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Sort of quick and sketchy...sorry. |
Chapter Three: Confrontation William spent the rest of the week concentrating on making it to his classes on time without the map, and scouting out the town in his truck. He had gotten pretty good at knowing where the important points of town were such as the library, the grocery store, the movie theater, the bowling alley, and of course the pizza shop. William had made a few friends thanks to Tommyâs introductions, though he still didnât talk to them much. On Wednesday he accepted an offer to go to a party on Saturday night, but that was the most he had spoken to them. He managed to blend in, which was what he wanted, though some people would still stare at him during lunch, to see if he would boldly go where everyone else never bothered to go. But William never made any contact with Callie for the rest of the school week. He avoided her table, and sat away from her in the few classes he was in with her. He was still confused and slightly angry at the incident from Monday but as much as he tried to shrug it off, he couldnât stop thinking about it. It was so bizarre to him that he would consume his free time at lunch pondering over the whole scene, trying to pick it apart for any meaning. William thought about finding the black haired boy and asking him about it. He seemed to know more about Callieâs behavior than he was caring to share. But the boy was never around when William was free to talk. In fact, he never seemed to be around at all. At least, not wherever William was. When Friday finally came, William heard the final bell ring and with a groan remembered the stack of papers he had forgotten to fill out. As he walked out of the classroom, Tommy slapped him on the shoulder. âHey, William, donât forget about the party on tomorrow night. You got the directions I emailed you right?â âYeah I got them. Iâll be there. Oh, hey. This party isnât one of those that you have to bring a date do you?â âWell, you can bring a date. I mean people are,â Tommy said before adding quickly, âBut you donât have to of course. There are several people that arenât. But if you want a dateâ,â âNo thatâs okay,â William broke in quickly, âI was just making sure we didnât have to. Thatâs not exactly my thing right now.â âReally?â Tommy asked, as they walked to Williamâs locker, âWhy?â âI donât really see a point in dating every girl in sight,â William shrugged, âI would rather search for one and then see what happens.â Tommy looked at him in disbelief and then rolled his eyes. âThat speech definitely came from someone who has never been on a date,â he accused casually. Williamâs ears turned red with embarrassment. âSo?â he challenged hotly, âItâs not that big of a deal.â âHey, take it easy,â Tommy said, throwing his hands up, âI wasnât attacking you. But I should warn you. Donât let that fact get out. Girls around here will swarm around you like bees with honey.â âWhy?â âBecause inexperienced boys tend to be more attractive. Because they have more manners around the first girl and treat them with more respect than a boy that has had a few girlfriends. Not to mention, some girls here would love to be the first.â âThe first what?â Tommy rolled his eyes and stared meaningfully at William. William stared back at him confused, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Suddenly his eyes went wide with understanding. âWoah! No! Oh heck no!â he exclaimed, âIâm not like that! There is no way thatâs happening!â Tommy started laughing, leaning against a row of lockers. âYou crack me up Baker. But you donât have worry about it that much. Like I said, itâs only some girls here. And you can pretty much look at them and tell who they are. The rest are just as innocent as the rest of us.â William picked up that Tommy said âinnocentâ slightly sarcastically. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. This was not one of his favorite subjects to talk about and always opted out of conversations like this with his friends. âWhat about Callie?â William asked, turning away from the lockers to go down the hall to the office. Tommyâs smile faded. âCallie belongs to Alexander and Alexander only. Itâs been that way since the eighth grade. Sheâs never dated anyone else. He was her first boyfriend ever.â âWow. Theyâve been together that long?â âYeah,â Tommy nodded, âWell hey Iâve got to run. Time for work. Iâll see you tomorrow night.â âOkay, see you later.â Tommy took off in the opposite direction and William continued to the office. He started to push the door open, when something out beyond the main entrance doors caught his eye. William let go of the office door and walked to the main entrance. He watched as Alexander, with his arm wrapped tightly around Callieâs waist, led her to a dark red convertible. He politely opened the passenger door open for her and closed it after she had gotten in. As he walked around to the driverâs side, Alexander looked up at the main entrance, right at William. Even from the distance William was at, he clearly saw a glare form across Alexanderâs face. Williamâs eyebrows turned down angrily, as Alexander turned away and got into the convertible. He watched until the convertible sped out of sight before realizing what he still had to do at the office. âSomething is not right about that relationship,â he muttered, turning away. William sighed and threw his pencil down on his desk in his bedroom, and glanced at the clock. It was only eight-thirty on a Friday night and he had just finished his homework. He had nothing else he absolutely had to do any more. He didnât have to do his homework right then either. It wasnât due for another week, but William was trying to keep busy. Having no plans was definitely a down point to weekends. His parents were gone for the night, having a night on the town. William glanced at the clock again. Only two minutes had gone by. It was way too early to turn in. He glanced around the room for something to do, and his eyes fell on his running tennis shoes. âI havenât been jogging in a while,â he thought, staring at the shoes. Without a second thought, William changed into a pair of baggy, grey, jogging pants and a grey hooded sweatshirt. Tying his shoes, William grabbed his cell phone and left a note for his parents before heading out the door. He had found a park nearby that looked like a good place to run, so after stretching, he started out. It took him fifteen minutes to actually reach the park so he had to take a break before starting down the path that led through the scenic park. He couldnât see much in the dark, and made sure to stay under the decorative lamps that lighted the path. Unfortunately, jogging did not keep the mind busy and William soon found himself thinking about the events of the past week. His thoughts frequently wandered over Callie and he furiously ran harder when he thought about the glare Alexander had given him after school that day. âHe had no reason to do that. I havenât done a thing to him or his girlfriend,â William thought angrily. He kept his head low as he pounded down the path. A crack of a twig caused him to snap his head up, just in time. Callie shrieked as he skidded to a stop to avoid colliding with her. âSorry,â William muttered, bending over, trying to regain his breath. âNo itâs my fault,â Callie replied, shaking her head, âI shouldnât have been sneaking around the park. Sometimes I forget how quiet footsteps can be when youâre walking.â William took a moment to fully slow down his breathing, before speaking again. âDo you walk here often?â he asked. âAlmost every night,â Callie replied quietly, looking down at her feet. Suddenly William realized something. âYouâre speaking to me!â he exclaimed. Callie snapped her head up and looked at him confused. âIâm sorry?â âYouâre speaking to me,â William repeated, âMonday you practically denied ever meeting me or acknowledging that I existed. Did I do something to make you angry?â Callieâs face changed from confusion to fear. She glanced around them before moving closer to William. âWhat exactly did I do?â she whispered. William raised an eyebrow. It was his turn to be confused. âExcuse me? It was you that was behaving oddly. You should remember what you did.â âPlease, humor me,â Callie whispered urgently, âTell me what happened.â William stared at her for a moment, wondering if she might have a mental condition before he told her about the incident in the cafeteria. When he got to the napkin with the plea on it, Callie cut him off. âI wrote a note? For real?â she asked. âYeah. I would show it to you but itâs at home, still in my jeans pocket.â Callieâs eyes grew excited. âI remember that! I remember doing that!â she grinned. William took a step away from her. He was getting a little concerned at her sanity. Callie noticed the gesture and her face changed to sadness. âIâm sorry William. Iâm sorry for everything that has happened. I wish you didnât have to have endured that. That note was for you but I think you had better forget it. I donât want you to get hurt.â Callie pulled her jacket around her tighter, turned and started to walk away. William was startled by the sincerity of the apology and felt ashamed of his thought of her sanity a moment before. âIs there any way I can help you?â he called to Callie. Callie stopped walking. âWhat?â she asked, turning her head slightly. âI said, is there anyway I can help you?â William repeated, walking towards her. Callie turned around. âAre you serious?â she asked, staring into Williamâs green eyes, as if trying to drag the truth right out of them. âI wouldnât joke about offering my help,â William replied, staring back into the blue hazel eyes that were staring up at him. Callie dropped her gaze and stared at her shoes. It was a moment before she spoke. âYou would offer to help me after the way I treated you on Monday?â she asked, still looking at her feet. William stood there for a moment, balancing the situation. He had been pretty hurt from the incident in the cafeteria. And yet, this girl was seriously looking for someone to help her with something. âYes.â Callie looked back up and William grinned at her. âReally?â âYou DID leave me a note asking for help. Well,â William spread his arms out wide, âHere I am. Ready to help.â Callieâs face broke into a big smile and out of no where, wrapped her arms around William in a hug. Williamâs face showed shock as his ears turned red in embarrassment. âUm,â he said, awkwardly. Callie broke away, realizing what she had done, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. âS-sorry about that,â she grinned apologetically. âItâs alright. Just unexpected, thatâs all,â William said, trying to casually shrug it off. âI tend to do unexpected things,â Callie laughed, âSo beware.â âIâll remember that when we are in school.â At the mention of school, Callie grew somber again. William quickly picked up on the change in her mood. âHey,â he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and bending down slightly so he could look her straight in the eye, âWhatâs wrong?â Callie looked away for a moment. She sighed and looked back at William. âI donât know how to say this without it sounding completely ridiculous. But, I wonât be able to talk to you during school. Or any day during the daytime. I just canât.â William didnât shift his gaze an inch as he thought about what she had just said. âIt has to do with your problem doesnât it?â he asked. Callie nodded slowly. William dropped his hand, and stood up straight. Callie thought fearfully for a moment that William had changed his mind. âCallie,â William said slowly, âWhat is it that has you acting this way?â Callie knew that a question like that was going to be coming. She knew exactly how to answer it too. But she couldnât get her mouth to say it. âIâIâ,â she started to say. William watched as she furiously tried to say something. Finally Callie sighed, frustrated. âI canât!â she cried, turning away. William stopped her from running by grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around. Callie tried to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face before he noticed them but she wasnât quick enough. She scolded herself for crying in front of a boy. William saw the tears and immediately realized that Callie was not making up any of what she had said. She was completely serious about needing help and that something was preventing her from telling what was wrong. He bent down to Callieâs eye level once more. âCallie,â he said quietly, waiting for her to look at him. Callie turned her watery eyes up at him. âIs there anyone that knows what your problem is that can tell me?â Callie shook her head sadly. William furrowed his brow, thoughtfully. âAlright then. Is there anyone that you know that might be able to give me some information about you that you canât share. Someone that would be willing to help you as well?â Callieâs eyes lit up. âSydney!â she said, excitedly. âWho?â âSydney. She is my sister,â Callie explained, âSheâs in a grade lower than us. We are pretty close and she knows a lot about me. Not everything mind you. She canât tell you probably anything about my problem except what she has observed. But I know she would help in a heart beat.â âWhy havenât you asked her to help you then?â William asked. âSheâs tried. A couple times in fact. But she keeps getting blocked byâ,â Callie suddenly broke off and gasped, looking over Williamâs shoulder. William quickly looked over his shoulder but saw nothing. âCallie?â he asked, looking back at the terrified girl. âI have to go!â she whispered urgently, turning to leave. âWait! You havenât told me what your sister looks like or when I can meet her!â William said, grabbing Callieâs arm. âYou will have to meet her on school grounds during the week. Thatâs the only way it will be safe for the first meeting,â Callie whispered quickly, watching over Williamâs shoulder, âAnd you canât miss her. She is the tallest sophomore in her class. She has long, jet black hair with the ends dyed bright green. She wears a sweatband on her right wrist always.â Callie turned to leave again. But William wasnât ready to let her leave. âWhat if she wonât talk to me or thinks Iâm lying about talking to you?â he questioned. âThen tell her, âTo walk with the crowd is to blend in, to walk against the crowd is to be your true selfâ.â âButâ,â âPlease William! I have to go! I will talk to you again some other night. You need to get out of here yourself! Now hurry!â With that, Callie pulled her arm out of Williamâs grasp and tore down the path, into the darkness. William stared after her for a minute or two. Suddenly he heard footsteps and voices. There was no time to run without being seen, not to mention he wanted to see who had made Callie so upset and run. William quickly dove behind a row of bushes as the voices became clearer. âI donât know why you are so keen on pinpointing this guy. You donât have a reason to fear him,â a voice said, getting louder. âI do have a reason to keep an eye on him. And I want you to watch him. Find out who he is,â a silky, irresistible voice replied tensely. Williamâs eyes narrowed angrily as Alexander came in to view. He walked with two other boys that William noticed were regulars at Callieâs table at lunch. âLook, youâve got Callie. Sheâs yours and you know it. Why do you want us to keep an eye on this new kid. His just like all the others. He will get scared off eventually,â the other boy spoke up. Alexander stopped and spun around to face the other two boys. âSheâs not completely mine,â he said, pointing a finger at them heatedly, yet still calmly, âNot yet. Not for three years. And anyone can mess that up, between now and then. This new kid is not like the others. Thereâs something about him that frustrates me greatly.â âAlright, alright Alexander. We will keep an eye on him,â one of the boys said, throwing up his hands defensively. âWhatâs the kidâs name anyways?â the other boys asked. âWilliam,â Alexander said calmly, but there was definitely a hint of dislike in his voice. William shifted slightly in anger. Alexander was going to have his friends keep tabs on him? Why was he so threatened? âWhat do you want us to do?â one of the boys asked, as they started walking again. âUse yourâabilities, to get under his skin. Find out about him and see how much he can mess this up if he interferes.â âAnd if he proves that he can create a big interference?â The voices faded away before Alexander responded. William didnât need to hear anymore. He stepped out from behind the bushes and stood on the path, facing the way the three boys retreated into the dark. He was breathing heavily from anger and adrenaline and his fists were balled tight. âHe is part of the problem,â William hissed softly to himself, âHe is definitely a good part of the problem, if not THE problem.â William turned and started running for home. He had finally decided what he was going to do. âI may be new here and I donât know much about this place, but I know something is going on with Callie that has her confined. And Alexander has to be the cause of it for him to be worried about me,â he thought, âCallie definitely has my help now. This boy plays by his rules only.â William stepped onto his front porch and glanced out at the night sky before entering the house. âItâs on now.â |