“That’s the douchebag who did this to me,” David warns through painful groans from the ground. “Get away from him, Jules!”
“Why’d you come back here?” the stranger asks in an almost accusatory manner. His eyes relentlessly holding mine with an unsettling laser focus. Totally ignoring David’s claims.
“I forgot my wallet,” I answer reservedly. Intimidated by the tone of his voice yet strangely attracted to it at the same time.
“Where is it?”
“Umm, I think I left it in my locker.”
“Let’s go to your locker then.”
Juliette
For a moment my feet almost mindlessly follow the stranger’s directive, but then finally my brain kicks in. Who is this guy? How old is he? Where is he from? Why is he going around beating up high school students, and why am I listening to everything he says?
I look around at the spectators as if I’m going to find an explanation or at least an ally. All I see are many familiar faces but no real friends.
Karen is a violinist and has orchestra everyday after school, so I don’t expect to see her, but finally I do spot the guy from study hall again. He silently nods his head no to me. I’m not exactly sure what the nod means though. Is he trying to warn me against listening to the stranger or against defying him?
I cock my head to the side and look at study hall guy a little more intently. Silently willing him to give me another hint as to what he’s trying to communicate.
“Is there a problem?” the stranger asks after noticing the non verbal exchange between the two of us. Study hall guy averts his eyes away and down to the ground, and now I’m seriously starting to worry.
Everyone seems terrified of this guy. I guess the condition of David’s face might be the reason why. We don’t see many fights at our school.
I’m kind of wishing that either one of my older brothers still attended high school and were here to step in, but when I notice Principal Pike walking his way towards the group, that’s when I make a split second decision. I don’t want the stranger to have to deal with our by-the-book principal.
I can only assume by the evidence that he is indeed the person who hit David, and that he may have possibly done it for me. I also can assume that he is over eighteen years old and could face serious legal consequences if the principal involves the police. So I am making the decision to protect him.
“No, there’s no problem.”
“Dummy,” David says to me from the ground.
“Say another fucking word,” the stranger says in a menacing voice to David. “I dare you.”
David doesn’t speak again, but his eyes are shooting daggers straight through me. If I were a voodoo doll, I’d have pins stuck in very painful places based on the hate emanating from his glare.
“Let’s go,” the stranger orders.
I give David one last look and start walking towards the front entrance of the school. I keep my eyes focused downwards as a way of hiding from Principal Pike as we pass each other. I’ve done nothing wrong, but the fact that I may bare some responsibility for the football star’s face looking like a bloody ribeye makes me feel as if I’m in some way culpable.
As we head back toward the building, my stomach is in knots. The stranger is walking very close to me, yet he seems to be very careful about not taking large steps ahead of me. Our arms brush dangerously close to each other but never touch.
Still…my skin tingles.
“Do we know each other?” I ask as we walk inside of the building. More curious than ever as to why a boy like this would take any interest in a girl like me.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“No one could never forget a face like yours. So yes, I’m positive that we don’t know each other.”
My cheeks grow flushed. I’m not very used to compliments, not unless they’re from family members, but I think I could start to get very used to them.
Several kids are still at school for various after school activities, and they stare almost with awe at us as we pass through the hallway. Without having to say a word, they move completely out of our way, and it’s pretty obvious why.
The stranger has an ominous presence about him. A dangerous energy which rolls off of him in waves with each calculated stride he takes through the building–yet I don’t think that I’m in any danger. On the contrary, I’ve never felt more protected.
