Chapter 112: Jonathan VIII
"Hey Jonathan! You’re back!"
"Hey, Aaron," Jonathan said as calmly as he could to the other boy who met him as he had hopped out of Mom’s car onto the school grounds.
"Shit, I thought you’d be out another week!" Aaron said, falling into step beside him, withered leaves crunching underneath their shoes.
"It’s not like I killed anyone!" Jonathan replied with a half-grin.
"True," Aaron said. "Hey dude glad you’re back."
Before Jonathan could reply, Aaron patted him on the back and jogged away to meet another group of boys. Jonathan squinted and puffed his cheeks out, releasing his breath slowly as he looked around the schoolyard. Where the hell was Nick and the rest of the guys?
"Jonathan!"
Jonathan turned around to see a tall boy with streaky blond hair. "Hey Nick," he said.
"Finally!" Nick said. "You’re back! You know how I’ve been dying here with only shitheads to keep me company?"
"Yup," Jonathan replied calmly. "You tell me that every night. You haunt me in my dreams!"
Nick laughed and pushed him. "Well hell you’re back just in time."
"Why?" Jonathan asked. "Cause we have that stupid project in Science, and we need to pick partners today."
Jonathan yawned and blew out a silvery plume of air and he rubbed his hands together. "OK," he said. "Have I missed anything good around here?"
Nick frowned as they began walking towards the school building. "I don’t know," he said. "I have to warn ya, everyone’s been talking since you’ve been gone.."
Jonathan smiled tightly at the kids who ran by them shouting their hellos. The anger was already starting to tighten inside of him and Nick didn’t say anything more. Jonathan didn’t want to hear anything more. Everyone’s been talking?! Of course they had nothing flippin better to do. He could definitely see it in people’s faces as they glanced at him and passed him by. They were all in on something, some big whisper that would friggin annoy him!
"So what has everyone been talkin about?" Jonathan finally asked Nick as they got to their lockers.
"Well it’s a kinda heads up," Nick said. He pulled his binder out of the locker and stuffed his back pack into it, crushing all loose objects without pity. "We all heard what happened with that Anderson father, and..."
"And now I’m a friggin chicken is that it?" Jonathan snapped. And he slammed his locker shut just to hear the bang that silenced the hallway for just a moment before the chatter resumed.
"Well I don’t think so!" Nick exclaimed clanging his locker shut. "But all of Billy’s friends and shit, they’re gonna try to use that against you."
Jonathan sighed, staying close to the ground even though he had just shut his locker. What now? He was just gonna have to grin and bear it? He knew if he got in trouble for fighting again something bad would happen. This was gonna be... bliss!
Jonathan recognized those little shoes that suddenly appeared beside him and he looked up into Elena’s gorgeous little face.
"Hey," she said cheerily.
"Hey.." Jonathan breathed forgetting everything he had just been thinking about and slowly standing up, keeping eye contact with her. The cutest little curls were hanging around her face.
"Hey Elena," Nick said behind Jonathan, his voice was slightly teasing. He whacked Jonathan on the arm. "I’m getting early to History, see ya in Science Bud."
"Sure," Jonathan said absently. That was the cutest way she had that satin ribbon tied around her little throat. He suddenly wanted to touch it, to see how smooth it was.
Nick laughed quietly and leaned into his ear. "Don’t lose your head Bud, we’re too young OK?"
"Get lost!" Jonathan snapped with a smile in his eye.
Nick rolled his eyes and trotted off. That left him and her alone, for just a few precious minutes. Red was definitely beautiful on her.
"You haven’t called in... two days, three days!" Elena said with a straight face, a slight tightness to her glossy lips.
"Are ya mad?" Jonathan asked, feeling worried. It was true he hadn’t called, but he didn’t call all of his friends every day. And they never took it personal.
"Yup," Elena said. "Kinda."
"Your shoes are pretty," Jonathan said with a big smile. He remembered Dad using that on Mom once and she seemed to like it.
Elena’s face softened and lit up, her eyes melting. "Thanks!" she whispered. "I didn’t think guys noticed that."
"Yeah," Jonathan kept the smile on and he used his begging-mommy-Bambi-eyes that he knew Dad also used on Mom. That should do it! "And your feet are so tiny, it’s cute!"
Elena’s cheeks turned crimson and she shuffled on her feet. "Thanks," she said, dropping her gaze, staring down at her feet. "I guess they are kinda small..." Then she looked back up at him, her eyes narrowed. "You’re up to something!"
Jonathan shook his head, dipping into the arsenal for his innocent choirboy face, the one he knew he had perfected. "Why do ya say that? I’m so sorry I didn’t call, I was in exile."
Elena sniffed and wrinkled her nose. Hell even that was cute! "What you mean like grounded?"
Jonathan nodded. "Kinda, but I promise I won’t forget, OK?"
"Yeah," Elena said and she slid her little palm down his arm causing the ultimate in Goosebumps in him. "I gotta get to class, see you in English."
"Yeah," Jonathan said quietly and as he watched her walk away on her tiny little feet he thought. Jeezers how much work is this gonna be! He would say he was too young for this except that he knew he liked her way too much. Suddenly he had respect for all those dumb rich people in Mom’s soapies that always seemed to be juggling so many relationships. This was like a full time job, calling her every night was the requirement then JESUS!
"Damn Jonathan," Nick said with his mouth full. "You aren’t even here and you still get the hottest girl in school."
Jonathan took a swig of milk and then grinned through his teeth.
"Chorros!" Danny exclaimed as he sat down at the table with a piping hot cinnamon Chorro. "Last one!"
"Lay it on, I have no problem with praise," Jonathan said with a wink as he attacked the pizza on his plate.
"Seat taken?" the beautiful voice said beside him.
"Hey Elena," Nick and Danny said in a sing song voice. As they said that Jonathan could see Scott lean over and take a huge bite off Danny’s Chorro as it stuck out in his hand. Danny didn’t notice.
Jonathan patted the seat and Elena sat down with her lunch.
"Hey shouldn’t you like be with the other girls?" Scott asked, his red hair spikey and sharp. He was still chewing Chorro.
"Shut-up, Korshunov," Jonathan snapped. He would pound that red headed goofball to the ground if he messed anything up with Elena.
Danny grinned and popped the remainder of his Chorro in his mouth, and then he frowned. "These things aren’t as filling as they used to be."
"Tina’s being a bitch," Elena replied. She began to peel the plastic off the top of her salad bowl.
"When is she not?" Scott asked with big, innocent eyes.
Elena laughed and Jonathan felt irritated that Scott was the type that always made girls laugh. Definite danger zone there he had to watch out for that.
"So Jonathan," Elena said as she poked her plastic fork in the lettuce leaves. "I was wondering if you would like to come to my sister’s birthday party next week?"
Jonathan suddenly felt the eyes of everyone upon him and he felt self-conscious. Would it be uncool to accept the invitation or not? He had never realized the implications of these things before! Aw hell! "Sure!" Jonathan said. "Sounds cool!" He made sure to emphasize the word cool just to show the guys that this was how it was.
Scott laughed. "Can I come?"
That’s it, Korshunov was DEAD!
"Sure," Elena said brightly, "all of you guys can, we have some room."
"Coool!" Nick said and he and Danny exchanged high fives.
Oh he definitely was dead!
"Great," Jonathan said tightly. "This is gonna be great."
"WAH WAH WAH!" the chant rose behind the table. Jonathan’s blood bubbled underneath his skin. "WAH WAH WAH!"
Jonathan turned and glared at Billy who was still nursing the shadows of a bruised face and his friends. "You need your MOMMY to protect you," Billy said. "WAH WAH!"
Jonathan stood up, glaring and balling his fists. Elena quickly stood up next to him, her hand on his arm. "Jonathan," she whispered. "Don’t, not now."
"Awww," Billy said jutting out his lip. "Now you need your little sweetie to protect you!"
"Fuck off," Jonathan snarled hearing his friends’ chairs sliding back as they stood up too. He felt satisfaction in knowing he had comrades on his side.
"What ya gonna do?" Billy grinned. "Huh?"
Jonathan took a step forward hearing protest from Elena and he leaned into Billy so close he could feel the other boy’s breath. "I could pretty you up some more sweetheart, fix your teeth so your momma won’t kiss ya..."
Billy’s eyes widened and he paused for a moment, Jonathan could feel the boy’s breath stop. And then he tottered back as Billy pressed his hands onto his chest and shoved him back. "Freak!" he snapped.
Jonathan smiled and crossed his arms over his chest.
Billy then looked at Elena, keeping a glance on Jonathan. "Come on, what ya messing around with a momma’s boy like that? What’s wrong with me?"
Elena closed one eye and put her hands on her hips. "Ummmm, maybe because your zits are bigger than your balls?"
Even Billy’s friends’ burst laughing at that one and Jonathan could only raise his eyebrows and look at her. "You stupid..." Billy howled as he lunged at her and Jonathan jumped on top of Billy and fell with him to the cafeteria floor, feeling the other boy’s body squish underneath him. The sound in the cafeteria was all yelling and squeals and Jonathan pressed his palm down on Billy’s throat raising his fist in the air over his face.
He could see the fear flashing in his eyes.... And then he felt her warm body pressing into his back and her lips at his ear.
"I’m not gonna lose you now please!" Elena whispered and Jonathan sat back, freeing Billy.
Billy was panting and red as he slid back on his butt his eyes wide.
Jonathan shook his head. "Not worth it," Jonathan whispered with a sneer.
"What is going on here!" Mrs. Bell snapped pushing through the group of kids.
"Jonathan Roy what are you doing?"
"Nothing," Billy said glaring and standing up. "I’m through with him anyway."
Jonathan shook his head and sat down as the kids dispersed along with Mrs. Bell. He could hear random taunts of "Momma’s Boy" and he sighed. Dammit why couldn’t anything be easy?
"I’m so sorry," Elena whispered patting his thigh.
Jonathan shrugged. "Life goes on eh?"
Links to other sites on the Web