The Rose

Chapter 10: The Rose

 

 

 

           

Before school early the next morning. The dull, plain light of the sun peering out, Trevor got in focus in the bathroom mirror.  Going to and from the kitchen while getting changed, he was lax in washing himself. He pulled out the hair straightener he got from a drugstore. The moist grass from the dew glistened in the rising sun. While freezer bags full of sausage biscuits were opened. His backpack felt light. The books were missing this time around. With tired eyes his Mother drove him to school where he went with an aching silence. He got another sausage biscuit. This one tasted better. The courtyard was a ghost town, but he stayed out there for a while. No one to be seen in the mist coated space enclosed by springtime. But, it didn’t feel like it.

By English III he started looking at the window outside. He had a perfect view of the courtyard there and he thought it funny seeing the other, younger students talking at lunch. He imagined them not being able to decide if they should be out here or not. “It’s cold!” One would say. “We just got out here though… it’s great out here I think.” He laughed to himself. Near the exit afterschool he found Michelle. He didn’t get close to her. She seemed really off-putting and disgruntled but was talking to some other girl. He was surprised and confused because he wasn’t trying to find her. So he headed off home in search of what to do. Hours he lay quietly with the lights off. Without a budge.

It was cold on that September night. It had been cold all day. The wind bellowed against the trees outside. He conferred that it’d be best not to open the window. The doorbell rang. A guy with dirty blonde hair and look of imperity stood there. “Hi.” Trevor said. “Hey there!”

“What’s up?” he then asked. “Not much.” Trevor looked at him quizzically. “I’m David, by the way. There’s a party up the street, I wondered if you wanted to go?”

“First of all, why do you look so distressed? Also, where did you come from?”

He looked impatient. “I just moved to a house here.”

“Okay…” Trevor mouthed. “A bunch of people will be there so I was curious to see if you’d come.”

“I have a lot on my plate.” Trevor stated. But, then he began to think. “I’m gonna go to this party.” He longed sternly. Then moved to get off the porch. “W-wait!” Trevor yelped. “What is it?”
            “I’ll go with you.” He told him..

“Okay! Nice.”

“Will you do something for me?” Trevor questioned. “Um, maybe? What are you thinking?”

“I’ll tell you in the time it takes to get there.”

 

 

A few seconds walk up the street equated to a house full of very familiar faces in the room. Trevor walked with David around from group-to group. Trevor was wearing a white shirt and black skinny jeans. He already knew that David was filling up a cup some alcohol containing stuff from a giant sports cooler. Drinking it slowly and then quickly; Trevor went over to get some for himself, and was asked to present five dollars. He did have that. So, he gave it up. Drinking his the same and it wasn’t too bad. He went into a smaller room where some actual old friends were playing a beer pong game. After about seven rounds of them himself, Trevor was drunk and mostly getting beaten. He and David said their adieus and left with a wicked buzz. They, or probably just he, staggered out to the edge of street and he turned to his new pal. Trevor pointed to the opposing direction of his home, and said, “We must go this a-way.”

David looked stupefied. “Okay, maybe I’m a bit drunk. Are you still wanting to do some other thing?” He exasperated. “Yes. Yes, I am.” He replied with a smile. Trevor could peg that David looked unwilling and said, “100%!” Off they went, up the long road. This time he wasn’t walking alone. A dozen-hundred paces later they were at the top of the street. Passing a flat formed house with buddha statues in its yard. Walking out the utility road with an air-apparent of skepticality in the eyes of David. Coming up to the electric box sitting silently in the dead-of-night, he motioned for David to wander into the empty field post-haste. It was chilly. Though things felt okay from the daytime. He decided to put on the hoodie he’d been carrying. It was a hardcore punk band. He showed up to the far-side of the field, walking to the horizon line of the slope. “You’re back tonight.” Trevor turned and he was there. David likely reacted it was there in a flash. “Is… is this your drug dealer?”

“He’s not my drug dealer.” Trevor said. “This is Don.”

“So… what then?” David looked freaked. “You could say that.” Don spoke with a sordid smirk. David looked creeped-out. With good reason. “I know all about that kind of thing.”

“You may be pleased to meet me.”

“It’s only been one week.” Trevor said flaring. “What can I do for you?” The usurpingly poised man asked when he got Trevor’s expression. “I need this guy here. I want him to see what kind of power you can really use.”

“What at all for?” he asked. Seeming unusually objective.Trevor pointed to David. “He has potential. So, if you think there’s some others here that I can have to help me. Then I have this one.”

“Hmm… this human.”

“He could work.” Trevor insisted. “He could… I’ll see what I can do. I know how to force the way around the choosing of what you can do.”

“What?” Trevor eyed him unamused. “I know this might sound unbelievable. You have to find several others for the sake of your travels and plight.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Lets put it like this. I think you should gather a few individuals. Lets say, five, and come up with a plan.”

“You know this is not something I understand. Because I don’t know why or what needs to be done.”

“Yeah, but, you have to get out of this, or, you’re fucked.”

David interrupted to two, and blurted, “What the f**k is going on.”

Trevor deliberated. He decided to go back to what he opened with.

“Show him what you can do.”

“It’s not what I can do I don’t think… hold on. Lemme see.”

Don put his hands on David and he started collapsing after a minute and a half of this treatment. As he seemed to come back, he rolled and ejected black spoils on the ground. He rose and stared, dizzy and stirring, he opened his grip on his face. “What the f**k did you just do?”

David was in turmoil and Trevor kind of felt like letting out raucous laughter, but, kept silent at his lack of discernment. “What the f**k!? I’ll kill you!” David screamed. Don handed him a black tied bag and said, “Be gone.” vanishing. “What’d you bring us here for?” David was yelling at him. “I think you should help me. Because, I want to live and I want to be strong at that.”

“What was that?”

“I think you should have taken an offer from him. I’m not sure how this works, but you might have something you didn’t before now.”

“What do you mean?” he asked. “Like, see if you can hurt me anywhere.”

“Huh? I think that guy over there just hurt me…”

“Probably not. But, you did puke.” Trevor softly spoke. “I did, and I should get back to my house.” Trevor wasn’t clear whether to bring up the way things had transgressed. He decided against it. Trevor said nothing. They walked the way back not speaking. They escaped to their separate homes. He realized he had no idea where he lived “Something to worry about whenever. Anytime other than now.”