Last Light Falling (16 page)

“We’re good to go,” he says. I quickly dismiss the rescheduling request to the administrator and eagerly walk out the door. While I’m walking back to class with Gabe, my mind nervously begins to recant this devious prank. I’m not sure what we are about to reveal is any different than Derrick’s deceitful behavior, but I can’t seem to make myself deviate from the plan either.

I watch the clock tick away on the wall and anxiously wait all day for this moment. The bell rings, and I hurry Gabe to the lunchroom before Jacob and Juliana get there. Gabe sets his laptop that’s hiding in his bag to the same channel as the cameras and configures the remote control settings. We now have a visual of the showers on the laptop. The only thing left is to switch to the television view remotely and let the show begin.

Gabe monitors the laptop in his bag throughout the lunch period, waiting to see when the other football players have finished showering. I start to get cold feet on this whole operation, having a conflicting battle with my conscience, and I realize I can’t seek revenge on him, not like this.

This predicament rides me all through lunch until Gabe gives me the go ahead on the switch view. I look at the yellowing around Gabe’s eyes from where Derrick’s first punch landed, followed by the lump on the back of his head from the locker, and finally gazing at today’s recent injury to the forehead. I whisper to Gabe right as the bell rings, “Do it.”

While people are walking back to their classrooms, the televisions all around the school turn on to Derrick’s backside. Jaws drop in total shock, and a herd of people stop in the middle of the halls like a cattle round-up. Not until about thirty seconds pass do they finally realize that it’s Derrick, and a roar of laughter follows.

People are shoving and prodding to get a glimpse of Derrick’s manhood on the screen, mostly the girls. I unexpectedly spot a few teachers taking a furtive peek instead of running to the administration office or at least turning off the television.

It’s absolute pandemonium, and the only thing I have on my mind is moving as far away from this mayhem as I can. I grab Jacob’s hand and lead him through the crowded spectacle to my next classroom, while Gabe and Juliana briefly follow. Jacob holds my hand tight, unwilling to let me go in an attempt to interrogate me about the incident. He says but one word, “You,” and by the shrug of my shoulder and grin on my face, he finally cracks a smile, kisses me on the cheek, and walks off.

After five minutes of a bare-naked man fidgeting with his junk and singing a poorly written rendition of the school song, the televisions turn off and the damage has been done, and somehow, I feel worse than before.

Students begin to file in after the bedlam calms, and all I can do is hope we get through the rest of the day without being connected to this prank. I’m watching the clock, counting the seconds before the bell rings, when suddenly a voice on the speaker comes on,
Arena and Gabriel Power, please come to the administration office.

My heart immediately drops into my stomach, and my face pales. Everyone in the classroom turns to one another, whispering and snickering in a failing attempt to be unnoticed. I’m sure they are all wondering just like me if we are being called to the office in connection to the shower event.

As we walk to the office, I can see Derrick’s wet hair through the administration window and immediately recognize our doom. There’s
a small amount of sympathy straining to escape my conscience, but the last two days of Derrick’s vicious torment is killing the part of me that cares. I know what we did was wrong and we deserve to be punished, but to see Derrick’s face as we walk through the doors is priceless, and I realize it was worth it.

Principal Karnes swiftly exits her office and gets right to the point, “It appears that there may be some misunderstanding between you two and Mr. Maitland. He claims that you had something to do with this … unfortunate prank,” she states, trying very hard to hold back a smile.

Principal Karnes was almost forced to resign last year because of Derrick’s father, Gerry, who happens to be the president of the school board. As the rumor goes, Derrick’s father was rebuffed by Principal Karnes when he attempted to make a pass at her sexually. Principal Karnes tried to file a sexual harassment lawsuit, but was denied because of the monetary connection Derrick’s father has with the school. The only thing that kept Principal Karnes from resigning was her contract through the end of next year, which could not be terminated. So if there is any kind of lenience we may receive, it will only be because this prank happened to Gerry Maitland’s obnoxious son.

With his lips pressed tightly together and brows furrowed, Derrick stares me down, as if I were wild game ready to be shot. I just give him a look of dismay as if I feel sorry for him even though I can’t stop laughing inside.

“I know these are strong accusations, but it’s my job to ask, and I want you to be honest with us. Can you tell us anything you know about what was televised on the screens earlier?” Principal Karnes says.

I pause for a bit, and everything that Gabe, my mom, and dad taught me about dishonesty is wearing on my conscience. And just as I start to spill my guts, the most surprising thing occurs. Gabe, the one person who’s never lied, shakes his head from side to side, as if to warn me not to say anything that would cause our expulsion and ultimately jeopardize our plans with Father Joseph. I quickly play dumb and answer the question that was directly asked of me, which brings me to my next thought.

It’s as if Principal Karnes knew exactly how to word her question so it couldn’t possibly force us to confess. Somehow, I get the feeling that she wants Derrick to squirm, whether or not that’s an ethical measure a principal should take. She’s on our side, and I will take what I can get.

So I replay the question over in my head before answering,
Can you tell us anything you know about what was televised on the screens earlier?
What I want to say is that I’m sorry this happened to this gentleman,
but after glancing over at Derrick’s hand-slitting-throat gesture, I quickly change my response.

I look up at Principal Karnes and say embarrassingly, “His penis is smaller than I imagined.”

Principal Karnes’s face turns bright red, and her head tilts downward enough to hide her smile. I feel a release of tightness in my side now and know we are in the clear.

She’s having such a hard time recovering from my response that she just dismisses any accusations Derrick had. “Okay, you two can go back to class,” she says with a smile.

“Hey! Wait, this is total bullshit!” Derrick responds.

Principal Karnes quickly interrupts, “Watch it. We have no proof that these two did this to you, regardless of what kind of conflict lies between you. This meeting is over.”

I can feel the heat from Derrick’s anger and his piercing eyes stab me in the back as we walk away.

The final bell rings for the day.

I stroll the bleak halls back to my locker and suddenly think about our journey with Henry and Father Joseph. I try to stay grounded and keep a rational mind about the whole thing, but there’s a part of me that can’t help but wonder if there really is any truth to it all. But to be honest, I’ve felt slightly disengaged from the absurdity of it because of our new friendships with Juliana and Jacob. I try hard to avoid any dark thoughts about our future with them, knowing what Gabe and I may be enduring. I just don’t know what to believe anymore. I just try to focus on today and make every second count with the ones we love.

I tell Gabe not to wait on me and that I will meet up with him outside under our meeting tree. I want to spend a little private time with Jacob before shoving off to the den. The intimate moment we shared last night is still lingering, and my heart has not stopped glowing. After a few moments of alone time, I say goodbye to Jacob and give him one last kiss before I leave.

I walk outside by the meeting tree, but Gabe isn’t there, which is very unlike him because of his extreme punctuality. I wait a few moments until twenty minutes have passed, but when he doesn’t show up, I begin to worry. I quickly run back in the school, down the hall by the gym, with my heart racing and my thoughts conjuring up images of Derrick’s fist in Gabe’s face again.

I turn down the adjacent hall and run into a crying Juliana. “What’s the matter, is it Gabe?” I say. She nods her head and points to the back of the gym where the fitness room is located.

I race over to the room; the door is open, but the lights are off. I peek inside without being heard and see Derrick and two of his henchmen surrounding Gabe, who is backed up in a corner. I sidle in and get low to the floor without them noticing me. I observe my surroundings so I can strategically see the most efficient way to take these guys down.

It suddenly comes to me; I will take the enemy by surprise, and I’m not holding back this time. Derrick kicks his foot up to Gabe’s face, but Gabe blocks his kick just like I taught him in the den the other day.

“What is this? The Jesus freak is fighting back. I thought you were a turn-the-cheek kind of guy?” asks Derrick with a sinister look. Suddenly, Derrick silently tilts his head down and recognizes my tiger claw firmly wrapped around his testicles from behind, and I slowly squeeze harder and harder while my other hand is pinching the sciatic nerve in Derrick’s neck, rendering him immobile and useless.

The two other morons have no idea what is going on because it’s so dark and I’m hidden behind Derrick’s large frame. I whisper in Derrick ear, “Gabe is that kind of guy, but I, on the other hand, well … I’m still working on it.” I squeeze just hard enough on the back of Derrick’s neck to drop him unconscious, but not hard enough to kill him.

When Derrick hits the floor, the other two boys stare in shock. “Who’s next?” I ask. One of the boys picks up a weight bar and lunges the semi-heavy unbalanced pole toward me. I swiftly slide to the left, grab the bar, and push it back up into his head, knocking him out cold.

At this point, the other boy just wants to leave because he’s too embarrassed or nervous to apologize. I give him a few steps before swinging a pulley bar at his feet, and trip him onto a bench press. For good measure, I sling my throwing knife between his legs just below his crotch to make my point clear. He’s terrified and pleads his forgiveness.

I slowly pull the knife out, just close enough to his groin, and hold it up to his throat. “Today, this shit ends,” I say, pointing over to Gabe and Derrick’s limp body. He shakes his head with a terrifying but agreeable gesture.

“Arena, that’s enough!” shouts Gabe. I struggle momentarily with an anger I have not come to know until now.

“Arena, let him go,” Gabe continues.

I angrily hesitate before I pull the knife away from his bulbous Adams apple. I give him one last piercing glare before I let him run off. Everything seems to come back in focus now. My mind feels clear, but it’s becoming dangerously unpredictable and is teetering on the edge of hatred. If there’re any distractions Gabe and I had at school, they are now gone.

It is time.

The sun melts into the dusty air and the clouds grow darker in the west. Gabe and I begin our usual trek to the den when out of nowhere two dozen birds flying above us in a V-shape formation drop right out of the sky and onto the ground below us.

I grab Gabe’s shoulder, drawing him back away from the falling birds. It was like they just hit a wall and fell to their demise. Gabe and I both pause in shock and look around for something that may have caused them to just drop like that.

The backside of one of the birds is completely missing, and another has its upper cavity blown out, but not a single bird has any gunshot to show for its death. It’s just too bizarre to understand. Just then, we feel a wave of air pushing through the leaves on the tree in front of us. Slowly I hear, and feel, a low-pitch rumbling sound with a constant frequency moving through my body.

From a distance above the clouds, we see a passenger jet veering at an unusual downward angle like it’s out of control. The extremely low-roaring noise in the background gradually grows louder and louder, until it blasts the sky so furiously the trees begin to tremble. More and birds fly erratically above us in strange circular patterns before they plummet to the ground around us.