Path to Our Future part 5

After my big Christmas with the family and a quiet and intimate New Year celebration I’m back at school for a week when the notice comes down for a student assembly and pep rally in the gym after the first full week of school. That is a good thing except for the fact that Mrs. Jackson wants me to speak and get people out of the back to school blues. I have days to prepare for it as I tap Hideo and his A/V people for a little assistance and I get some wonderful ideas as things they can put together and a big damn screen to show it on in front of everyone. I let him handle the details and go over what I’m going to say. When Friday rolls around and its assembly time I am up hiding among a bunch of younger classmates. They don’t realize it’s me, I find it funny as I’m kind of blending in keeping to myself. I know the girls are looking for me in the usual spots and the only person who knows where I’m at is Hideo’s tech people who know exactly where I’m at as Mrs. Jackson is going on about taking classes seriously and promoting the study groups that Jun and I established.

“And now for something that most of you look forward to at these assemblies, a few words from our Class President Guy Donnelly,” Mrs. Jackson says stepping away from the podium.

I watch as two students surprise Mrs. Jackson by rushing out and moving the podium out of the way before the lights go dark, it’s not pitch black mind you but people are murmuring when everyone hears a some music kick on, it’s a hard and basic guitar riff with drums in the back and people are getting into it when I stand up and the spot light hits me. As always I have my coat on and my hood up as I start to make my way down the aisle and I’m touching hands as I go. I make it to the gym floor and everyone is cheering as one of the A/V boys rushes me a microphone and I hold it up as the lights brighten so that I can see my fellow students.

“New Year, resolutions, promises and blah blah blah. God doesn’t it make you feel old sometimes, these are supposed to be the beginning of the rest of our lives and we get dragged down by talk,” I tell everyone as they look on, some confused,” We don’t need talk, we have the people around us. Our friends, our boyfriends and girlfriends, lifelong buddies and home girls. I want everyone to pay attention because we’re learning a little before we enjoy our weekend.”

The lights dim and the pictures and video start on the giant patch work of white behind me and I am watching a little as we see students studying. Punks chasing off a guy from another school harassing a girl, the football team and Lou’s sportsmanship to the quarterback last game of the year, generally a lot of heartwarming and bonding pictures which make me smile a little before the music cuts out. This isn’t what I planned on when the word believe pops up in black letters. I watch some of the letters fade till the word ‘LIE’ is left. Then I hear a voice pick up over the audio, it’s muffled but you can understand it.

“Guy Donnelly is a coward; he hides behind his army only choosing to fight when he can’t get someone to do it for him. He uses fear and intimidation to make factions work together so that his order will be maintained. He has five women that he rampantly abuses for his personal pleasure,” as all this is happening there are pictures coming up on the screen, one of them being myself and Katy in a mad embrace with me holding her by the hair and her gasping in pleasure,” This is not a leader, this is a dictator who abuses his power and will make whatever he wants his by force. You’re girlfriends are not safe, nothing is sacred, you believe the lie. Guy Donnelly is the lie.”

I am a little stunned but it’s dark and I can hear everyone starting to question. It’s a seed of insecurity and I have dozen ideas pop into my head as to how to handle it. The lights start to come on and I turn to my people and pull the microphone up to my face.

“Mad dictator talking here,” I joke and a couple people laugh,” I’m abusive, I will take your women, I will hurt you and make you conform to my will. Really?! Problem is there is a lie that goes on about me that everyone believes.”

I can hear people go from listening to on the edge of their seats waiting as I sit cross legged on the floor and pull my hood back.

“I’m afraid. I’m scared of a lot of things because the outcome may hurt me and others. I don’t like being a force that won’t compromise but sometimes I have to be harsh so that all can benefit and not a select few. I’m afraid of losing this good life and this good environment we have built here. One where everyone can be around everyone else and nobody cares about a group because we’re all the same group,” my words ring out and people are listening and nodding again.

I can see Kori and Matty in the stands with the rest of my crew. They’re all looking down and while most don’t catch my expression I know Kori saw it as I lower my head and go for the big push. I stand up and start pacing while speaking loudly and firmly.

“While I may be afraid that doesn’t change what I do, what we do! We stand up, we face the fear, we take the pain and we endure the witless and the weak because we chose to stand up. They may not know us and they may not like us, guess what? People like that we don’t need in our lives,” I bark as people start to cheer me on,” The change has already started; it’s been going for almost a year now. And the fist is change and the fist will come down. If you look down on me you will see a demon there to drag you through the fire, if you look up to me you will see a hand there to pull you out of the darkness. And if you look me in the eye you’ll see a man. Scared, flawed but standing up and we will not stop! This is our time, this is our year!”

I drop the microphone with an unceremonious thud and march my ass up the bleachers to Kori and Matty who wrap me up in a combo girl hug. It’s loud and people are cheering but inside I’m seething as to who fucked with my assembly. I turned it but this shit is getting old fast. We’re dismissed and calmly we head out with the rest of the students talking and I’m shaking hands with more than a few as I bypass heading to the parking lot and go right for the A/V room. My whole crew is behind me along with some added football support. I get in the A/V room and can hear Hideo going off on everyone of his people as to what the fuck happened. I calmly open the door and step inside with Matty and Kori in tow.

“Guy I’m really sorry we don’t know what happened but I’m damn sure going to find out,” Hideo tells me agitated.

“I’ll handle this brother. Everyone empty your pockets and show me your wallets and cell phones,” I tell the five guys in the room.

Quietly all of them do what I’ve asked and I’m looking through the contents when another Asian boy catches my attention. He’s got two cell phones, a nice one and a junk one along with a hundred dollars in twenties. I dismiss everyone including Hideo from the room save for my girls and the Asian kid. He’s quiet and scared as I have my hood on and my girls are staring a hole through him.

“What’s your name,” I ask quietly.

“Edgar,” he responds a little scared.

“Okay Edgar, I’m going to ask you a few questions and make some statements, tell me if I’m right and don’t lie to me. If you lie I will leave this room and so will my girls, when you come back to school Monday people won’t speak with you, the A/V club won’t let you in, study groups won’t work with you in any capacity, and even at lunch nobody will acknowledge you. I will make you the weak sheep in the flock and you will be all alone,” I tell him finally meeting his gaze,” Do you understand me Edgar?”

“Yes sir, I’m really sorry Guy I just don’t….,” Edgar starts in but I stop him.

“Edgar we’re not on that yet so I need you to focus. Now I’m going to guess that somehow that phone came into your possession by an anonymous or unknown person. Did you see who that person was,” I ask and he shakes his head,” When you got your first call was it a male or a female?”

“It was a male voice; he knew things that we were doing here. He knew what we were doing for you and he wanted to ‘contribute’,” Edgar starts explaining but stops when he sees my expression,” Sorry sir.”

“Edgar you’re excited and you’re afraid right now, just listen and answer when I ask a question. He told you that he needed you to do something for him, how did you come to get money from him,” I ask and Edgar almost drops his contents.

“I told him no, I said I didn’t want to help but he said it would be harmless and offered me money hand off the final project so he could alter it. I wasn’t to look at it since I’m the final editor and when it was back in my possession the money was with it,” He tells me very scared now.

“Easy Edgar, you’re doing well. So you dropped this off anonymously, there was nobody you saw that took the thumb drive with the project and nobody who was there to deliver it with the money,” I ask getting a nod confirming what I asked,” And has this person contacted you since?”

“No, he did say I should run from you today. I couldn’t but I’m scared of tomorrow,” He tells me shaking.

I reach across the distance between us leaning forward and rest a hand on his shoulder. He flinches at first but I’m calm and in a mood for information gathering. He didn’t want to harm me, he just had a weak moment and someone took advantage of him. I stand him up and he’s scared as I look into his face.

“I forgive you Edgar, you were weak but you didn’t run. You stayed fearing I would find you and now I have. Nobody is going to hurt you because of this; nobody is going to treat you differently. We will help you be better,” I tell him as he nods and finally starts to relax,” Keep the money Edgar, use it but the phone is mine now.”

I take the junk burner phone and hand it to Kori before slowly walking Edgar out of the room and into a waiting pack of my people who are ready to destroy him at my command.

“Edgar made a mistake, someone saw that he was vulnerable and caught him alone. They took advantage of him and while he didn’t hurt me he let someone try. Edgar doesn’t need a punishment or a beating, he needs people to help him be stronger and that’s what we do right,” I ask as the end.

Everyone agrees with me and I let Hideo pull him aside and they talk. It’s a good talk from what I gather as Edgar is ashamed but can come back better from this. I am glad that Jackie helped me with giving people chances but this is pushing my limits as I head back to my bike with my fiancés and crew in tow. We idly chat for a bit before heading off towards home. I’m in the door five seconds and right in the gym fuming mad and ready to kill.

“I don’t know who this fucker is but I want to rip his head off and shit down his neck,” I yell as Dad follows me in and closes the door.

I go over what happened today and Dad listens quietly, I’m ranting and raving while just stares at me before motioning for me to sit. It takes me a second but I finally do and Dad decides to contribute.

“Whoever this is they’ve been planning this, granted some things a little more than others like the file during Christmas. They’re trying to catch you off guard, now more than ever you need to keep your eyes open and your friends aware that when it comes it’s coming for you and you alone,” Dad explains calmly.

“I want to find this fuck and hurt him,” I growl,” want to hurt him so bad his parents are hospitalized by what I do to him.”

“And if it’s a girl like some of the calls have been,” Dad asks plainly.

“Then I’ll have Imelda or Katy or even Matty beat the fuck out of her. They’d do it gladly for my peace of mind,” I am still angry but trying to calm down.

“The more important thing is to remember whoever is doing this is planning something big and it’s pointed right at you. We’ve discussed this and I need to know are you prepared for when they come at you head on,” Dad asks plainly.

“I am getting there, I just can’t bring a lot of people in on it now because it tips the hand,” I state and Dad nods in agreement.

Dad and I talk and he calms me down a lot. I want this fuck but with nothing to go on I have to keep control and wait for them to slip up. More importantly I’m looking at the big secret of a sister that I’m still hoping to hear some news on from Mr. Delauter. Sadly there is none but it’s only been nearly a month and she’s been gone for years. I settle in to my room after talking and even at dinner I note that Katy is absent and so is Liz. I’m a little confused as to where Katy is since she does all of her studying here at home. I’m relaxing in my room before bed when I hear her roll in around ten at night. I creep out of my room and she sees me as she’s about to close her bedroom door, I get a light wave and a smile before it closes and I’m in a really odd state with it. I figure she’s tired and wants to sleep but she’s been gone all day and now she doesn’t even say hello? I sleep that night with confusion running around my head.

Saturday is a bit of the quiet side for me with my girls are doing the wedding planning bit. I point out how I wasn’t invited and they just laugh about it, I’m not upset considering it’s them having girl time. I actually sit and hang out with my Dad for the day since its quiet and I don’t have shit to do. The girls break from their planning in the mid afternoon and I get to cuddle and see what they came up with at the dinner table. It actually looks nice but there is some indecision about a church or an outdoors wedding. I actually take a side and go with church which is agreed with and no fight occurs, thank god. My girls head home and the family eats dinner together for a change. Conversation is light and pleasant save for Katy who is distracted the entire meal. I help Mom clean up and settle in my room on my bed reading one of the books the girls got me for Christmas.

I’m actually asleep when my phone goes off and I see it’s a bit past eleven. I check the ID and it reads Imelda as I answer it.

“Baby I have trouble, I’m up in Tacoma and I got cheated bad. Now I’m stuck and they have my bike,” Imelda tells me sounding scared which makes me confused and angry.

“Location and I’ll be there as fast as possible,” I tell her hopping up from my bed.

I get the info from her and am dressed in my camo pants, long sleeve shirt and my leather jacket with boots as I head out of my room. My moving through the house doesn’t go unnoticed as Dad meets me in the living room and Katy is hot on my heels.

“Son what is it,” Dad asks concerned.

“Imelda needs some help up in Tacoma, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I tell him almost out the door when Katy grabs me.

“Wait I’m coming too,” she tells me rushing back to her room.

Soon enough it’s the two of us on our bikes, me on Black Sunshine and Katy on her bike. It’s a speedy little green bike with biohazard logo on it in yellow and the word ‘ENVY’ in pink. We are on the freeway soon and heading north for about an hour plus when we get to where the ‘party’ is. It’s a bit less bright and sporty than the gatherings down in Texas but still the same feel of vehicles, party and money are abound. Katy and I park and pack our helmets as I start to work my way through the crowd with her in tow. It takes maybe five minutes when I see the familiar white racing suit surrounded by a bunch of preppy fuckers with brightly colored race clothing and Imelda’s bike under someone else’s ass. There are some real biker’s in leather hanging around the area talking and drinking as I walk right up to Imelda and when I see her face my rage kicks in. She’s got a hell of a bruise forming around her eye and there aren’t many ways that can happen when you wear a helmet racing. I turn towards the guy on Imelda’s bike and bee line for him when a large, well larger than me by a little, guy in bright fucking green steps in front of me.

“Hey man Kurt isn’t taking any more challengers tonight,” He tells me as I start to walk around him.

He stops me with a hand on my chest and that’s where the violence starts for me. I grab his thumb and twist it hard so his palm is facing up before moving inside his reach and hammering him three times in the ribs. I let him double over a bit before hooking his head in my arm and bending him backwards in a reverse head lock with him facing up. I look behind me and see cooler sitting on couple pallets of wood and look to ‘Kurt’ before hurling my body backwards and smashing the guy’s face into the wood. I let him go as he’s out like a bitch and turn back to Kurt who is now off the bike and it’s when I hear a woman come running up to me that I turn to gauge my situation. She’s blonde and not a pseudo college student like the ‘brat pack’ I’m facing down, she’s got jeans shorts on and a black tank top with a leather vest.

“Hey kid you don’t just start a fight here and uhhhkkkk,” is about as far as she gets when Katy pounces.

I watch Katy grab the woman’s arm and pull it around her neck before dragging her to the ground and going for a top mount. One of Katy’s fists is in the air as she decides to chime in.

“You think about touching him and you won’t need makeup you’ll need a plastic surgeon,” Katy growls staring down at the woman.

“EVERYONE WILL FUCKING STAND DOWN OR I WILL START BREAKING FUCKING FACES,” is what we all hear as I turn to face the new entrant.

I see him and it’s a little different, no shirt on a white man with a black leather vest and red hair and blue jeans that have thick chain wrapped around his waist for a belt and some riding boots. A green bandanna holds his red hair out of his face and his well groomed goatee and mutton chops for facial hair is as bright as the rest as he gets in my face.

“Tell your girl to get the fuck off mine now,” He barks at me.

“Tell douche bag to get the fuck of my girl’s bike,” I tell him back realizing that I’m actually taller than him by a few inches.

“You don’t fucking tell me what to do at my meet,” he says starting to turn as red as his hair.

“Your meet? Okay so when does cheating and beating a woman then taking her bike becomes the standard of the Tacoma racing scene,” I ask hotly and he is fuming mad now.

“You little fucker I’m gonna skin your ass alive. You come here and talk down to me like you are some high and mighty….,” He starts barking but stops cold looking at my jacket and gets very quiet,” Where did you get those patches?”

“Texas,” I reply and he takes a step back, not fearful but respectful.

“Who gave you the pitchfork,” He asks again a lot calmer and I hear Katy letting up the woman behind us.

“Sid of the Devil’s Best,” I tell him and as I can finally focus on him I see more than a few Devil’s Best in the area.

In actuality I’m surrounded by them and while everyone is watching us intently it’s the short man that I’m paying the most attention to.