When Summer Arrives (On Hold)

School on Monday

 Not only were my Saturday and Sunday nights sleepless, but it was now Monday.  If I tied to go late Sam might just break in here, again, and wake me up like Sleeping Beauty, again, in which case my heart just might implode.

Inevitably I left for school a half an hour early.  Luckily Sal was not tending to the gardens yet so I didn’t have to worry about being caught up in a conversation with him.  I stuck to the back roads that Sam couldn’t have known about just to ensure that I didn’t see him.

Once I was at school I received all sorts of weird looks from teachers and school staff; specifically my biology teacher, who, to my knowledge, didn’t know who I was.  This was mainly due to the fact that I hadn’t shown up to class all year. 

It was in English class that I finally saw Sam, and my reaction was not the calm and collective that I’d hope.  Instead I was fidgety and couldn’t make eye contact; when he sat down in front of me I had a profound interest in the top of my desk.  Someone had made numerous carvings in the top right hand side, maybe doodles, and then there were several initials near the bottom end closest to my stomach.

“Hello Winter, you look very cute today.”   I could all but see Sam’s smile as he spoke those words.   I, somewhat gently, slammed my head on the desk hoping to hide the embarrassment I endured.  My cheeks became warm and for once I was glad to have class start.

During the rest of the school day I found myself getting paper cuts and other minor injuries whenever Sam came near me or even so much as looked at me in a certain way.   We met in the hall and I ran into a door that was being opened.  When I entered history class he was already there and I was running into the teacher’s desk and knocking over some very heavy text books.  At lunch we ‘ran’ into each other and I spilt juice all over my uniform.  I excused myself to the girls’ bathroom where I hid until the bell rang.

After I left the nurses’ office, for the second time that day, I went to gym.  I was already in my gym clothes from spilling juice earlier so I was able to bypass all the girls in the locker room. 

Unfortunately, some girls were waiting for me in the hallway, and as soon as I passed the nurses vision they cornered me.  I wasn’t really surprised after all some of the notes I received said this would happen, but still when you get cornered by a set of ravaging females high on hormones your heart rates picks up.

“Hey! We need to talk.”  Said the one with long curly blonde hair as the other two stood behind her.  I assume she was their leader.

“Oh really? Because if it’s how to get your hair as straight as mine I’m afraid I can’t help you.”  It’s not that I wanted to piss them off, it was that I could.

“Hey wise ass this is for real.”  Said the shortest one.

“I’m sorry I must have mistaken this for a hair care commercial.”

“Shut up already!  We’re here to warn you to stay the hell away from our Sammy.”

“We see you warming up to him and no one likes it.”  Now this was surprising.

I lifted my fingers up and folded to down.  “Excuse me but, how many fingers am I holding up?”

“Why the hell does that matter?” The one on the right swatted my hand down.

“Because you guys need to get your eyes checked.”

“Listen bitch, we won’t tell you twice. Stay the hell away from Sammy.”  The ring leader spat at me pointing her finger in my face and everything.

“You might want to tell him to stay away from me then, bitch.”  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

She punched me in the gut, hard, forcing me to double over.  The three walked away and I lifted a thumbs up and said, “Nice chat let’s do it again sometime.” But I didn’t think they heard me.

Maybe if I had a bigger sense of pride I would have knocked some sense into them.  Maybe if I was more territorial I would have acted more harshly.  Maybe if I had some muscle in these skin and bone arms of mine I would have punched one.  But I don’t, and I didn’t really care.

By the time I got to the gym the class was already separated into two groups and a line of dodge balls down the middle.

“Toothpicks! Get ready! You over there!”  Said the coach assigning me to the team on the right, Sam was on the left side.

Once I reached the wall on the right side wall the game commenced.  Surprisingly I did not get hit within the first ten seconds of the game.  It was at least twenty seconds before someone hit me square in the face.

I had seen it coming but I didn’t have to reflexes to move quickly enough.  Once it slammed into my face I fell backwards towards the ground.  I could see stars, heard slurred voices, and blurry people for a couple moments everything was slower.

Then the coach, Mr. Awole, was kneeling in front of me waiving his hand over my face.  He sighed and then called someone over; I couldn’t tell who it was.  I closed my eyes and when I opened them again things were picking up time was becoming normal again and a crowd of people swarmed over my face.  Great.

“There she is! Okay everybody give her some air.  Back up, back up.”  It was the coach. “You okay toothpick?” I nodded.  “Well ya’ face is bleedin’ everywhere.  You’re gon’na need to go to the nurses’ office.”  That makes it trip three.  “You!”

“Yes coach?”  It was Sam.

“You hit her; now take her to the office.”  Asshole.

“Okay.”  Wait? No! That would mean we were going to be alone.  I started shaking my head, but all it did was make everybody stare.

“I’m fine I swear.”

“No you’re not! You’re bleeding all over me gym floor.”

The two men proceeded to lift me to my feet.  Mr. Awole passed me off to Sam and we walked, mostly he walked and dragged me, to the office.

We were mostly silent as we walked and even into the nurses office, where he helped me sit on the sick bed.  The sick bed had tall legs so when I sat down I was eye level with Sam.  By this time the initial bleeding had stopped.

“I can’t believe you hit me.”

He lowered his head.  “Uh, yeah sorry ‘bout that.”  Great now I feel bad.

“It’s okay.  At least I don’t have to play dodge ball anymore.”

Then silence fell as I wiped the blood off my face.

“So why were you avoiding me all day?”

Oh shit how was I supposed to answer that? “Is that why you hit me?  You wanted to ask me a question?”

“Uh no.”  He lifted his head and I saw the red in his cheeks. “I just have a bad aim.  But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Why you think I’m avoiding you?  You threaten to kiss me and then tease me about in the morning!  And on top of that you just dismiss our argument like it was nothing!”

“Our argument?”

“You’ve forgotten already?  It was only two weeks ago!”

“Oh! The one in the cafeteria!”

“Yes genius that one.”  He chuckled.

“It’s not that I’ve forgotten, it’s that I’ve chosen to let go of it.  If you don’t want to go to school you don’t have to, it is your life after all.”  He then showed a smile that wasn’t snarky or giddy it was simple.  However, it soon changed.  “You’re being very cute and forthcoming.   Can I kiss you now?”

“What? No!”  And thank heavens a nurse walked in.  She dismissed Sam and started tending to my nose.