Chapter Thirty-four: Under pressure
Winter was breaking up.
Outside was warm as tomato soup. As usual, I awoke around three-thirty on a Friday when most people were at classes. I needed pens so I planned to go to the bookstore. Out the window a breeze rattled the glass. I got dressed in my baggy black apparel and walked out the side-door hands in pocket.
Drudging up the sloping sidewalk, I reached Collin’s field as the ground buckled under my feet and the air became dense. My body collapsed as an invisible force pulled me to the cement. The earth embraced me with a full body slap and I bounced. My eyes felt like they were being pushed into my head.
Sweat leaked and I felt nothing but cold.
Alone and helpless, I laid on the grainy concrete paralyzed. Pressure waves ebbed and flowed. The pressure was squashing me into pulp. I didn’t care.
Infinite sleep might be the only cure.
Damp voices gathered around me but I could only see a blurry tunnel. It sounded like they were calling for help. Then as if re-inflated, I was able to breathe and gasped for air. Everything came back into focus and I had managed to gather a nice crowd. One guy came up to me with a candy bar and tried to force it in my mouth. I looked at him and said, “Not hungry.”
With protests from the crowd, I stood up and broke away down around the field on my way to the bookstore. As soon as I got back from my pen errand, Tim was at my door waiting arms crossed.
His arms fell and he asked, “What the hell happened?”
“People overreacted. I was just lying down, no big deal. It was nothing,” I said.
“That’s really strange Joaquin. Anyway, listen to this. Remember Tom Chamberlain? I’m pretty sure the Prof and he were fucking and his parents found out. Prof is resigning but nothing public. More information is coming. Can I grab a smoke from you?” Tim asked.
I let him in my room and flicked a bent smoke at him. He was wired and didn’t catch it. He was getting thinner than Erin.
I went and put my books down and pulled out a smoke of my own.
“Where is this new information coming from?” I asked as I sat on my bed.
“I have sources. Can I use your phone?” he asked.
The first call didn’t pick up but he made another.
He said, “What’s up sexy?” and it was Erin.
Tim covered the bottom of the phone and turned away so I couldn’t hear. After two minutes of incessant mumbles and whispers he uncovered the receiver.
“I’m on Joaquin’s phone and we were wondering if you heard anything else on the Professor Campbell?” Tim pulled a seat up, sat down and listened intently for another few minutes.
He puffed his smoke, said, “Thanks and I’ll see you later after I finish and yes I have it, bye” and spun around in his seat.
He rubbed his chin.
I spun my ring.
“Nope they weren’t fucking but Prof was too touchy for me, but that’s irrelevant. That dude’s parents are trying to blame someone else. Typical. At least he’s going to recover,” he said, stopped and shook his head.
“Listen Walk, they brought the fucking cops into this. This is very bad for business. Got to be careful. They could trace this back to me and you. Probably won’t, but if word of it hits back to Rascal, that could be a shit storm. Fuck!” he said.
I wasn’t concerned.
They had nothing on me.
“Tim, don’t worry. Professor Campbell probably flushed his shit after Icarus took a leap. He would get in more shit than you so why leave any evidence. He would have narked already,” I said while he nodded and rubbed his chin.
“You’re right, you’re right. Way too much other shit on my mind. You want to go out tonight?”
“Sure, I have taken enough time off,” I answered.
“Dinner or no?” he asked as he reached for the door.
“No, not hungry,” I said.
A warped smile twisted on his face.
“Cool, I’ll get you before we go out,” he said.
He shut the door and I opened a book. Before I could finish a chapter, I laid back to rest my eyes but faded away.
Sleep couldn’t be denied.
I dreamt of traveling in a beat up old car on the highway as a whirlwind burned with streaks of dark gray and black. It matched the car’s every move. I woke up to my door being knocked on.
My knees buckled as I opened it.
Tim stood there and said, “Get ready. The train leaves in twenty minutes.”
He put his hand behind his back and walked down the hall whistling. I was shaken by the dream and upon reaching the bathroom I realized I didn’t have any soap. There was a shampoo bottle with a little left sitting under the towel rack so I picked it up. The water wouldn’t get warm and flashed cold to hot. All I could smell was chlorine and shit. I rinsed and a toilet flushed. As I slipped out James exited a toilet stall.
“Quick shower, you’re in there for hours sometimes. You going out?” he asked.
I nodded and went to my room to finish getting ready. A matte black oxford was released from its plastic dry cleaning bag and hadn’t worn that shirt since before getting to college. I styled my hair for the first time since I got back.
The lush locomotive disembarked.