The Dragon Lady of Hamilton High

  Part of me wanted to ignore the comment but Max’s lecture popped into my head. I focused on my breathing for a moment. “It’s not that bad, it just looks colorful. I’ve had worse.”

  “I saw what happened in the hallway. That was awesome that you stood up for Kevin. Most kids think he’s dumb because he doesn’t talk and he’s big but I’ve known him a long time. We went to the same grade school. He’s really smart. He can draw, too.”

  “He made something for his mom in ceramic class. He had it in his arms with his books. I just didn’t want to see it get broken.”

  Rebecca’s face softened. “That’s so special. His mom has been sick a long time. My mom says she has cancer.” She looked ready to cry. “You’re so brave to stand up to Tony Burns. He’s such a bully. No wonder my brother thinks you’re the coolest.”

  “I’m not brave.” I’ve never considered myself that. I pulled my jacket a little tighter around me. “My dragons are brave.”

  Ms. Green finally came in the room but she was busy at her desk. Rebecca looked at my clothes. “That one is really different than the one on your gee.”

  “This is Sirrush. The Babylonian’s believed he symbolized chaos.”

  Ms. Green began passing back assignments. “Those of you who actually turned in your work, did a great job.” She came down the row and handed me back the map. “Nicely done.” She handed a packet of paper to Rebecca. “Interesting story. I like your use of cultural issues in the characters.” She moved on.

  Rebecca looked relieved. “I was afraid she wasn’t going to like it.” Rebecca rubbed her forehead.

  I could see the grimace of pain cross her face. “Are you okay?”

  “It’s just another headache. I get them all the time in school. The nurse thinks it’s these lights – they flicker. I’ve already been to the health room once today. I don’t really want to go again. Whatever kind of aspirin the nurse gives out gives me an upset stomach.”

  I hate taking any kind of pills. I’ve always found other ways of dealing with pain. I looked over at her. I could see the tension in her body. “Taking too much aspirin isn’t good for you. Just close your eyes for a few minutes.”

  She did. “Tell me about your dragons. Do they all have names?”

  I watched Ms. Green, trying to decide if she’d get mad that we were talking but others were also talking quietly. “They do. My dragons are based on historical mythical dragons. There are dragons all over the world.”

  She leaned back against the wall. “I wish I had a dragon.”

  Fusan’s voice seemed to echo in my mind. “Dragons only come to those with pure hearts and sound bodies. They are noble creatures who only serve worthy hosts.” I realized how condescending that sounded. “At least that’s what I was told by the person who taught me to draw dragons.”

  Rebecca looked over at me. “Do you think a dragon would find me worthy?”

  Ms. Green moved to the front of the class and began her lecture. We were moving on to the people of the southeastern United States who were heavily influenced by the culture of the Deep South before the Civil War.

  At the end of class, Rebecca started to get up. I watched her and wondered if the lights were really giving her headaches or if it was something else. I tapped her on the shoulder. “Bring me a shirt and we’ll see if we can find you a dragon.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  I moved onto the Senior Lit and another round of Grapes. I’d refreshed myself with the story that morning so I felt more confident to partake in the class discussion.

  Mr. Linton noticed my hand as I walked in the classroom. “Ouch. That looks like it hurt. What’s the other half of the equation look like?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” I went to the back of the room.

  Tony walked in. He looked around but didn’t head to his normal seat. He came down the row and dropped into the seat next to mine. He looked over at me with a comical sad look. “Can I kiss it and make it better?”

  I opened my book. “No.”

  He put on a pout. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, you know.”

  I considered all my options. I realized Kevin needed protection, especially after school. I looked at him. “Don’t you dare even think of messing with Kevin. Leave him alone.”

  David had taken the seat in front of mine. He scowled at Tony. “If he does, I’ll tell my dad and he’ll beat the shit out of him.”

  Tony’s expression tightened. Every nerve in my body tensed. I’d seen that look before. It had been on a student in a dojo back east. I’d been maybe fourteen and had no real understanding of what men did with each other. It was a frightening awakening for me when I learned the truth. It was even worse to discover that some boys were forced by older ones into doing things they really didn’t want to do. I thought about the conversation I’d overheard and wondered if Tony and David were in that situation.

  Mr. Linton called the class to order and we got into the story. He was discussing my least favorite character, Jim Casy. Everyone was saying how important he was and why he was so great. I frowned. Mr. Linton must have noticed. “Erin. What do you think of Jim Casy?”

  “I don’t like him. I know he’s supposed to represent the morality of the situation but he’s not realistic. I prefer Tom before Casy messes with his head. He’s in the present, not thinking about his past or so much worried about the future. Jim Casy messed him up.”

  Tony looked over at me with an odd expression. The rest of the class stared at me. Mr. Linton looked thoughtful. “That’s an interesting insight.” The bell rang. I was relieved. “Assignment on the board, people.” Everyone spilled out into the hall.

  I could feel someone behind me and turned around. Tony was right there. “You are in my personal space.”

  He looked like I’d slapped him. He backed up a step. “Sorry.” He looked down at my hand. “I really am. About your hand, you know.” He started to turn away then looked back at me. “I don’t like Casy either. He gives me the creeps.” He disappeared into the crowd.

  I shuddered and went to gym class. His statement stuck with me. Casy creeped me out, too. It was something I could never put my finger on.

  I wasn’t really focused when I walked into the locker room. Years of training saved me. Movement in my peripheral vision caused an immediate response. I jumped aside as the frame of the uneven bars, which had been leaning against a wall, crashed down almost on top of me.

  Every nerve went into action mode. It was a good thing Rita was around the corner or I might have accidentally done her damage. She came around the corner looking both smug and faking shock. “You are such a klutz.”

  Ms. Addison came running. Half the school probably heard the clatter. She stopped in the hallway. “Erin, are you hurt?”

  “No, ma’am.” I forced myself to relax and released my body from ready stance. I didn’t even look at Rita. I began picking up the fallen equipment.

  Ms. Addison helped. She secured the safety lines to the equipment. By the time the hallway was clear, everyone else had moved back into the locker room to change. I could hear Rita and her clutch giggling. Ms. Addison touched my arm and motioned toward the gym. I followed her into her office. She shut the door. “Now tell me what happened.”

  It really was my own fault. I should have been paying attention. “I apologize. I should have been watching where I was going.”

  She frowned. “That was no accident. I secured the support ropes when I took the equipment down and put it in the hall. You don’t need to cover for Rita.”

  I’ve never liked telling on other kids. I think it’s tacky and in the long run, it gets me into worse situations. I shrugged. “I really wasn’t paying attention. If I had been, I would have noticed the equipment was loose. Regardless of who instigated the situation, if I’d been focused, I wouldn’t have walked into it to begin with.”

  She shook her head. Then frowned. “What happened to your hand?”

  I glanced at it. It
had gotten even more colorful. Now there were shades of green and yellow around the edges of the scarlet and purple. “I ran into another student in the hallway.” I really did sound like a klutz today.

  She took my hand and pressed on it. I did my best not to react. “Nothing feels broken but I’m tempted to make you sit out the day.”

  I glanced out her window. The balance beams and mats were out. “I won’t use it.”

  She didn’t look happy. “All right. No pressure on that hand. Go get suited up.”

  I left her office and passed the other girls as they came out. Jill paused in the hallway. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “I’ll live. Better go. Sounds like they’re starting warm-ups. I’ll be out in a few.”

  She looked uncertain. “You didn’t get in trouble, did you?”

  “No.” I watched her run down the hallway. I sighed and went in to change.

  I was true to my word. I didn’t put any pressure on the hand. I did everything either one handed or without hands at all. When it came to the balance beam, I spend most of the time helping several other girls with their routines.

  After school, Rita and the other team members got into their fancy sweat suits and went roving in the halls. Jill walked out with me. “They are such show-offs.”

  Tony and his boys were headed for the door when Rita and company cornered them. Tony looked uncertain. Rita was strutting. “Why would you want to go out with Erin? She’s such a klutz.”

  Tony scowled. “Did you do something to my girlfriend?”

  I’m not sure who was more surprised, Rita, Jill, or me. Jill turned and looked at me. “Are you going out with Tony?”

  “Only in his delusional fantasies.”

  Jill giggled. “Jamie Peterson asked me out at lunch. Everyone thinks he’s a geek but I think he’s cute. Do you have a boyfriend outside of school?”

  I’ve never had one but it’s hard to explain that to normal girls who don’t move every few months. I had never really been in one place long enough to develop a friendship. How could I ever have a boyfriend? I thought about Philip. He made me smile. He was a boy and a friend. That counted for something. “Sort of.”

  She grinned. “I figured you must. You’re so pretty. All the guys have been watching you, trying to decide.”

  “Seriously?” This was something new. I’d never been considered pretty. I didn’t wear make-up and all of my clothes were out of a free box with my own designs to hide the stains.

  A car pulled up. “Oh, there’s my dad. I have to go. See you tomorrow.”

  I waited until they had driven away then started walking. The rain had let up a little but I was still happy for the protection of the raincoat. I took it off in the entryway, along with my wet shoes, and carried it to the back room. Max was still in his seniors’ yoga class. By the time I had changed, the class was finished and the seniors were bundling up to go out to the waiting van. I helped a couple and came back in with Max.

  He was frowning. “What happened?”

  I knew he was referring to my hand. “Ah, the topic of the day.” I held it up and admired the bruise. “I saved a piece of art from the threat of destruction.”

  “Very dramatic. What’s the other person look like?”

  I shrugged. “He did apologize afterwards.” I had to laugh. “If life gets any weirder…”

  He moved to the kitchen and made us tea. “I like what you’ve accomplished with the karate class. The students have that kata down. I’d like you to begin working on Heian Sandan with them.”

  I accepted the cup. “Have they had any experience with this kata?”

  “No, but I’ve watched you work with them. I don’t think you’ll have any problems.”

  This was much more responsibility than I’d ever been given. It’s one thing to work with students that the main instructor had started but quite another for a junior master, especially one who isn’t ranked, to provide initial instruction. I went into the classroom to work through the kata myself and consider how best to present it to the students. I considered the new skills they would need to perform the kata and decided that was the best place to start.

  The class went fast and the students picked up the new skills quickly. We were even able to do a first run through the kata by the end. One of the youngest girls in class, Jaden, stopped next to me and looked up. I knelt next to her so she didn’t have to strain her neck. She smiled. “I like you.” She gave me a quick hug and ran off to change.

  I rose slowly. It felt odd. I’d never had a student do that before. Max was standing in the doorway of the classroom, leaning against the frame. “I knew you’d do well.”

  By dinner, I was ready for a break. I realized I’d never eaten lunch. I forced myself to eat slowly. The others were all talking and laughing. Philip was sitting beside me. “You are always so quiet at dinner.”

  I finished my last bite and emptied my tea cup. “When I was little, we lived with a Japanese family. Meals were always quiet because Fusan, the elder of the family, taught us that when we eat, we eat and when we talk, we talk. The two are never mixed. It disturbs the digestion.”

  Marcus, who was sitting on the other side of me, looked over. “That sounds loco.” He looked at Max. “Why would that be?”

  Max had a thoughtful expression. “It’s not as crazy as you might think. When we talk, we tend to swallow air. When you add air to your stomach, it can disturb the balance of the chemicals doing the digestion.”

  Ryan was talking to Linda at the other end of the table. He belched and excused himself. Philip laughed. “And there is another good reason.”

  Max chuckled. “Indeed.”

  Philip turned his toothy grin in my direction. “You are such a good teacher, Erin. I will do my best to be a better student.”

  I thought about my short conversation with Jill after school. I wouldn’t mind Philip as a boyfriend. I couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.”

  We finished evening classes and I went home. Mom was just coming across the street as I got to the door of the building. I waited for her. She had a couple of bags in her hand. I took one and carried it upstairs for her.

  She pulled off her dripping raincoat and hung it over the back of a folding chair. “I keep reminding myself that rain is better than snow.”

  “Is it working?”

  She rubbed the back of her neck. “Not really. They’re both wet and messy.” She put the food in the fridge and changed into her pajamas. “How is school going?”

  I had been keeping my hand out of sight. “It’s school.” I remembered my conference with Ms. Henning. Mom looked tired but maybe she’d drop me a few hints. I just had to figure out how to get her on the topic without her knowing. “I have a really interesting class. It’s call socio-economics. The teacher gave us a list of projects. There’s one I’d really like to do but I don’t want to get involve with it if we’re going to be moving again real soon.”

  Mom sighed. “I hope not. The pay here is good and we really need to rebuild our cash reserves.” She studied the floor. “I haven’t seen anyone yet.”

  It gave me an idea. “How do you know what to look for?”

  She frowned. “They aren’t regular customers. They show up and then start hanging around, constantly. Often times they are waiting across a street when I get off work. And they follow me around. Then they start asking crazy questions.”

  “Like what?”

  She shrugged. “The last guy kept asking me over and over why I wasn’t married. One of the regulars at the diner there was a cop. He actually told the guy to get lost a couple of times but the last day…”

  She was shaking. I went over and sat next to her on her cot. I put one arm around her and took her other hand in mine. “Mom, I just want to know so I can help keep a look out for them.”

  She looked up at me. “You’ve never seen them, have you?”

  It was a statement. I shook my head. But now I knew. They were real. “Mom. You know I can
protect us. I’m not going to let anyone hurt us.”

  She leaned on my shoulder. “You’re almost all grown up.” She curled her fingers around mine. I’d purposefully put my injured hand on her shoulder, out of sight. She sighed. “That last day in Omaha, the guy followed me to the laundromat. He just sat there, staring at me the entire time. He wasn’t doing any laundry. They do that. They just sit and stare at me.”

  “Intimidation.” It’s a technique some martial artists used to psych out an opponent. I’d seen kids use it in school, too. I looked at her. “Will you please tell me if someone shows up?”

  She nodded. “We should get some sleep.”

  I had at least gotten something. I hugged her. “I love you, mom.” I went to my own cot. I laid there listening to her cry herself to sleep. I wanted to cry, too. For her. Tears just wouldn’t come. I hadn’t cried since I was twelve. We’d been in Miami for four months. I’d made a good friend, probably the last real friend I’d had. We’d left unexpectedly. I missed her and found a way to call her. She’d been angry because I’d left. It had hurt so much that I had cried. The kids in my new school didn’t understand. They teased me and I’d decided crying wasn’t worth it. And I hadn’t since.

  The rain continued on Tuesday. I chose Ka Riu. He was a very dramatic dragon. The shirt was hot red, like Ka Riu. I’d done the outline in black and the highlights with the metallic gold marker. The jacket and pants were black at one time but had faded to a charcoal gray. The black outlines stood out nicely. I like Ka Riu. He was a Japanese dragon so had that classic serpent look of Oriental dragons. I’d used one of my favorite markers to add some highlights to the jacket and pants. It was called obsidian. It was black but had metallic sparkles in it. The effect was cool, especially under florescent lights like we had in school.

  Tony was on the front steps, as usual, with his boys clustered around him. Rita and her bunch were hanging a little farther back today. Rita’s expression soured when she saw me. I tried to ignore all of them. As I climbed the steps, Rita came forward and blocked my path. I started to move around her but she grabbed my wrist.

  I deftly twisted my arm and slipped my wrist out of her grasp. “Don’t touch me.”

  She looked surprised that I had escaped her hold. She reached for me again. “You can’t steal my boyfriend from me.”

  I sidestepped and got out of her way. Something in my brain clicked. Physics says gravity always wins. This was going to be bad for Rita since she was on a step higher than me. Her momentum was headed down. Somehow my brain made a series of decisions in the split second that it took for her to begin falling forward. She flailed. I ducked under her waving arms, grabbed her around her waist, turned, and planted her on the step below me. I made sure she was stable and let her go. Then started to walk away.

  Rita screeched at the top of her lungs. “How dare you attack me!”

  I shook my head and kept walking. Tony had the most comical grin on his face that I almost lost my composure. His expression changed. I felt the movement behind me. Tony jumped forward and grabbed Rita’s arm. “That’s not very nice, especially considering Erin just saved you from a face plant!”

  I turned in time to see Rita’s other hand intersect with Tony’s face. The slap echoed across the front of the school. I had to give Tony credit. He didn’t hit her back. He let her go, spouted off some profanities, and stomped away.

  David was just coming up the steps. His eyebrows arched. “Well, that’s different.”

  Rita started to cry. I have no idea why. Maybe she realized that she had just blown her chances of ever having Tony ask her out. Not that I thought that was even a possibility in the first place. I shrugged and went into school.

  I took a few things to the library and finished them off before the bell rang. First period went by quickly. I got most of the sketch shaded in during art. There was no sign of Kevin today. Tony showed up and leaned on the locker next to mine. His cheek was still a little pink. I ignored him. He waited until I’d closed the locker. “That was a good save.” He turned and walked away.

  It was so uncharacteristic that I turned and watched him until he’d disappeared down the hall. David was at the door, also watching him. He looked at me. “Wow! She must have really slapped him hard. Maybe it bumped some of his brain cells into place.”

  I went into class. David followed. He sat next to me. I turned and looked at him. “Does your father beat you?”

  I watched his expression. He swallowed hard and didn’t look at me. “Why would you ask that?”

  “I got the impression that he beat Tony by what you said yesterday.”

  He got his homework out. He looked like he was trying to decide what to say. Mr. Craig came in and spared him.

  I went to lunch and found my corner. I’d eaten about half of my lunch when I noticed Rita trying to make her way in my direction. I sighed and closed the container, put it back in my backpack, and slipped out of the cafeteria. I had Grapes of Wrath with me. I went to the library and read the day’s assignment.

  Rebecca sat next to me in Soc-Ec again. She didn’t look well. “Are you okay?”

  She looked over at me. “I thought about what you said about how too much aspirin isn’t good for you so I decided not to go to the nurse today. I feel sick.”

  “Maybe you should go home.”

  She shook her head. “I’d have to go to the nurse first and she’d try to just give me more aspirin. I’ll just deal with it.”

  I looked at her a little closer. There were beads of sweat on her forehead and she was shaking. “Maybe you have the flu. You shouldn’t take aspirin for that at all. Can’t you just tell her that you don’t want any?”

  Rebecca looked at me. “She’s been giving me aspirin for everything since I started going to school here in the middle of my freshman year.”

  “That’s a little extreme. Did your doctor prescribe that?”

  She shrugged. “I can’t remember when I went to the doctor last. Who knows.”

  Ms. Green came down the row. “What’s up, girls?”

  “I don’t think Rebecca is feeling well but she’s afraid to go to the nurse.”

  Ms. Green looked over at Rebecca with concern. “You don’t look well. You really should go to the health room.”

  “I’m just afraid that Nurse Kern is just going to make me take an aspirin and send me back to class. She always does that.”

  Ms. Green looked over at me. “Why don’t you go with her, Erin? Maybe the office staff will take one look at her and just send her home.”

  “Okay.” I picked up my books, just in case, and helped Rebecca to the office. She was so dizzy she could hardly walk. When I grabbed her hand to steady her, I was shocked. I’d expected it to be warm but it was cold and clammy. I looked over at her. “You are definitely not well.”

  We got to the office and I handed the hall pass to the secretary. She started for the nurse. I could see the line of kids waiting. “She looks busy. Rebecca is really sick. I don’t think you want her to barf on anyone while she’s waiting. Why don’t you just call her mom?”

  The secretary looked nervous. “Are you feeling nauseous?” Rebecca nodded. “Good enough for me.” She pulled up Rebecca’s file and called her mom.

  I pulled her into the chair by the principal’s office so she didn’t collapse while she waited. I sat next to her. She looked over at me. “Thanks for waiting with me.”

  “It’s okay. I lived in a few places that we’re talking about in class. I already know quite a bit about them.”

  Her mom showed up about fifteen minutes later and looked worried when she saw Rebecca. “I’m taking you to the clinic.” Rebecca smiled weakly at me and left with her mom.

  The secretary gave me a hall pass back to class. I slipped in and went back to my seat. As the class ended, Ms. Green stopped me. “Thank you for caring about Rebecca.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. “I was just worried about her. So was her mom. I hope you don’t mind th
at I stayed with her until her mom got there.”

  “Not at all. It says a lot about your character.”

  I went to Senior Lit. Tony met me at the door. “Hey, girlfriend.” He was grinning. I shook my head and pushed past him into the room. He followed and took the seat next to mine. I continued to ignore him. He sat grinning at me like a Cheshire Cat.

  David came in and sat in front of me. He looked over at Tony. “Do you know how stupid you look?”

  Tony scowled at him. “Mind your own business.”

  Professor Linton called for our homework. He went around the room exchanging corrected papers for the ones we were turning in. He stopped at Tony’s desk. “Mr. Burns. That was a very insightful argument you made. Well done.” Tony handed him his homework.

  Professor Linton turned to me. “Nice work, Ms. Dawson. I think I understand your statement concerning Jim Casy now. You’ve given me some new things to think about. I look forward to seeing more.” I handed him my paper.

  He went around the classroom giving personalized comments to each student. I looked down at my paper but watched Tony out of the corner of my eye. He was reading the comments that were written on the paper. He smiled and added the paper to his folder. I couldn’t help but wonder about the startling contrasts he presented.

  I managed to avoid Rita in gym class and escaped to the dojo after school. The afternoon classes went quickly. I sat between Philip and Linda at dinner. Everyone around me was talking and laughing. I ate quietly but listened to all their conversations. I finished my dinner and took my plate to the kitchen. Philip followed me. “It doesn’t offend you that others talk around you while you are eating, does it?”

  I set my rinsed plate in the drying rack. “I don’t get offended.” He looked puzzled. “About anything.”

  His brows went up. “Ever? Not even if people are rude or do bad things to you?”

  “I can’t control other people. I can only control myself. I choose not to get offended.”

  Philip watched me for a moment. “You are a very unique person.” He looked down. “When I first came to live with my foster family, their other kids were nice to me when their parents were looking but mean when they weren’t. It offended me. I know I speak different because I learned English in school. My family did not speak it at home. And they teased me because I didn’t know things that they did.”

  “How long have you lived here?”

  Philip started for the classroom. “About three and a half years. After my parents died, a missionary put my name in to a database and my foster family picked me. The church they belonged to helped pay the cost of bringing me to Tacoma.”

  I went in and picked up a pair of bastons. “I’ve been all over the United States but I’ve never been to another country. Was it difficult to come here?”

  He picked up his pair. “There was a lot of paperwork I had to fill out. It took a couple of years.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m seventeen. My parents died when I was ten.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I took up a ready position and he did the same. We began practicing some of the patterns that we’d been working on. The others came in and began practicing, too. Max paused in the doorway and watched for a moment. “Very good. Come to the center.”

  We all moved to form a circle around Max. We bowed to him and he returned the bow. Ryan held up a baston. “Max, why does Sinawali look so much like a dance?”

  Max grinned. “Because it is one. When the Spaniards took over the Philippine Islands, they tried to outlaw the traditional martial arts so the native people hid them in the form of ceremonial dances.” We spent the evening learning how to put all of the patterns together. By the end of class, we were getting pretty good. Max grinned. “On Thursday, we’ll put it to music.”

  Philip came up beside me. His grin was infectious. “That was so amazing!” He took my bastons and put them away. I paused at the door of the classroom to wait for him. He ran over, his arm slipping around my shoulders. He gave me a gentle squeeze. “We make a good team.”

  My face warmed slightly. “Thanks. I enjoy working with you.” We parted at the locker room doors. I went in and found Linda and Amy chattering.

  Amy looked over at me. “You and Philip are really doing well. I think you have all the patterns down.”

  I pulled my street clothes out and changed. “I like working with Philip. He’s nice.”

  Linda looked uncertain. “It doesn’t bother you?”

  I thought of what we’d been talking about in the Soc-Ec class and felt chilled. “Why would it bother me?”

  Linda put her gee away. “He’s so much taller than you.”

  I relaxed. “I’ve been able to compensate for that in the routines. We spent some time working on the patterns on Sunday and that helped a lot.”

  Philip was in the entryway of the dojo waiting for his bus when I came out. He gave me a toothy grin and his teeth stood out in the darkness. “I was wondering if I had already missed you. Now at least I can say goodnight.”

  I smiled and it felt real. All of the tension that had built up during the day with Tony faded away. “I hope you have a good day tomorrow.”

  His smile broadened. He reached out and pulled me into half an embrace with one arm. “Thank you, Erin.”

  The door opened behind us. Yan came out. He stopped and stared at us. His gaze focused on Philip. “What are you doing?” His voice was deep and rough.