Blue (10 page)

“Has he really been doing all of this stuff to you?” she asked.

“Yes, he has,” she cried out. Hardly any of her words were able to be made out, but her friend did her best to.

“You need to tell someone about this.”

“I know. I know.”

“Then why don’t you? You’re not stupid. Trust me, I know you’re not stupid.”

“I know, but he keeps on threatening me if I do tell someone. He just threatened me about the scar that’s across my face at the moment.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that if I told someone then I was never going to be found, because the beating that he was going to give me was going to be so harsh that my grandchildren were going to have bruises on them from the beating. Then he said that I would never have grandchildren because I would never do anything like that with anyone except for him, and then he forced me to kiss him.”

“Where was your boyfriend all this time?”

“Justin’s not my boyfriend anymore.”

“Well he should still stick up for you.”

“You’d think wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, where was he?”

“He was standing right there, watching as he did this to me.”

“Well, come on, we need to get back down to band camp. I won’t tell anyone, but if I find that he has done something else to you again, you will be telling someone because there won’t be any other choice with me around.”

“Okay.” Meganlynn sniffled, and then they walked down to the field once again. The journal was still open on her bed, but Meganlynn really didn’t care who read it; she wanted someone else to read it. She wanted enough people to read it that they could get a group together to find Blue and treat him the same way that he had been treating her since the first day of pre-camp.

Blue was the same; he had treated her the same way as he did when it was morning. He had pulled her onto his lap once again, and once again, no one told him to stop. Alex saw, but since he wasn’t hitting her, Meganlynn told her to just back off. Her friends were furious that she was now just going along with it and then just writing everything down in her journal to get everything out because they all knew that writing alone wasn’t going to be enough for Meganlynn. After the five hours of butt grabbing, lap pulling, and everything else that Blue was doing to her was over, the first day of band camp was finally over. Meganlynn pulled her sweatshirt around her as far as it would go and took everything that she had back up to her cabin. Meganlynn intended to take full advantage of it. Her phone started to ring. She recognized the number as Johnny’s and answered it.

“Hello?” she asked, her voice sounding tired and cracking.

“Hey, Meganlynn,” answered Johnny’s bright and cheery voice. “Are you free from band now?”

“Yeah, until ten that is.”

“Okay, do you want to go out while you’re still here?”

“You mean like on a date?”

“Yeah, on a date. It would be a double date, but yeah, on a date.”

“Okay, what should I wear?”

“Heels, and then whatever you want. Your mom told me that you liked heels.”

“Okay,” she answered, looking for a pair of heels. “And I do love heels, by the way.”

“Got anything that you want to wear but you never get to?”

“Yeah, but I think I left it at home. Don’t worry, I’ll look amazing.”

“Okay, well, get ready, and I’ll be over there in a half hour or so.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“Who was that?” asked Lizzie.

“That was someone who wants to take me out on a date.”

“Okay. You want some help?”

“I only have a half hour before they get here.”

“We can make this work.”

“Okay. He said that he didn’t care what I wear, but I have to wear high heels.”

“Okay. We can really make this work then.”

“Really?”

Then the preparation started. Lizzie had the time of her life dressing up Meganlynn in her high-heeled boots and t-shirt. She had her all pretty for her date, and she also had everything ready for her to take with her.

“Meganlynn, who was scared to walk out onto the field, I present to you fearless Meganlynn. The way that you have been treated today makes you eligible for a you-night. Now, don’t let Justin or Blue or anyone else ruin this night for you.”

“Okay.” She left to walk out and find Johnny and his car. Johnny was driving a pale blue mustang convertible. She knew that she would only be with him for a few hours, but all in all, he was her guardian for tonight.

“Wow, Meganlynn, you look amazing.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, climb in to the passenger seat, and then we can go.”

“Meganlynn wait!” yelled a voice and Meganlynn turned around to see Justin and Blue standing right behind her.

“What?” she asked.

“Will you just wait one minute?”

“No, I won’t. You have one second to tell me why I shouldn’t be going now. You’re not my boyfriend and neither is he. Back off.”

“No! You come here right now!”

Then Johnny stepped out of the car.

“Come with me,” he said to his friend. You two stay in here,” he told the two girls.” Then they went up to Justin and to Blue.

“You don’t ever take her anywhere!” Blue shouted in his face.

“I think the correct terminology is that you stay away from her and never come near her again,” Johnny said, being cocky.

“You tell me to, and I won’t do it.” Then Blue walked over and grabbed Meganlynn by the arm.

“Ow!” she screamed.

“Get your hands off her!”

“No!”

“Get your hands off me!” Meganlynn shouted as she hit Blue in the head with her other elbow. “Kevin, get in the car, Johnny just drive.”

“Okay.” Then Kevin was in the car and Johnny was driving out of the driveway and onto the road. Justin and Blue were trying to follow, but they couldn’t keep up on foot.

“She has to come back at some point,” Blue said to Justin. “And until then, we will be waiting for her.”

“Yes.” Then Blue and Justin gave up and went back into camp.

“Who were those guys back there?” Johnny asked Meganlynn once they were out of earshot.

“The Justin guy was my ex-boyfriend. The guy who grabbed me was my sexual harasser.”

“Oh. Well, how did you know to do that?”

“Well, someone saw the hurtful things that he was doing to me and told me that tonight was my night to shine and that I shouldn’t let anyone take that away from me.”

“They’re right, you know?”

“It’s my night to shine?”

“You’re already shining.”

“Good point,” she joked, and they both laughed.

They all laughed and had fun for the rest of the night. Johnny, Tracey, Meganlynn, and Kevin all had fun when they went to dinner and then walked around the park. Finally, around eight o’clock, they went to the drive-in movie theater.

“Like the movie so far?” Johnny asked Meganlynn as they sat up on the top of the seats of his car while Kevin and Tracey were in the back seat.

“Yeah,” she looked at him.

“You know, Kevin was supposed to borrow my car tonight and just leave me at home, or we had this deal worked out to the point where I was supposed to be the chauffer for the two of them, but I mean, now I don’t have to. When I saw you sitting on my couch, I thought that your parents just died or something because I never thought I would ever see you again. Ask Kevin, I couldn’t stop talking about you in the first place, and now that you’re here, it’s just like I can’t help but see your face everywhere I look. I called your mom, and she had your phone number. She told me that you would probably be back in your cabin at five fifteen or something like that. Once five fifteen rolled around, I called and you and your sweet, beautiful voice answered. I thought that I had just died when I asked you out, and you said that you would. I literally thought that I had just gone to heaven or was in a coma or something, but you’re really here, with me, sitting in my car with me. You know, you really are the coolest girl that I have ever met in my life, and I doubt that I will ever meet anyone better than you ever again.”

She blushed. “Johnny, you’re so sweet. I love that about you. The truth of the matter is I had a bigger crush on you than you did on me when we first met. I was confused about what was ever going to happen in my life. I didn’t know what kind of friends I had, or who my best friend really was. I loved the way that you looked, talked, sang, and the way that you looked at me. You were truly my knight in shining armor when I had met you. Then, the way you acted around Blue tonight showed me that you are still my knight in shining armor, and that I still love you even more than I did back then. When you called me, I was just as surprised as you were. To be truly honest, I had my night full of sorrow and depression and trying to forget everything that had been going on today.”

“Well, Blue better keep his hands off you.”

“How are you ever going to make sure that he knows that?”

“Oh, trust me; he’ll get the picture sooner or later.”

“I trust you, but do I want to know what you are going to do with him.”

“It’s not what I’m going to do; it’s what God’s going to do to him on the day of judgment.”

“Good point.” Part of her wanted to smile, but she knew that he was going to hell unless he repented.

“Yeah.” Then he moved closer to her. She knew what he was doing, and it wasn’t anything different than what her and Justin had done before. She missed Justin, but right now she couldn’t even remember his name at all.

“Johnny?”

“Yeah?” He was now holding her close by the hip. Kevin and Tracey were asleep in the backseat.

“Have you ever even kissed a girl?”

“No, I’ve been saving it for this one special person.”

“I have kissed a guy before but only one. I thought that I was never going to see you again, and I know that the one special person isn’t me so I won’t even bother.” Then he did what she was not expecting him to do. He kissed her. After a few seconds, he was finally done, but Meganlynn had absolutely no objection to it happening for as long as it did.

“You are,” he said as he pulled away.

“I was?”

“Duh, I just kissed you.”

“Good point.” Then, they sat there for a few more minutes.

“Looks like the night’s over for us, Meganlynn.”

“What?” asked Meganlynn who was just dozing off on his shoulder.

“I have to take you back.”

“Please, no, I can stay with you. I have good reason to.”

“How about tomorrow night I come and pick you up?”

“I’ll have my stuff packed tonight.”

“Okay, but I must warn you, it’s family game night at the Gollingbird’s.”

“Does this face really look like it cares?”

“No.”

Then he drove her back to the place that she hated the most, the place that was so revolting to her that every time she looked at it, she wanted to scream. She fell asleep on his shoulder on the way there. She had had such a good time with him that she did not want to forget it.

“Meganlynn, we’re here.”

She opened her eyes and there, before her, was the band camp. She was missing him and wanted more than anything for him to be a part of her life more than just the date.

“So does this means that we’re dating?”

“Yeah, but what are we going to do when you go back?”

“I can be single every band camp that I come down.”

“Just let me know when band camp is.”

“Okay.” Then, she was out of the car and so was he. He got out held her close and kissed her goodnight. They had her home ten minutes early so she had time to get to her cabin before anyone yelled at her.

“I love you,” he said, holding her hand until she got into the camp where he couldn’t go.

“Love you, too. Bye.”

Then she was gone. He went back to his car and drove away, praying for her safety wherever she went inside the band camp.

Meganlynn turned and watched as the car headlights drove away. She missed him already. Her boyfriend, the one that never thought that she would ever see again; they were finally dating.

“Where were you?” asked a familiar voice from around the corner.

“I was out with a friend,” she answered dreamily.

“Why were you out with him? Is he your boyfriend now or something?”

“Yeah, as matter of fact, Justin, he is. I don’t think what we did is any of your business so just go away.” Then, she walked toward her cabin. Blue jumped out and showed himself to her.

“What do you want, jerk?” she asked, her voice getting harder as the words came out of her mouth.

“I want you; we both do.”

“Maybe, but this is already taken, sorry.” She tried to walk by, but he grabbed her again.

“None of this,” he said rubbing her up and then back down again, “is taken until you’re dead.”

“Well then, you’ll just have to kill me,” she said, having the most horrible feeling in her stomach.

“Trust me, I will.”

“No, no, you won’t.” Then he struck her across the face and kicked her in the stomach. It hurt her more than any of the other beatings that she had taken from him. She hobbled back to her cabin, and thankfully, Alex was already asleep. She crawled into the covers and cried herself quietly to sleep.