“I am not the one that decided to play footsy with her.” Galen pointed to himself then shifted his index finger quickly from left to right. “If there is any imbecile present, that would be you.”
With an indignant face, Galen abruptly stood up. “Fix your own damned problem,” Galen said and walked away.”
“You would have had him on your side had you not stepped on his tenders.” Eryx’s voice flowed over my head. He was standing behind us. “You know how he hates being called less than perfect.”
“How much did you hear?” David asked.
“Cowboys and Indians.” Eryx recalled the conversation.
“That pretty much sums it up.” I sighed, resting my forehead on my hand over the table. “I guess you guys are going back to…
wherever
.”
“No,” a deep voice bellowed from David.
“Do you have a better idea?” Eryx asked David, with one side of his mouth pulling down.
“All we have to do is evade him until he has gone.” David gave his solution.
“Easier said than done.” Eryx sat next to me. “Do you believe he will continue to harass you?” Eryx’s expression was calm.
“By what Andy told me, I would have to say yes. He’s even asked Bill to convince me to speak to him.”
“Dahveed, you know what you must do.” Eryx peered at David.
“I will not leave her unattended while that buffoon is here. He poses more threat to her than he does to me. Out of the question.”
“Very well then. I cannot make your decisions for you. You can count me out of your plans. You have obviously not thought this through.”
“Why?” David demanded a reason.
“You fail to note that the only reason she might be in any danger would be your presence. You are the one that ignited the fury in that boy, not her.”
David lowered his head and viewed the floor. He was quiet for a few minutes thinking the situation through. “I’m sorry, Isis. I won’t be able to drive you until I have found a way to settle this.”
“There is no settling it,” I said. “He’ll be gone in a week and a half, then things can go back to normal.”
“A lot can happen in that amount of time. I would advise you to keep your distance from him.” Eryx stood from the table. “Think about it, brother. It is a risk you are taking by staying.”
“I understand that, Eryx. I just…” David shook his head from side to side. “I cannot leave her unattended. I beg you to understand me.”
“We can continue this conversation in the evening in the presence of our mother. She will be interested to hear of this occurrence. Good day, Isis.” Eryx walked into the crowded hall.
The bell had rung and I had not taken notice. I quickly picked up my bag and started walking with David by my side.
“I won’t leave, no matter what my mother advises,” David repeated his decision as we squeezed through the crowded hall.
“I can take care of myself, David. Gabriel would be incapable of doing anything to me. He was my friend before he was my boyfriend. He’s a good person. He’s just fallen into a deep hole he can’t get himself out of.”
“Are you sympathizing?” David scoffed, expressing disbelief.
“Yes.” I admitted. “I might be mad at the idiot, but I’m not heartless.”
“Wait.” David stopped me in the middle of the hallway.
“What are you doing? We’ll be late.”
“I don’t care. I have to ask you something.” He pulled me back as I tried to walk again.
“You might not care, but I can’t afford another tardy.”
Again, David stopped me from taking another step.
“Do you still love him?”
“We can discuss this later.” I shook my head unwilling to start this now.
“Yes or no?” David probed. “‘Tis a simple answer you have to give.”
“I can’t answer that right now.”
“That tells me enough.” His lips tightened and his mouth pulled down at the corners.
“You’re misinterpreting. I didn’t say ‘yes’.”
David gazed at me despairingly and sighed.
The truth was I really didn’t know what I was feeling. I knew I felt sorry for Gabriel. I knew that if I were in his position, he wouldn’t hesitate to try to help me. Did I love him? Maybe a little, maybe just as a friend, maybe not at all. I didn’t know. What I did know was that I felt an overwhelming need to talk to him, but I knew I shouldn’t put myself in that position.
The bell was ringing just as we walked into class. Andy was craning her head over the rest of the seated pupils, scanning the doorway.
“How’d it go?” She asked quickly before I had a chance to sit down.
“She’ll be going home with you this afternoon,” David answered in my place, walking a step behind me. “Gabriel is more likely to be calmer if I’m not around Isis. I don’t want to risk her getting hurt on my count.”
“I told you he’s not like that. He won’t hurt me.” I dropped my tote next to my desk and let myself fall on the desk chair.
Andy chewed on her pen. “That was before. We don’t know what he’s capable of now.” She set the pen down and whispered. “He had that thing on him yesterday when he was picking the fight with David, Isis. What if he had used it then? Gabriel used to break up fights, not start them.”
I remained silent, evaluating the situation. None of us spoke for the duration of class.
Galen wasn’t present at our table during lunch. I figured he must have still been upset with David for calling him an imbecile. Eryx must have been with him because he wasn’t there either.
David joined the lunch line to retrieve our salads while I stayed with Andy and Bill. From the distance, I saw Jean cut in line behind David.
“Sickening,” I murmured in disgust.
“Looks like someone’s got a fan.” Andy said, taking her sack lunch out of her school bag.
“I’d say it looks more like someone’s jealous,” Bill sniggered.
“Shut up.” I smiled. “He wishes.”
“Pfft,” Bill huffed. “My dear girl, you are in denial.”
Andy laughed, bobbing her head. “You are.”
“‘Et tú, Brute?’” I stared at Andy, my mouth pulling at one side.
“Hey, I call ’em like I see ’em.” She shrugged. “You really should just give in.”
“I’m not ready for that, yet. Not after…” I trailed off.
“Oh, no!” Andy’s arms flew up. “Do not tell me you’re thinking about going back to Gabriel?”
“No.” I frowned.
David was a couple of tables away carrying a salad in each hand with Jean prancing by his side.
“Moving along…” I prompted Andy to change the subject.
“Ugh.” Jean’s eyes fell back into her sockets looking past our table.
Galen and Eryx were back. Jean turned her body 180 degrees and walked priggishly to join her friends.
David handed me a salad and a bottle of water.
“What’s the topic of the hour?” Galen stood at the head of the table with his arms crossed.
“David is,” Bill announced.
“Seems he’s a popular subject these days.” Galen peered at me in a way that made me feel responsible for all that was happening. I probably was in his eyes. He didn’t look too happy.
David hesitated to sit down. “
What
about me?” His face was puzzled.
“Nothing,” I responded before anyone. “Bill’s being a nuisance.”
Bill put his plastic fork down. “Don’t lie. Just tell him how jealous you are of Jean.”
Andy’s eyes widened. She slapped Bill on the arm. I let my mouth drop and wrinkled my nose. I couldn’t believe Bill.
David smiled. “Very nice. Thank you for that piece of information. I’ll take it as a compliment.”
I covered my face and breathed deeply hoping they wouldn’t see me blush. I was going to kill Bill on the way home this afternoon.
“On another note,” Andy addressed Bill, “Isis is riding home with us today.”
“Because of Gabe?” Bill posed.
“Pretty much.” She nodded.
Bill stood up suddenly, patting his pocket then reaching in and pulling out his phone. He held the device up to me so I could see the caller’s name.
“Speak of the devil,” Bill remarked. It was Gabriel calling. “Should I answer?” Bill asked.
“I don’t want to talk to him.” My eyes warned Bill.
“He’ll just keep calling you if you don’t answer.” Andy pressed the green button on Bill’s phone.
Bill held the phone up to his ear. “Hey, Gabe. What’s up?” His mouth pressed into a straight line. “No, she’s not around. Andy and her went… er… somewhere together.” He paused. I could hear an indistinct conversation on the other end of the line. “Yeah, I’ll tell her you want her to give you a call, man.” Bill paused for a long while again. He sighed and gave me a grieving look as he nodded. “Okay, Gabriel, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, man.” Bill snapped the phone shut and slid it back into his pocket.
“What was that about? All I heard was babbling on the other end,” Andy said.
“He was slurring.” Bill looked at the table with unease. “He was rambling on about you,” he told me. “He’s my friend and all, Isis, but maybe you should look into getting a restraining order.”
“Touché.” Eryx agreed.
“That is a grand idea,” David pushed his salad plate away. “However, I’ve already looked into it. Restraining orders vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In order to obtain one in this state, you must have been threatened or provide proof that the person you are placing under restraint has caused material, property or physical damage. He has done no such thing to Isis.”
“That’s preposterous,” Galen finally spoke. “He’s carrying a weapon that is probably not under his name nor does he have a permit for; that should be enough for the authorities to see the impeding danger.”
“Yes, you’re right. The legal age to obtain a concealed handgun license in Texas is twenty-one, unless the person is actively in the military, in which case the legal age is eighteen,” David explained.
“So what should we do?” Andy tapped her soda bottle. “Do we call the cops on him?”
“I believe that decision is up to Isis to make, not us.” Eryx examined my face.
“No.” I placed my thumb and middle finger on my temples. “I can’t do that to him. He’ll have a record. He’s just starting off college for goodness sake.”
“And your safety?” David reminded me. “Does it not count for anything?”
I looked at Andy expecting her to back me up.
“I’m with them on this one.” She nervously popped her fingers.
“Reexamine the situation,” Eryx advised. “You’ve heard everyone else’s thoughts on the matter—consider our view.”
Fourth period was stressful. The back of my neck ached with tension from thinking about the problem with Gabriel. I couldn’t deny that he was noticeably under the influence of some sort of drug or drugs. That scared me. He was a smart guy. He was a jock and a good person. He was a leader, not a follower. What had he become? Another statistic.
Maybe, in my head, I had made him out to be this grand person when I was with him, when in fact he wasn’t that much different from any other person I’d met. That didn’t mean he was a bad person, though. It just meant I might have given him more credit than was due because of our relationship.
Maybe I had changed too—matured in some way—and that’s why I saw him with such different eyes.
“Isis Martin,” Mrs. Vicent called out my name.
“Yes?” The thumping of my heart accelerated, afraid I must’ve missed something she was going to ask about.
“The counselor needs to see you.” Mrs. Vincent looked at me through her bifocals. “You’re excused from the last fifteen minutes of class.”
“Thank you,” I said clutching my tote.
I rose to my feet and glanced at David and Eryx. Eryx’s head was hanging to one side, asleep. David half smiled and winked at me.
The counselor reviewed my applications for universities with me in a brief ten minutes time. She suggested I take some entrance exams that would be offered in the next couple of months. I was thankful she called me in. Otherwise, I might have put off seeing her till the end of the school year, which might have been too late.
The red Mustang was in full fury when I arrived at the parking lot to meet Bill and Andy. David was waiting for me by the car’s door.
“I’m sorry I won’t be able to drive you to and from school for the next week or so.” His hand lightly ran along my chin.
“It’s no big deal,” I said with a nervous shiver. “Sometimes, I walk home from school.”
“Then, I bid you adieu,” David sighed.
“And adieu to you too.”
His lips touched the skin on my cheeks. He opened the door and turned to wave to Andy and Bill. He then veered toward his car where Eryx was waiting patiently leaning against the passenger side door.
Eryx waved at us. When I saw the black car’s taillights turn the curve, I dropped my head back to breathe again. I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath.