We didn't speak again during that time. We just held each other, three kids bound together by incredible friendship and unwavering love.
* * *
I was still lost inside my own head as I walked through my front door. All the way home, I replayed today's events in my mind. In fact, I didn't even notice there was an extra car parked on the driveway. When I walked into the living room, two very dear and familiar figures were there to greet me.
It was my big sister Eve and her boyfriend Joshua.
Dropping my belongings with an undignified squeal, I rushed forward, flinging my arms around Eve, hugging her with all my might. “Evie!” I cried into her sweater.
“Hey, sis,” she said, holding me tight.
I thought I'd gotten used to her absence, but not having her around for months at a time was never easy. She was the greatest big sister ever, and still the warmest, most caring person I'd ever known. “I've missed you so much,” I breathed, breaking the hug.
“Not as much as we've missed you.” She indicated the attractive young man on her left.
I turned to face Joshua, and just like that, I felt seven years old again, the age I was when he visited this house for the first time. The day I first heard the heartbreaking story of how terrible his middle-school experience was because of Rhonda Broots and her “bully squad.” Looking at him now, I couldn't believe how much he'd changed.
Back then, he was barely five feet tall. Now, however, he was pushing six feet. His once-scrawny frame had grown to match his height, and his handsome, boyish face, still accentuated by his deep brown eyes and his gentle smile, continued to exude both innocence and wisdom.
“Hey, bunny rabbit,” he said, enveloping me in a strong hug. I threw my arms around him, closing my eyes and pressing my head against his chest. I loved that he still called me that. Back in second grade, I had an obsession with the color pink. My costume for Halloween that year was a pink bunny, and he and Eve had escorted us around the neighborhood while Kirsten and I trick-or-treated. Mom took a ton of pictures that evening, and I would smile every time I looked at them, pictures that included Eve dressed as Pocahontas, Joshua as a ninja, and Kirsten – as always – going as a fairy princess.
“Great to see you, Joshua,” I said, releasing him.
“You too,” he said. “There's no hug like a Sophie hug.”
Smiling, we all sat on the sofa together. “Wow, you guys look great. How's college?” I asked.
“Brutal,” Eve said. “I don't know what made me decide to be a lawyer like Mom, but I'm beginning to wonder if I was sane at the time.”
“You're not quitting, are you?” I asked.
“Oh, no, no. I just don't think I'm cut out for criminal law.”
“Does Mom know?”
“She will soon. Thankfully, there are many kinds of law, and I'm keeping my options open.”
I faced Joshua. “And how about you?”
“Ahh, you know me,” he said with a smile. “I can handle anything.”
“Oh, you did not just say that!” Eve had a hilarious mock-glare on her face.
Joshua tried to look perturbed, but failed. “What?”
Eve turned to me. “Soph, remind me to tell you about the time he challenged his roommate to a drinking contest.”
His jaw dropped. “You're really going to tell her that story? She's just a kid!”
“Fine, fine,” Eve relented, but not before leaning in and whispering in my ear, just loud enough for Joshua to hear, “I'll tell you later.”
“Hey!”
“Come on, it's a funny story! I never knew you could put so many fake tattoos on a person's body!”
Joshua sighed indignantly. “See what I have to put up with?” Then he reached out, encircling his arms around Eve's waist and pulling her into a warm embrace. “It's great to be home,” he said, planting a beautiful, tender kiss on her lips.
Normally I would be embarrassed watching family members kiss, but it was never that way with Joshua and Eve. They were the perfect couple. They'd been madly in love since eighth grade, and seeing them together always made my heart swell, as did my desire to find someone that made me just as happy. If that's even possible.
My thoughts were interrupted by the front door opening and Mom walking int
o the room, Kirsten right behind her. Two more squeals, thirty more hugs, several sometimes-embarrassing-always-amusing family anecdotes, a recap of my immensely memorable week, and one full cheese-and-crackers platter later, we were all caught up.
By the time Dad came home from the airport, dinner was ready and everyone was seated around the table waiting for him to show up. He smiled as he wordlessly took his seat, hanging his pilot's hat on his chair.
We waited for him to say something, but it looked like he was having difficulty. Happy tears welled up in his eyes. He reached over and squeezed Mom's hand, and together they scanned our smiling faces, one by one. Me, my two amazing sisters, and a wonderful young man who was as much a part of our family as a person could be.
After a full minute of loving glances, Dad took a deep breath, released Mom's hand and said with a broad grin, “So … who wants moussaka?”
Chapter 29
~ Day 81 (Thu., Thanksgiving Day) ~
AYDEN
When I woke up this morning, I felt refreshed. Thanks to some aspirin and an ice-pack, the swelling on my noggin had gone down. The bruising, unfortunately, was still there, and I prayed it would be far less noticeable when I took the stage for the third and final time. Peter Pan does not wear Band-aids.
Since it was just Mom and me, and since we weren't all that close to any of our neighbors, what to do over Thanksgiving was not something we really worried about. We didn't have the resources to spoil ourselves by cooking a giant turkey dinner with all the trimmings, so we decided we'd do the same thing we did last year: go have dinner at a nearby chain restaurant.
Marissa texted me this morning, asking if she could drop by my house that afternoon. This surprised the hell out of me, but I certainly wasn't going to turn her away, especially now that Ron was gone. I spent the next few hours straightening up as much of our run-down house as I could. Mom, shocked at my sudden burst of energy, contributed to the cause by doing some dusting and vacuuming. I had to smile at her as we spiffed up our house, hoping Marissa's first impression would be a good one.
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