Polymath

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Greene handed me my bag when I walked in and immediately told me to go home. I wasn't one to argue. I was three minutes from my house when my phone rang. It was Caster.

"What do you want?"

"Well, dang, a-ti-tude," Caster grumbled from the other end. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Yes, I'm fine. Why didn't you check on me when it happened?"

"I didn't hear it."

Oh, he was so full of it. "How the hell could you have not heard it? The walls are literally less than four inches thick and your door is always open. What are you trying to pull?"

"I'm not trying to pull anything! I was listening to music with my headphones in."

"What? So you couldn't hear my body hit the ground?"

"Redford, what are you talking about?"

I felt my cheeks flare. "You're so naïve!"

The other end was silent and I realized I was yelling as Mr. Geoffrey waved me through. Caster's voice was quiet, "Redford?"

"I know you're the one who tampered with the glass, boy! You're jealous because you were the newbie for a long time, and you're just as sexist as your father was! You don't want a girl to take your place!" I felt hot tears on my face as I stepped out of the car.

"I would never do such thing!" His voice sounded clouded and distant, as if he didn't really hear himself speaking. "I'm not going to have you bring my dad into this either, you bitch!"

I was crying truthfully now and the line went dead. Leaning against the driver's side door, my back slid down until I was sitting on the concrete. My phone played the melody that I knew to be Hancock's, but I couldn't bring myself to move my arms and answer it.

Why couldn't I, in the times I needed myself to be, be strong?

I guess Hancock was worried because I always answer the phone, because I heard rapid foot fire coming from up the street and Hancock was there, crouching in front of me. He was fuzzy.

"Ford?" His thumbs trailed across my cheek bones, wiping away the waterfall. "Hey, look at me."

I looked up at him, new tears welling up. My throat felt blocked. Hancock pulled me up and into his arms, a thousand percent of my body water gushing onto his shoulder. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't.

"You're okay. I've got you."

I shuddered and his arms were securely around me. He spoke again, his breath hot in my ear. "Greene told me what happened. You can stay home for a while with me, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered back, burying my head into his chest.

My crying eventually subsided and Hancock brought me into my kitchen. Leftover cake was piled in my refrigerator, so we helped ourselves. He was staring at me as we sat on the couch. "Are you okay?"

I shrugged a little. "I accused Caster of doing it because he never came to see what happened. I mean, he should have heard because it was so loud. But, he called me a bitch."

Hancock's body tensed and I heard him take jagged breaths. "He called you what?"

"I don't want to repeat it, Han."