Teenage Fever

Hurt

The day before departure was here we all gathered outside the hotel to take pictures.
We decided to have a pool party and had ice cream brought out to us. I grabbed my strawberry crunch and found a chair and was good to go. Most of the kids were playing games in the pool. I got a good look around. After two minutes I realized that someone was missing.

Tahj.

"Brieeeeee?" I said.
She was learning a step routine with the girls when she heard me and danced on over.
"Where's Tahj?" I asked while slowly sitting up.
She stopped and looked around as well.

He was the only one gone. I checked the pool area some more and tried texting and calling him which got me nowhere. Marcus checked the hotel and his room. Stacey wandered out into the gift shop and arcade area.
After 15 minutes he still wasn't located.
I know the nigga wasn't kidnapped which means he was meaning to raise my blood pressure again.

After two hours I was livid. I spoke to no one. Pool party had long ended and even some of the kids were irritated. To make sure no one else disappeared I had everyone stay in the hotel by their rooms because you couldn't get these children to stay in their rooms for more than 5 minutes.

Five fucking hours passed and the day was pretty much coming to an end. I had long ago asked the Clockwork Orange droogs where their little mate went. And they didn't know. Yeah, okay.
I didn't want to get the police involved just yet because I think I got a good handle on Tahj and how he works.

I was pacing up and down the hallway at 9 at night still thinking. A part of me figured he ran off to one of the parks but I wasn't going to bother with all of us splitting up to search for his ass and allow there to be more chaos.

At ten while I was still pacing I saw a figure coming towards me down the hall. It gave me a quick flashback to the figure in Section 2. I even tensed up a little until the figure showed to be Tahj. I didn't feel any better. My first move was to bum rush him. I had him up against the wall. Brie was fast, I don't know where she came from but she was there to back me up off of Tahj some which didn't help.

"So this is what you do?" I yelled at him. "This is really you, Tahj, huh? Just a nuisance to everyone. Not just me?!"
I was happy to see a mild look of surprise on his face. Anything was better than that cocky, know it all smirk he sported everyday. "We all were having a good day but you had to go and fuck that up!"
"Les," Brie whispered but I ignored her. I was fed up and seeing red.
"You're such a child, Tahj. These kids did nothing to you but you just had to be selfish, wander off and ruin a good thing. We were all having a good time. All you've done is ruin things for me! I don't even know why I had to meet you. You've been the worse thing to ever happen to me."

Even Brie backed up to get a good look at me. But my eyes were still on Tahj and he wasn't shocked anymore. He was pissed. Let him be. I walked away and through all the kids that were standing in the hallway watching.

"That sounded really personal, Les," Brie let me know later that night.
Marcus and Jerome were in the room acting busy but I knew they were being nosy. I sat in my bed, relaxed with my back leaning on the headboard.
"I'm not discussing him anymore."
Brie watched me for a few minutes before walking out.
"Damn, Mr. Les—"
"Just call me Les, Jerome."
"Damn, Les, what else did Tahj do?"
I shook my head.

The day was here and the trip was ending with a bad taste in the mouth. After last night everyone was quiet. Everyone was giving me looks and avoiding me. I could have been a little more professional last night and that was my fault. I decided to apologize to everyone, except Tahj, he wasn't getting shit from me.

I did it right before we got on the bus.
"Listen, everyone. We had a good week. I'm glad that I got to spend time with you all and officially meet you all. I hope to even see and work with some of y'all next year or over the summer. But I do want to apologize for exposing my outburst to y'all. It wasn't professional or appropriate. I messed up and I hope y'all can forgive me for that. I don't want you to ever think that if you messed up I would come down on your head like that. Once again I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Mr. Les, no one really likes Tahj anyways," Kat randomly announces.
Tahj just gives her a side eye.
I had no comment cause I was done with anything that had to do with all things Tahj.

We had left that evening. I've never been more happier to get back to Section 1. I had happened to catch a glimpse of Tahj and saw him typing away on his phone. I figured it was a message to me but my phone never went off.

We left when it was dusk and arrived back when it was dark. Parents were all around to collect their kids. I stepped up to most of the parents to say 'hi' and confirm how much fun we had. I stayed back until pretty much everyone was gone, I had wanted D to get me much later. When I texted him to remind him I didn't get a reply back. I hope he didn't fall asleep.

Brie walked up to me and smiled.
"This was great. Had it's ups and downs."
We both gave each other 'meh' faces and noises.
"But for the most part it was great. I'm glad you were there."
"Thank you, Brie. We need to make you a PC one day."
She smiled at me before saying 'no'. I sucked my teeth.
"C'mon, take Karol's place."
She laughed out loud to that.
I hugged her and watched her hop into her car.
Triana was next to run up on me and hug me.
"You've grown," she tells me.
"What you mean by that?"
"I can tell you aren't the same man you was when I first met your dopey, naive ass."
I started laughing.
"These kids will do that to you."
I nodded my head.
"See you next month, Triana."
"Better," she said while walking to her car.

I checked the time before deciding to call D. While the phone was ringing I heard a screech of tires. A car had pulled up. I slowly hung up the phone when the person got out, slamming the door.

It was D. And he stopped and stood by the front of his car staring at me with hurt and tears on his face.