Dude, I love you

Chapter Twenty

Jack Johnson’s POV

Jack didn’t come for school on Friday or visit with his parents on Saturday, which put me at ease and let me relax and enjoy the weekend. Until Sunday that is, when I realized that I lost my totem. I searched everywhere for it and found nothing. I thought maybe it fell out and I kicked it under someplace or that it cut through my mattress or box spring and got stuck. I got paranoid and thought maybe one of my parents found it or Jeff since he was in my room playing online with me on Saturday.

I hovered around them all day expecting them to say something or call me on it but none of them said anything or acted out of the ordinary. I searched everywhere and no one was in my room besides Jeff and Jack and I know for certain Jack didn’t see it. He wasn’t even in the room yet when I turned around.  It probably cut into my mattress and got stuck, it’s the only logical explanation.

I went to school still feeling paranoid. It doesn’t help that it’s Monday and everything seems like an uphill tread at the beginning of the week.

I met with Rochelle at her locker before we started walking to gym class together. We seen Justin and his posse in the hallways taking their time making their way to the gymnasium. I didn’t see Jack with them. I didn’t see him this morning on the way to school either.

I realized I brought my gym shorts but not my gym shirt I didn’t want to smell for the rest of the day so I told Rochelle I was going to grab it real quick from my locker and meet her there.

When I was walking back to the gymnasium I noticed I was behind Justin and his friends. I debated just skipping all together if it meant I could avoid them. They seemed to be acting rowdy in the hallways earlier. I voted to just stick through it like all the other times and just not acknowledge them. We all walked in slightly late and they didn’t seem to realize I was behind them.

When I entered the locker room it was just me and them left as the other guys left to join the floor. Justin was the first to notice me.

“Hey Jack how’ve been? Heard from Gilinsky lately? Cuz I haven’t” He says in an insinuating tone.

“No. He’s your friend not mine.” I say flatly pulling on my shirt.

“That’s just it though. He’s gone MIA since he got in your car on Thursday and none of us have heard from him, right guys?” He says turning to gesture his arms out to get a reply from his friends. They all shook their heads.

“Well I don’t know what to tell you.” I say not bothering to hide my annoyance. “He came to my house because he got locked out of his, then he left.”

“I don’t really believe you. See what I think is that you told on him, cuz you’re a little bitch like that.” He says jabbing his fingers at my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave, giving up on getting changed for class but Justin yanked my arm back hard enough to knock me off balance and land on the floor.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” He demands, standing over me.

I got off the ground and tried to go around him but he kept blocking my path. His two friends seemed to not care what he was doing. Chris on the other hand was watching us intently.

I tried the shove my way passed him but he got completely pissed off that I put a hand on him and shoved me hard into the lockers behind me. My back was throbbing so much I collapsed to the ground and couldn’t move. When I regained the ability to move after a few moments I stood back up and faced him defiantly.

“Whoahoho, what do you think you can do short stack?” He taunts.

I didn’t feel afraid and my blood started to rush. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I walked up to him and socked him right in the jaw causing him to bend over holding his face. All eyes were on me now and one of his friends began to laugh. A sense of pride surged up the sides of my neck and into my jaw as I inhaled through my nose.