Blinders

Chapter Nine: The Rock Show

Mikey's P.O.V.

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"WOOHOO!" I yelled, jumping onto a desk. "I am the QUEEN!"

"Get down from there before you fall," Cassie said, chuckling.

"Nothing can hurt me! WHOOO!"

"Except a sixty on a quiz," Mr. Ross said, frowning.

"W-what?" I asked, my heart sinking to my toes as I remembered the pop quiz I'd taken second period. "WOAH!" 

Cassie burst out laughing as I fell off the desk.

"Just kidding. You got a ninety eight. Good job, Mikey."

"Don't do that!" I shrieked as all the air escaped my lungs in a relieved sigh. "My grade'd tank." I hopped back up on the desk and started hopping along the rows of desks.

"I'll give you Pocky if you get down from there," she sang.

"And sugar, we're going down swinging," I mumbled, hopping down and grabbing the box.

"Hey! Give that back!"

We started bickering over the candy as Mr. Ross started playing music over the speakers. "Play Man Overboard!" Chris shouted.

"Nah, play Slayer!" Ayo insisted.

Adeem chuckled and shook his head. He popped one of Ayo's cookies in his mouth. The other boy didn't notice.

Someone smacked the classroom door. "Chris, can you let them in?" Mr. Ross asked. "It's probably Toby, here for extra help."

"Play some damn Man Overboard," she grumbled. She jumped off the desk she was sitting on and sulked across the classroom. She yanked open the door, and her tone snapped from mildly annoyed to downright venomous. "What the hell do you want?"

"We need to talk."

I quickly slunk behind Cassie. Ayo and Adeem started skidding down in their seats. Jason shoved Chris's shoulders, and she stumbled back into the classroom. 

"Oh, shit," Cassie whispered. "I shouldn't have done that earlier. I should NOT have done that."

"We need to talk about my daughter."

"R-Rosie?" she stammered.

Mr. Ross stood so quickly the quizzes he was grading scattered around his desk. "Jason, leave."

"You can't make me. Open door policy. If you make me leave, you'll have to make the rest of them leave, too. Sit DOWN, Christina."

She skittered backwards, gripping the desks too tightly behind her back. "What do you want with Rose?"

"Visitation."

"Shit!" Cassie squeaked.

"Oh my God, Cassie, what did you do?" I hissed.

"Oh hell no, Jason," Chris said, shoving herself off the clocks. She balanced on her toes, teetering like she'd fall, and shoved her nose in his face. "You've abandoned us for too damn long. You can't just waltz back into our lives and take her because you think being sweet and sensitive is gonna get you bonus points with the ladies."

"Oh, I don't think it will." He flashed a smile, probably the same one what'd won her over. "I'm just doing what the Bible tells me to do, Christina."

I think that's the first time I realized something important.

Jason Godwin wasn't stupid.

In fact, he might be the smartest person I'd ever met.

Which was very, very bad news.

Cassie whimpered and sank lower in her seat, revealing me hiding behind her. "Ah, if it isn't the freak who can't decide!"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

"That's funny, I could've sworn you could take two days ago."

"What do you want, Jason?" Cassie asked, slowly rising out of her chair. "Just leave them alone. They haven't done anything to you."

"Oh ho ho, is this your little girlfriend, Cass?"

"Not 'girlfriend'," she growled.

I licked my lips and bit my tongue, trying to think of what to say.

"Jason, you need to leave," Mr. Ross repeated. 

He looked over my shoulder and hissed, "I know what you're hiding, Brent." He spun on his heels and walked out.

Mr. Ross sank back down into his chair. All the blood had drained from his face. Cassie was trembling. "You see, this is why I hate teenage boys," Chris said to the silent room.

"He won't get visitation. Will he?" Adeem asked.

"God, I hope not."

"I-I'm going to get water," Cassie said, bolting from the room. 

"There is no way in hell what he does is legal," I mumbled. "He just threatened a teacher. That's at least against school rules."

"I know," Ayo sighed. "He does that a lot."

"And no one cares? That's idiotic!"

"You get used to it," Mr. Ross mumbled, shrugging.

The opening notes of "Carry On Wayward Son" started echoing in the hallways. "Mikey, go make sure Cass is okay," Ayo said, shoving me forward.

She was leaning against the wall next to the water fountains. She was humming at a frantic pace. "Hey, Cassie. Breathe."

She leaned against me and mumbled, "I screwed up."

"Hey, it's okay. Everyone's okay. Mr. and Mrs. Chase will get Adeem's dad to defend them if Jason tries to sue."

She sniffled. "Today just isn't my day."

"I know it isn't, Cassie. C'mon, I think they're worried about you. Want to go back in again?"

She shook her head. "Can you stay out here with me?"

"Sure." I put my arm around her shoulders. 

A corner of her mouth quirked up. "Can we sing?" she asked.

"Sure. What song?"

She shrugged, staring at her cuticles. Then she started singing.

We were both belting, "If love is not enough to put my enemies to sleep, then I'm putting out the lantern, find your own way back home!" by the time classroom doors started slamming. We both looked at each other. We both burst out laughing. "Oh, damn you all!" I yelled. "We didn't even get to the best part!"

"You're gonna get us in trouble!" she squeaked, grabbing my arm and grinning.

"Since when do you care about that?"

"Ever since it was your butt on the line, not mine!"

I laughed and rubbed my temple. "You okay?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Yup," I said. I hoped she didn't notice my flinch at the sudden high note in her voice.

"All right, let's go back to class." She grabbed my arms and helped me up. "Dork."

Chris had covered her arms in Sharpie. "You know, you two, I'm a little jealous." She gestured vaguely at us and shrugged.

Cassie giggled and threw her arms around my neck. "Honestly, I don't know how I convinced Mikey here I'm not a total loser."

I smiled brightly. "All right, kiddo. Let's see you try to convince me otherwise?"