Rumours

James Marley

Chapter 6:  Rumours

My relationship with Stacy got better as time went on, to my surprise and hers I’m sure. 

The first month of our unfortunate partnership was spent in silence. She dropped off her homework and assignments in the beginning of the day and I would return completed work the next day. I don’t think we spoke one word to each other in that first month. 

I felt my anger for her slowly dissipate, slowly but surely the added work was just another burden I had to carry, another task I had to complete. It integrated into my schedule just like work, making dinner and taking care of Cassandra was. 

Our interaction went unnoticed, save for Cassandra. When I would be finishing work late in  the night I would catch her shooting worried glances at me, I ignored them. One day, after 2 weeks she finally gathered up the courage to confront me about the sudden increase of work I was doing. 

“Are you tutoring someone?” she asked, her voice carrying an undercurrent of concern. 

“No”

“Then what are you doing”

“My work” I replied, not looking at her, hoping she’d let the matter drop. 

“Is grade 11 really that hard”

I didn’t reply. 

“You didn’t have this much work last year” she pressed on. 

“It’s nothing for you to worry about” I snapped. 

Now it was her time to fall silent. Once the words left my mouth I immediately regretted them. Without even looking at her I knew that she was hurt, that I had hurt her. 

“I’m sorry” my voice, soft and apologetic. This time I looked at her but she turned away. 

“You act like I’m stupid, like I don't know what's going on.”

“No, of course not Cass” my tone pleading. 

“You just think I’m some stupid little girl. That’s why you don’t tell me anything.” tears were beginning to form in her eyes. 

“That’s why you don’t tell me about Stacy, I know about what happened with you and Ben in the cafeteria, the whole school’s heard about it.”

I sighed, “You’re right Cass, I should’ve told you about that”

As if she didn’t hear, she continued to talk in a mumble, her head bowed down. 

“You think I don’t know what’s going on, but I know. I know about you and Stacy, you and Ben. About Mom” 

I was silent, I could tell she was hoping I would say something. But I couldn’t, the shock was too huge. I had hoped, had believed that I could keep her unaffected, in the dark, protect her. 

Another look of hurt passed through her eyes, but it was gone a moment later, quickly suppressed. 

“Whatever, I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too late”

I didn’t listen to her, I stayed up until 3 in the morning writing Stacy’s econ essay. When I went to school the next day with dark circles under my eyes. 

Stacy and I ignored each other in school, I didn’t want to be beaten up again for touching “Ben’s girl” and secretly, I think she felt the same so it was a surprise to me when she opened her mouth to talk. 

“You look tired” was all she said after I handed her the work. Then she walked away. 

It was a small thing, perhaps so small it shouldn’t have been considered a gesture of kindness but that’s how I interpreted it. It opened a door for our relationship to grow. We spent the fall months growing almost imperceptibly closer. 

Sometimes she stayed at my desk for a minute, and we just talked. About nothing important, just small things. About her life, mine, and I was surprised to find conversation flowed easily between us. 

But quickly our relationship stagnated once again. Probably due to her growing relationship with Ben. They had always been flirty with each other, and half the school was convinced they were secretly dating but it was never confirmed. 

Rumors of their relationship arose when she began spending more and more time with him and his gang. 

Whenever I saw the two of them together I would feel a stab of pain in my chest. She was alright, she was a good person so what was she doing with a guy like Ben. 

In the beginning of December, Ben officially asked Stacy out with a hundred roses, and she accepted. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt by her. I mean it’s not like we’re best friends or anything but I thought she would have better taste than Ben. 

Now, I’m sure I sound jealous but I’m really not, it’s not like that. It just angers me how Ben would almost manhandle her in public, possessively grabbing her waist like that whenever they were in the halls. Stacy deserved better than him. 

Christmas is always met with whooping and cheering from the class until the teachers announce the amount of holiday work they want us to do. Our joy quickly deflates after that. 

I was especially anxious about my schedule with Stacy’s added work. The restaurant was the most busy during holidays and I needed to work in order to save enough to put me and eventually Cassandra through university. 

Stacy and I began meeting at the restaurant for me to drop off her work. My shifts lasted until the restaurant closed at 11:30 and she began waiting for me. More often than not she would order some food, before we closed. We would then walk together to the bus stop, where she would wait with me for the bus. 

I didn’t realize how close we had gotten until she didn’t show up one night. I felt my heart jump, where had she gone? Had something happened to her. I waited outside the restaurant for fifteen minutes waiting for her to show up, Jeff gave me a worried look which I ignored. Finally deciding I was bored of watching my own breath fog up in the cold December air I walked alone to the bus stop. 

Another girl had beat me to it, oddly, the bus stop was usually empty. She looked to be about my age, perhaps a year or two older. Despite being dressed warmly, her nose was red from the cold. We made small talk, I never learned her name. 

I found myself thinking of Stacy, I missed our easygoing conversations. Despite talking to this new person I found that I was lonely, unable to give more than a few default responses and polite smiles to her questions. 

Out of nowhere Stacy appeared, she seemed annoyed. On her face a look of disdain I hadn’t seen since the beginning of the school year. I felt my insides curl up until I realized the look was directed at my new bus stop partner. Could she be… jealous.

I know it shouldn’t, but it did. I felt a small spark of elation at the idea. The rich Stacy Williams is getting jealous over me. A small petty part of me was filled with joy and I couldn’t stop the smile from forming on my face. 

Stacy’s arrival effectively stopped all conversation between the bus girl and I. Stacy’s arrival brought about a sense of tension into the little bus stop, and the easygoing rapport we had been building the past few days disappeared. 

I hoped our relationship would go back to how it was before, and the anger and tension between us would quickly be forgotten and that’s how it appeared to be the next day. 

Christmas, December 25. We had agreed to meet up at the restaurant again. At this point it wasn’t about homework or assignments anymore, but it had become a sort of habit to meet each other each day that neither of us wanted to give up. 

We were outside the restaurant. Dressed in a puffy white coat she handed me a card. “Merry Christmas” she said with a smile. 

Taking it from her I felt warm despite the cold air swirling around us. “Thank you” I said, reaching out to grab the card. 

She looked uncomfortable, my heart sank. Would we recover from the event of the day before, it seemed like such a small thing. 

But she quickly snapped me from my spiraling thoughts by suddenly saying “I want you to tutor me”

I was hesitant, “Stacy,” I started, forcefully lightening my tone. “I don’t know if I have time to tutor you on top of school and work”

She wrinkled her nose, “No, I mean I’ll do the work. I just want you to tutor me”

At this I readily agreed. And everything was warm and fuzzy once again. At least until a voice yelled out “STACY!”

At first I feared it was Ben, but no, the voice was deeper and more authoritative than Ben’s high pitched squeak. 

A man got out of some sort of luxurious European car and Stacy just froze, her eyes like a deer in the headlight. As if physically repulsed, she lurched away from me even though we had been standing side by side just a moment ago. 

“GET IN THE CAR NOW” the man demanded. He was an older man, dressed in a thick wool coat. I quickly realized he was most likely her father, and she was probably in a lot of trouble. 

Giving me an apologetic glance she rushed to the man. The old man slammed the car door upon her entrance and immediately, they sped off.