Rainy Day

Chapter 8: Damon

Damon’s eyes glazed over his locker as he listened to James endlessly talk. It’s 7 am dude…

“But that’s basically why I think all this bad stuff is happening to me.” James ends with a final breath. Damon looks over at James, it then clicks and James nods walking away quickly. Damon sighs opening up his locker exchanging books back and forth. Damon’s mind floats back to events at his house this morning before leaving. Damon had argued with his father again. This time about Damon wanting to move far away for school. Everything blurred between the lines… Damon faded into the crowd of students. I won’t grow up to be him. The bell rings and Damon’s position focuses, he is standing in front of his class with James who is gesturing to go in. Damon takes a seat and in front, like every day, sat Austen.

Damon’s mind drifts once again… he recalled that as a child before he knew what his father was. He viewed him as a great man. Honorable, kind, generous. Someone he watched help the homeless… stand up for the bullied… but couldn’t give up a life of crime for his children. I won’t grow up to be him… He isn’t Robin Hood… He isn’t a vigilante… He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Damon!” his teacher yells. Damon snaps back to reality and the class is staring at him. “Did you hear me?”

“Uhm-” Damon stammers.

“You are being partnered with Austen for the next project. Wake up bud, class started ten minutes ago.” The teacher lectures. No one snickers and the teachers goes back to naming off partners. Austen and Damon make eye contact. Great.

After class Damon booked his way out, he needed the day to be over. It can only get worse from here. I can feel it… Like there’s a rainy cloud above my head. He feels a hand on his shoulder. Damon turns quickly to see Austen.

“Dude why’d you run out? We need to talk about the project. Come on. I’ll walk with you.” Austen suggests.

“Can we do this some other time? I am not in the mood to deal with you today.” Damon grumbles.

Austen scoffs, “To deal with me? We have a school project together. I’d like to get that done as soon as possible.”

Damon exhales in exhaustion, “Okay, let's meet during lunch today. Library. Don’t be late.” Damon tries to walk away.

“Avoiding friends?” Austen asks. Damon ignores him and continues walking. He gets up to his locker to see Corey standing there radiating confrontation. Perfect.

“Hey.” Damon says to Corey, he smirks and leans against the locker next to Damon's.

“You keep roping yourself in with Austen. Why?” Corey asks.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Damon yawns. Corey clicks his tongue.

“You talk to him during class, I see you watch him carefully during the day and taking notes on where he is at lunches. Now you’re in a group project with him? I thought you were supposed to cut him out. What gives? Spiking new interesting in the new boy?” Corey raises an eyebrow and has a crooked smile. Damon stares at Corey, this a*****e thinks I would act so childish? Austen is flirting with me… I think. But I am not telling him that.

“Look I can’t control what the teachers do, as much as you think I can. And the interest I take in Austen, is yes, personal.” Damon slams his locker shut and takes a step closer to Corey. “So it’s my business isn’t it?” Corey nods. “Does that make it yours?” Corey shakes his head. “Nah, I wanna hear you say it.”

“Okay damn, it’s not my business.” Corey repeats.

“Good.” Damon affirms. Damon walks away from Corey. Just leave the group already. I know you want to. Damn drifts through his next classes, his attention coming in and out but mostly focused around his dad. The school has been and is my only way out. Damon bites his nails as he watches the clock strike 12:14pm. Lunch. Damon rushes to the library and sets up at a table there. Finally a break from everyone… but… I have to deal with this idiot. Damon scans the area, it was empty. I hope this kid doesn’t flirt with me anymore. I also hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way… I just need a distraction. Damon sits at the table and lays his head on it.

“You okay?” It was Austen’s voice. Damon doesn’t lift his head but gives him a thumbs up.

“Just great.” Austen takes a seat and Damon sits up. “So what book did you want to read?”

“Right to it?” Austen asks.

“Please?” Damon responds, almost begging. Austen pauses.

“Yeah,uh I was thinking the Twelfth Night.” Austen suggests.

“Shakespeare?... Interesting choice. Why?” Damon presses.

Austen sits for a moment, “Thought it would be funny.” Austen almost looked pale. “They’ve remade into movies a bunch of times. Usually a parody.”

“Okay, well our teacher will love this. She is a-”

“Sucker for Shakespeare? Yeah I know.” Austen finishes.

“How?” Damon asks inquisitively.

“Social media is a hell of a resource. How do you know?”

“She taught freshman English. A lot of the reading revolved around it.” Damon answers. “I gotta say that’s actually pretty cool. Being able to figure that out because of social media.”

“Well, I didn’t go on a mission to find it. I did a little bit of research on everyone at this school.”

“Wait, really?” Damon pauses. Why would he do something like that?

“Yeah. Can’t be too careful. I wanted to make sure this was a safe school. You were the only person I couldn’t find info on.” Austen admits nonchalantly. Damon stares at Austen almost in awe. Is this normal for him?

“I don’t do social media. Not really allowed in my house.” Damon says, mostly because I am less traceable. Thanks, dad. “Is it normal for someone to be so intrusive?”

“I don’t see it that way. It’s not like I have binoculars and staring into windows. Besides, this is the first public school I've been to. I didn’t know what to expect.” Austen argues.

“Where’d you go before? A private school?” Damon almost laughs, is he some rich snob?

“No. More like a trade-school.”

“What does that mean?” Damon presses.

“You wouldn’t understand and I honestly don’t feel like explaining so can we move on?” Austen avoids. Damon grunts,

“Fine. Can we at least study for stats? I really don’t want to…”

“I get it,” Austen says quickly. He pulls a book out of his backpack. “Let’s begin.”

Austen and Damon studied in the library for the rest of lunch. Austen stayed for his free period and Damon went onto his next class. Damon’s mind hung around the conversation between him and Austen. Austen tried looking me up. What if he already knows who I am? Damon tried focusing his attention in class but it continued to detour. Damon dreamily made his way to his locker. There stood James, waiting for him like every day after his last class. Damon opens his locker.

“Where’d you go at lunch today?” James asks.

“Study with Austen.” Damon replies flatly.

“Oh. Why? I thought you hated him.” James says back.

“I don’t hate him. He just annoys the s**t out of me. Plus, which is something I,” Damon gets louder, “hope people will understand that I can’t control who the teachers’ group us with. I just don’t. So don’t act like I had any control over that decision. Cause I didn’t.”

“Oof, dude. Relax. What’s your issue?” James pokes him. Damon grunts but suddenly his locker is slammed shut; he is grabbed by the arm and being dragged into the stairwell. It was Austen.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Damon asks Austen. Austen pushes him up against the wall and is inches from his face. Damon’s heart stops for a moment, why does he smell good?

“Look, s**t is going down.” Austen says in a worried toned. Damon relaxes a bit, what’s going on?

“Tell me already!” Damon pushes. Austen steps back and pulls out his phone. He shows the screen to Damon. It’s a picture of Torey. Damon shoves back the phone to Austen quickly and a deep frown craters across Damon’s face.

“Who posted that?” Damon asks flatly.

“Some guy named Pat.” Austen responds. Damon turns to the door and grabs the handle, Austen grabs his arm. “What are you going to do?” he asks. Damon doesn’t respond but stares intensely at Austen. “Do you want help?” Austen asks back looking Damon directly in the eye. Damon gestures Austen to follow. Damon had tunnel vision… at his school. No bullying of any kind was tolerated. But to bully Torey of all people… that beating will come from me.

Austen and Damon’s path finally found its way to Pat, a tall lanky boy. He had muddy brown hair and a long face. He wasn’t particularly handsome and had a reputation of being pretty skeevy. Pat and Torey had already been in a confrontation, Pat was holding Torey against the wall by the neck, the rest of the hockey team stood around laughing calling Torey homophobic names. Damon took off and decked Pat in the face. Pat fell to the ground and Damon climbed on top of him. Austen made sure his friends stayed away while CJ grabbed Torey and made a run for it. Damon continued to hit Pat over and over again.

“YOU ARE A PIECE OF TRASH!” Damon screams at Pat who is unconscious. Corey grabs Damon’s arms and pulls him off of Pat.

“Calm down!” yells Corey. Damon pushes Corey away from him and then grabs him by the collar.

“Where were you!?!” Damon yells. Corey doesn’t respond and stares at Damon. “Haven’t you seen what they’ve done to Torey?” cried Damon. Corey’s mouth opens but no words come out. Corey shakes his head, suddenly the teachers and supervisors had finally shown up. One of them grabs Damon by the arm and drags him to the office, they walked by Austen while leaving. Damon nods to him, thanking him. Austen nods.

Corey walks over to Austen, “What the hell happened?!” is what Damon hears as he got pulled away. His knuckles hurt… his heart raced. But all Damon could hear in his head were the cries of Torey. Damon closes his eyes and puts his fingers to his temple, stop. Damon digs his fingernails into his neck. Stop. He waited in the front office. It was silent and Damon could hear the air conditioner buzzing along. He breathes in and out slowly. This fight could hurt his chances with a good school. But not enough to keep me from leaving this city as soon as I turn 18. I’m not scared of him… or my mom… I’m not worried if they will be disappointed… cause they won’t be… no one will be. This was to be expected for someone like me. The son of a mafia boss has gone this long without fighting? Now that was a weird story to tell…