Coincidences

Act LXI

I took a sip from a slushie, which I bought earlier today. I was exhausted, 'cause I was looking for Zoey all day, and I still couldn't find her. Linda said that she just came home, and that Zoey was nowhere in the home. She double checked, too. I spent the whole day for nothing, searching for someone, but to no avail. Whatever. I can try again tomorrow and let her know there's no shaking me off.

I was walking around, the sun was setting, and most of the people were dispersing, headed on their way home. The waves crashed against the stone wall, its soothing sound soaring through the air. The pier I was on was different from the one I often talked about. This one was farther to the south, shorter, was made of concrete, and it was for contemplating the ocean blue. There were a few benches here and there. It was a nice spot to just take your time.

A few officers were patrolling around with their segways, when I took a break, sitting on the bench. The beach is always lively, no matter which day it was. There were events everyday, the waters gave plentiful amount of fish, and the heat declared this as a sacred place to cool off. I myself went to this gig last summer, before the lightning accident was even a thing.

It was around this hour. Zoey and I were there, and the audience was absolutely crazy. We decided to get some drinks, and, just when the disc jockey, or DJ, for those who don't know, dropped the bass, we spilled them over us by accident. It's like we replayed the same thing that happened back in the very first day of school in Acacia High. Why? We were wearing the same jackets from before.

I was absolutely bummed, since this day was for nothing, I grabbed my phone to play some games, until I noticed some notifications. Mr. Reed tried to call me back, according to his message he sent just now. There weren't any missed calls, though.

I started a call, and, sooner or later, he picked up. I heard his voice, exhausted, buzzing, "Martin, hello?"

"Hey, Johnny. How are you?" I greeted. "I just got your message. Did you try to call me just now? I couldn't hear the phone ring."

"No, actually. I tried to call earlier, but...," he paused for a second, then said, "Oh, the message was sent ten minutes ago. Bad signal. I'm on the road, on my way home. Went with my sis and my wife to Los Angeles to sign some contracts with some of their clients."

"Why were you with them, then?"

"Practically, my wife is scared of my sis. She's her boss. I came to provide her support and help with the legal stuff, if I can."

"So, you're basically a workaholic at heart?" I said.

"Yep. You may be right."

"So, what's up, Johnny?" I asked, wondering why he called, or attempted to call, me earlier.

The phone was speaking static, so I'm guessing he's still cruising. He replied, "You called me this morning, so something must be the matter. You have a date with Zoey? How's it going?"

"I can't find her. She hasn't come home since this morning."

"Really?" he said, the reception getting better than before. "You haven't seen her today?"

I shook my head, despite knowing that he can't see me at all. "No, I haven't," I told him.

There was another pause, the null filled with noises that sounded like he was adjusting himself to a better position to get better reception. "Martin, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Mr. Reed, I can hear you."

"Can you hear me?" he repeated.

"I can, Johnny."

The noises stopped now, and, sure enough, the static weakened. Johnny rattled his phone, and, when he was ready, he declared, "Martin, I have something to tell you."

Something to tell me? "What is it? Is it about Zoey? Is she with you?" He seemed serious about it, his tone deepening as he spoke. If it's him, then you know, for sure, he is really serious. He tries to never disappoint anyone, even if it's bad news, and he takes everything in a positive light.

"Martin, I have some news for you," he told me. He began to narrate what happened yesterday, after I left to find Zoey. "By the time you disappeared, Tyrone came to me. Said he had to speak to me in person, privately. I accept his request, and we did just that. We had a talk, just me and him. What's interesting was the topic of our conversation."

I took a guess. "Zoey."

"You're right. It started off like this..."

___________________

"Have a seat, Tyrone," I kindly offered to the quiet and reserved student. He presented himself with a mysterious aura, seemingly he did that all of the time.

He sat himself, getting as comfortable as he can, and politely said, "Please, call me Ty. I insist."

"Ok, Ty." I shifted my papers in order to show a much more professional performance, until he coldly added,

"I bet you call each other with friendly nicknames, Johnny."

I immediately realized that I was talking with the manipulative kind. Ones that get their way, no matter what. I placed the papers in a folder, and I couldn't help but snicker at the boy. "I see where this is going," I laughed out.

"You've gotten super close with Martin. He's always either on the phone with you or in person. I admit, he is really friendly. But, also, I have to admit this. He's dumb. And for your information, I am not dumb. You're helping him, aren't you?"

I playfully raised my hands. "You caught me, Sherlock. What is it that you what? I can decide for myself who to help out. We're all our own individuals. It's a free country."

"I get your point. That's why we all have our goals. Martin's is to not be lonely anymore. Yours is to help him. Mine, in the other hand, is to ruin his life."

What does he mean by "ruining his life"? I interrogated him, "What are you plotting to do? What do you mean that Martin doesn't want to be lonely."

"We Rimsons hold a grudge for him. We hate him. He did something wrong that we can never forget. He claims to have forgotten, but that's just his insolence. Martin ruined our family. He deserves to be as lonely as he himself wanted to be."

"How did he ruin your family?" I kept on asking.

"That I can't tell you. I can assume that you'll tell him about this conversation, but I want him to hear this. Repeat this to him. It's your duty to help the dumb fool, anyways."

___________________

"I'm dating Zoey. Stay away from us."

Ty's with Zoey? But I thought he was... Wait, he never said anything about where he was, or who he was meeting. I thought it was Rocky.

"Johnny, is there anything else he told you?" I desperately called, anxious to gather as much information as I can.

"No, all he said was that. Ty is telling you to leave the picture, that you have no chance of getting Zoey. He didn't say anything else." He coughed in the background. "Man, it's freezing in here. Air conditioner is pointed at me. I wish I could move, but I can't get a better signal that way."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I put down my phone and hung up while he was talking in mid-sentence. I stood up and walked and walked, until I was at the edge of the pier. The waters were rushing fiercely now. I saw as I looked down at the deep abyss.

What are you going to do now, Martin?