FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2015

“NO WAY!!!” Brad, Trent, Rakeem, Amber, Jadalyn, and Madison exclaimed after Carli and I retold them what Principal Jackson had announced during yesterday’s announcement. True to their word, study hall and PE was spent with Yasmine as she laid onto me new clothes, shoes, and accessories for my “evolving contemporary artist” vibe she thought she saw in me, plus a new iPhone 10 that had just come out. We stopped for a bit of coffee and muffins from Starbucks in nearby West Haven where we shopped. And as promised, we were back in time for my US History class/first lunch block.

“Unfortunately, it’s all true,” Carli said sadly as she sipped her diet soda. “I’d prefer sending him to boarding school over this.”

“What am I going to do?” I moaned. “The Bellevue guys, save for Zach, are absent and everyone is counting on me to go.”

“Well, you got to get out of it somehow,” Amber said, her eyes glowing in dismay and frustration. “No one has ever made it to Alex’s mansion and lived to tell about it. So, give an excuse on why you can’t go.”

“He can’t get out of it if he tried,” Rakeem pointed out. “Carli’s dad and Zay’s dad are lawyers and the Bellevue kids’ parents are their main clientele. Not only that, Zach’s mom is Zay’s mom’s boss at her accounting firm. He has no choice but to go.”

Trent shook his head in anger. “I can get Coach Ackerman to talk to Principal Jackson into delaying the sleepover for a week or so,” he suggested, “or at least make him let you go to the game for the first half and probably let you have some slices at Pete’s Pizzeria. We just had you for a couple of weeks and now they are trying to steal you from us. It’s not fair.”

I shook my head. “You guys do that, and they’ll think I’m trying to be petty and callous,” I said. “They already think that I’m too dependent on you and that they think I should branch out a bit. If I got to do this, I got to do this.”

“I’m betting their vampires,” Maddie said, shuddering at the thought. “Or werewolves.”

“Screw all of that,” Jadalyn said, taking a bite of hamburger. “I bet they’re cannibals and that they want to eat Xavier for a midnight snack.”

“Or worse, they could be like those kids from that ‘Disturbing Behavior’ movie,” Carli said. “You could be a rebel one moment and a preppy serial killer the next.”

“One thing is clear, though,” Brad said, looking at me with concern. “Xavier can’t worm out of this even if they paid him to. He has to go through the door if he wants to survive.”

“You have no idea,” I said, as I ate my taco salad. “You guys pray for me. I’ll need it.”

The rest of the day flew by and by the time I left Chemistry I was waiting in the hallway when I saw a glum-looking Amber and Maddie who looked like they could use a hug. “We’ll try to call you as much as possible,” the latter said, giving me a bear hug.

“Can’t. Yasmine said the guys will want my undivided attention,” I said despondently. “It’s off anyway until Sunday. That’s when they’ll let me turn it on. It’s activated, but I can’t use it while we’re bonding.”

“As if!” Maddie scoffed. “It’s not fair. I was going to introduce you to a friend of mine who was into you. Maybe we could’ve skipped Pete’s in favor of Shauna’s Diner.”

“We’ll have next week’s game,” I assured them, giving them another hug. “And should I survive this and not be tricked into signing an NDA, I’ll be able to give you guys the full scoop.”

Zach walked towards us, his face glowing with excitement. “Ready to go?” he said.

I took a deep breath, grabbing my backpack and overnight bag with my art bag. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, letting him escort me up the hallway towards the main entrance.

Lord, help me get through this, I silently prayed. Heaven help us all!

Sadly, the sleepover had to be moved to Zach’s place on account of the major repairs Alex’s dad was working on at his house. Still, it turned out that I was worried over nothing as I was being welcomed warmly by Zach’s mother, who was a former beauty queen back in her late teens and had the looks to pull off being thirty even though she was in her forties. “We’re so glad that you decided to stop by and join the boys’ night,” she said as she hugged me. “It’s great to welcome a Southern gentleman like yourself.

I preened. “Thank you, ma’am,” I said sheepishly as I graced her with a smile. “I just hope I don’t embarrass myself. And I hope I’m not imposing on you.”

“Nonsense. Zach had told me that you needed to socialize with others and Principal Jackson thought that this would be a great way for you to branch out to the others.”

“You’re among friends, man.” Zach said. “Hey, want to help me pick up a few things from the store? We can take my motorcycle.”

“Motorcycle?!” I exclaimed. “I’m not too keen on riding on one of those things.”

“Come on,” the blonde said. “Besides, I can see you riding on one of them, getting a cup of coffee from Shauna’s Diner on the way to school.”

“I can see myself in a casket, if not on a hospital bed for six months. No thank you.” I shook my head. “I haven’t even gotten my drivers’ permit yet and while I can ride a bike and even handle roller-skating, I think that those motorcycles are death traps in disguise. Can’t we take your car instead?”

Zach grabbed my hand as we rushed past the other guys who quickly said hello, snickering at my distraught state. “Just give the hog a chance,” Zach insisted.

“Absolutely not!”

In the end, however, he won out. And surprisingly, I wasn’t even injured as we stopped by the convenient store just minutes away from Bellevue Estates. “I just need to pick up a few things,” Zach said. “Watch the bike for me.”

I nodded, watching him leave just as I saw a black SUV come towards my way. And I saw the last person I had wanted to see, the main reason I was so withdrawn.

Coretta.

She stepped out of the car, a look of relief as she headed towards my direction. “Xavier,” she breathed, hugging me tight. “I’m so glad that you’re alright.” She let go of me as she took a step back, observing me from every angle. “You’re looking great, even after all that I did to you.”

I had finally found my voice. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought that you’re in college.”

“I was, until I heard that you moved here to this town.” Coretta’s smile faded. “Look, Xavier, I think it’s time to tell you that you need to get out of this town. You’re in danger every second that you hang out with these guys.”

Wait, what? “Hang out with who?” I asked confusedly. “What are you talking about?”

“I can’t say else because you’re being watched. In fact, I’m leading you into more trouble just by being here talking to you,” Coretta said worriedly.

“Why?”

She never got to answer because from behind us a loud explosion came from the convenient store, the loud boom throwing me and my sister off our feet. Of course, I landed on the road, just in time for a freight truck to come hurtling towards my way.

I don’t remember if I screamed or not but I did see a flash coming from my right, my sister screaming my name as she called for help. That was the only thing I remembered before I had passed out for the second time since coming to Crystal Pointe. I really need to learn to eat more before I pass out from exhaustion.

CORETTA’S POINT OF VIEW

DIAMOND COUNTY JAIL

I honestly didn’t want him to be injured.

Hell, I knew I knew that I shouldn’t be in town in the first place.

But I also knew that I had to make things right with my brother. I don’t have much time left and I needed to ask him for forgiveness for abusing him like I did and making sure he never gained any favor from the other students and teachers at Tubman Memorial. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping his ego to where he can’t think highly of himself. But when I had organized a hate rally at the school’s assembly to humiliate my brother in front of everybody, I knew right then and there that I was going way too far.

Thank God that a friend of mine had told me that I was in the wrong in the first place. Of course, I didn’t care for my roommate Shana to be my nagging conscious. But when I had gotten the diagnosis from my doctor two weeks after my family left for California that I had terminal liver cancer, I knew that I had to atone for my sins. It got even more important when I was recruited by a group of young radicals called the Redbeards to help take down the revolution set by the Sentinels so they can be the future leaders of our country. And drastically using teens like my brother to help them achieve their goal.

Now, I’m at the Diamond County jail, awaiting trial that’s set for a few weeks, contemplating on how to tell my brother the truth about those Bellevue kids’ true identities and their plans for him. He probably wouldn’t want to hear the truth, but he has to. “Zay, I’m getting out of here,” I said quietly as twilight gave way to night. “You need to get out of this town before you get too caught up.” And with that thought set in my mind, I laid down on the hard cot and fell asleep.