Chapter 9
Melissa was grateful that her first and second period classes passed uneventfully. Save for the occasional stares that lingered or whispers between classmates that she could not be sure involved her, the day was proceeding as usual. She found herself feeling cautiously optimistic. She even entertained the notion that perhaps the occurrence that preceded school was an isolated incident, that the possibility existed that somewhere deep inside Kevin lurked a shred of human decency. But such thoughts were pure guesswork, and dangerous at that.
The bell sounded and it snapped her back to more rational thinking. It also signaled the start of third period with Mr. Adams. It meant she would see Gabriel, as well.
She promptly strode to her designated course. As she entered, she scanned the room for Gabriel. To her disappointment, he was not present. She took her assigned seat near the rear of the room and waited for him. In the front of the class, Mr. Adams positioned himself behind a black metal music stand that was his makeshift podium. His eyes were focused on the analog clock mounted on the wall beside the door. The tolling of a second bell would signal that the class officially began. Any student arriving thereafter would be deemed tardy.
Just before the second bell rang, Gabriel crossed the threshold. Melissa felt a rush of relief at the sight of him. She was not the only person who enjoyed his arrival though. As one of the last to enter, Gabriel held an audience of more than twenty-five students spellbound. She watched as all eyes in the classroom tracked him. He garnered a response that was equal parts captivation and appreciation. They stared approvingly, like art aficionados admiring a famous work.
She believed it impossible to look at him any other way. Gabriel James was a masterpiece. He was not good looking by conventional standards. He could not be categorized as merely noticeable. Instead, his attractiveness was worthy of awe, fascination, his features so flawlessly arranged they seemed divine.
As he sat next to Melissa, Gabriel turned and looked at her. He offered her an open, honest smile. His guilelessness was something Melissa marveled at. She wondered how a person as breathtaking as Gabriel remained so genuinely unaware of his perfection. Kevin Anderson, on the other hand, was not nearly as exquisite as Gabriel but relished in attention, preened more often than anyone she had ever known and continually stole glances at his reflection in any surface with a reflective property. He was vain by every definition of the word; But not Gabriel. Gabriel James was different, dramatically different. He was neither cocky nor conceited. Rather, he was calm, composed and humble.
Melissa smiled back at Gabriel. He mouthed to her, “Are you okay?”
She silently answered by shrugging and tipping her head to one side.
As if reading her mind, Gabriel reached across the aisle that separated them and wrapped his hand around hers, a gesture so warm and affectionate a rosy glow spread across her cheeks.
“Let’s get to work people,” Mr. Adams began droning. “And to Melissa and Gabriel, let’s focus on our classwork please. Thank you.”
Melissa unwillingly let go of his hand, opened her notebook and began transcribing Mr. Adams’s lecture.
After a lengthy fifty minutes, the session ended. With the sound of another bell, the class was freed from their instructor’s incessant whining. Happily, Melissa left Mr. Adams’s classroom hand in hand with Gabriel. Lunchtime was next and her spirits were buoyed. She smiled broadly while they walked to her locker. Gabriel suggested they grab a sandwich from the cafeteria and head out to his Explorer to eat. As they approached her locker, however, she realized Gabriel’s plan might change.
Daniella stood, waiting at Melissa’s locker.
Though Melissa was always happy to see her lifelong friend, she needed to be with Gabriel, just Gabriel. She did not want to hurt Daniella’s feelings nor did she want to alienate her friend for a boy. Both she and Gabriel had been through traumatic events together recently. And with his punishment, school was the only place she would be able to spend time with him. She knew Daniella would understand.
As Melissa and Gabriel approached, she spotted a familiar and unfriendly trio of vultures circling behind Daniella. Kelly, Marci and Kristen, the vapid pride of Harbingers High’s cheerleading squad, lurked about.
“Hey you two! Any lunch plans?” Daniella inquired.
“Umm, we were just going to get something from the cafeteria and eat in Gabriel’s car,” Melissa answered.
“Huh. Good. We won’t have to look at the whore while we eat,” Kelly muttered.
Melissa did not dignify Kelly’s cruelty with a response. Instead, she ignored the comment as did Daniella. Her friend calmly continued asking, “Want to go to my house? My mom made, like, a vat of her vegetable soup,” she offered.
Melissa’s mouth watered at the thought of Mrs. Colucci’s soup.
“My dad is off today,” Daniella continued. “He’d be happy to see you, Melissa. Alex and I are going. You’re both welcome to join us.”
“Be careful, she may try to do your dad,” Kristen murmured then laughed snidely.
Melissa lowered her head sadly. Unwilling to engage the trio in an argument, she turned instead and began to walk away, to retreat.
Unexpectedly, Gabriel lashed out. In a low, almost hoarse voice, he assumed an arrogant tone that could have rivaled the most loathsome leading man on television.
“Hey! You’re calling her a whore?” he hissed. “None of you have an ounce of the dignity and self-respect she has! You three skanks walk around here dressing and acting like hookers and you have the nerve to call her a whore? What a joke!”
Judging from the expressions on their faces, his tirade did not prove as effective as he had intended. So he added, “None of you are anything to look at anyway.”
Melissa was confident that insulting their appearances had landed a direct hit; he had struck them in their self-esteem. She had never heard him speak a mean word, didn’t know he could do so. But she was proud of him.
She watched, pleased, as Kelly Primrose, Marci Davis and Kristen Taft froze, their faces a mixture of astonishment and humiliation. Gabriel had not yelled at them as Alexandra had. Instead, he ridiculed them. His words were weightier, more significant than Alexandra’s because he was a boy; an extremely handsome boy. His words stung.
Unsure of what to do with their wounded egos, the threesome slunk away.
Melissa and Daniella turned to Gabriel in unison and grinned.
“Oh my God! That was amazing!” Daniella cried.
“Seriously, Gabriel, that was awesome! Did you see their faces? It was priceless!” Melissa exclaimed.
“I’m texting Alexandra right now! She may want to erect a statue in your honor!” Daniella declared as her thumbs worked feverishly at the key pad of her cellular phone.
Gabriel seemed discomfited by the praise he was receiving; he shifted uncomfortably before excusing himself.
To Daniella he said, “Thanks for inviting me for your mother’s soup but, I’m going to have to take a rain check. I’m going to grab a sandwich from the cafeteria and eat in my car.”
Gabriel smiled sincerely then added, “I have to review my history notes for fifth period. We’re having a test and I didn’t have a chance to study last night. I’m really sorry.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I totally understand. Besides, my mom makes this soup, like, all winter long. It’s mine and my dad’s favorite. Melissa, are you coming?”
“I think I’ll stay with Gabriel if it’s all the same to you.”
“Sure no problem,” Daniella answered without a trace of animosity. “I’ll stop by your house after school, okay?”
“Sounds great,” Melissa said as she embraced her friend. She knew she could always rely on Daniella’s understanding nature and generous spirit.
Smiling broadly, Daniella turned to Gabriel once more and joked, “You’re a rock star, Gabriel James. Seriously, you’re my hero.”
Gabriel playfully rolled his
eyes at her then snarled his lip imitating the great Elvis Presley and drawled, “Thank you, thank you very much.”
Melissa watched as Daniella, delighted by Gabriel’s impersonation, giggled and floated down the hallway toward the main entrance of the school in the front of the building.
They waited, holding hands, until Daniella left the building. Then, Gabriel turned to face Melissa.
“I forgot to dump my books off in my locker,” he began “And I have to ask my history teacher, Mr. Feldman, a quick question about the test today. I’m going to run upstairs and do that. While I’m gone would you mind getting the sandwiches at the cafeteria?”
Gabriel reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. He opened it and produced a fifty-dollar bill.
“Sure. I mean, I don’t mind. Geez, Gabriel, do you have anything smaller,” Melissa wondered aloud looking at the large sum of money he was entrusting her with.
“Sorry, that’s all I have. Do you think the cashier will have enough to give you change?”
“I have no idea. But if you want, I’ll just buy fifty dollars’ worth of cafeteria food,” Melissa teased.
“Fine, but only if you’re really hungry. Hey and if you’re going to eat that much school food I hope your dad has a good health insurance plan. You’ll need it to cover the trip to the hospital from eating so much garbage,” he joked back.
She savored his sense of humor, adored their breezy banter. To maintain their repartee, she furrowed her brow and squinted.
“I resent that,” Melissa said feigning irritation. “Our lunches aren’t so bad. Besides, who are we to criticize when our meals together have consisted largely of fast food?”
“Huh. Good point. Well then, be sure to get extra mayo and extra Swiss cheese on my turkey sandwich, you know, just to keep my diet consistent,” he winked and smiled then continued. “And if we’re going to do this right, we’ll need some fries or chips, too.”
Laughing, Melissa asked “Will that be all? I feel like I should be writing all of this down.”
“Nah. I have faith in you. You’re a smart girl. You’ll remember,” he kidded. Handing her his keys, Gabriel said more seriously, “Are you sure you don’t mind? I hate to ask you to, I don’t know, serve me.”
“Honestly, Gabriel, you don’t have to worry. I don’t feel like your bossing me or anything. After all, you did save me the other night. Picking up lunch for you is the very least I can do,” Melissa said tenderly.
“You owe me nothing. I’m just happy to know you,” Gabriel smiled sweetly then added, “I’ll meet you in my car in like, ten minutes, okay.”
“Yep, see you in ten with a whole lot of food.”
Shaking his head and smiling, Gabriel trotted off in the opposite direction of Melissa before disappearing into the stairwell.
Just as Gabriel moved out of sight, Melissa spotted John DeNardi and Eric Sala leaving the common area opposite the gymnasium. They saw her and loomed closer.
As Kevin’s friends approached, Melissa gathered her books and stuffed them into her locker as quickly as she could. She shoved the fifty dollar bill that Gabriel had just given her into her front pocket and tried to flee to the cafeteria.
Somehow, they witnessed her shove the fifty dollar bill into her pants pocket. John DeNardi offered his thoughts first.
“Well, I guess it’s safe to bet what she got that for,” he began.
“Yeah,” Eric chimed in. “I guess fifty is the going rate for a roll in the sack with her.”
“Huh, so sad though, that she has to resort to turning tricks during school hours,” John continued, raising his voice.
A few students began to gather. Melissa tried to push through and escape but could not penetrate the unwilling crowd. A hostile audience had assembled and was enjoying the show again. Inspired by the spectators, Eric and John continued.
“Yeah, man. I guess her daddy doesn’t make enough stacking bananas or whatever it is he does over at the A & P. His little girl has to work during school days instead of just on weekends,” Eric mocked.
Cruel laughter sounded from the growing mob. Melissa felt the customary nausea that accompanied each encounter with Kevin or his followers. The group crowded her, encircled her in a ring of ridicule. She attempted desperately to break the circumference of the gatherers, but was denied access.
“Who’d you bang today, Melissa, a student, or have you moved on to the faculty?” John taunted.
“Leave me alone!” Melissa shouted as she frantically strained a second time, pressing to pass through the fringe of onlookers.
Undeterred, they persisted.
“Aww. So sensitive. I didn’t think your kind was so thin-skinned,” Eric derided.
“Yeah, I thought dirty whores were tough, like they are in the movies,” John insulted.
“Just let me through!” Melissa screamed on the verge of hysteria.