Hoax (18 page)

             
We didn’t hear much from them after that for the next few weeks.  I kept Corinne and Sean under watch, just in case, but so far nothing happened.  October started practices for soccer.  Sean drove Corinne home for a few days and then she put her foot down and demanded she drive herself to and from school.  I demanded she get pepper spray in rebuttal.  I wound myself up for an argument but she agreed and we got her one for her purse and one for her keychain. 

             
Four practices in, we were all dismissed early because of the school dance that night.  I grabbed my bag, not bothering to change, and set out for the parking lot.  I saw Ryan and Vince leaned against my truck but ignored them as I passed.  It didn’t last long.

             
“Abel, what’s up man?” Vince asked, kicking off of the truck and crossing his arms.

             
“Just goin’ home.” It came out with an annoyed tone.

             
“You gonna be at the dance tonight?” He pressed.

             
“Yeah.”

             
“So, there’s a party at Brett’s house tonight.  If you’re coming, maybe you could, I don’t know, bring something better than booze.”

             
It sounded like a D rated movie about ‘Saying No To Drugs’. 

             
“I’m not going to the party Vince.” The rest of his proposal didn’t even validate a response.

             
“Whatever man.  That girl has really turned you into a…”

             
“Watch it Vince.”

             
He put his hands up in a ‘white flag’ motion and they walked off.

             
I got in the truck and made my way home.  Corinne was waiting for me.

Corinne

             
I’d been lying to him for weeks.  It was wrong and it hurt to do it.  I didn’t want him to worry and going to him every single time a person looked at me funny made me feel weak.  I could deal with this.  If it evolved into something I couldn’t handle then I would let him know.  I would.

             
It started with the girls.  Heather, I finally got her name right, cornered me in the girl’s bathroom and asked me if I would sell her some pot. 

             
“Heather is it?” She nodded, “I don’t sell pot.  I’m not sure where you got your intel but I don’t do drugs or sell them.”

             
“Come on Corinne, Brett said your Dad moves it and sells it, you’ve got to be in on that.”

             
I pushed her away from me and she stumbled into the nasty sinks.

             
“My Dad is in banking, stupid.  Don’t you think I’d know if he was a drug dealer?  I swear you people need to lay off.”

             
I stormed out of the bathroom.  I told Sean about it later that night and he said he’d heard some weird rumors about me. He also said he was going to try to do some digging around to see what else he could find out. 

             
And before that Brett passed me a note in American History asking me how my mom was doing.  I balled it up and threw it in the trash can, conveniently next to me and returned to listening to the teacher.  After class was over, he walked over to me as I packed my bag and said, “Your mom has a big mouth.”

             
“What?” I retorted.

             
“She comes over during the day sometimes, has coffee with my mom.  But it’s ok, I’ll keep your secrets.”

             
“Go to Hell Brett.”

             
I didn’t care what he was talking about.  This crap was getting creepy.  But on the bright side, apparently whatever they found so interesting about me had stopped them from beating up on so many people.  In fact, I hadn’t seen them pick on people in weeks.  Maybe I just hadn’t seen it.  Didn’t mean it wasn’t happening.

              I got ready for the dance Friday night.  I was kinda excited about it.  My first dance where I could actually go with someone I liked.  I picked out a teal colored dress, shorter than I usually wore but nothing compared to the other ones I’d seen in the store.  I did my hair myself and wore some heels that I got on sale since I was on my own for everything that wasn’t a necessity.  I couldn’t wait to get out of this place.

             
Abel showed up in a gray suit with a black shirt underneath.  I reached out to hold on to the door jamb to stop myself from swaying. 

             
“Your face just went white as a sheet Corinne, are you ok?”

             
“Yeah, I’m fine.  And you look great.”

             
“Oh, I see, I look so good I almost made you faint.”  He chuckled and reached out for my hand.

             
“Pompous ass.”  He laughed back and shut the door behind me.  I didn’t know where my parents had gone again but they were practically gone all the time. 

             
“You’re breathtaking, by the way.” He whispered as we arrived at his car.

             
“Thank you.”  The guilt of lying to him these past weeks pounded against my chest a little.

             
We walked into the streamer clad gymnasium.  It was so loud in there that I didn’t even attempt to talk. 

             
“Did that home management class cover dancing?” Abel bent down and practically yelled in my ear.

             
“Yeah, but not like that.”  I pointed with a chin nod towards a boy and a girl who were practically humping to the rhythm.

             
“I hope not.  Come on, I promise not to dry hump you to death out there.”

             
“Deal,” He dragged me to the dance area. 

              After the dance we went to his truck and Brett and his friends were sitting on the downturned tailgate. 

             
“We’re leaving Brett, do you mind?”  Abel made a move to put his tailgate up and Ryan clamped down on his wrist.  “Yeah, Abel, we mind.  Used to be you’d be sitting here with us.  Instead, you’ve dropped us for this,” he pointed at me, “snobby assed princess.”

             
He barely got the s in princess out before Abel’s fist connected with his mouth.  Brett smiled, looking entertained with the whole thing.  I wanted to break them up, stop them from fighting, but my arms were pinned behind me by one of their skanks who wore one of the shortest, tightest dresses I had ever seen.  Her hold on me was soon replaced by Brett’s and he jerked me to him and began to spit words in my ear.

             
“See what you’ve done?  Your boy, used to be our boy, is getting shit kicked because you wouldn’t share.  Don’t they teach sharing in prep school?  I tried to get your attention all summer, but then you were smart enough to get the alarm turned on.”

             
“It was you?  And what the hell are you talking about with my dad?” I struggled against him to no avail.

             
“Doesn’t Daddy give you some freebies for your friends?”  He moved to sniff my hair and loosened his hold on my wrists just enough.

             
I threw myself on the ground and reached up and punched him right where it hurt the most.  He doubled over and by then Abel had taken Ryan and Vince and they were on the ground.

             
“Get in the car Corinne.” Didn’t have to ask me twice.

             
We got in and he flew for about five minutes before tearing over to the side of the road and threw the truck in park. He unbuckled his seatbelt with such a fury that it hit his window.  I was surprised it didn’t break.

             
“Let me see your arms.” He barked at me.  I showed him my arms and bruises were already blooming on my wrists and forearms.

             
“Are you ok other than this?  What did he say to you?  I saw him with his mouth by your ears.  I could kill him,” He shook while he still held my hands.

             
“Abel, look at me.” He did and blood trickled from his mouth.  His left eye was almost swollen shut and his knuckles bled. “Move to the other seat and let me drive.”  He started to argue. “This is not the time for your male bravado Abel.  You cannot drive with one eye swollen shut.”

             
He muttered a cuss word that I’d never heard leave his mouth and then he scooted towards the passenger’s side of the truck.  I stepped over him the best I could in my dress and drove him home.  He didn’t look at me or even straight ahead.  He looked out of the passenger side window, his forehead pressed against the glass as his warm breath made white circles in the glass and then turned them invisible as he inhaled.  I’m sure he was pissed at me for making him let me drive but I didn’t care. 

             
I pulled into his driveway and we walked inside, him in front of me, and if I didn’t know better I would think that his stomping was that of a kindergarten boy instead of the man that had just defended me and gotten me out of a volatile situation.  He sat on the couch and held his face in his hands. 

             
“Abel, first aid kit?”

             
“Kitchen, on the wall, inside of the pantry.”  I went into the pantry and sure enough there was an enormous first aid kit that opened like a bathroom medicine cabinet.  I grabbed what I needed and then went to the freezer to get three bags of peas and then slapped two dish towels on top of my pile. 

             
I went over to where he sat on the couch and perched on the edge of the coffee table in front of him. 

             
“Look at me, honey.” I used his nickname for me to get his attention.  He raised those enticing brown eyes to meet mine, one of them severely marred.  There was some new emotion in them, I could almost pinpoint it as regret but I didn’t have time to explore it just yet.  He put his hands high up on my thighs and held on while I cleaned him up and held the frozen peas to his eye.

             
“This is my fault,” he choked out and then he grabbed onto my waist and settled me into his lap with my knees bent on either side of his hips.  I moved a bit against him and he winced, hissing through his teeth.  I un-tucked his black shirt and his torso was spotted with bruises making it look like a sadistic tie-dyed shirt. 

             
“It’s not your fault, it’s theirs.  You’re just not used to being on the other end of their wrath.”

             
He pulled me to him, and nuzzled his face in my neck. “I just want you to be all right”

             
“I’m fine, Abel.  I’m fine, except my dress is around my hips.” 

             
He looked me in the eyes while I got up and pulled everything back down where it should be. 

             
“OK, you need to get out of those clothes.  Do you want to take a shower?”

             
“Yeah, I need to.” 

             
“Well, come on.”

             
“Corinne, I can do it.  Just stay here.” 

             
He stood up and had to hold on to every other piece of furniture like a toddler learning to walk.

             
“Abel, for the love of all that’s holy, let me help you.”

             
I didn’t wait for his permission.  I took his arm and slung it over my shoulders and walked him towards the bathroom.  I sat him on the closed toilet and turned on the water.  I got boxers, and shorts from his room and threw them on the counter in the bathroom.  I reached into the tall cabinet and got two burgundy towels down and plopped them next to the clothes.  In the meantime, he had shrugged out of his suit jacket and out of his shirt. He stood up and took off his pants, the belt clanked on the tile floors.  I turned around for the rest and heard the change of the shower spray as he stepped in.  I picked up a towel and threw it over the door.  I gathered his clothes and put them in his room in the laundry basket.  I got my phone from the kitchen and asked Sean to stop by my house and get the bag that I kept behind my truck seat.  A girl never knew when she might need some extra clothes. 

             
I knocked at the door when I went back to the bathroom and he stood in front of me, dressed but mentally giving himself round two of a beating.

             
“Don’t do it, Abel.  There was nothing you could’ve done differently.”

             
“My freakin’ head hurts.  I’m gonna find some Tylenol.” He moved to walk around me.

             
“Go lay down, let me get it for you.  Stubborn much?”