Karen shrugged. Derrick shook his head, his lips pursed. Others around us became disinterested in the game altogether and were talking to each other. Maybe they were wondering the same thing.
I wasn’t sure if North or Silas cared one way or another about the football games. I understood they wanted the team to do well in general, though. Would it be bad if they lost one or two? I supposed any team could have an off game. Did the almost-fight between Rocky and Silas shake everyone else up?
Crowds around us were talking and I wasn’t paying attention, but I heard my name and turned my head.
Karen and Derrick were turned to a group sitting a couple of bleachers up. Karen was saying something, and one of the kids responded. With the noise going on, I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
And then I recognized Mike and Jer amid the group, paying attention to Karen. Mike’s freckled face changed and he looked at me. He grinned and then started to walk around the rest of the group.
My heart started racing. He wasn’t going to start the proposals again, was he?
Jer joined him. They were both in jeans and with different sport T-shirts. Mike was twice the size of Jer. Were they best friends? They slid into the empty bleacher seat behind Karen.
“Hi,” Mike said loudly. His pudgy cheeks bunched as he smiled.
“Hi Mike,” I said, trying to be nice.
Jer did a short wave. “How’s it going?”
“Okay,” I said. I sensed this was something other than a greeting. They were checking to make sure I was fine with them talking to me. They were trying to test the waters? Did they think I was mad at them? Or didn’t care to talk? Karen used to tell me with the Academy boys around me, I seemed to be inapproachable.
“Hands off, Mike,” Karen said, pulling herself out of the conversation with other kids and turned around in her seat. “Silas will get you if you propose to her.”
Mike and Jer started to laugh.
I leaned into Karen to whisper to her. “You knew about that?”
“What?” she asked, a curious look on her face.
“He did that to me the first of the year,” I said.
“Oh,” Karen grinned and then nodded. “Yeah, he does that to everyone.”
Well that wasn’t so bad. Did he pick up the other girls, too?
“But she’s so pretty,” Mike said with a teasing smirk.
“Yeah,” Karen said, and in a strange tone like she was trying to agree with him and then was tiptoeing around something. “But Silas is bigger than you. He hears about you coming after his girl, and you’ll have the whole football team to deal with.”
“Shit,” Mike said. He turned to Jer. “I can’t mess with her anymore.”
“You heard what Rocky said.” Jer shrugged.
Derrick drifted up to sit beside me, but turned around toward them and started talking to Mike and Jer over my head. I was nudged closer to Karen while she started talking to other people. They pointed out players on the field, identified Rocky and Jay and a few others I didn’t know the names of. There was loads of gossip, usually things that were uninteresting.
I was stuck in the middle, and was a bundle of nerves, trying to figure out what to do. I was having trouble following any conversation because people were talking on either side of me, and with the noise of the game, I couldn’t focus.
I wanted so bad to go sit next to Nathan. Where was Gabriel? Or Luke? I itched to check my phone, but I didn’t want to pull it out from my bra in front of everyone else. I sat on my hands to stop them from shaking.
The group shifted around us, and suddenly there were students all over. Karen and I were at the center. What was going on?
I stopped panicking when I focused on one of the other students. It was the red-skinned kid that had tried to stab himself with a needle. He was a little less red, still sun burned, but it was fading. His eyes were clear – a nice blue. He was back with his friend, talking to him. They were on the other side of Karen, so I dodged around her to watch. I tried to focus on what he was saying.
Now that I knew about the JH14, it puzzled me to see him. He didn’t appear to be the type to do drugs at all. Would he try it again now that he’d been sick? His friend must have forgiven him, because they were talking again.
Suddenly the boy shifted, as did his friend. They turned to the game, focusing on the field. I followed what they were watching.
There was a kick, and Ashley Waters claimed possession of the ball. The teams lined up, waiting. They smashed together. Rocky caught the ball and was looking for someone to throw it to.
The mass of bodies crunching into each other suddenly shifted. One of our own team members broke free, running full force at Rocky. He chucked his helmet to the ground, and looked like he was going to head-butt Rocky in the gut.
“What the hell is he doing?” Karen asked.
Rocky must have realized what was going on. He dodged, but the boy kept going after him. Some of the team members turned around, aiming to tackle.
My heart lunged into my throat. I was worried it was Silas or North. From the distance, I couldn’t tell and from the almost-fight earlier, I wondered if this was what North had been hinting at.
“Isn’t that John?” Derrick asked.
His identifying who it was hit me with relief, until I realized North was one of the ones trying to tackle the now wild John.
I sucked in a breath when it hit me: John? Wasn’t he the one that had kept putting his hands on that girl in class? How was he allowed to play when he had been such a mess earlier?
Rocky made a circle, holding onto the ball and then knelt to keep possession. Referees blew whistles. Coaches were waving arms and shouting.
All the students around us stood up, their eyes riveted to the field. John never stopped. He ducked down, taking Rocky with him. He smashed his head into Rocky’s padded chest like he could dive right through it. Rocky caught him, and fell over, losing the ball. North and a bunch of others caught up to them and grabbed at John, yanking him off.
“Okay,” Karen said, “I don’t know all the football rules, but I know that’s wrong.”
“They kind of look at you bad if you’re trying to tackle your own team mate,” Derrick said.
There was a commotion on the field as the Ashley Water’s coach and some team members ran out. North and another player carried John off, struggling with him as he fought them, clawing and biting and looking like he was trying to lunge after Rocky again.
Acting crazy.
I snuck a look back at Nathan while everyone was looking at the field. He was focused on the game, following along with everyone else.
“I should go find out what’s going on,” Karen said.
“What?” I asked. She was going to get into the middle of that?
“I have to,” she said. She started walking off, toward the steps. “Stay here.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to investigate on her own. Why was she so persistent? And then I remembered her with Mr. Hendricks, and waiting in the office for him. Maybe she kept tabs on students because he told her to. He was casting was really wide net: Karen, Wil, me...
I knew how wild John had been earlier. I should warn her. Mr. Blackbourne had said not to tell anyone about the drugs, but couldn’t I trust Karen?
Karen was already halfway down the bleachers. I reached out for Derrick, grabbing his arm to get his attention. He would understand.
“What?” he asked.
“Can you follow Karen and tell her that John may be high?” I asked. “There’s some stuff going around.”
“There’s always something going around,” he said.
“This is bad, though. Mr. Blackbourne...”
“Hang on,” he said, backing his head up. “Wait a second. Are you supposed to be telling me this?”
“But she may get hurt if she gets involved,” I said. “There’s a ... synthetic. JH14. John might be high on this stuff and if he has more, she needs to stay away from it. It makes people cra
zy.”
Derrick’s eyes darkened. “Sounds bad.”
“Yeah. Could you go with her? Make sure she’s okay.”
He grimaced and nodded. “Even when I’m not in the Academy...” he trailed off as he walked away.
I hated to ask him. I didn’t like to involve him either, especially if Karen was mixed up with Mr. Hendricks in some way. I also didn’t want to be alone with this group around me. Maybe I should have sent a text to Nathan to help, but he was supposed to stay near me.
The game was paused while coaches and team members tried to carry John off, check that Rocky was okay, and figure out what happened. I could feel the waves of gossip flying around. People were making guesses.
I glanced again at the red-skinned boy. He was staring off at the field with everyone else, but now Karen wasn’t in the way so we were technically sitting next to each other.
I checked back with Nathan, who had his cell phone out and was typing something into it.
He was right there. If I was doing something wrong, Nathan would come in and tell me so.
I sidled up beside the red-skinned kid. This seemed like a good idea, but I didn’t know how to start. I could ask him where he got the JH14. Would he tell me? Should I just say hello? How do you start a conversation with someone you don’t know?
“Crazy game, huh?” someone asked, and I turned to meet the red-skinned boy’s eyes.
My heart did a nervous flip. My mouth wanted to stay glued shut, but I forced myself to start talking. “Yeah. Can’t believe John would do that.”
He checked around me and then up and down the bleachers. “Karen left?”
“Yeah,” I said. How many people knew Karen? “She went to see what was wrong with John.” I paused. How do I bring this up? “There’s a rumor he’s on drugs or something.”
“Naw,” he said. “It’s a virus.”
I blinked at him. “What is?”
“Yeah,” the red-skinned boy’s friend piped in. “Arthur here caught it a few days ago. Made him real crazy. Started throwing punches at me.”
Arthur’s blue eyes dimmed and he hunched his shoulders. “I wasn’t that bad.”
“You got in-school suspension,” his friend said.
My shyness wanted to let them continue talking and just listen in, but I didn’t want to lose the chance to learn something. “So, you don’t think it’s a drug? How is it a virus?”
“A doctor tried to ask me about it,” Arthur said. “They said I must have taken some crazy weed. I don’t think they believed me when I told them I was clean. They just assumed I did.”
“You’ve never taken anything?”
“No,” he said, with a little more confidence. “I’ve never even smoked a cigarette. Hate that stuff. Besides, there was a fever and I don’t even remember half of that day. But I was real sick.” He rubbed a palm over his forehead. “Still kind of feel weird. I don’t think I’m contagious anymore.”
“You better not get me sick,” his friend said.
“I told you,” he said. “I was at home yesterday and no one in my family got sick. I think I’m over it.”
If Dr. Green asked him if he took drugs, and Arthur said no, then how was this JH14 involved? “Maybe this John has it?” I asked, testing his theory. “Do you know him?”
Arthur shook his head. “I don’t know anyone on the football team. I don’t think I share any classes with him. But yeah, he could. I mean it could be drugs for him but I know I didn’t take anything other than Tylenol that day.”
“Maybe it was the Tylenol,” his friend said.
“Tylenol doesn’t make you sick,” Arthur said.
They continued to talk but I kept quiet this time. I couldn’t help but look back at Nathan, and when I met his eyes, I tried to tell him silently that I learned something and I needed to talk to someone.
He seemed confused for a moment but then gestured with an index finger toward the start of the stands.
I followed his direction, spotting Kota, Luke and Gabriel coming up. They were scanning the crowds.
I waved to them, eager to get out of this mess of students.
CAN’T RUN AWAY
FROM A FIGHT
Kota plopped down next to me on the bench. Luke sat on my other side. Gabriel went to join Nathan.
My heart finally settled down out of my throat and my shaking eased. This was so much better. I didn’t want to be apart from any of them again.
The football team had lined up for another play and the crowd began to settle back into their seats.
“Whew,” Luke said. “Mr. Morris didn’t want to give up.”
“Did you find out who the other driver was?” I asked.
“Another teacher,” Kota said. He checked around us but Arthur, Mike, Jer and the other students were caught up talking or watching the game. With the sudden appearance of Kota and Luke, they all seemed to have distanced themselves from me. Did they not like them?
“Who?” I asked him.
“My biology teacher,” Luke said. “Which was weird. I wouldn’t have suspected her. She’s a real snore.”
“Maybe she’s like Mr. Morris. She needs the money.”
“I think there’s something else to this,” Kota said. “They were way too obvious and they’re clearly inexperienced. They’re not even trying.”
“Because Mr. Hendricks wants you guys to know you’re being followed?” I asked.
Kota shook his head, his green eyes darkening, but he didn’t say anything else about it, instead he shifted on the seat and turned to the game. “Where are we? Catch me up.”
I quickly went over what had happened with John. I checked over Kota’s shoulder for Arthur, who was distracted with talking to his friend. I leaned in toward Kota to whisper the rest into his ear. “And that kid who Dr. Green and Mr. Blackbourne thought had taken drugs swears he never did. He thinks it’s a virus.”
Kota turned his head, bumping his cheek into mine because I was slow to move. I backed my head up, heat flooding my face.
He smiled a little and then leaned in, whispering in my ear. “You don’t think he’d lie?”
I backed my head away, shaking my head. “I really don’t think so,” I said, feeling okay with talking out loud now since we weren’t using names.
“That complicates things,” Kota said. He nudged at the corner of his glasses, a reflex I was starting to understand meant he was thinking.
“How?”
“It may be like North,” he said. “Maybe taking the drug wasn’t voluntary.”
My fingers covered my lips, trying to hide my dropping mouth. “I told North I thought it was Jade. Is she doing it?”
He shrugged. “Or someone else. North told me what you thought. Could be her. Could be Rocky. Could be anyone. We don’t know for sure.”
I thought I did. Jade seemed to be the most likely suspect. Kota was right, though, as was North. We shouldn’t trust anyone.
Luke sat up sharply and then reached for his phone in his pocket, checking the messages. He squinted at it and then turned to look over his shoulder.
I turned instinctively. Nathan and Gabriel were pointing at me at the same time and then at Luke. Gabriel tugged at the jacket he was wearing.
I didn’t catch on but Luke did. He unzipped his blue jacket and passed it to me. “Put this on,” he said.
I’d been so busy with all the investigating that I’d forgotten about the chill. I reached for it gratefully. “Won’t you get cold?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said.
I tried to hide my secret smile at how Gabriel and Nathan were looking out for me from the distance, insisting Luke give up his jacket.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Mike bellowed from where he was sitting next to Jer. He was so loud, I wanted to cover my ears. He pointed to Luke. “Don’t go flirting with her. She’s going out with Silas.”
Not this again. I wanted to groan.
Luke and Kota both turned to him, looking confused.
We weren’t usually called out like that for anything we did together.
“Just giving her something to wear,” Luke said to him. “She’s cold. It’s not a proposal.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Kota said quieter so only Luke and I would hear.
Mike laughed. “I haven’t done that in ages.”
That bit of humor seemed to diffuse the tension and people started talking again.
The game went on and our team had scored but they still lost by seven points. Karen and Derrick never returned.
When the game was over, Kota started tapping at his phone.
“What now?” I asked. I was tired of this show and was very eager to go home and relax for the weekend. I would have wanted to leave earlier if it wasn’t for Silas and North playing the game and my wanting to support them.
“Let’s wait until the crowd clears out before we leave,” Kota said. He showed me his phone, a screen showing Marie and Danielle in the living room. They were watching TV. Both appeared to be dressed now. “Are you sure they’re planning something?”
“They asked me if I was going to be away for the weekend. Maybe they meant to have people over tomorrow.”
He nodded and turned his phone off. “Well, nothing is going on tonight, it seems. They’re by themselves.”
“Still not a good thing if they have anyone over at all,” Luke said.
Kota sighed. “Let’s hope Marie knows better than to confess to anyone else that her parents aren’t going to be around for a while.”
Luke shook his head, leaning back a bit. “I can’t wait for this school year to be over.”
I frowned. “I’m not looking forward to next year,” I said. Without the guys around, I couldn’t imagine going to Ashley Waters again. I didn’t mean to sound bitter, but if I had an alternative, I think I’d prefer the Academy. Or anywhere else. With no Silas to hide behind, or Mr. Blackbourne’s office to run to, what would happen to me?
Luke and Kota looked at me briefly and then over my head to silently talk to each other. I stared at the field, unsure if I should say anything. I shouldn’t have brought it up at all. This was only October and we had months to go before the year was finished. Thinking about next year only added to the mountain of stress I was under now.