Chapter five
Walking between the tombstones
I guess even the dead have to sleep, but I would be damned if I could. It wasn't the uncomfortable paper thin mattress I was trying to sleep on or even the grave yard that surrounded the place. It was knowing that I had to find and face Kristina in the morning. She might be the first girl that intimidated me in a long time. Not because she was hot or beautiful or anything like that but because she wasn’t my type in any way. I chased the beauties of the world. You know the ones that wore itty bitty string bikinis, that drove their fathers crazy, had sexy smiles and looked like they belonged on a swimsuit poster. That was my type. Sexy babes. It was because I wronged her and had to face this skeleton in my closet, naked, so to speak. Since the day my first cover song was uploaded to the internet, I was on easy street when it came to women. Even when I screwed up big time, I just had to smile and all was forgiven. I was Jason Wang after all and everybody knew about Hazel’s last hours on this earth. I was immediately called charming and romantic. Now here I was with crooked teeth and I am sure that my shadow outweighed the old me. I was so screwed.
I finally rolled out of bed about 11 AM which was a lot earlier than I was use to. I grabbed a warm soda from the case by the door and sat on the creaky step, watching the cars pass by on the highway. Beside the house was a high school and on the other side was an old white house with too many bad coats of paint and a skinny two-story porch right in the middle that looked like a medieval guard tower. The mailbox said Kate Harris on it so at least I knew where Kristina lived.
I watched her walk out of the house, book in hand, heading towards this little brick public school which seemed strange for 11 AM on a Sunday. It was so small, I wondered how many people they could fit in it. Small town schools, I guess, don’t have a lot of students. From the step, I could see Kristina heading right towards the swing sets. She sat there, book in hand, swinging as she read. I watched as she rocked herself back and forth for quite some time, trying to figure out if she was just that boring or if there was some kind of forced isolation in her life.
I heard the deep booming bass long before I saw the late model S10 pickup pull into the parking lot. Just as expected, it had two white antennas on either side fastened to the mirror. Small town rednecks I guess. A light clunking sound followed as two blonde guys popped out bare cheated with brown tanned skin. Each one went on either side of the school which seemed kind of strange to me, but what do I know about rednecks? Maybe that's just how they act. I might look like one, but I’m pretty sure I don’t understand them.
Kristina's head popped up when they first pulled in, but she was too busy reading to pay much attention to them. I was still watching her, trying to think of a way to introduce myself without looking stupid. Any other time, I was able to tell women I was researching a woman's wants and desires for a song I was writing or maybe looking for inspiration. High school girls especially seemed to fall for that crap, but I wasn't Jason the music dude anymore. I was Jason the giant redneck. I hated being a redneck.
I decided to just walk over and say hi. I would like to say that it was part of some master plan, but it wasn't. I was flying in the dark here. As I was rounding the corner of the school, I heard a female voice frantically screaming, "Just leave me alone."
I ran around the corner to see twin brothers about my age muttering, "Oh come on. We have all heard about you. Why are you being selfish now?" I don't think they saw me turning the corner or if they did, they certainly didn't care. Making some kind of wiggling motion, the taller one taunted, "Oh come on and show me what's under your skirt. You put it on the internet so you must like showing it off."
Kristina was fighting the tears as she screamed, "Leave me alone. Just leave me be."
The smaller one followed up these brilliant comments with, "Do you think a girl like her wears panties? I really want to know." Just looking at these two, I could see that they were nothing more than bullies and definitely not what I would call seducers.
They finally noticed me and hollered, “What are you looking at you bizawk?”, as they turned towards me. I am not quite sure what a bizawk was, but I assumed it wasn’t anything good and figured probably the equivalent to a geek. Now the loaner body I was in wasn’t small by any means and I think it was stronger, but I hadn’t been in a fight ever, so brutal force wouldn’t work. Now I assume that I could outsmart them, considering they were both concentrating on me and didn’t even notice Kristina jump off the swing set, sneaking away to get home. “Well knob stopper, what are you staring at?”, as they both started storming towards me, fists clenched. Kristina was long gone by the by the time it took them to get over to me.
I was about to say something smart, but before the words could leave my lips, I felt two pounding punches driving the air from my lungs. One of them screamed, “You bastard. She is gone.”, and they kept pounding away. My stomach quaked and quivered in pain as they hit me again and again.
I tumbled and one of them jumped right onto me. His fist was cocked back, ready to smash me in the face and I didn’t fight back heroically like a normal guy would. No, I was wondering if getting my ass kicked to distract two morons would help get me into Heaven. “Stop it now Anthony McAlister.”, a woman’s voice bellowed. As the animal sitting over me stopped, she added, “If you even look at my niece again, I will make sure your parents have another daughter.”
I couldn't see the woman screaming at the thug who was standing over me, but just the way her voice cackled, I knew that she was going to be one of those butch type of woman. You know the type. Usually tall, stalky and looked like they could chase down kill and cook their own supper. In the real world, there were skinny country girls who go around in Daisy Duke shorts that let both cheeks hang out and always looked hot. Well at least none of the ones I have met.
"I swear you little creep. If you don't get out of here now, I will have the cops on your ass in minutes." This little bastard Anthony slowly slipped off me, hands held open and a grin on his face. His long, stringy, sandy blonde hair stood out against his dark tanned skin and there was this simpleness in his eyes. It was the grin though that stood out. Most people have something genuine about their smile, but his had more like a defiant tone in it and that was only accented by the way his eyebrows arched up. He was finally off me and walking backwards towards the brick building, arms still extended. In the movies when you see this, it looks submissive, but with him, it was more like a challenge.
I was getting up to my feet as the other creep, still smiling, added, "We were just joking around. We didn't mean anything by it." He was looking at me with a smile on his face, "Looks like it’s going to be a long school year for you boy. Long and painful."
The idea of facing these two thugs for the next six days wasn't appealing to me, but I figured if I was being tested or punished for my sins, it wasn't supposed to be easy or fun. Of course the way my eye was burning, I wondered how many meetings I could handle with them. They were smiling and I needed to have the last word. Ok maybe I didn't need the last word, but I wasn't letting either of them have it so I just crossed my arms, grinned and said, "You know what they say about life right?”
Still moving about in a cocky stance, the one named Anthony blurted out, "What do they say bizawk?" He was such a simple bastard.
"Life's a bitch and if yours isn't, then you aren't doing it right."
He burst out laughing, pointing down towards the ground with a finger, "Oh don't worry about that. Your life is going to be a bitch, you little bitch." He was forcing a laugh that only made him seem simpler. “You will be a bitch don't you worry about that.", he repeated.
Trying to appear calm and collected, I just said, "Looking forward to it. Nice to see who you truly are right away rather than just assume you are an ass."
I watched them strut away like gangsters until they vanished from sight. This was followed by the rumble of an engine starting and the screech of rubber ripping along the top of asphalt.
I watched the S10 tear away with a cloud of smoke and the smell of burning rubber until they were just a small black speck lost in the distance. Watching them disappear, I was well aware that these two dumbasses were going to make my last six days on earth a living hell. Thanks Hazel. You keep adding obstacles on the road of life and these two knobs were going to be landmines. Well, I would endure and overcome it all. I really didn’t have a lot of choices here. My only hope is that Kristina didn’t run away to the security and safety of home every time she found me close by and that there wasn’t a whole group of ignorant asses like those two.
My guardian, so to speak, wasn’t all what I expected. A short round woman who was as wide as she was tall with short legs. It was like looking at a real life cartoon character, only this one had tattooed arms and fire in her eyes. Whipping a white CB antenna like the ones that were mounted on the S10, it was easy to see that she wanted to take her frustration out on somebody. “Are you ok Jason?”, she asked as her eyes softened. The wrinkles on her face and curly graying hair that looked like a helmet of some kind, told me that she was somewhere in her late forties.
“Just my pride is hurt.”, I responded. It was a weird feeling knowing that this woman knew me or at least she knew Jason Hines, but she was a stranger to me.
With a loud cackle, she touched my cheek and even though her touch was soft, it burned like hell as she added, “Your face seems to be disagreeing. Don’t you know the first thing about fighting? He was punching you from the outside. You should have punched upwards from the middle.” She made an exaggerated upper cut through the air as she added, “I thought you would know that. After all, you Hines boys are known for your rumbling. My God child, your uncle Hank spent more time in the principal’s office than in class when we went to school.” Winking, she added, “Of course that was a million years ago or so it seems.”
Smiling, I said, “I am a lover, not a fighter.”
Like it was some kind of bad joke, she placed her hand on my shoulder, directing me to the old white manner type house, “You are a sweet boy Jason, but a Romeo you are not.” Still laughing, she shook her head, “You haven’t even kissed a woman and you think that you are a lover.”
"Let’s get you cleaned up.", she said. I assume that it was Kate I was talking to but didn't know for sure. I felt a little guilty as the idea that I might have just set the real Jason Hines up for a lot of ass kickings and one of the worst high school experiences ever passed through my mind. If I ever got out of this, I would have to come back and show this little one horse town that we were friends or at least become his friend. Maybe that way, my popularity would save him from the mess I had made of his life in a matter of hours. Let’s face it. He didn't have a lot going for him to start with and I made two new enemies for him. The poor bastard.
We were walking by the swing that Kristina was on and I noticed her book lying on the ground. It was Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace". I picked it up and it felt like I was holding a brick in my hand. Fumbling through the bent tattered pages, I found the end and was astonished to see the page count of 1156 pages. Kristina was definitely smarter than me. The only books I had actually read was a series of comic books. What can I say? I like all the pictures?
Staring at the book, the walking bubble smiled with pride, "Kristina might not be a beauty and has had a lot of bad breaks, but she is as smart as a whip. If only she wasn't such a stupid child." She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. "Well I am sure by now you have heard the rumors and her reputation."
It was hard not to defend her. Seeing that I knew the story or at least the highlights. I didn’t try, but knew that like most things, people see what they want to see and like most victims, Kristina paid the price. "Shouldn't we call the cops? Isn't what they did sexual harassment?" I can't say that I really thought it would do any good, but it seemed like the best thing to do. The day the cops came to my school and pulled me out of class about the comment I made about Kristina, it scared the hell out of me. Face it, I am too damn small for jail. Even juvie is not the place skinny Asian kids thrive in. It’s meant more for guys like the hoodlum twins there.
"No that won’t do any good.", she said shaking her head.
"I will tell them what I saw."
"Worse has happened to her and calling the cops didn't help. Reputation and all. Even if the mistake was made a long time ago and most of it lies, calling the cops won’t help." Staring at me she asked, "You must have heard about her reputation?"
I don't really know if it was a question or a statement, but I helped make her reputation in a roundabout way, but didn't want to admit it. I still don’t think I should be held responsible for others actions or her choices, but it was what it was. I decided to just play it cool. "I don’t follow reputations. Time has a way of making them fade."
She snickered, "You certainly are a sweet, innocent kid. Maybe you are just the friend she needs. Of course, she is so isolated that even getting close enough to be her friend is too much work for most."
"It’s a good thing that I am determined and stubborn. So are we just going to ignore what happened?”
Pointing at me, she flared up, "No. We are definitely not and don’t you go fighting those boys. Karma will pay them tenfold for what they were doing and I will make sure Maynard hears about it." Shaking her head, "Those two hoodlums of his are his responsibility. Let him handle them. I will talk to him at bingo tonight." I should have figured. Rednecks and bingo.
We were walking through the graveyard, headed toward the big white house in silence. I really wished that we could have walked along the highway, but I was following along like a puppy being lead home. I don’t know why because I am not afraid of graveyards. I just find them creepy. "Let’s get some ice on that face of yours before it swells and makes you look like a pumpkin."
She pushed me over. "Stop walking on the graves boy. How many times do I have to tell you? Walk between them. Some of your family are laid in the ground here."
I was embarrassed and just said, "Sorry."
"That's ok. Keep doing it though and I will box your ears." There was a smile on her face and her eyes turned warm and shiny so I assumed she was joking. Then she laughed, "Come on let’s get some ice on that."
I saw Kristina just standing off in the distance amongst the graves, staring in our direction as we headed towards the house. I couldn’t tell if she was angry or hurt, but either way, I could see that she didn’t look happy. After seeing a few minutes of her life, I couldn’t really blame her for not looking happy. It’s like that saying, you don’t know a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes. I walked a mere ten feet in her shoes and I tripped, scraping my knees. It made me wonder how the hell she just kept walking. “You can go over and try and talk to her if you want, but it won’t help. She just shuts the world out when she gets in these moods. Turns into a robot. When she gets upset, she goes over to the grave of a dead friend and just chats to a ghost from happier times.” Shaking her head, she just kept walking.
I watched her walking away, holding this massive book in my hands and trying to decide what to do. Obviously Kristina didn’t want to talk to anyone except some dead friend. Kristina was glaring at me as I walked over towards her, still trying to decide how I should approach her. She had this deer in the headlights look in her eyes as I came closer. I wasn’t even sure if it was because of her situation or because I was invading her personal space, but either way, without saying a word. she screamed a silent, “Get away!”
I stopped three tombstones away from her because she had this fearful look in her eyes like she was ready to bolt. “I brought your book.”, I said as I placed it on top of the stone in front of me. “I will just leave it here for you.”
“Thank you.”, was all she said without any emotion whatsoever. She seemed cold and stiff. I had always associated beauty with a smile and there wasn’t any smile on her face or in her eyes. I felt terrible for thinking it, but maybe her biggest i
ssue in life wasn’t how the world saw her, but how she saw herself and how was I supposed to fix that? I wasn’t able to perform that kind of magic.
I was walking towards the house, pondering how do you get close of a girl who had every reason in the world to hate men? Especially one that had more than enough reasons to want the real me dead. Actually, I wasn’t very fond of the real me lately either. “I didn’t run away because I was scared or needed to be saved. I did it because those boys were hurting you.”
I wanted to look back and see her eyes, but didn’t. I just answered, “I didn’t try and save you because you needed to be saved. I did it because my heart told me that I needed to save somebody.” I just kept walking but something told me that she had a smile on her face. I might not be the man I was and I never claimed to understand women, but I was certain that some of the Jason Wang charm had touched her today and that was enough for now.
I was at the front of the house and turned to watch her back swinging with book in hand. Her head was down and again, she walked forward and let her feet drag as she was pulled back. I wondered if I could I make her see beauty inside herself when I didn’t see it there. This challenge was getting more and more impossible every time I turned around.
Chapter six
Seeing the spark in the night