His Girl

Revelation

It was Thursday and Breaker hadn't been to school all week. He wasn't answering calls either. No one was talking about it, he hadn't been arrested again. I was dazed and depressed.

"Jake, do you know where he lives?"

"Why?"

"I want to go check on him. He's just disappeared, that's not like him."

"Yes, it is."

I felt Camila smirking at my pain which must have been obvious. I didn't care, I kept grilling Jake.

"Just chill. He'll be back around."

"When?"

"When he wants." He shook his head.

"Where does he go?"

"Doesn't matter."

I was somewhere between hurt and furious. I'd been in a fairytale since he got out and suddenly he was just gone, no explanation. And this was common? I didn't know whether to worry or blame or if we were still together, to be honest.

I tried to hide it around mom. I didn't want to have to tell her what was going on. I blamed rough semester finals and she didn't probe further. I shut myself in my room telling her I was studying.

I turned on music and threw myself on the floor. My heart was severely damaged, I agonized in pain.

School was the worst. I'd been dumped and abandoned in front of everyone.

***

"Jake, I need to know where he lives. Why won't you just tell me?" I was ready to hound him for another week if needed.

"You can't just go there, Chanel."

"Why?"

"It's not safe."

"Where he lives isn't safe? What's going on? Where are his parents?" I stopped myself. I was turning into my mother.

"You really don't know anything about it, do you?"

That hurt. I guess I didn't know him as well as it felt like I did when I was around him.

Camila and her friends were taunting me. I was succumbing to the fact that they'd been right.

"How's Breaker?" Camila asked in PE. She flashed a knowing smile at her friends.

"Fine," I managed.

"Where is Breaker," she followed up.

"He's around," I said. I hadn't even made friends because of him. He really knew how to leave someone completely alone. I couldn't take it any longer.

"Sure he is," they mocked and laughed.

"Mind your own business," I finally snapped.

"What did you say?" Camila was in my face, her tall friend pulling my hair from behind, she threw an open hand across my cheek. I couldn't move, three of then restrained me while she attacked.

When they let up, I ran for the exit. She was behind me, shoving me forward into the hallway. I turned, finally one on one, I lunged at her. I didn't know what to do, but grabbing her hair felt right. I held on with both hands. She struggled to get free but I had her, I lobbed kicks at her shins until she screamed. I felt a gang of hands on me, I tumbled to the ground. Their feet came down on me repeatedly.

"Whoa!" Jake ran to my aid. He shooed them off and helped me up. I couldn't see, my hair was ratted in my face, everything hurt. I could smell and taste blood.

"Oh, Chanel, it's bad." He held my head back to stop the nose bleed.

"My mom can't find out."

We heard the onlookers begin to call for teachers.

"We have to get out of here." Jake led me to his car.

We sat inside with the windows cracked. He handed me napkins from the middle console to wipe my face. I looked in the mirror, throbbing around my orbital bone.

"What happened?" he asked.

"What happened?" I was bawling hysterically. "Where the hell is Breaker? I swear I'm never speaking to him ever again."

"No. He likes you, Chanel, I promise he does."

I looked at him, I could feel my face disfiguring with bruises, scrapes and swelling.

"Tell that to my face!" I was furious. Hurt.

"He doesn't want to lose you. That much I know."

"Well I have nowhere to go. If my mom sees this, she'll send me to my grandma's and he'll lose me for good."

Jake hit his steering wheel and grumbled expletives under his breath.

"We'll just drive down his street and see if he's there."

We were quiet the rest of the way. Once he pulled off the main road, the neighborhoods became more dilapidated. The houses were plain, dead yards and bars on the windows. I looked at Jake. I understood why he'd hesitated to bring me.

"That's it," he pointed to a duplex. It was closed up, no one appeared to be home.

Across the street, men sat drinking bottles of beer, throwing the caps at a target.

"You seen Breaker?" Jake asked.

"He left with Big Loke after some mess went down."

"What happened?" I asked. I was still covering half my face with a napkin.

"I should ask you that." The man leaned inside Jake's window. He had greasy hair slicked back, a white tank top and cut off khaki shorts.

"This is his girl, we need to find him," Jake explained.

"Oh, this is miss Chanel?" he said.

"He told you?" I asked.

"Only when he's drunk. But all good things."

"We'll cruise by Loke's then," Jake said.

"Yeah, Daryl's in lockup and his mom's not answering the door. They need some space. You know how it is."

I shrank in the seat as we drove away. My stomach was in knots. What was he shielding me from?