Vampire Boys Of Summer (Completed!)

Episode 22: Chi

We both turned, but there was no need. We knew it was Amanda Trump. She had that particular tone to her voice that always cried out bitch. Chrissie and Kari were both at her side as if they were attached by an umbilical cord. They all wore short skirts which were half an inch away from breaking school dress code. They also wore matching tops that were at least one size too small, guaranteeing that the entire male population would notice their assets.

Amanda flung back her hair as if it were her weapon. I always thought she had beautiful hair, but for me all the beauty stopped there. Though there were a lot of girls who worshipped the ground she walked on and longed to be part of her circle, I wasn’t one of them, and never would be. She always made that clear. Today would be no different.

“I saw you walking home with Haru like you were the queen of the school,” Amanda said. “Bet you think you’re better than everyone else now.”

“No, I don’t think that,“ I replied.

“Good, cause you’re not. We didn’t even see you at his party the other night. We were invited; Guess your invitation got lost.”

“I don’t do parties.” I could feel my voice was getting smaller, preparing myself for the old Trump verbal beat down.

“Oh, that’s right. Ever since you got caught kissing a girl and doing the Katy Perry you’ve been hiding your head in the sand.”

These were fighting words. Or at least that’s how I felt she was baiting me. I could see the look in her eye. She wanted to shame me beyond measure. She knew she had me if I threw the first punch. She was more athletic, more experienced, and deadlier if she could get the attention of a crowd. And that’s what she was getting. I could see them out of the corner of my eye almost forming a circle around us. I had to get out of there before the gap could be closed. I tried going around Amanda, but she stepped in front of me, a daring look in her eye.

“You’ll never have Haru, bitch,“ she spat. “You can walk home with him all you want, but his hands will be all over my body long before he even wonders about yours.”

Her friends laughed and half the crowd followed suit. I looked away from her. If I made eye contact I knew I would want to lash out and blacken one. I noticed everyone was having a laugh at my expense. Some hollered, some clapped and tried to egg her on. A boy with curly blond hair dressed in a woman’s blouse rolled his eyes, as if to say aren’t you going to do anything, girlfriend? I didn’t know who he was.

“I don’t want to fight you, Amanda,” I said, attempting to get around her again.

“It’s the only way you’ll get out of this circle,“ she gloated. “I’m going to kick your ass and then go get me some Haru to decorate my bedroom with. When I’ve had him once, he won’t look at you twice.” She drew her hand back so fast I didn’t see it coming.

Her open palm came across in an arc towards my face. I was going to get bitch slapped just because I was Nora Williams. But her hand never met my face. Instead it met another. Someone had stepped between us. Some other girl had taken the fury of the slap.

Her head reeled to one side, her long black hair whipping through the air and brushing my face. She recovered quickly, snapping back around to face Amanda. She didn’t slap her back, but instead leaned up close to her.

“One more move and no one’s going to look at you all,“ she said in a hushed tone, so low only Amanda and I could hear it. Amanda took a step back, but recovered her attitude quickly.

“Who the hell do you think you are, slut?” She reared her hand back again. “Don’t you know who…”

The girl punched her in the face. Amanda’s head snapped back and she hit the ground, out cold.

The other Trumps looked at each other like they couldn’t believe it. A hush came over the hallway. The girl, tall and a lot more athletic than Amanda, looked around the room as if daring someone to say something. No one did, though I thought the curly headed girly boy opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it. Chrissie and Kari bent down and tried to revive Amanda. She finally came to, but you could tell she was dazed and couldn’t see straight. It also looked like she might have had a broken nose. This made me smile a little inside.

The girl who saved my butt turned to me and said, “Hi, I’m Chinatsu, but you can call me Chi.”

“Um, hi…and thanks.”

“No problem. The new girl in school always needs to assert herself, so I look for the baddest ass I can find and then stomp her. It makes things easier.”

Angela finally came out of her silence to remind the girl there was only a week of school left.

“Well damn,” the girl said, as if she had never considered that. “Okay, well, maybe she’ll remember the ass kicking when she comes back next year. Or better yet, maybe I can kick it again this summer.”

I almost had to laugh at this because by appearance alone the girl didn’t look like a brawler; she looked like a fashion model for the Japanese version of Glamour magazine. But I held the laughter in just in case she didn’t have the same sense of humor.

“Can any of you show me where the guidance counselor’s office is at?” Chi asked. “Might as well turn myself in and take the punishment.”

“I have to go there myself,“ I said. “I got handed summer school. But you don’t have to turn yourself in. After what you did to Amanda no one would snitch on you.”

She shrugged. “I know, but to be honest, I like people to know these loud mouth bitches just didn’t slip and fall into my fist.” With a devilish grin, she added, “But it sure is a great way to meet new friends.” She put one arm around my shoulder and the other around Angela’s. “Man, I should have got here earlier in the year…”