by R. M. Garcia
It was Thursday morning. Donnie was still asleep when he was awoken by music, loud music. He looked at the clock on his nightstand, and it read 6:00 a.m. The music was blaring and was coming from the front of his house, and he recognized the song right away. He had heard it before on Abbie’s smart phone’s MP3 player. He came downstairs as fast as his half asleep, injured self could muster. The volume was way too intense for this time of the morning. He opened his front door and looked out and was shocked to see Abbie parked on his front lawn. She was standing on the hood of Kelly’s car. All the doors to the car were wide open, and the car’s stereo volume was turned as high as it would go. She stood there holding her smart phone high over her head with both hands. He noticed right away the wire running from the phone to the car stereo.
Donnie ran out to his porch and yelled at her, “Abbie, I have neighbors. Please turn that off!”
“Are you going to talk to me!?” she asked firmly.
“Yes, yes . . . just turn it off before someone calls the cops!” he yelled. Abbie turned off the smart phone’s feed into the car stereo, and all of a sudden everything was very quiet.
“Was that Solia Tera?” he asked as he walked closer to the steps.
“They’re my favorite band. I didn’t know any other way to get through to you,” Abbie explained as she jumped off the hood. “Oh my god, what happened to you?” Abbie could see the enormous bruise on Donnie side now, and a six inch long laceration on his leg. The bruise looked hideous; it had darkened significantly overnight.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s healing nicely.” Donnie continued to walk with purpose toward her. “Well, you got me, right here and right now. Say what you have to say.”
“I’m so sorry for that text, Donnie, but I didn’t send it.” Abbie could barely get out her words now; she had practiced them over and over again on the way over, but now she was completely flustered.
“Who did then?” he asked.
“It was Becca. She’s only fourteen. She took my phone and sent that message before I could stop her,” she explained. “I’m sorry.”
“Did you want to tell me the same thing?” Donnie continued to step forward.
“Yes . . . But I wanted to tell you in person,” she explained. “I wanted to explain why I don’t date anyone.”
“You didn’t have to go through all this,” Donnie said. “You could have written a letter or sent me an e-mail, left me a voice mail even.”
“That wouldn’t be fair to you, not after that card you gave me.”
“The card you shared with all your friends?” Donnie tilted his head forward as he asked.
“Yes, I am sorry for that too. I was just in shock, and everything happened so fast. I share everything with my friends, just like you do with Misha.”
“I didn’t let him read the card,” Donnie explained as he took a step down the stairs of his front porch. “That was from me to you. It was meant to be kept between us.”
“I know, and again I’m sorry,” she said. “Let me get this out before I lose my nerve.”
“I’m still listening.” Donnie took a few ginger steps down the stairs.
“The reason I can’t date is because I need to earn enough money for college. If I don’t get about six thousand dollars saved, I won’t have enough to live on while I’m up at Princeton.”
“Is that the only reason?” Donnie continued moving forward and reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Yes, that’s the only reason.” Abbie couldn’t look Donnie in the eyes.
“I don’t believe you.” Donnie continued to walking toward her.
“I wanted to be fair with you. I didn’t want you to suffer, without knowing the truth.”
“So now I am allowed to suffer that I know the truth.” Donnie was a mere foot from her now.
“That is not fair! Stop twisting my words.” Abbie was getting anxious; Donnie was nearly naked only wearing a pair of boxer-briefs. She was having trouble thinking. His muscular frame was beautiful to look at.
“Then I only have one word for you.”
“OK, I guess I have it coming,” Abbie said lowering her head, expecting a half dozen curse words.
“Coward,” he said as he stood in front of her; he was very close to her now, mere inches.
“I’m not,” she protested. “I just needed to clear the air between us.”
“Coward, I know you feel something for me. You wouldn’t be here and have done all this if you didn’t.” Donnie placed his hand on her chin and gently pushed her face up so that he could see her face. “Stop telling yourself lies.”
“Look, I just have to stick to my plans. I can’t make any deviations.”
“Who’s running now? Where is your switch set at? Mine is still firmly set to fight,” he continued. “For you, I will always fight.”
“Damn you, Donnie,” she said. “Why are you making this so hard?”
“It’s not hard at all. You just need to tell me right here right now. I will accept whatever answer you give me as final and respect your wishes. Your conscience can be free of any guilt.” Donnie looked into her eyes. “You just need to tell me, right now, will you flee or will you fight?”
Abbie was shaking now. The battle inside raged once more. Head or heart, she made a realization. She had never been happier than when she was with him. The last couple of days without him had been miserable. What would college be like if she had to endure four years of that? “I choose you, Donnie. I choose to fight for us,” she said as waves of tears flowed down her face. “Please kiss me.” Donnie wrapped his muscular arms around her still shaking body and kissed her gently. This kiss lasted considerably longer than their first. She could feel Donnie’s warm tears on her face. She knew immediately in her head and her heart that she had made the right choice.
CHAPTER 10
Girl Fight
DONNIE AND ABBIE lay on his bed. She was resting her head on his chest as she drew imaginary hearts on his bare skin. She enjoyed the swells of movement as he breathed in and out. She wished she could stretch out this moment forever. It simply felt perfect.
“That tickles,” Donnie whispered.
“Should I stop?” Abbie asked smiling.
“No, I like how it feels,” Donnie kept his eyes closed. They had come upstairs after their kiss and shared many more. Donnie’s injury had precluded them from any rigorous activities, so they simply lay in a quiet embrace.
“Donnie, how did you hurt yourself?”
“I was chased by a drug addict, and I think he threw a pipe at me.”
“Oh my god, really, what did he want?”
“Not sure. Maybe he thought he could mug me.”
“I was really worried when I saw the blood on your porch.”
“Yeah, I cut my leg hopping over Mr. Glass’s fence.”
“I’m glad you’re all right,” she said. “I’m not sure what I would have done if I lost you.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Donnie said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You promise?”
“I promise you. It’s going to be me and you forever.” He leaned over and kissed her on her forehead.
“Can I ask you something else?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“The girl that was here yesterday, are you two intimate?” Abbie was cautious and prepared for an unfavorable response. Donnie burst into laughter and promptly rolled off the bed in pain. He winced in agony as he struggled to halt his outbursts.
“Donnie! Are you OK?” Abbie asked alarmed.
“Fine, just fine, and why would you ask that, and how did you know she was even here yesterday?”
“I came by yesterday morning, and we met. She’s really pretty. I could see why you would be with her.” Abbie looked away with a slight frown on her face. Donnie climbed back into the bed and looked into her eyes.
“I love her very much,” he said. Abbie’s heart sunk, and her face showed it.
“Oh,
I see.”
“It’s not like that at all. She’s the closest thing I have to a sister.”
“A sister, she seems to know you very well.” Abbie was unsure of his answer.
“She should. I have known her all my life.”
“That long?”
“Yeah, we even used to sleep in the same crib.”
“So you two are not involved?” Abbie visibly cheered up a bit.
“Nope, the closest thing to that we ever did was when we were eleven.”
“Go on,” she urged. She needed to know how deep his connection to Cecelia was. She could not believe it; she was actually jealous.
“She wanted to learn how to kiss boys.” He smiled “So she used Misha and me as guinea pigs.”
“That is hilarious.” She wondered how many kisses they exchanged.
“I remember that I didn’t care for it at all, but Misha, he was an early starter.” Abbie laughed out loud and was very relieved. She looked at her phone and gasped.
“I have to leave.” Her tone made it very clear that she was not happy about the prospect of leaving his side.
“That makes me sad. Can’t you stay a little longer?”
“I can’t. I have to bring Kelly back her car, and we need to go to school.” Abbie got off the bed. Donnie rolled to that side of the bed and sat up at the edge.
“I will be there by lunchtime,” he said. “I need to pull the house off the market with the realtor.”
“I’m glad you are staying, if you would have moved away . . .”
“I would have regretted it,” Donnie finished. Abbie smiled at him and leaned down and kissed him.
“If we keep this up, you will never leave.”
“You want me to go?” she asked playfully.
“You know the answer to that question.”
“Walk me out?” she asked.
“Sure.” Donnie got up and escorted her from his room.
“I look forward to introducing you to my friends.”
“Me too,” Donnie said nodding. As they walked down the stairs, Abbie couldn’t help notice how beautifully the house was decorated. It was an odd mix of American Indian paintings, dream catchers, angels and crucifixes; yet somehow it blended together well.
“Your mom had good taste. The house is beautiful.”
“Thanks. I’m sure that you saying that put a smile on her face, wherever she is now,” he replied. They reached the front door, and Donnie opened it for her, adding a flare to the motion.
“Thank you, sir, such a gentleman,” she said smiling. They walked outside, and he looked at the car still parked on the lawn. He realized that the escapades earlier in the morning seemed somehow familiar. They reached Kelly’s car, and Abbie got in and closed the door. She leaned out her window and motioned for Donnie to come closer. Donnie leaned in, and she kissed him once again.
“I will, Donnie,” she said.
“Will what?” he asked.
“Go to the prom with you.” Donnie smiled and kissed her once more.
“Now go inside and put some clothes on,” she ordered. Donnie suddenly realized that he was outside once again in only his boxer briefs.
“Oh, crap. I’ll see you later,” Donnie said laughing as he turned and hurried inside.
“Woooohoooo, shake it, baby!” Abbie yelled out the car window as she honked the horn repeatedly. Donnie looked back at her and waved at her to stop and nervously looked around, checking to see if any of his neighbors were watching. As he reached the inside, he could hear Abbie’s laughter behind him. He turned around just as she blew a kiss toward him. She started the engine and drove off.
Donnie’s morning was busy. He picked up a few more parts for the Volkswagen and removed the house from the market. He made it to school just as the lunch period was starting. He spotted Abbie and her friends and made his way to their table. “Hello Abbie, ladies.” Abbie got up and hugged him, and he took a seat next to her.
“Kelly, Trista, this is Donnie,” Abbie said.
“Pleased to meet you,” Trista said. “You better treat her right.”
“I will do my best to exceed your expectations,” Donnie said smiling. He suspected that she was the mother hen of the group.
“Thanks for taking care of my sister,” Kelly said. Donnie had a look of confusion on his face. “Rebecca, the cheerleader from the Tuesday night.”
“That’s your sister?” he said. Then he suddenly remembered.
“Yea, you didn’t have to do that, but I’m really glad you did,” Kelly said.
“How are you able to afford that much?” Trista asked.
“Trista, that’s rude!” Abbie interjected.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind answering it,” he said. He had expected no less from mother hen.
“Well, then out with it,” she said.
“My dad had a term-life insurance policy on him. When he died, my attorney filed the claim for me,” he explained. There was a shock of silence across the table.
“Oh, I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry I asked,” Trista said apologetically.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Donnie assured.
“OK, then. So how much did you get?” Trista asked.
“Trista!” Abbie said furiously and slammed her palm on the table.
“Enough . . . enough to take care of the house and take care of me for a while and enough to rent an obnoxiously oversize limo for prom,” Donnie replied.
“OK. He passes my test. He gets graded K for keeper,” Trista said. Donnie smiled at her response.
“Well, I’m glad he passed your interrogation, Trista,” Abbie said still annoyed.
“She’s a bitch. But she watches out for us,” Kelly said.
“You go out with Trevor, right?” Donnie asked Kelly.
“Yeah, we have been together since eighth grade,” she answered.
“He talks about you all the time.”
“I know. He loves me,” she said smiling.
“You can see it,” Donnie said as he grabbed Abbie’s hand. Abbie leaned over and put her head on his bicep. Kelly and Trista smiled.
“I see something too,” Trista said looking at the pair. She was about to continue when she was interrupted.
“Hi, Dodo. I see you mended things,” Cecilia said. She had walked up to the group accompanied by Misha. Trista immediately gave Misha an icy-cold stare.
“You could say that,” Donnie said smiling.
“Good for you, buddy,” Misha added.
“Let me introduce you to everyone. Abbie, this is Cecilia or CeeCee,” Donnie began.
“We’ve met,” Cecilia said smiling.
“And this is Kelly and Trista. You all know Misha I’m sure,” Donnie said.
“All too well . . .” Trista said, still keeping evil eye on him. Misha seemed oblivious to her stare or at least pretended not to notice.
“Nice to meet you all. I have been meeting a lot of people, thanks to Meemee. I think I am going to like it here,” Cecilia said.
“Why do you call them that?” Abbie asked.
“Call who what?” Cecilia asked.
“Donnie Dodo and Misha Meemee,” Abbie replied.
“You try saying Donato as a toddler. We were kids and nicknames developed. They seem to fit, don’t you think?” Cecilia asked.
“No, not really,” Abbie said. “Donnie isn’t dumb.”
“Dodo is the smartest guy I know, and for Misha it’s all about me, me, and me,” Cecilia explained. Abbie and Trista laughed. Kelly remained stoically silent and was staring intently at Cecelia.
“Hey, it isn’t always about me,” Misha protested.
“I can vouch for that,” Donnie said.
“So I heard you just transferred in from Millville, is that right?” Trista asked.
“Yeah, you heard right, and just to get it out of the way. Yes, I was mistreated by the captain of the football team. The story you heard was true, and I would prefer to put it behind me,” C
ecilia explained.
“Is that your excuse?” Kelly asked seriously.
“Excuse for what?” Cecilia asked perplexed.
“For putting a girl half your size in the hospital,” Kelly replied.
“I took a lot of verbal abuse from her before I hit her,” Cecilia replied defensively.
“She is just a little girl!” Kelly said angrily.
“She has a big mouth. She should have known better to act that way she did,” Cecilia said, not backing down. Donnie realizing where this was going tried to intervene.
“CeeCee, Kelly, come on. Talk it out calmly and . . .” Donnie was saying.
“Shut it, Donnie! Let this happen,” Misha said in anticipation.
“She’s in the hospital. No matter what she said, she didn’t deserve that!” Kelly said, raising her voice. The students at other tables around them began to take notice.
“I didn’t mean to hit her so hard. It just happened,” Cecilia explained. Kelly stood up. She was just almost the same height as Cecilia.
“I should knock your teeth in!” Kelly threatened.
“I’m right here. You want some, come get some,” Cecilia said as she opened her arms. Kelly jumped on the table and lunged from the tabletop at Cecilia. A professional football player could not have made a better tackle. Misha jumped up and pulled his fists to his chest.
“Yes!” he said out loud.
“Donnie, stop them!” Abbie begged.