Hidden Close (Jr. Year)

Chapter 43

Part 43 Of The First Draft

Monday couldn't come any sooner. Needless to say, I feel safer at school than I do at home. Never once would I ever believe that I would rather be at school than anywhere else. School in the past had only been a place where I was tortured and bullied. Miraculously, people stopped putting me down when Perry entered my life. I know that it must be some sort of hex he put on my fellow classmates. Some seemed downright afraid of me.

During third period, I became bored with our teacher's lecture and began to scribble in my notebook, trying to come up with some plan to defeat Mister Paulson. First, we need to find him, and that means we will have to do some poking around. Where, though....hmmm. The only place I think that I can safely discover some clues about his identity was at The Weekend Freak. Venturing into there, of course, would be like going into the belly of the beast. At lunch period, I introduced the notion to Perry and Becky,

“Say, you two. I've been doing a lot of thinking. Perry, do you remember Judge Jackson?”

Perry nodded, instantly gaining interest in the conversation.

“Yes, how could I forget?”

I related,

“He didn't want to fight fair, and I'm believing, that just like Judge Jackson, we have to find this Mister Paulson. Becky, do you have our back in this?”

Becky nodded, with no sign of fear being displayed on her face. A devilish grin formed on her face, and she told me, without a single hesitation,

“Oh, I'm so in. I'll do anything if I can just pay him back for the suffering he caused me and Carlie....”

She hid her face as the emotion seeped from her eyes, and I turned away to leave Becky with her dignity. I took a deep breath, and realized how selfish I have been. I'm so worried all the time about my teenage life being ruined, and all along my friends and family have been in woe. They lack the one thing that I have, and that is faith that everything, one day, will be better. I decided to use what little time I have left of my lunch period to encourage my fiance and someone who is quickly becoming my best friend,

“Don't worry, guys. Even if we fail, we will all still be closer than brothers and sisters. I love both of you dearly. Let's turn the tables on Mister Paulson.”

The bell rang, and Becky split off from us as Perry walked me to my next class. I wanted to kiss him goodbye so bad, but one of my teachers was watching us intently. I fought off the temptation and gave him what would sound like a cryptic message to anyone who would dare listen in to us,

“Gather the troops on Friday at eight. That’s when a new music act debuts at the club. We'll rendezvous with what could be our destiny then.”

A date with our fate. All we have to do is find him, right? I don't believe that Mister Paulson or any amount of his thugs could defeat us. Brad may not be able to fight, but we have three Wild Girls and two lamia that says he is screwed. Even still, I know that we may not find him. Yet, if there is a chance that we will, then I'll do anything to silence our problem. With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I'll do anything to have something to be grateful for.

The rest of the day ended just as fast as it had began. I didn’t want to sleep. My insomnia threatened to flare up when I badly needed rest. My insomnia has always been a result of my fear of the nightmares that I’ve been plagued with ever since I was six. No one has ever known about them, not even my parents. When Perry came into my life, one of the earliest things I had shared with him was my fear of sleep. I cried in his arms in what was my first intimate moment with a boy ever. He had not shared in my first kiss, as I had kissed a girl I had been sort of involved with at fourteen. I feel ashamed that my first kiss had not been with him, yet I know he was the first one to share with me something much greater than any physical act: my trust. The girl, Carolyn, had cheated on me with another girl and broken my heart. Needless to say, Perry didn't leave when I fell all apart in his arms. He is both my love and my valiant savior.

I wish he was here right now. Perry has never slept by my side. At times, I almost am led to believe that he never sleeps. As I tossed and turned, I thought about cutting, but chose to silence my desire to hurt myself by popping another hand full of pills. Anxiety meds, depression meds, and sleeping pills. Many would be out for days taking this much at once, but let's just say I've had practice. I didn't dream that night, even though I wished that Perry was  in them.

When Friday came we all met up, right on time, outside The Weekend Freak. Perry, Renee, Lana, Becky, and I were all here and dressed to kill, ha ha. Lana was especially dressed in rather arousing attire but my focus was completely on the mission.

“Guys, while the band is playing we have to find a way to gain entrance to Mister Paulson’s office. Becky, earlier on text, told me there was a way to get in there, tricky as it is. Lana?”

Lana batted her eyelashes, as if she knew what I was about to say,

“Yes, Mindi, my little sis?”

I smiled in an almost maniacal fashion,

“You, Lana, my dear, are going to distract his guards. Guys like them would die for the attention of a voluptuous woman like you.”

The table was set, and we waltzed into the club like we were straight up gangsters. Every eye was on us, save for the beautiful dark-haired siren on stage. After a brief moment, the siren went into a solo, and all eyes returned to her and her magnificent low-cut dress that showed off her goods quite nicely. Shortly after that, we found the door to Mister Paulson's office. Perry, Renee, Becky and I sat down, watching as Lana worked her magic. Right now, everything is going a little too well. I fought back my doubts and joined with the others as Lana led away the guards from Mister Paulson's door. We were shocked to see that someone who could be Carlie’s twin sister. The scar across her left cheek was the only thing telling me that it wasn't Carlie. Strangely enough, her tattoos and sexy and short red dress was similar to how the evil Carlita dressed. She did not rise from the chair at the desk, and she pointed to the door behind her, telling us, with much disappointment,

“I am ashamed to say I won't have the pleasure of killing you all. I'm too weak. Mister Paulson will see you now....”