Murders at Westfield High

Chapter 15

The good news is that there was no fallout from the swimming session incident. Evidently, Miss Gains had made sure that the three girls kept quiet. This is typically how things work. No one wants to talk about scandalous incidents because of the shame involved. Moral considerations are swept under the table and the only thing that counts is the appearance of propriety. Besides, I’m sure that Victoria entertained the thought of giving us swats but at the same time didn’t want it to become public. Her ostensible reason for even thinking about it had nothing to do with sexuality. It was strictly a fantasy about dominating males.

None of what had happened helped me get over my fall out with Julia. I decided then and there to plunge into my courses at school and get as good a grade in each as I could. Once I graduated, I could blow this place and go somewhere else and forget all this shit.

But, I couldn’t escape the web I had woven. I saw Carrie’s ghost at her old locker one morning. She mouthed the words ‘The end is near’ and it made me cringe. What was I to do? I wasn’t able to talk to Julia anymore and yet this new warning meant that she would be the next victim and that her death was imminent. I asked around about Julia, but I didn’t receive any good responses. It was as if I were poison and no one wanted to talk to me. I was really depressed and not thinking rationally.

One evening I went to the park where Julia and I had walked and sat on a bench near a neo-classical fountain. An evening breeze stirred left over leaves and a full moon peeked among the trees. I sat there with my head bowed and contemplated ending it all. I was a failure and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. My life was in free fall.

Julia was the first girl that accepted me the way I was, but now that I had screwed that up, she was gone from my life. It was if my time with her was just a pleasant interlude. I would never find another girl like her. It was over for me.

Or so I thought.

I saw someone in front of me and looked up. It was as if I was looking at a mournful angel. Her face was filled with sorrow and a tear rolled down her cheek, but she was like seeing my salvation in the flesh.

“Are you here to make our breakup official?” I asked her without emotion but with my jaw still quivering.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I haven’t been very . . . may I sit?”

“Of course. This bench isn’t reserved.”

I don’t know why I was being so sarcastic. It wasn’t like me to do that, but love has a way of making one bitter in the face of rejection.

“I had to think it over . . . I’m confused right now. This business about my sister’s murder has . . . I don’t know what to think.”

“You could have at least returned my calls. I figured that you didn’t care about me anymore.”

She looked into my face with her beautiful unblinking blue eyes and sighed. “The problem is that I care too much.”

A bolt of lightening coursed through my body, but it made me vent even though I didn’t want to. “I thought that we were doing well and all of a sudden I can’t even get in contact with you. I figured that you had found someone else . . . “

She vigorously shook her head. “No! There’s no one else.”

“I realize that I’m not the most hansom prize at Westfield High. I wouldn’t fault you if you though me unattractive with my scar . . .”

Her face exploded with anger. “You think that I’m like those other conceited bitches . . . I don’t care about your scar, damn it. You’re beautiful . . . ”

I smiled and it made her pause and glare at me. “You’re really cute when you get mad,” I said with a subtle smile.

Her expression went from anger, to surprise and then to amusement and she laughed, but her laughter subsided when I moved closer. Our faces were inches apart with our eyes locked like opposing beacons. The inevitable kiss was like a breath of fresh air, and I felt as if a giant stone had been removed from my back.

I cradled her face in my hands and her right hand folded around my left wrist. Our lips smashed together and we kissed like never before. Both of us had tears streaming down our faces.

“I’m really sorry about not getting back to you,” she said softly between kisses. “I’m surprised that you just didn’t forget me.”

“I would never forget you,” I said with my eyes flashing with resolve.

We locked into a much more passionate embrace. The world suddenly looked a lot nicer, and I now felt that I was going to be able to save Julia from a fate she didn’t deserve.

At least I hoped I could.

We walked hand in hand trough the park’s winding paths and rejoiced that we were together again. We were one again, and for that magic instant we both had a feeling of contentment.

In gym class the next day, the guys could sense that something had changed.

“What’s with you, Kramer?” Nelson said. “You look as if you’ve won the Irish Sweepstakes.”

“Nope. Julia and I are back together.”

“That figures,” he replied. “Girls are so fickle.”

Victoria came into the gym and blew her whistle. “Okay, you guys, we’re going to do some work on the rope today. Climb up the rope, touch the top and come back down. That should be simple enough for you boys.”

I was first and I did exactly what she wanted.

Neil and Nelson were okay but a few guys had trouble getting all the way to the top. One kid got frightened and had to be coaxed to come back down. He made it without incident, but sustained abuse from Miss Gains.

“Come on, you candy asses! You can do better than that.”

She made us run around the gym and jump over hurdles. Some guys ended up knocking them over, but I made it over all four of them.

Afterward a tiring session, we showered, dressed and headed out.

“How’s that car of yours doing?” Neil asked me as we were heading to the parking lot.

“It’s fine. I haven’t been driving it much of late.”

“You need to come out to the track and watch Nelson and me race.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

I got into my car and started it. I liked hearing the nice low rumble. Neil and Nelson’s rides were noisy by comparison. They had torpedo muffler packs that made a thundering, pulsating rumble that literally exploded when they pulled out of the parking lot.

My ride had more of growling rumble.