Paying for College - The Novel

by Kenneth Szulczyk

  Chapter 15

  Brothers, I stayed away from people for several days. Sometimes I felt good and forgot about my dead father and the devious Dean. Other times, when I was smiling and enjoying the company of others, sad memories would creep back into my mind. Then today, I just didn’t feel well.

  I hid in a dark corner of the cafeteria and ate my food. I couldn’t even taste it. Then I strolled around campus for a while. I made my regular stop at the Math-Sciences building and dropped off several slices of ham stripped from several croissants for my furry friends who lived in the bushes. But the little guys just sniffed the ham and refused to take a bite. Like the students, they grew tired of the flat food that always tasted the same as the dish from the previous day, and it didn’t matter if the cooks added noodles or rice, or shook in some different seasonings. The food always tasted the same.

  I mumbled, “You guys tired of the food too. I can’t blame you.” I petted each one several times and turned to go and wandered towards the downtown.

  I walked past the Library Bar and continued walking until I was on the street that followed along the river.

  A white car screeched to a stop next to me. The driver screamed, “That’s him.”

  Brothers, before I knew what had happened, Steve and his three buddies surrounded me. Steve thumped his index finger on my chest several times, “You don’t look so tough now, do you?”

  I counted, “One, two, three, four. Looks like a fair fight.”

  “Yeah, it’s fair. We’re gonna to beat the shit out of you.”

  I tried to move to the left, but his friend blocked my way.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the friend yelled.

  “I have some homework to do.”

  “No, I don’t think so. We still have unfinished business to discuss.” Steve screamed.

  I started chuckling. “Really? Last time we talked business, you went swimming.”

  Steve’s friend standing behind me punched me hard in the head while his other friend punched me on the side of the face.

  Brothers, before I knew it, punches came from all directions, and I fell to the ground and cowered into a fetal position.

  Steve kicked me in the ribcage, “You’re not so smart now. You stay away from Phaedra. You got that.”

  I mumbled, “Yeah, I got it.”

  Brothers, I couldn’t see, but someone kicked me in the ribcage again. Then Steve and his friends started laughing while they climbed into Steve’s Mercedes. The car’s tires squealed as the car sped away.

  I propped myself into a sitting position while the world wobbled underneath me. I tried my best to hold myself up and not pass out. I can’t afford a trip to the hospital.

  A red compact car approached and then stopped. An overweight woman rolled down the car window, “Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

  Finding all my inner strength, I made a shooing motion with my hand, “Please don’t call an ambulance. I just tripped while jogging. I’ll be fine.”

  She looked up and down at me, and replied, “Okay then,” She rolled her window up and drove away.

  Brothers, I’m not sure how I did it, but I propped myself onto my feet and limped home. At first, every limb hurt, but my inner drive refused to stop.

  As I entered the dorm room, Drew jumped off the bed.

  “Dude, what happened to you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean nothing? It looks like the football team used you as the football.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say the football team. I had a little chat with the hockey captain and three of his friends.”

  Drew pulled up the sleeves on his shirts, “Let’s get some friends together and go after them.”

  “No. Just let it go.”

  “What? We can’t let them get away with this.” He punched his open hand, “We must hit hard and fast.”

  “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

  “Dude, I hope it includes kicking the dude’s ass. You don’t let people push you around and use your face as a punching bag.”

  I raised my hands in surrender, “Drew, just trust me, alright.”

  “Then how can I help.”

  “Well, I feel like shit. Do you have any aspirin? Or something stronger?”

  Drew walked to his desk and pulled out the top drawer and dug around. Finally, he pulled out several travel packets of aspirin, probably the ones I bought for him, and tossed them to me.

  I caught them and tore open the first packet. limping towards the bathroom, I said, “Thanks, man.” It took me an eternity to reach the sink, but I tossed the two tablets into my mouth. Then I turned on the water faucet and scooped some water into my mouth.

  I opened the other aspirin package and plopped two more aspirins into my mouth.

  It took another eternity to reach the shower, where I peeled off the dirty clothes from my body and stood in the shower while the steamy hot water massaged my body.

  I dried myself and wrapped a towel around my waist. I peered in the mirror at the wreckage of my face – one black eye, several dark bruises on one side of my cheek while the other side had swollen twice the normal size with a gash cut across it.

  I returned to my bed to lay down.

  Drew asked, “How’d you feel.”

  “You know, after that shower and aspirin, I feel pretty good.”

  “Good. Can you tell me why they beat you up?”

  “I’m not sure. I guessed I heckled him too loudly at the hockey games.”

  “Yeah right. The team sucks. When do you ever go to any of their games?”

  “Okay. It’s not the heckling.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Look, I just don’t want to say.”

  “Jax, we’re friends. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  I looked down, “That’s Phaedra’s new boyfriend.”

  “What? Oh, I’m sorry dude.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “That bitch.”

  “I don’t think she was part of it. It was just bad luck running into them in town.”

  “So, he beat you up because you’re Phaedra’s ex?”

  “Well, I bumped into them at the party last Saturday night, and somehow Phaedra’s boyfriend fell into the swimming pool.”

  “That’s cool, but, dude, we still must teach them a lesson.”

  I said, “I know. I have a plan.”

  “Just holler if you need some help.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.” I lay in bed for an hour, maybe two hours and the pain begin to numb. I turned to Drew, who was lying down playing a game on his cell phone. ”What’s the time?”

  “Ten-thirty,” he said as he looked over, “So how do you feel?”

  I lied, “Ah, I feel much better.” Then I fell asleep. I woke around five o’clock in the morning.

  As I slid out of bed, the side of my ribs hurt especially when I moved. My black eye darkened while my face was still swollen. But I felt much better.

  I looked over at Drew and saw he was still sleeping.

  I dressed. I grabbed some breakfast at the cafeteria and limped to the athletic department. I grabbed my backpack with the commemorative two-dollar bill, the stolen checks from the grocery store, the Dean’s antique chess set, and gun.

  I walked to the block of fraternity houses. I never realized it until now, but Steve’s fraternity was next to my little church.

  I looked around. Nothing moved around or near the campus. I approached a car in the parking lot and looked around again. Then I went to the driver’s side and opened the door. And, brothers, that’s the one good thing about small towns. Nobody locks their homes and cars. I pressed a button and the trunk popped open.

  I slid along the car and bent over into the trunk and lifted the cover to the spare tire and placed the gun and stolen items into the cavity of the spare tire. Then I slammed the trunk shut and walked away.

  Boy brothers, I felt much better.

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