Mind Over Matter...Chapter Three

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 Tommy’s introductions, though he still didn’t 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 couldn’t 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 Callie’s 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.
         “Hey, William, don’t forget about the party on tomorrow night.  You got the directions I emailed you right?”
         “Yeah I got them.  I’ll be there.  Oh, hey.  This party isn’t one of those that you have to bring a date do you?”
         “Well, you can bring a date.  I mean people are,” Tommy said before adding quickly, “But you don’t have to of course.  There are several people that aren’t.  But if you want a date—,”
         “No that’s okay,” William broke in quickly, “I was just making sure we didn’t have to.  That’s not exactly my thing right now.”
         “Really?” Tommy asked, as they walked to William’s locker, “Why?”
         “I don’t really see a point in dating every girl in sight,” William shrugged, “I would rather search for one and then see what happens.”
         Tommy looked at him in disbelief and then rolled his eyes.
         “That speech definitely came from someone who has never been on a date,” he accused casually.
         William’s ears turned red with embarrassment.
         “So?” he challenged hotly, “It’s not that big of a deal.”
         “Hey, take it easy,” Tommy said, throwing his hands up, “I wasn’t attacking you.  But I should warn you.  Don’t let that fact get out.  Girls around here will swarm around you like bees with honey.”
         “Why?”
         “Because 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.”
         “The first what?”
         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.
         “Woah!  No!  Oh heck no!” he exclaimed, “I’m not like that!  There is no way that’s happening!”
         Tommy started laughing, leaning against a row of lockers.
         “You crack me up Baker.  But you don’t have worry about it that much.  Like I said, it’s 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.”
         William picked up that Tommy said ‘innocent’ 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.
         “What about Callie?” William asked, turning away from the lockers to go down the hall to the office.
         Tommy’s smile faded.
         “Callie belongs to Alexander and Alexander only.  It’s been that way since the eighth grade.  She’s never dated anyone else.  He was her first boyfriend ever.”
         “Wow.  They’ve been together that long?”
         “Yeah,” Tommy nodded, “Well hey I’ve got to run.  Time for work.  I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
         “Okay, see you later.”
         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 Callie’s 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 driver’s 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 Alexander’s face.  William’s 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.
         “Something is not right about that relationship,” 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 didn’t have to do his homework right then either.  It wasn’t 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.
         “I haven’t been jogging in a while,” 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 couldn’t 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.
         “He had no reason to do that.  I haven’t done a thing to him or his girlfriend,” 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.
         “Sorry,” William muttered, bending over, trying to regain his breath.
         “No it’s my fault,” Callie replied, shaking her head, “I shouldn’t have been sneaking around the park.  Sometimes I forget how quiet footsteps can be when you’re walking.”
         William took a moment to fully slow down his breathing, before speaking again.
         “Do you walk here often?” he asked.
         “Almost every night,” Callie replied quietly, looking down at her feet.
         Suddenly William realized something.
         “You’re speaking to me!” he exclaimed.
         Callie snapped her head up and looked at him confused.
         “I’m sorry?”
         “You’re speaking to me,” William repeated, “Monday you practically denied ever meeting me or acknowledging that I existed.  Did I do something to make you angry?”
         Callie’s face changed from confusion to fear.  She glanced around them before moving closer to William.
         “What exactly did I do?” she whispered.
         William raised an eyebrow.  It was his turn to be confused.
         “Excuse me?  It was you that was behaving oddly.  You should remember what you did.”
         “Please, humor me,” Callie whispered urgently, “Tell me what happened.”
         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.
         “I wrote a note?  For real?” she asked.
         “Yeah.  I would show it to you but it’s at home, still in my jeans pocket.”
         Callie’s eyes grew excited.
         “I remember that!  I remember doing that!” 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.
         “I’m sorry William.  I’m sorry for everything that has happened.  I wish you didn’t have to have endured that.  That note was for you but I think you had better forget it.  I don’t want you to get hurt.”
         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.
         “Is there any way I can help you?” he called to Callie.
         Callie stopped walking.
         “What?” she asked, turning her head slightly.
         “I said, is there anyway I can help you?” William repeated, walking towards her.
         Callie turned around.
         “Are you serious?” she asked, staring into William’s green eyes, as if trying to drag the truth right out of them.
         “I wouldn’t joke about offering my help,” 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.
         “You would offer to help me after the way I treated you on Monday?” 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.
         “Yes.”
         Callie looked back up and William grinned at her.
         “Really?”
         “You DID leave me a note asking for help.  Well,” William spread his arms out wide, “Here I am.  Ready to help.”
         Callie’s face broke into a big smile and out of no where, wrapped her arms around William in a hug.  William’s face showed shock as his ears turned red in embarrassment.
         “Um,” he said, awkwardly.
         Callie broke away, realizing what she had done, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment.
         “S-sorry about that,” she grinned apologetically.
         “It’s alright.  Just unexpected, that’s all,” William said, trying to casually shrug it off.
         “I tend to do unexpected things,” Callie laughed, “So beware.”
         “I’ll remember that when we are in school.”
         At the mention of school, Callie grew somber again.  William quickly picked up on the change in her mood.
         “Hey,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and bending down slightly so he could look her straight in the eye, “What’s wrong?”
         Callie looked away for a moment.  She sighed and looked back at William.
         “I don’t know how to say this without it sounding completely ridiculous.  But, I won’t be able to talk to you during school.  Or any day during the daytime.  I just can’t.”
         William didn’t shift his gaze an inch as he thought about what she had just said.
         “It has to do with your problem doesn’t it?” 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.
         “Callie,” William said slowly, “What is it that has you acting this way?”
         Callie knew that a question like that was going to be coming.  She knew exactly how to answer it too.  But she couldn’t get her mouth to say it.
         “I–I—,” she started to say.
         William watched as she furiously tried to say something.  Finally Callie sighed, frustrated.
         “I can’t!” 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 wasn’t 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 Callie’s eye level once more.
         “Callie,” he said quietly, waiting for her to look at him.
         Callie turned her watery eyes up at him.
         “Is there anyone that knows what your problem is that can tell me?”
         Callie shook her head sadly.  William furrowed his brow, thoughtfully.
         “Alright then.  Is there anyone that you know that might be able to give me some information about you that you can’t share.  Someone that would be willing to help you as well?”
         Callie’s eyes lit up.
         “Sydney!” she said, excitedly.
         “Who?”
         “Sydney.  She is my sister,” Callie explained, “She’s in a grade lower than us.  We are pretty close and she knows a lot about me.  Not everything mind you.  She can’t tell you probably anything about my problem except what she has observed.  But I know she would help in a heart beat.”
         “Why haven’t you asked her to help you then?” William asked.
         “She’s tried.  A couple times in fact.  But she keeps getting blocked by—,”
         Callie suddenly broke off and gasped, looking over William’s shoulder.  William quickly looked over his shoulder but saw nothing.
         “Callie?” he asked, looking back at the terrified girl.
         “I have to go!” she whispered urgently, turning to leave.
         “Wait!  You haven’t told me what your sister looks like or when I can meet her!” William said, grabbing Callie’s arm.
         “You will have to meet her on school grounds during the week.  That’s the only way it will be safe for the first meeting,” Callie whispered quickly, watching over William’s shoulder,  “And you can’t 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.”
         Callie turned to leave again.  But William wasn’t ready to let her leave.
         “What if she won’t talk to me or thinks I’m lying about talking to you?” he questioned.
         “Then tell her, ‘To walk with the crowd is to blend in, to walk against the crowd is to be your true self’.”
         “But–,”
         “Please William!  I have to go!  I will talk to you again some other night.  You need to get out of here yourself!  Now hurry!”
         With that, Callie pulled her arm out of William’s 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.
         “I don’t know why you are so keen on pinpointing this guy.  You don’t have a reason to fear him,” a voice said, getting louder.
         “I do have a reason to keep an eye on him.  And I want you to watch him.  Find out who he is,” a silky, irresistible voice replied tensely.
         William’s eyes narrowed angrily as Alexander came in to view.  He walked with two other boys that William noticed were regulars at Callie’s table at lunch.
         “Look, you’ve got Callie.  She’s 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,” the other boy spoke up.
         Alexander stopped and spun around to face the other two boys.
         “She’s not completely mine,” he said, pointing a finger at them heatedly, yet still calmly, “Not yet.  Not for three years.  And anyone can mess that up, between now and then.  This new kid is not like the others.  There’s something about him that frustrates me greatly.”
         “Alright, alright Alexander.  We will keep an eye on him,” one of the boys said, throwing up his hands defensively.
         “What’s the kid’s name anyways?” the other boys asked.
         “William,” 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?
         “What do you want us to do?” one of the boys asked, as they started walking again.
         “Use your—abilities, to get under his skin.  Find out about him and see how much he can mess this up if he interferes.”
         “And if he proves that he can create a big interference?”
         The voices faded away before Alexander responded.  William didn’t 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.
         “He is part of the problem,” William hissed softly to himself, “He is definitely a good part of the problem, if not THE problem.”
         William turned and started running for home.  He had finally decided what he was going to do.
         “I may be new here and I don’t 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,” he thought, “Callie definitely has my help now.  This boy plays by his rules only.”
         William stepped onto his front porch and glanced out at the night sky before entering the house.
         “It’s on now.”