I Rize (9 page)

He asked me to say it a different way. ‘Well, say baitch.’

‘Baitch?’ I responded back.

I remember chuckling when he snapped his fingers in the air as if he had just won a million dollars. I will never in a million years forget the words that came from his mouth. ‘That is my way of saying it. You go girl. Your baitch virginity has been broken, and you have finally crossed to the dark side.’

Those were his exact words. Nothing shocks me regarding Mickey anymore.

I playfully hit his arm and we laughed together. For the rest of the class, we joked about the weird antics of ‘the teacher.’ Mickey is crazy and weird, but he’s perfect for you.

Junior stopped the video for a moment. “What happened to the funny, caring Mickey I fell in love with?”

Mickey looked away from the laptop and said, “I don’t know anymore.” Rubbing under his puffy eyes did not prevent tears from flowing.

I’m sure you will want to throw up over Jace and my perfect love story one day. Believe me—it will be even more sickening to hear about than yours. I can’t get the boy off my freaking mind. Since the pep rally last week, I haven’t seen him around. We need to exchange numbers because this is one slow moving rodeo.

Junior never looked up while closing the laptop slowly. “When I heard your voice on the 9-1-1 recording I wanted to kill you with my bare hands.”

Mickey ignored him and stood with his back turned. He took deep breaths while emptying the scraps of food from the plastic tray. The tray was scraped harder with each passing second. Junior snatched it quickly from his shaking hands.

“Mickey, why were you in her room? The least you can do is tell me the fuck why.”

Mickey offered no logical reasoning. His deep breaths increased in duration and speed. Junior sat silent for a few seconds causing his grip to tighten around the edges of the plastic tray. In a split second, the tray was slid across the table and the remnants of food fell on top of Mickey’s untied shoes.

As Mickey reached down to tie them, Junior pounced on him. Mickey’s head bounced against the ground. Junior grabbed his neck in a chokehold.

Mickey’s head was tilted back even more, making it harder to gain control of his breathing. The blood shot veins grew thicker in Junior’s eyes. “I …” Junior tightened his hold, making it hard for Mickey to speak. “I … haven’t …” Mickey found the chance to kick him off his body.

Junior was jolted back with brute force. He sprung back up with clenched fists ready to punch Mickey in the mouth. Mickey continued to gasp for each passing breath while struggling to lift up from the ground. “I … haven’t … told …” Before Mickey could finish, a surge of pain shot through his face. Blood spattered on his shirt from the blow. His eyesight became blurry, making it difficult to see Junior’s next move.

Junior grabbed him by the collar, looking deep into his hurt eyes for answers. “I haven’t told my parents I’m gay. They don’t know who you are.”

Junior quickly loosened his grip. While being led out by the officers, Junior yelled, causing a larger uproar within the cafeteria walls. “Coward! Liar! Murderer!” Mickey wiped the teardrops before anyone could see. The security personnel brought Junior to the principal’s office. As he sat waiting to be called, he turned on a new video.

Guess who is sitting in Jace’s car? Me! It has been a long time since I’ve seen him. His chocolate scent is all over this car. I am in heaven right now.

“Believe me, he is the last person you want to end up in heaven with.”

He went into the store, and I had to make a video right now because I can’t contain my excitement. I was waiting for Mom to pick me up from school when Jace offered to give me a ride home. I would have been crazy to refuse a once in a lifetime offer. When he was driving, he seemed kind of nervous and didn’t say much at all. I wonder if I make him that way, or maybe he just really isn’t interested in me. I don’t know.

He’s coming back now. I’m going to finish this video when I get home. Bye.

The camera went blank for a few seconds. A new scene with Adny sitting on her bed came up on the screen.

Overall, the ride was all right. It didn’t go like I expected it would. He seems so much shyer than I thought. But his amazing body and muscles make up for all the weirdness.

Two fingers were pointed up to his temple. “Shoot me now.”

As I got out of his car, it seemed like he wanted to ask me something, but he kept stopping and hesitating. I was just as nervous as he was. I wish I could have gotten his darn number already. The suspense is killing me.

“Not me.”

Junior could hear her phone start to vibrate in the video. The loud shrieking noise from her mouth caused him to jump out of the chair.

Guess who just texted me, Junior? THE JACE RIVERS!

Today has ended well, and for once there is a teensy weensy inkling of happiness in me. My crap fest of a life is starting to feel meaningful.

I wonder who gave him my number. Either way, I am not going to question it.

Junior tapped his fingers in rhythmic motion against the laptop keys. “I’m wondering the same thing because I would never give it to him.” He closed the laptop abruptly when the assistant at the front desk told him it was time to come into the principal’s office.

A
DNY’S PARENTS finally visited for the first time since she’d been in the hospital. The constant arguments and disagreements prevented them from coming together. The nurse on duty led them to the doctor’s office. On top of the door was a name plated in shiny silver.
Dr. Andrews, MD.
When the nurse knocked, everyone in the hall noticed Miss Nora walk out of the office with a Ziploc bag in one hand and two pill bottles in the other. Her appointment was scheduled before Adny’s parents' was. A short, stout man followed from behind.

Everyone watched as she placed both pill bottles in each of his hands and proceeded to empty her purse. Out from her purse spilled six more pill bottles of varying names. The man reached down to pick them up while pleading with Miss Nora. “I will decrease the treatments, but you are in the last stages and really need it.”

Miss Nora kicked the remaining bottles farther from his grasp while backing away from everyone. “Dr. Andrews, you diagnose the pain, but you will never understand it. I am making changes today.” The pile of pill bottles was thrown into a small trashcan nearby. “No more pills.” She snatched the new chemotherapy schedule from the nurse’s hands and ripped it into tiny pieces. “No more chemotherapy.”

Dr. Andrews placed a hand on her shoulder, but she continued to walk in the opposite direction toward the lobby. Turning to face him, she pulled the hospital wristband off. “My students give me a reason to wake up each day and I refuse to lose that to cancer.”

When the busy hall quieted down, Adny’s parents were led into the office. The nurse placed an orange folder on the desk before leaving. One large desk sat in the center of the room along with three chairs. The wall behind the doctor’s chair was filled with numerous awards, honors, and degrees he acquired over the years. Thick medical books lined the bookshelf beside the desk. Everyone stood until the doctor motioned for them to take a seat.

Dr. Andrews took a moment to flip through Adny’s health chart. He flipped to the back where x-rays were taken of her heart at different growing stages. “She’s been suffering from heart problems since she was a young girl, I presume?”

Michelle nodded. “Yes, Dr. Andrews. I didn’t think heartburn was a life or death situation. Is this all my fault?”

Adny was born one month premature, which caused her to suffer this heart related problem. Cape Fear Hospital became home away from home, and every doctor and nurse was used to her presence. The family doctor required her to come in once a month for checkups for the rest of her life unless they told her otherwise.

He closed the file. “Mrs. Storm, no one is to blame. She has been coming in for checkups regularly, and we never suspected a heart attack could occur at such a young age. The heart attack was so severe that it was essential to be number one on the list.”

She lowered her eyes after hearing the news. “What could have done this to my daughter?”

“Mrs. Storm, it wouldn’t take much for something to disrupt her already weakened heart. I do know it was something outside of the body. The hardest part is figuring out what, so we can take more preventative measures.”

Her husband reached around her shoulders for a comforting hug, but she shooed him off. For the remainder of their time in the office, she stared out the window in the back of the room. Dr. Andrews directed his attention to her husband. “Mr. Storm, did you notice any odd changes in Adny leading up to the morning of her admittance?”

“I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.”

The response caused Michelle to mutter loud enough under her breath for everyone to hear. “Yeah, I bet you haven’t being too focused on the demon seed.” She walked out of the office before anyone could respond to her retorts.

Her husband followed her into Adny’s room. When they walked in, Darla was standing beside Adny’s bed, holding her teddy bear—Sunshine. She pulled a large card in the shape of a heart from her book bag. The card covered the entire surface of the small desk beside the bed. Numerous signatures from Darla’s classmates were written on the front, inside, and back of the card wishing Adny a healthy recovery. Sunshine was held close to her chest as she played her Nintendo game in the front of the room.

Her mother sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Adny’s arm, giving her husband an evil glare as he spoke. “We don’t know for sure who did this to you, but I promise…”

She snapped her neck back around in his direction. “Promise what? You haven’t even talked to that heathen of yours.” Brushing the hair back from Adny’s face made it seem as if they were living the simple life again. A life where Adny was tucked into her warm sheets as her mother read her favorite story every night—
Hercules
.

The increasing brashness she gave her husband became apparent. “What’s with the constant attitude daily? I wake up—attitudes. I go to sleep—more attitudes.”

She steadily brushed Adny’s hair back as if he wasn’t in the room. “I tried to keep you pleased, and during the process, I abandoned my daughter. It’s Adny’s time now. Your time is over.”

In four years of marriage, one argument occurred. Within a week of Adny’s hospital stay, an argument occurred every day. Michelle would always get the final word after each argument, which usually caused her husband to walk away from the situation. When he slammed the door behind him, Mickey walked in and seemed surprised by her presence. “Hello, Mrs. Storm. I came to see Adny, but I can another time.”

Their eyes shared glances. She noticed his left eye was bruised along with a slightly swollen left side of his face. “What happened to your face?”

Mickey slowly walked in closer and closed the door behind him. “I fell walking down the stairs trying to get to class on time.”

Her gaze remained on Adny. She closed both eyes for a moment while releasing one large breath. “Every time I wake up or go to sleep, my baby’s screams constantly ring in my ears.”

Mickey didn’t directly answer her question as he backed closer to the door. “I’m so sorry. I should go now.”

A simple apology wouldn’t suffice. She grabbed his arm before he could leave, repeating the same phrase, “Why? Why?”

While twisting the door handle to leave, he pulled himself from her grip and began muttering the random string of words, “She had the gun … gun. She had it.”

When he left the room, she immediately called Detective Miller.

M
ickey walked into his house and quietly closed the door. Generations of families lived in the house and populated the surrounding neighborhood. His family lived a few blocks from Adny’s. His dad was just settling in from work, and he joined his mother in the kitchen. They both reached in for a quick family hug.

She ran her hand, wet from washing dishes, along his fading black eye. “Is there a different way you can get to class without using the stairs?”

“No, but accidents happen, Ma.” Mickey took a moment to think how to divert the conversation. He noticed the blonde streaks in her bangs. “You did something different to your hair?”

“I got it cut a little, but your father hates it. How was your day?”

The aroma from the baked chicken in the oven caused his stomach to rumble louder as he peeked at the browning skin through the oven light. My day was okay, I guess. I went to see Adny at the hospital and ran into her mom.”

“Oh, how have they been doing? I haven’t seen them in a very long time.”

Mickey looked down, not wanting to talk about it anymore. “They are having a hard time with all of this.

“I have been praying for them, Mickey. It’s a shame what happened to such a sweet girl.”

“Yeah, Ma, I know.”

When Mickey’s mother finished cooking, everyone sat at the table talking about the events of their day. It was a family tradition. Mickey grew up as the only child and always dreaded when it was his turn to speak.

“Ma and Pa, I have wanted to tell you something for a very long time.”

Right before Mickey could finish talking, the phone rang. His mother got up to answer it and covered the speaker with her hand as she yelled from the kitchen.

“Mickey, Detective Miller wants to speak to you.”

She quickly hung up the phone when the front door slammed shut.

Mickey grabbed his phone and headed to the beach. The breezy night air began to clear his cluttered mind. Sitting on the sand, his body allowed the cool waters to slide in between his toes. The waves mesmerized his thoughts. In a trance-like state, he allowed his body to float for a moment, releasing all control to the water.

When he came back to shore, he started digging near quick man’s sand for the dice. The yellow and blue dice rolled in a circular motion between his fingers, as memories from the morning played in his mind. The gun was on Adny’s computer desk when he walked into the room. The handle was cold to the touch. A chill ran through his body remembering how big the silver bullet was. Remembering how they each took a turn, he rolled the dice against the sand.