That Year Page 9

happiness on Christmas doesn’t come as easy as it used to. Today especially I don’t feel like celebrating, not after everything that has been happening around me. People are dying or have already died, and I made a promise to Leo that I will continue what we started, but I struggle in how to go about that promise. My parents enter the living room in their pajamas with a cup of coffee in their hand.

  My mom hands me a present from under the tree. She still writes from Santa on the presents.

  Later, while my mom and dad are in the kitchen I go outside to walk my dog. My dog and I walk on the sidewalk that is barely covered with snow. With light flurries getting in my eyes I take out my phone to call Kayla to wish her a happy holiday.

  Back from Holiday break with the New Year upon us, I sit in my first period class to start the new semester. My teacher turns on the television for the mourning announcements.

  “Good morning fellow students, I’m Brandon and to my right the beautiful Sage. A lot happened during our holiday break. First, our very own Principal Burns was arrested for stealing cell phones and reselling them on his own personal eBay account.” “Later today our new Student Body President will hold a press conference in the auditorium,” Sage says.

  The television screen goes blank and cuts to Olivia, Nick, Collin, Charlie, and Jason. The members of the team sent on the mission to kill Fontane. They are tied with hands behind back to chairs with a manila rope. “Hello students.” It’s Joey Fontane. He wears messy, uncombed brown hair with a black undershirt. He tosses a combat knife between his hands. He goes behind Olivia’s chair. “You naïve, stupid people talk about how you could bring me down. I just can’t allow this type of behavior from you.” He slides the blade of his knife lightly across Olivia face. “If this continues, more of your fellow classmates will.” He sticks the blade of the knife into Olivia’s heart. Blood pours from her mouth. “Die,” he finishes. I look around at the students in the classroom as they look at the television in fear. “Your former President is dead. My fellow students it’s your duty to make sure you’re new one doesn’t continue to wage a war against me risking your own lives in the process.” I look at the television one last time and storm out of the classroom.

  “Tough viewing,” says a man clutching a hand gun in his right hand in the abandoned classroom. “Relax I’m not here to kill you,” he says placing his gun on the desk in front of him. “You know I never been to this part of the school. I guess that’s what makes it such a good spot.” “It’s where the transfers and foreign students would stay, while Joey Fontane took away their most important right, education. No one stood up to the cruelty and the wrong that was going on because we were all scared and choose to ignore what was happening. We fooled ourselves into thinking that everything was fine, because we were safe, so transfer and foreign students seeing no other path ended up in Fontane’s system, supporting the very man who put them in that desperate position,” I say. The man interrupts me, “I don’t need any convincing against Fontane the guy is evil, and will do anything for control over this school.” “Why are you here,” I ask. “You’re going to need a little protection from other students who will be after you after today’s little threat or even from Fontane and his gang themselves. Either way you’re going to need protection,” he says. “What is your name?” “How rude of me, names Colt,” he extends his hand out.

  Colt and I walk through the hallways heading to the backstage of the auditorium for me to deliver my first speech as Student Body President. “Tell me about yourself,” Colt asks as we weave through the halls. “Not much to say, I’m just a normal kid.” “You have a girlfriend,” he asks. “I do. What about you?” “I did but now I don’t.” I open the backstage door. “Do you really think one of my fellow classmates will try to kill me,” I ask. “I don’t know, but I do know it’s a real possibility.” I walk onto the stage nervously with Colt walking alongside me, handgun hidden from sight.

  “Earlier this morning we all were witnesses to Joey Fontane’s wrath. The people that were murdered this mourning would not want their deaths to lead us into giving into Joey Fontane’s demands. It may seem like an impossible task to keep moving forward, but paving a way to change is not easy. We’re not just doing this for ourselves but for future generations who step into our school.”

  “How do you know what the murdered victims would want,” I hear someone in the audience shout. “Besides the obvious reason of being murdered by him is because those brave men and women were part of an assembled team that broke into Fontane’s compound with the mission of killing him. Our former President and another member of that team were responsible for destroying that orange vapor weapon that took so many lives knowing that in doing so was a suicide mission.”

  “So you’re responsible for all of this death and destruction,” people shout from different directions. “No, no Joey Fontane is evil and needs to be stopped or he may never be stopped,” I shout. The crowd is getting more aggressive. Colt pulls me into the backstage and we head back to the abandoned classroom. “We’re losing them,” I tell Colt angrily. “This is exactly what Leo did not want to happen, the school losing faith in what’s right.”

  “Could you blame them, they are scared look at what they been through,” Colt says. “And what, they don’t think I’m scared too.” “All I’m saying is they are scared and looking for a way out.” “I need you to assemble a team that you trust to watch the hallways, and I don’t know find and kill Joey Fontane,” I say. “Consider it done,” Colt says.

  “Kayla talks about you all the time,” Kayla’s mom informs me at the dinner table. “Mom, stop it.” I smile at Kayla and then at her mom. I take a bite of the chicken on the plate in front of me. “Chicken is very good; don’t tell my mom I said that though. I like her to think her cooking is the best.” Kayla’s mom and dad laugh, “Of course, now that’s a good son.” “Oh Kayla the letter from Sale University came in the mail today,” Kayla’s mom tells her scooping a spoonful of mash potatoes on her plate. “Thanks mom I’ll look at it later.” “What major are you interested in,” I ask. “Accounting, I like working with numbers and the stories they tell. I know it’s weird.” “No, it’s not.” “Anyway Sale University has one of best accounting programs, so fingers cross that I get accepted.” “Fingers will be crossed,” I say.

  Kayla and I wash the dirty dishes over the kitchen sink. “Thanks for coming over. I know my parents loved you.” “It was great to finally meet them,” I say.

  “Sale University, that’s kind of far isn’t it,” I ask already knowing the answer. “It is,” she says. “Listen I don’t know what I’m doing yet, so I rather not talk about it.” “I love you, you know.” I kiss her and she kisses me back. “I know you do.” “Whatever you decide I’ll support your decision,” I tell her. She smiles at me then picks up another dish in the sink to wash.

  I enter the abandoned classroom to Colt standing in front of a line of 3 girls and 5 guys. “Hello Colt, how are you today,” I ask. “I assembled a team of trusted men and women.” “I see that, and what are their names,” I ask in their direction. “This here is Melissa, this is Caroline, this is Samantha, this is Thomas, this is Mike, this is Lance, this is Robert, and finally this Justin,” Colt tells me the names going down the line. Colt takes out a map and pins it to board in front of the classroom. “I have already assigned areas for each of the team to watch for any suspicious behavior, and of course to kill Joey Fontane and anyone associated with him,” Colt finishes. “Looks like you’re ahead of the game, good work Colt.”

  “You were all selected because of your skill. Any information you find related to the whereabouts of Fontane you let both Colt and I know.” They all tell me they understand. I walk to the map that Colt pinned to the board in the front and study each person’s assigned areas of the school. “We start now, go your assigned positions,” I say. The assembled team departs the classroom.

  17

  “I’ll have the chocolate
shake,” Colt tells the waitress. “I’ll have the same,” I say. Colt looks at his shake when it arrives on the table and takes a sip. “Now this is what a chocolate shake was meant to taste like,” he tells me. “Look at that stud muffin walking in.” I turn around to see Victoria walking in. “That girl was the first girl I loved,” I share with Colt. “First,” he repeats. “She broke up with me before the school year.”

  “Dam, but you told me you had a girlfriend, that’s good. Some people I swear insist that there is no other girl out there they could have a relationship with after a break up with their first true girlfriend,” Colt says. “I admit I was one of those people,” I tell Colt. “Oh well at least you now know how ridiculous that is,” he says. “Yeah I guess so, but I will always feel that I’m connected with her.” Colt suddenly stops drinking his shake. “I was going to propose to my first real girlfriend after this year, sometime in the summer,” Colt tells me. “Really, what happened there,” I ask. “She died in the explosion in the cafeteria.” Colt reaches into his pocket and takes out a wedding ring. I stop drinking my shake and stare at it lying on