The Unkindness Of Raven

The Unkindness Of Raven|11

|TWELVE| Raven

             IT WAS THE SOUND OF A KEY TURNING, that stir Raven awake. She turn and cuddle into the sofa back. The door push open, she turned over to see that it was Mr.Nonage walking in with two cups of Lee's Coffee cup and two white Paper bags. She reach for her phone when she realized it was 8:30 am. "Morning," he greeted her as he shut the door behind him.

"Morning," she mumbled sleepy reaching for the coffee on the left side of the card board holder. 

"I heard about your car, it's the hot topic on THE WIRE.  He said as he place his bag on the stack of books and files on the left side of his desk. "Those people in the Journalist department really need to get a life." she muttered as she reach for one of the White Paper bag on Cardboard holder. 

"I think they are just obsesses with your Rebel Soul." he smiled at her as he settle his butt on his desk to stare at her. He was wearing a black suit with a white casual T-Shirt and his signature black sneakers with white bottom. At least he was matching  color coordinate today.  

"You could be a Journalist too, your writing is Phenomenal. I read your last English assignment." he told her as he got up and reach for his coffee. "I don't have the patient," she muttered. 

"I just want to find the bastard that murdered my brother and get out of Louisville." she mumbled as she unwrapped her egg and bacon sandwich.

       "What if your meant to stay?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she bite into her sandwich.

"Okay," he sip his hot coffee.

      "I think Eddington High needs a Rebel soul like yours." He smiled at her.

"I think they need me to catch this building on fire." She lean back into the sofa as sat Indian style. " You really need filter sometimes." he walked around his desk to sit in his chair. Raven didn't have friends but she like Mr. Nonage he didn't treat her like plague even when her brother was alive. He always manage to look out for us, for reason he didn't share and Raven didn't ask.

       He was always there whenever they both needed help. But now it was just her. 

"I got an empty bedroom you can stay in." he offered.

            "You sure you won't get in trouble for fraternizing with a student?" Raven asked.

"Your like a daughter to me, there will be no fraternizing." he eyes her seriously.

"Plus I will be talking to the Principal later." he said, as soft knock sounded on the door.

         "Who is it?" he asked.

"Lionel Montez Sir," Lionel answered. Mr. Nonage check his watch and click his tongue.

"Crap! I have a session with him this morning, I forgot." he said aloud as he got up and Raven reach for her Sneakers. She slip her foot into the shoes, got up and reach for her bag and cellphone in a swift motion before he reach for the door. He turned the lock and it was push open. 

         "I'm surprised your alive," Lionel stated as his gaze landed on her.

"Is that a confession?, My recorder is on-" she gritted lifting up her cellphone, as she realized he had on his varsity purple and white  Eddington High Jacket with the number twenty three embroidered on it. It cause Raven mind to flash back to Video that Lennox showed her yesterday.

  "It's a reminder that I am still in hell." he stare at her.

           "Well then I'm Lucifer, and I'm going to make your life my devil's playground." she snap as she push past him into the semi empty hallway. She felt uneasy as she walked towards her locker.  Everything was out of place and all she had was more questions swimming through her clouded mind, He arrived at her locker in quick time. As she spin in her locker combination she felt someone behind her; She turn to see it was the girl from the park.

    "Where have you been?" She asked her, She was still dress in that wash out Grey hoodie Sweater with a faded blue Jeans and a random sneakers. "I can't be seen talking to you," she muttered in a hush tone as she looked down the empty hallway. "It's dangerous," she stated in an agitated tone.

 "Since when talking to someone dangerous?" Raven asked as she slip the coffee and White Paper bag in her open locker. "What Max found out was dangerous and you trying to solve his death is just the beginning. Raven you got to be smart. I can only give you answers in bits. Have you figure out what 78 is?" she asked.

"Sorry I'm a little unhinged at the moment. Sorry I am not thinking straight." she sputtered out.

         "Max said it was his safe number." Raven heard her say as she turned to realized that she was rushing down the hallway, straight into the Coach's Eddy Office. Raven slam the locker and rushed into the direction of where she went. But just as she did, the window that leads out to playing field slam shut. She stamp her foot frustrated as she run her gaze over the untidy office. 

        The smell of stinking male hormonal sweat fill the room along with the smell stinking feets. There was a hamper filled with a zillion mustard brown and black basketballs. The door leading towards the locker swing open and she saw the lockers. She walked over and push the door open causing the scent of something horrible filled her nose. Ugh Don't these guys ever clean out this place. A few Jersey bottoms were left discarded and crumbled upon the floor along with sneakers laying in a pile in a corner.

        Raven was about to leave when she realized the number Seventy written on one of the lockers with black permanent marker. "Max said it was his safe number." The girl words stumbles into her mind. She steps further into room as she followed the numbers written on each locker. She walked counting the number in her mind: 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76  But the locker on this stretch ended at 76. She walked around the corner to see the number 77-78. Written on the side of the locker where there no door to open a locker just a plain grey platform. 

          "If your looking for locker 78 madam, I think your in the wrong locker room," a male voice blurted, Raven jump at the sound of the voice and turn to see Coach Eddy standing by the door with a file in his hand with his arm cross across his chest as he leans on the door.

"Sorry, I thought this was the bathroom." she lied.

"It happen, the bathroom is on the left." he pointed behind him.

     "And everyone knows that number locker 77 and 78 locker is in girls locker. We just put that there to mess with the new guys who join the basketball team." he chuckled. Why would Max put stuff in the girls locker room? She wonders. 

"How fascinating," Raven muttered as she walked towards him.

"Yeah, it gets them not to act like a bunch of girls. I train men not girls." he gritted as  she reach the door. "You ever thought that some men are just in touch with their feminine side?" Raven asked.  "Nah," he shook his head as she stare at him in the Purple and white Eddington High Sweat suit. 

         "That's just plain bull crap Raven." he eye her a she grasp up at him.

"Your kinda like a celebrity around here, a few students gets high on watching you retaliate." he said with a smirk. "How wonderful," she gritted as she walked out of the room and heads straight towards the girls bathroom that had a connecting door that lead to girls locker room.