Chapter 8 : Penance

Ash's POV "Mr. Wells." Ms. Nancy Collins folded her hands over her red-and-white pinafore, at a loss for what to do. I almost felt bad for Nancy. Almost. "As an assistant to Nurse Beauchamp, I think you really ought to reconsider your choices—" "Is there anything wrong with me?" I buttoned up my shirt, tucking the excess into my waistband. "Actually wrong with me?" "Well, besides your Turning's Syndrome?" "Obviously." My tartness made Nancy look back at the paperwork with a more critical eye. Don't get me wrong, Ms. Collins was nice and had a great bedside manner, but sometimes I wondered if perhaps she imbibed in a little too much of her doctor's approved barbiturates. Which…did lead to some frustrations. Like now. "I can go right?" "You turned eighteen—oh—today? Today's your birthday? Why didn't you—" Nancy walked around Nurse Beauchamp's desk, pulling drawers randomly. "I know I saw some—here!" She pushed a lumpy mass of— "Oh." It was a bag of Pecan Sandies. I'd mentioned it to her once over a broken arm (courtesy of David and his foot) in passing, but I'd never expected her to remember. I looked up at her round face, looking for the catch, and found none. My shoulders dropped and I cursed myself for thinking anything uncharitable about Nancy. Besides Ma last night and Billie during lunch, my birthday had gone as uncelebrated as the last. It was nice for someone new to notice. "Thank you, that was…thank you." "I'm not going to call your mom because you seem keen to leave here." She stamped a form in my folder and threw the file back in the filing cabinet with countless others. "But, I think you should talk to her about the…problems you've been having at school, Ash. If you were my son—" "And I understand the concern. Truly." I picked up my cardigan off the cot Kenny had placed me on. Allegedly. I'd been passed out and Billie had run off to tattle to her mother the principal, fed up with Hurt's apparent immunity to getting reprimanded. When I'd finally come to, I was alone (O'Rourke had gotten called into the principal's office to corroborate Billie's story likely) and I only left with severe bruises, not the broken bones like I expected. Odd, but I welcomed being wrong for once. "But I'm fine. Honest." "Well, if you're sure…but come back if you feel sick at all, and remember to take your—" "Pills during the seventh period. I know. Well, bye Nancy, thanks for the—you know—" "You're welcome, Ash. And again, happy birthday." *** "He's staring at you…" "What?" I went to turn my head to look around at who was staring at me, but Billie reached over and turned my head back around. Mr. Wilson walked back down the rows, eyeing me suspiciously before passing me over in favor of giving Larry Goodson an earful for cheating. I picked up my pencil, scratching out nonsense next to an equation that looked more Greek than math... Billie leaned forward, stacking her books like a makeshift fortress before she turned to me, and whispered, "Three-fifteen, our right." I squinted, looking over the endless rows of bowed heads determined to figure this nonsense out, and locked eyes with Kenny O'Rourke. Either he was great at math or he didn't give a rat's ass. The Alpha was turned in his seat, facing me, long legs spilling out into the aisle and crowding poor Ashely Wilson's desk with his huge feet. Kenny scratched his jaw, stubble already coming in, looking at me like I was a puzzle he just couldn't figure out. Once the jerk knew he had my undivided attention, Kenny kissed the air before tossing a cheeky wink my way. I slammed my hands on the desk, mind flashing to New Year's even as my face heated with anger. Son of a— "Something the matter, Mr. Wells?" Oh no… "Well if you are so eager to learn the Law of Sines, then perhaps you can tell us what is the inverse of the function y=csc(x)tan(x). And no cheating this time, Mr. Wells. I'm game to your tricks now." The class laughed, but somehow I was able to isolate O'Rourke's raspy chuckles above everyone else's. *** "He's a menace!" Billie rolled her eyes, hair in two puffy buns thanks to the impromptu shower from this morning. Her saddle shoes clicked an irritated beat against the tile. For the last four periods, Kenny O'Rourke had haunted my every step, intent on getting into trouble with every teacher we had together. Even Ms. Thompson, whose class was the only class I looked forward to everyday and company I genuinely liked, seemed to lack the normal patience she afforded me when the jackass gave me a wet willy during a class reading of Hamlet. Detention! She had given me detention! "An ignoramus of the highest kind! He needs to be locked up in a cage with the rest of the animals and the key thrown away!" "He is acting weird. I'll give you that." Billie was carrying my bag and hers, having already bullied me into submission for temporary ownership. She was still suspicious over my miraculous recovery and kept looking at me like I'd keel over any minute. "When he was with Ma—sorry—Principle Lewis, he nearly flipped a gasket. He was all nervous and shaky. You don't think the rumors are true, do you? That he's on drugs?" "O'Rourke?" I went to shake my head but thought about it. The way he was this morning, the strange sickliness that seemed to cover his being after the shift. It didn't seem natural. He was hiding something all right, and maybe not just his relationship with Mr. Football Dick. "I don't know, maybe?" "You should stay away from him then." Billie bumped her shoulder into my arm, walking backward so she could level me with another one of her infamous looks. "I mean it, Ash. I got a weird feeling about this. This all smells like trouble and you don't need to get mixed up in it. You've already got enough on your plate." True. "Speaking of a lot of plates, you hear anything back from Morehouse? Howard? Spellman?" "Nice segue away from your problems," Billie said, side-eyeing me once we were walking in tandem again. We turned the corner toward where all the English classes were, right next to the library. "But no, I haven't heard back. Still too early to tell…" "You'll get in. They'd be stupid not to take you. Your college letter was aces, Billie!" "Here's to hoping that the admission offices of America are just as thrilled as you are by the thought of eco-friendly architecture and reducing pollution faster than companies can clog our skies." The thought of me joining her pursuits into the world of higher education died on the floor between us, unable to survive the gaping chasm of my cynicism and the natural instinct all creatures had to survive. But, I was being a sad sack, a real putz. Just focus on the present, the future would come when it could. The door said room 302 in a heavy gold stencil—the heavily tinted green glass wouldn't tell me if Ms. Thompson was still pissed off at my antic or not. My stomach twisted into knots I'm sure only Boy Scouts knew how to do. I'd never been in trouble before. I looked at Billie for support and she shrugged her shoulders, just as goodie-two-shoes as I was. I breathed deep through my nose, and held my breath, knocking in three heavy knocks. "Come on in…" *** "—So that's the deal, Ash. I can't give you an alternative—Goddess knows I've tried—but this is the most surefire way to ensure you get your diploma in June. Five credits, nineteen weeks. One study buddy. It'll be the easiest—" "No." I crossed my arms, fury making me shake with the herculean effort not to walk away. "Not him." "Aw come on, Cinderella—" "This is exactly what I'm talking about—" I threw a hand back at the pain in my ass—Kenny O'Rourke—as he laid back in his chair, propped up on a desk, legs spread out like a—a—a— "—it's not a matter of me doing it! It's a matter of having the respect needed for such a relationship to work!" "Relationship." O'Rourke waggled his eyebrows at me, sharp like his tongue. "Well Gee, Wells! I didn't know we were goin' steady. Wanna hold my hand? Make it official?" I slapped the oaf's hands away from me. "Fuck off!" "Mr. Wells," Principle Lewis' voice cracked across us like a warning shot from a bolt action Remington. Precise and explosive and full of menace. "Language." "Sorry." I bowed my head as Kenny snickered, hands in his jacket's pocket. "I—sorry." "And you, Mr. O'Rourke." Kenny's laughter cut off abruptly, a nervousness making his leg bounce up and down. "Are you a pup?" "No." His cheeks flushed, upset, but then a slyness crept across his crooked lips. "Why? You wanna call me baby, toots?" "No thanks," Principle Lewis' said coolly from where she stood by the door, archly looking down at her manicured nails. "I'm only interested in men." You could hear a pin drop. It seemed that laughing sickness had caught Ms. Thompson because she was coughing into her arm with the most joyous of smiles. "Maybe I should be clearer in what my colleague was trying to say—if you don't mind, Stella?" "By all means." Ms. Thompson sat back looking pleased as punch. "The floor is yours!" Principle Lewis leaned on both our desks, hands planted so her sharp red nails fanned out toward us. Her eyes were the same as her daughter's—a bright icy silver that looked almost mirror-like in quality. A shiver went down my spine as Kenny rocked forward with a noisy clang to be respectful. Principle Lewis didn't even bat an eyelash. "This isn't up for debate and this isn't mandatory. Mr. Wells, you've had twenty-two absences over the past year alone. We understand that your health is an issue." I ignored the way Kenny was staring at the side of my head. "And we are trying to be accommodating. We've decided to rectify your issues the best way we know how: with community service. And what better way than to help one of Sacred Heart's most troubled students?" "Even worse than Jojo?" Kenny put a hand over his heart pretending to wipe a tear from his eyes. "Wow, that's a real honor—" "This isn't a joke, Kenneth." The stern jut of her lipstick mouth was tempered by the softness in her eyes. "Contrary to what you or your little gang of misfits think, I'm not the bad guy here. I know how hard you work to keep food on your family's table—" Now it was my turn to stare at him. "—the hours you put in at Rocco's with the others. It leaves you tired. Living this double life now has you sleeping through classes. Never mind the issues with your father—" "I get it." The laughter was gone, replaced by an air of seriousness I didn't think O'Rourke was capable of. At that moment he lacked the teasing smiles of someone my age, instead, he had all the lines of a man burdened by responsibilities he'd never asked for. "No need to dig up fresh graves, right? Leave the bones where they are, Principle Lewis. Please." She nodded, curt as always. "So you understand how serious this is, O'Rourke? You'd be held back again—" "I'll pass," he sounded so sure of himself. "I have to. I need to." An urgency I didn't understand. Just what the hell was up with him? "I just…" His leg started bouncing up and down again, nervousness back in full force. He was sweating, jonesing for a cigarette maybe? Or, was Billie right, and the greaser was on something heavier? "Is there anyone else I could have, other than him?" OH, YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOL— "Other than Wells?" Principle Lewis looked back at Ms. Thompson, who shrugged and said, "Well, there is Suzy Sykes—" "No." There was no way in hell I was letting someone as pure as Suzy get tangled in the affairs of—it was bad enough that she was with—Just—"No!" "Perfect," Kenny said, railroading me. He crossed his legs, the bottom of his boot scuffing my thigh. "I'd prefer her. So when can she—" "I'll do it." "You will?" Kenny gave me a look that could peel the paint off the siding of a barn. I didn't give a shit. "Yeah." I crossed my arms, happy to knot-block the bigot. "After all, you said it was the best way for me to graduate right? I'd be a fool to miss such an opportunity." "Ash—" "Then it's done, Mr. Wells and Mr. O'Rourke." Principle Lewis stepped away from our desks, already opening the door. "I expect a weekly report for every tutoring session to make sure you both remain on task, but otherwise, you're free to go." *** "I help you out from getting creamed and this is how you pay me?" I could see Billie's car still in the parking lot and blessed my good luck. I wish it extended to the jerk following me like a smelly fart. "Jeez, Wells, what did I ever do to you?" "Exist." I ran to try and get away from him but his stupid long legs made it a power walk and nothing more. "What do you want, O'Rourke? You can't be wanting to study that badly." "I just wanna—I don't know." He seemed caught off, embarrassed. His hair was back to that pompadour he always wore it in, DA perfect in the back. "I mean maybe we don't have to be unfriendly like? Strangers? I mean, after all, I did take the fall for your punch—" I ground to a halt, gravel kicking up in my wake. "You—what?" "Took the fall when Principle Lewis called me in to see what happened. Of course, Hurt got to her first, and I figured, I always get in trouble, so… Besides," he laughed like it was the most normal thing in the world. It set my teeth on edge. I could already see where this was going and I was red. "Who was really going to believe that you were capable of gettin' the drop on somebody like David?" "You're the fucking worst," I hissed, throwing an arm up, my messenger bag swinging. "A complete bonehead waste of Alpha potential!" "Hey! Don't—" "Leave me alone! We're not friends!" I hollered, opening the door as Billie started the motor. "And we never will be." We left O'Rourke in the dust, by himself, and looking back at his bewildered face in the rearview, felt good. I wish I had seen the police cruiser lying in wait to roll up on him. Then maybe all of this wouldn't have spiraled so wildly out of control.