Chase your fate

chapter 12

A small crowd began to circle around the boys as they stared each other down.  Chase looked around, checking first to see the odds, because Alex rarely fought alone, then looking for a way to avoid doing this here.  Mom and dad would flip if he got suspended again.  Seeing that it was fight or flight, he did what he always fell back on, asess the seriousness.  "Alex... I figured you'd be tired of having your ass kicked by now."  The boys stood toe to toe, Alex grinning wickedly.  "Tell that to the scar on your lip... Chase".  "That was a long time ago Alex.. and it takes a tough guy to use 3 friends to do what he can't do alone."

The tension grew as the crowd started getting bigger, surrounding the boys.  Chase heard Kiira trying to push her way through from the back of the crowd.  He really didn't want to do this here, but it was well past walk away time.  He started to ready himself, knowing that if it went down, Chris, Walt, and Luke were going to be in the mix this time.  He would go down swinging.  "What's going on here.. Move aside.. let me through.." came the all to familiar voice of Mr. Carraway, the guidance councilor.

Devyn had been watching as Chase made his way through the room, and had seen Alex and his friends working their way towards him.  She had stood and made her way over before the crowd had grown, hearing the comments.  When Mr. Carraway broke into the crowd, she sighed in relief until he started talking.  "What's the problem boys?" he asked.  Chris was the first to speak up "Chase came over hear to pick a fight."  What? she thought. "Starting trouble again Mr. Daniels?"  Chase looked around in defeat as the boys smirked, knowing that the councilor would take their words over his.  "Well then... everyone else, to your classes.. the show is over. Mr. Daniels.. my office.".  In a quiet voice, Devyn stepped out addressing Mr. Carraway "T..that's not what happened...".  All eyes went to her.  Alex and his friends looked at her in disgust, while everyone else looked on in surprise that anyone would speak against Alex.  She tried to back away and disappear into the crowd when those soft, sad, pleading brown eyes looked into hers as though he couldn't believe it either.

"Ms. Adler... I appreciate your concern.. but, it seems like everyone else here saw something that you didn't... and.. I know Mr. Daniels"  "you wouldn't know your ass from a hole in the ground." she said before she could stop herself.  You could hear Kiira's laugh before the others started.  Mr. Carraway took a step towards her, obviously angry.  "Excuse me...  what did you just say?".  She wanted to run.. hide.. but she couldn't.  She was still angry at Alex for grabbing her, feeling that she owed Chase something.  The injustice of what was happening was boiling her blood as she unloaded in a string of words spoken almost too quickly to be understood.  "You think you know so much.. Those boys walk around like they own this school, and nothing is ever done to them.  And you're either too scared, or stupid, or trying to be accepted by the cool kids, because you were a lonely nerd in school, that you just let them get away with it.".  Mr. Carraway, obviously stung by her words and the stifled giggles from the crowd.  His face not able to hide his anger  "That's about enough from you young lady... you can wait in my office as well...". 

.......

Chase and Devyn were sitting across from each other in the small waiting area outside of Mr. Carraway's office.  Chase, fidgeting with his fingers, to keep himself busy, Devyn sitting in the chair, silently looking at her shoes.  This .... was not what he had in mind when he had dreamt of being alone with her.  How do you even begin to fix this?  Damn you Alex.  He snuck a glance up at her.   He found her perfectly beautiful, even sitting here waiting for discipline.  Her quiet breathing, the way that she played with her hair.  She stopped, then raised her eyes to meet his.  He swallowed his fear, trying to find his voice "T..thank you .... for trying.. but you .. you really shouldn't have... he.. he won't listen.".  She looks at him for a minute, trying to separate the boy she's heard about, from the boy she's experienced.  She'd seen him shy, quiet and awkward, she'd seen him fierce and angry.  There must be some truth to the stories, and she could tell that he was no stranger to fighting, from the scars that were visible and the way that he had went after Alex.  But, she just couldn't help but think that she was missing part of the story.  "I... I guess I felt like I owed you for the other day... How... how's your cheek?"

He looked down, still regretting that she had seen him like that, then looked back up to find her lovely eyes watching him through the glasses that she wore.  "It.. it's fine.." he said, wishing they could talk about anything else.  She looked down, then back up to him "I... I'm sorry about all of this... It's all my fault.".  "This? .. No... Alex is an ass.. that's not your fault." "Ok... well.. but still.. if you hadn't.." "Devyn... what kind of person would have just walked away?  I had to do something.".  She looked back, seeing that he wasn't comfortable talking like this, she leaned away a little to give him some space.  "You... you would be surprised.. how many people just walk away..."  He noticed the sadness in her eyes and her voice when she spoke that statement.  He was trying to think of a way to respond when Mr. Carraway called him to come inside.

He grinned at Devyn as he stood up, moving into the office, taking his seat.  The little brass nameplate on the desk read 'Mr. Kitsen Carraway', it never got old.  No matter how serious the trouble was, when he sat in this chair, seeing that name, and all of the pictures of his cat scattered around the office, he couldn't help but giggle a little.  "Mr. Daniels..." he said in his best impression of Agent Smith from 'The Matrix' "it seems like your streak of good behavior has been broken.   Mind telling me why?".   Chase knew that he would need to choose his words carefully to avoid detention, or worse, so he tried to remain as calm as he could.  "It was a misunderstanding Mr. Carraway..  we.. we just bumped into each other.. and people thought that it was something that it wasn't."

Mr. Carraway leaned back in his seat, making a triangle with his fingers, assessing what Chase had said.  "hmm... and.. if I were to call Alex in here?  Would he say the same thing?" "I honestly have no idea what Alex would say sir" Chase sighed.  "Now, Chase, I know that you and Alex have had your share of problems, but, you're young adults now.. you need to learn to handle your issues without resorting to ... violent behavior." "I was just heading to class, sir, we bumped into each other, that's all." "Of course... but.. you understand ... why that is so hard to believe... don't you Mr. Daniels?" "Yes, sir, that is why I don't really expect you to believe me.".  He nodded, then spoke "I'm going to let you off with a warning... this time... but know that I'm going to be keeping my eyes on you.. the first sign of trouble, I will recommend your suspension.".  Chase nodded his head in understanding "Yes sir, I understand"

After being dismissed, he walked out the door into the waiting area, seeing Devyn jump slightly when the door opened.  Without thinking, he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  She reached up, placing her hand over his, offering a nervous smile.  He left his hand there just long enough to feel her warmth before withdrawing it, returning an awkward grin before she was called inside.

As he walked to his class, he stopped at her locker again, taking a piece of paper and quickly writing a note for her, slipping it through the vent.  As he went through the rest of the day, he went over their conversation in his mind.  Again, it wasn't the way he had wanted to speak to her, but he had spoken, and so had she.  God, her voice was like music, and the more he heard it, the more he wanted to hear.  He decided then, that maybe he would work up the nerve next week, and just go for it.  Not ask her out, but, just, talk to her, like a normal person would.  He actually hadn't sounded like a complete idiot this time, and it's not like he's never talked to pretty girls before.  He talked to Kiira, Lenora, and Natalie all the time.  "You can do this ... you can.. after all, she won't bite you."  he whispered as he walked to his class, shaking his head with laughter when he remembered Kiira's joke about quiet, shy girls.

.......

Devyn was completely infuriated when she got to her locker.  "I can't believe he gave me a Saturday detention.  Insubordination... I'll show him insubordination." she huffed to herself as she opened her locker.  She giggled a little bit when the note hit the floor, bending down to pick it up. "You are a persistent little thing aren't you... God man... suck it up and just ..... show yourself.".  She looked around seeing the empty hallway, then opened it up to read it.

"Devyn,

What you did today was incredibly brave.... I was right about you...  I'm.. almost ready... please be patient... this isn't easy for me, but I'm trying."

She sighed as she added the note to the others in her sketchbook, thinking to herself 'Please... don't be a crazy person... don't be some jackass playing some cruel joke...' She looks around nervously...then laughs.. "and please, don't be the custodian."